Back in Quito

After 11 days on the coast we have made it back to Quito. We took a night bus last night and climbed 10,000 feet in 8 hours...twisting around crazy mountain roads in the pitch black...there were times we would wake up and have it feel like the bus was going to flip over! But, we pulled, unharmed, into Quito at 6:00 am this morning and are now relaxing at Paul and Beth's apartment. It is such a blessing to have a home base...laundry, food, friends, free bed!

Our time on the coast proved to be exactly what we were looking for...we worked on our spanish, we utterly relaxed, and we meagerly tried to surf. Some highlights from the coast:

• Finca Rio Muchacho, a funky little organic farm where made chocolate from scratch--straight from the Cacao plant, made rings out of royal palm tree seeds, and toured the amazingly self-sufficient facilities...they make their own cooking gas from animal poop and water!!

-roasting Cacao beans-

• Paul, Jill and Elliot: the inspiring English family who are traveling around south america in old Land Rover, which they shipped over from Africa, after being safari guides for 11 years...Elliot is a knowledgeable 4 year old chap who happens to share our birthday...they were at the same hotel as us for the whole time, however they slept on top of their truck while we slept in our room

• Migelito: a 98 year old Galapagos turtle in a local school yard. so stinkin huge!!

• Ron and Kathy: another inspiring couple who sailed to Ecuador from Alaska and are about to head across the south pacific...after an afternoon on their boat, we are tossing around the idea hitching a ride from here to Panama on a sail boat

Our next journey will be a weekend in the cloud forest to celebrate our 1 year of marriage...we will be thinking of all of you who gathered there in person and in spirit to support the start of this journey together.

We love you all and miss you dearly...you are in our thoughts and prayers....

strategically withdrawn...elena y mateo