If the Gringa Jumped off a Cliff, Would You?

Sitting here, drinking a mango strawberry smoothie, thinking life is pretty sweet. And not just in my mouth.

Last weekend we went on a trip to Riobamba to hike and dance. We ended up walking and dancing but it was fun nonetheless. Mostly just nice to get away from the routine I've been inadvertently worshiping lately.

We walked around a lake called Laguna de Colta but there weren't really any paths so we walked through farms that apparently cultivate ferocious farm animals, railroad tracks, and a road. It was a beautiful day so no one was sincerely complaining.

I've been having fun with English Club on Monday afternoons and Kids Class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 3 little kids followed me after class one day and begged to come to both sessions even though they're exactly the same (divided by age). I told them they'd probably get bored and they promised they wouldn't. Felt nice that at least 3 kids must enjoy it.

And yesterday my teachers and I went on an awesome day trip to La Mana in celebration of Teachers Day. It's a city in the subtropical region between the mountains and the coast so it's much warmer and greener. A lot of the wealthier people in Pujili have vacation homes in La Mana because it's only about 4 hours away but has a much nicer climate and a different lifestyle so everyone has been telling me since I got here that I need to see it.

It really was beautiful. So much vegetation and it was humid but not too hot. We hiked for about 30 minutes and we all complained like crazy about how much we were sweating and how many bugs there were. But we reached a set of 7 waterfalls and little pools in the river for swimming and it was so worth it. We saw 5 of the 7 waterfalls and swam and played, jumped off rocks, and slid down a natural waterslide. The water was a little cold but perfectly refreshing and so clean. We ate cueros (pig skin), tilapia estofada, cacao fruit, hamburgers, and batidos.

19 mosquito bites and a few beautiful memories later...