Vídeo. That’s how.
Did y’all know I went to Ecuador? Well I did and here’s some proof. Highlights include the long hike up Pinchincha, everyone’s dance moves (turns out we danced A LOT), getting drenched by Pialon del Diablo, and Brett’s karaoke skills. Shout out to Casey and his GoPro for coming in clutch when I forgot my camera battery for our Amazon trip.
Despite having a schedule full of Spanish classes, clinical placements, and organized excursions, we also had a surprising amount of free time. This year it worked out that we had two free weekends during the program so we were able to explore both Baños AND Mindo. Both towns were talked up by our supervisors and host families and I thought I’d have to pick just one but everything worked out beautifully. #tooblessedtobestressed
However, only Casey and I were interested in going to the town known for its butterflies and chocolate (honestly I don’t understand how anyone could pass that up) so after an epic karaoke night in Gringolandia (the actual given name), Casey and I piled onto a bus headed for what we hoped was the right place. But before leaving, because we are fools, we assumed that the bus terminal would have an ATM to get out cash before we left. Silly us. Instead, it only had a bus that we missed by 20 minutes and a concerning smell. We had to wait almost two hours for the next bus. No worries, we would just get cash once we arrived in Mindo. Or so we thought…
We pulled into the one street town, panicked and got off at the first stop as soon as we could (we would have only gone 200 more feet to the “bus stop” had we waited) and first noticed that everyone was outside. I was like, how precious, what a kind town, everyone is out enjoying each other’s company. And then we realized none of the shops had lights on. Then we realized the power was out. And THEN we realized the ATM machines wouldn’t be working because of previously mentioned power outage. So with $60 between the two of us, we ordered a pizza to stress eat and then stumbled upon our hostal. Since the power was out EVERYWHERE, the hostal couldn’t look up our reservation or accept card as payment but because the people of Bio Hostal were wonderful in every way, they got us a room and told us to just come pay in the morning. Ecuadorians are the best and you should be so lucky to be one or know one.
Over the course of the weekend, we…
¡Also, I got my ASHA CCCs! This means that all my years of school, hundreds of clinical hours, and countless tears and sleepless nights finally paid off! I am a fully licensed speech-language pathologist now. When I applied for my intern license last summer, I submitted my application and then went to the airport to fly to Guatemala. I guess it’s only fitting that I got the news of my upgraded license from the spotty wifi in the middle of a rainforest in Ecuador. Who knows where I’ll be this time next year?
Mindo was a sleepy little town that we absolutely loved. It was the best way to wrap up our time in Ecuador. The scenery was breathtaking and there was no where to be except in a hammock or on a trail. Whenever I think about the best parts of Ecuador, I go back to Mindo.
I don’t camp.
Given the choice between camping and not, I try to always choose not. I think the fact that I once got a stomach virus while camping is the reason to blame for my fear of sleeping outside. That and blonde girls are usually prime targets for serial killer and I associate serial killers with camping, I don’t know, sue me.
So imagine my surprise when I found myself sharing a shower with a cockroach in the Amazon region of Ecuador. True, this wasn’t tent camping, we had lovely rooms but it is also true that our room didn’t exactly have a ceiling and our beds had bug nets on them.
And it was awesome.
This was a planned excursion for the entire group so we all drove 4 hours east to the tiny town of Misahualli. From there, we got off the bus, crossed a tiny bridge, walked through the town, got water boots, and loaded onto boats. I felt like Karl Pilkington from An Idiot Abroad. From there, we went to Shiripuno, a small community run by the women (as it should be, am I right ladies). There were tarantulas and toucans, the whole deal. My chemical makeup was 50% insect repellent and 50% sunscreen for the weekend.
We walked around looking at the various plants and eating everything from leaves to cacao to ants that tasted like lemon pop rocks. We ate entire fish and made our own chocolate. (People who weren’t me) ate grilled grubs, Lion King style. We danced around a bonfire and drank from a bowl of hot tea. We tried to learn Kichwa. We hiked through the rainforest following a machete wielding man named Fernando. It was a very casual, normal weekend if you ask me.
The highlight of the weekend though, was tubing down the Rio Napo. Just a bunch of gringos floating along the river, under the direct Ecuadorian sun for two and a half hours, what could go wrong?
SUNBURNS, SUNBURNS ARE WHAT COULD GO WRONG.
We got tore up, no amount of sunscreen could have saved our legs dangling over the side of the tubes. And fun fact, you can’t buy aloe vera at the pharmacy in Misahualli! Which led to some creative burn relief alternatives that I don’t think should be talked about online.
There have been lots of highlights on this trip but our weekend in the Amazon was probably at the top of everyone’s list. We were hot and stinky and sunburnt the whole time but we laughed and were humbled by how amazing this opportunity is.
One of the best things about this program is that we have had some free time to explore Ecuador on our own. Pero like don’t get me wrong, we are working like crazy most of the time in class and our clinical placements, but that just makes our free time that much sweeter. For our first free weekend, the boys and I packed up our backpacks and got on a bus headed to Baños.
Well, that’s only partially true. Two of the three boys and I packed up our backpacks and got on a bus headed to Baños because our 4th companion, Casey, texted us at 4am saying that he was sick as a dog with some serious food poisoning. Alas, we dropped off some Gatorade for him and pressed on.
Baños is known for its, you guessed it, bathrooms. Jajaja una broma, I kid I kid. It’s known for its thermal baths but we wouldn’t know because the thought of piling into a warm body of water with 100 other warm bodies of humans didn’t exactly strike us as appealing at this point in time. Instead, we enjoyed our time in the world’s cutest airbnb and wandered around the tiny town, drinking coffee and shopping for sweaters. Brett, Nick, and I wandered into the Stray Dog Brew Pub, wet from the rain like actual stray dogs, and camped out there while a Venezuelan duet played a cover of Despacito and other culturally rich and relevant songs. Brett invited them over for a drink afterwards and next thing I knew I was being asked my opinion of the current state of young people in America IN SPANISH. Turns out no estoy lista para conversaciones en Español en un bar.
We were going to go cook burritos at our airbnb but turns out the grocery store didn’t have tortillas and we got a recommendation for an Argentinean restaurant so obviously, we chose to have dinner with Sergio, the charming Argentinean steak master. We all ordered different cuts? types? styles? of meat but when they came out, they all looked exactly the same. They all tasted differently but they all were riquísimos. Sergio became one of my favorite humans with his steak grilling expertise. We tried to explain to him that we were simply too full for dessert but Sergio was not having that and brought us a dessert on the house and it too was glorious.
This was about the time when we were like, hmm we haven’t been connected to Wifi in a while, we probably should log in and check our WhatsApp messages. We were in shock when we got messages from Casey saying that he had rallied, taken a bus to Baños alone in the dark, and had arrived at the airbnb an hour ago. NO ME PUEDO CREERLO. We quickly got in touch and got him into the main city center and lost our minds over the fact that he had made it despite being close to death only hours previously (I may be exaggerating but you get the idea). We celebrated Casey’s triumphant arrival in Baños with karaoke and dancing at 2 of the 4 discotecas in town. Let’s just say Baños will never be the same after our Backstreet Boys karaoke.
The next day, we lounged around (this program is really draining, ok) and then got our act together to go out to Pialon del Diablo, which is this insanely huge waterfall about 15 minutes outside of town. It’s one of the many cascadas around Baños but it was the only one we went out to. You take a path through the forest to the spot where it just opens up and all of a sudden there’s this massive waterfall right in front of you. During the walk, we noticed the people were coming back soaking wet…which was concerning….turns out we were not prepared at all for this but nevertheless, we secured our electronics and went down into the depths. I know we’ll never forget the sight of Brett wordlessly zipping up his raincoat and blowing past us to get as close as possible to the falls. I know those Oregon boys see waterfalls all the time, but this Texas gal was in awe. It was worth being soaking wet and freezing cold for the next few hours (ok maybe not, but I still remember it fondly).
Baños was great because it not only showed us more of beautiful Ecuador but it also showed us that we were capable of getting our act together and figuring out how to travel outside of Quito (yes it’s true, Casey is really the champion of travel)
Sometimes, the universe has a strange way to bringing you back to a specific moment in what seems like completely different life.
Five years ago, aka a lifetime ago when I was a lil 19 year old studying abroad in Prague, we took a trip to Lidice, a small town with a terrible past.
Fast forward to now, where I’m a slightly más grande 24 year old on a speech-language pathology program in Quito. I’m walking through the enormous Capilla del Hombre at the Fundacion Guayasamin, listening to the tour in Spanish. I roughly understand 60% of the tour because my Spanish skills don’t extend too far into el mundo del arte. But then, I see a word a recognize under one of the gigantic surrealist paintings. Lidice. Then I heard Checoslovaquia and tuned in to hear the tour guide tell the same story that I heard five years ago in a tiny classroom halfway across the world. No pude creelo. I didn’t have the right words in Spanish to accurately convey how much I was actually freaking out.
Life is a series of insane coincidences and sometimes you’re lucky enough to notice.
(Además, our Spanish teacher Alejandra is the best for taking us to the museum. She provided a salient language and culture lesson by stepping beyond the four walls of the school. The museum was amazing and Oswaldo Guayasamin is a fascinating and incredibly talented artist. But for real, en serio, Alejandra is the best. And she doesn’t harass me when I conjugate the irregular past tense verbs incorrectly. Todos. Los. Veces. )
This past weekend, we all loaded up on a bus circa 7am and headed out to Otavalo for the market (but not without stopping for bizcochos con dulce de leche first).
The market was everything I thought it’d be and more. There were people selling just about everything, like literally selling both alive and dead chickens, alpaca lined slippers, woven tapestries, cauldrons of sopa, and heart-shaped sunglasses (guess what I bought). There were men in hats selling ponchos and ladies in ponchos selling hats. There were German tourists trying to speak Spanish, Harry Styles’ songs playing in the background, and dogs running wild. This place had it all. Talk about sensory overload. After only one brief language slip up on my part (turns out the lady was only asking dieciocho, NOT veintiocho for a hat, it was a close call), we left the market with all our treasures in tow including three matching Indiana Jones-esque hats that we didn’t pay $28 each for.
After the retail therapy, we went on a trek through a nature preserve complete with a waterfall and a rope bridge. If rope bridges have any rules, we violated them all when we ran/jumped across like a herd of elephants. My native Oregon peers may not have been super impressed with the hidden caves and waterfalls but this Texan had a blast.
The next day, something strange happened….I willingly agreed to a bike ride. But not just any bike ride, no. It was an 18km, mountain bike ride. It took two and a half hours, we were chased by dogs, we had to get off our bikes and push them up the actual mountains, and I’m not entirely convinced that there’s even any oxygen at 10k+ feet. But it was awesome. Not like an “oh awesome so cool” moment but like the real kind of awe-inspiring, leaves you breathless (literally) moment. The kind of moment that while you’ll living it, you’re just like SAVOR EVERY MOMENT OF THIS, DUMMY, BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING. It was awesome. And it was really scary and it really hurt afterwards.
Surprise, I’ve been in Quito for the past two weeks! And I still have a month to go! Did I forget to tell you? Oops. I’ve been going nonstop since I arrived but allow me to give a brief recap–
This program has been extremely challenging to say the least. The coursework is rigorous and I have to constantly translate everything that is being said to me and what I want to say AND SURPRISE my Spanish skills need a lot of work. My clinical skills are being put to the test daily at our clinical placements and during our classes but I know that is is huge for my professional development. It’s been exhausting but I am thrilled to be here. True, I’m writing this while sick and ready for bed at 8pm but alas, I’m ready for whatever adventure tomorrow will bring.
Chau amigos
This is what I shared yesterday at my grandmother’s memorial service.
While I am saddened by the occasion, which brings us all here, being here at Bentwood Trail is like a homecoming for my family. My parents and aunt and uncle were married here, my brother and I were baptized here, and my Mimi was a faithful member here for many years—it is only fitting that we celebrate her full and happy life in a place that meant so much to her.
I could go on and on about the numerous lessons my Mimi taught me but she was very specific about all the hymns we have to fit in this service, so instead I have decided to talk about the person that my Mimi was. My Mimi filled many roles throughout her life—Christian, daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, friend, neighbor, chauffeur, life coach, unsolicited opinion giver– the list goes on and on. Today I have decided to touch on only a few of the identities and relationships that made Mimi, Mimi.
First and foremost, Mimi was a Texan. I purposely exclude “proud” in front of the word “Texan” because everyone who knows Mimi knows just how proud she was of her heritage. In her wishes, she specifically asked for yellow roses to decorate the church today. Growing up in Childress, Texas shaped her into the strong, independent woman that allowed her to succeed at The University of Texas. No doubt a fearsome student and socialite, Mimi was active in many organizations at UT and was probably the most excited person when I announced that I too would be attending UT. She would come visit me on campus and we shared many phone calls talking about the Forty Acres and that Longhorn football team. When we spoke on Sunday, she said she was happy that Charlie Strong is finally getting the team back on track.
However, despite being a loyal Texan, she was also a curious explorer of the world. I am told that she got that from her father and now I know that my sense of adventure comes from her. She didn’t walk the graduation stage at UT because she was already on her way to tour Europe on bicycle for two and a half months. Because what else is a single girl in 1955 supposed to do? She knew there was a big world out there to explore, full of people whose story she wanted to hear. I was probably the only 2nd grader in the history of my school who’s grandmother went on a three week South American adventure at nearly 70 years old. She was always questioning and always curious. I pray that I can see the world through Mimi’s eyes, thankful for every rock, river, and tree and thankful for the energy to enjoy all the beauties of the world.
Another one of her more informal titles is that of part-time bed and breakfast operator. Just about every member of my family has called her house home for some period of time. I lived there for a bit this summer—some of my mail is still being sent there. She told me I only had to do one thing while I stayed there—sleep in. Mimi was a famously gracious hostess, with open arms, a warm bed, and deviled eggs waiting for anyone who asked. She truly transformed that house into a home for 48 years—it would be impossible to count the number of Happy Lady events, Bible studies, Christmases, Easters, and birthdays that occurred under that roof. Her door was always open and her fridge was always stocked.
But, out of all the roles Mimi held, my favorite was grandmother. Mimi was born to be a grandmother. There was never a time of my life or my cousins’ lives where she wasn’t there, cheering from the sidelines of basketball games, science fairs and every single high school, college, and even kindergarten graduation ceremony of every single one of the children in the family. She was always there, taking the most inopportune pictures at birthday parties and Christmas. She would often call just to check in, starting with her famous “Hi Ashley, this is your Mimi!”. She endured more renditions of the Little Wooden Shoe dance than anyone should have to. She wouldn’t let us go to bed without a bowl of ice cream or wake up without orange cinnamon rolls. I never once doubt her love and unwavering support.
While my family is devastated by this enormous loss, we find comfort in the fact that all of our lives were directly shaped by the influence of Mimi and through that, her zest for life lives on. She was a big presence in all of our lives, filling multiple roles. And out of all the roles that I play in my own life, granddaughter has to be one of my favorites.
I’ve been back for a month but between nearly getting robbed in Tulsa, binge watching the Olympics, and starting this whole new job thing, I’ve been a little preoccupied. But alas, here is my feeble attempt to summarize our 10 day trip to Guatemala in video form. This was the least amount of footage I’ve taken on a trip because most of my time was spent hiking or kayaking or dancing or talking to fishermen or making tortillas, all of which are not ideal filming moments because I’m trying this new thing where I fully live in the moment. *~*~so zen I know~*~* but I still managed to grab a few seconds of footage here and there.
Enjoy this video which is 90% just me following Alyssa and Cecilia around, sorry I’m so obsessed with them. It features Lake Atitlan, where we spent the last part of our trip. I didn’t write a blog post about it but just know that there was no WiFi and I loved it, we read, we ate, we danced, we rode in tiny tuk tuks, we jumped in the lake during a thunderstorm, it was the time of my life (ok whatever we got 5 minutes a day of WiFi off of Ceci’s HotSpot but whatever!!)
Don’t be surprised if I just spend my summers in Guatemala from here on out.
This time last year, I had my first run-in with a place that had avalanche potential. This year, I had my first run-in with a volcano. According to all my childhood natural disaster fears, next year should be quicksand!
From Antigua, Alyssa and I, along with our new French friend Steve, loaded a shuttle and drove out to Volcán Pacaya. Cecilia arranged for this adventure, assuring us it was an “easy” hike. I just want to remind everyone at home that we don’t have volcanos in Texas therefore automatically making any volcanic hike difficult. Alyssa had a leg up since she spent the previous week in Colorado–she was used to the incline and lack of oxygen. I was not. There was an option of taking a horse to the top but the combination of my stubbornness and certainity of animal mistreatment, I gave a big HELL NO to the man heckling me to rent a “taxi.” I had to explain to him en español that I was from Texas, we don’t have mountains, I HAVE TO DO THIS ON MY OWN. Steve and Alyssa were up ahead with our new smelly Frenchman who lived in a tent on a mountain (none of that is made up) and our guide. Luckily I had a handful of stray mountain dogs to keep me company!
But *~*~as with all journeys~*~* the struggle was worth it once we reached the summit. It was a fairly clear day despite the earlier showers so we had a great view of two additional mountains and various lakes. I wish I could tell you more about the area but our guide had to give the tour in Spanish because the smelly Frenchman only spoke French and Spanish so naturally I only understood about 60% of the tour! Classic!
We then walked down to the base of the volcano, where the ground was so hot that you could roast marshmallows down there. Which we did. And they were delicious. Were the marshmallows more rewarding than the beautiful view? Maybe.
The next day, Alyssa and I continued to explore Antigua. We both agreed that we have to live in Antigua so please forward all mail to our new casa. We legitimately ended up buying additional bags in order to bring home all the beautiful handmade goods we purchased. We were living our best lives at that point. 10/10 stars for the former Guatemalan capital for its beautiful convents, cobblestone paths, local markets, and ice cream from Doña Gavi.
But really, Antigua is gorgeous and should be on everyone’s Central America bucket list.
ashley in wonderland 