Back in business

There is much to recount. I'll be quick I promise.

The epic return from Peru to Ecuador nearly justified my wildly paranoid fantasies of what could go wrong. The apocalyptical trip took two days, and featured such pleasures as a broken-down night bus, several long, unexplained stops on the side of the road, a sketchy and expensive border crossing, 3 flooded villages, a missed bus stop, landslides, and yes, a chicken.

I was sure we were destined for a watery grave:


We did get back to Quito however, with our spirits intact. Indeed, returning to Quito was like a homecoming of sorts; It was nice to come back to the place where the metaphorical Hula Hoops began its circuit around our metaphorical hips.



Quito seems like the epicenter of culture and technology to me, likely because I'd been picking cockroaches out of my keyboard and swatting away crickets just a few days earlier. First class city, that Quito.

Its advantages include local fauna:

Hello, I'm possibly the cutest puppy in the world... oh and my name is Bruno. Now pet me please.

Fine indigenous musicians:





And perhaps most importantly, old friends...

We're happy because we have new hats

And so our trip has come full circle... from the womb to the tomb, the outhouse to the penthouse, from Ecuador to Peru and back. But our lot is not to stay in Quito for long, for we are bound for (drum roll please) the Galapagos Islands... home of Darwin's finches, a bunch of iguanas, and more wildlife than you can shake a stick at (though we've been warned that you shouldn't shake a stick at the wildlife).

Please, sir, more gruel. I can't even stand up

Onward!