South America: Part 1

I just returned from a 3 week jaunt to South America. First I spent a week in Ecuador, which I planned with my Peru work that came afterwards. The main purpose of going to Ecuador was to attend my good friend and UCSB officemate Felipe's wedding. But I also got to see some old friends from my time in Ecuador 6 years ago. It was a big deal for me to go back after so long because it seemed like it had never happened, and was just a crazy dream from my past. One of my first days I spent time with my former man-friend and current penpal, Jairo. Back in 2003 I spent a lot of time with him and his family in a little town called Nanegalito, which is around an hour from Quito and sort of between the Andes and the coast, so it's the gateway to the tropics. It was amazing to go back and see how his nieces and nephews had grown and also how the family had expanded. His brother-in-law also bought a property that they use for birders and small groups of people to stay. The pictures show Jairo, his sister Tanya, and her three kids at the ecolodge, Alambi. When I was there they only had one, Johan, who is now the big kid in the family. I also stayed at the house and saw more nieces and nephews, one who was a little girl when I was there and is practically a lady now, Melina. She also has a new brother who was on the way when I was there, and a new sister whose name is... Amy! Yes, Jairo's brother named his daughter after me (in pink jumpsuit sitting next to me). The crazy part is that the little village likes new names so now there's a bunch of little Amys wandering around. When I heard that I think I went into shock for a few days. All the kids in the family piled on me, which was like a whole elementary school, and that was with four missing (see pic). There are 11 grandchildren in total. They definitely have their hands full!

The next day I led a group from the wedding party in the cloud forest where I guided before, Bellavista. It was crazy being back and felt like I never left. The next days after that I spent with the wedding folk going to Saquisili (see potatoes), a town that has a traditional market, and also relaxing in Quito. The wedding was at Felipe's uncle's hacienda, which was beautiful. I sat with some UCSB friends (Micah and Matt) and also with the bridesmaids, all who were very nice.
Overall it was very intense and overwhelming to return to Ecuador but also felt a little bit like coming home. I saw another guide friend of mine, Santiago, who feels like a brother even though we haven't spoken in 5 years. Everyone was so kind to me, which was part of the intensity of it. For something that seems like a dream, that visit made it a true reality.

I will add the Peru section later when I get the pictures...