Happy Halloween!

Greetings from Ecuador!
We are currently writing from Quito, Ecuador´s mountain rimmed capital. Today we had fun walking the city and busing to mountain top theme park/gondala ride view point. The city sprawls wide with an unbroken skyscraper skyline. We will explore the splendors of colonial architecture tomorrow.

El desierto de Tatacoca was so unlike anything we have seen yet. After spending a night in a nearby villa, we walked an hour in the midday sun through the ¨red desert¨ and were picked up by our friend Hairo. Hairo lives in the middle of the ¨grey desert¨. His property includes a natural pool, hammocks, and handmade, bamboo/mud facilities, including an outdoor kitchen and cabins with spectacular desert views. We enjoyed riding around by motorcycle and taking day and night hikes. Minus the bugs. We learned about cactus fruits and sasafrass trees. At night we were greeted by a nearly full moon which cast a grey light upon the desert floor. Unfortunately we did not see many stars in the cloudy sky, but the desert had just as many dazzling configurations.
After 3 days we were on our way, however we could not leave without being gifted the cutest puppy in Colombia. During our stay we enjoyed their constant company and entertainment. We knew we wanted Gordito - the hungriest of the bunch- when he puked all over Courtney on our first day.






Gordito in hand, we motorcycled outta the desert and bused through Neiva to San Agustin. Arriving late by pickup truck, which amazingly transported 18 of us for an hour, we found a happy family hostel in el centro. The next day we left Gordito with the 10 year daughter and set out for the infamous archeological park. The park was full of huge rocks which were carved into defensive faces and protective stances of anthromorphic figures. Most of these statues dated back 4,000 to 6,000 years! There were few informative signs around, and we refused to go with a guide after meeting the craziest of the bunch. However we still enjoyed our stroll and felt the ancient energy. It was also good practice decoding the spanish signs.







On Monday, October 25th we arrived in Popayan. The central district contains only white buildings which were a lovely colonial style and gave surreal impressions. We spent an extra day just strolling the streets, and getting our new dog vaccinated. On our first visit, we arrived by bike. Considering its dangerous to cross the streets here, this was a bit of a frightening experience. The second visit we walked through rain. With our doggy passport, we made our way to the boarder city of Pasto. The bus ride was included bonito views of deep canyons and steep green slopes. The highlight of Pasto was realizing Colombian pastries are bad after sharing a bagel-like donut.






Goodbye Colombia, Hello Ecuador.
In the morning we bused to Ecuador with a very relaxed puppy. We landed in Otavalo. Otavalo is most famous for its extensive artisan market manned by the large indigenous population. The Otavaleno women dress all the same in white floral blouses, long blue skirts, suede strap slides, strings of gold beads (symbolizing wealth), and a long braid down their backs. First off in the morning we went to the animal market with a very excited backpack-bound dog. We saw pigs, goats, cows, upside down chickens, guinea pigs for eating, kittens and pups for adopting. We told at least half the people there that our dog was Colombian, and was not for grabs. The artisan market covered a dozen blocks and was overwhelmingly full of crafts. We bargained for Ecuadorian pants and bracelets.
That afternoon we left with overstimulated eyes for Quito.