Days 5 and 6

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Aaaand we're back! This evening we finally arrived in Cuenca, a charming little town south of Riobamba. I think we were all happy to see running water (and Internet access)!

Day 5 started with a five hour bus ride to our campsite. We stopped in a small town for some snacks and drinks and even got to see the oldest church in Ecuador. My favorite part of the ride was watching a local make items out of seeds from a palm. Check out the pictures!

When we finally got to our campsite, it was pouring down rain, but that was ok. Horses carried our stuitcases and lunch was all ready for us--all prepared by the cowboys. We took an afternoon "walk" that turned into a few hours hiking up one of the mountains. It was high (over 14,000 ft), but we all made it and had a great feeling of accomplishment. I was so proud of everyone! Little did we know that was a "Minnie Mouse hike" compared to what we did today....

It was a long and cold night (I found out that camping in a tent isn't really for me) and we were up early to hike the Incan trail. It was a NINE MILE HIKE! We just kept on going. While I was crying for my mommy about 4 hours into it (kidding...kind of), the kids were right on Fabian's tail and keeping up through the mud and marsh and hills. Tons of hills, of course...it's the Andes! Again, I was so proud of them!!

We also stopped at Ingapirca after lunch--the site of the Incan ruins. It was an impressive sight. We took tons of photos of course.

Tonight we had a laundry night :) and are gearing up for tomorrow. I can't wait to see Cuenca!

Look for more pictures coming soon!
-Bridget Belardi