Aside from more educational realizations, I also enjoyed one of my favorite weekends since I have arrived in Ecuador. For Carnaval, instead of enjoying parties on the beach, I spent the first part of my weekend in a small community about 2 hours from Quito called Langulo with my public health classmates. We went as part of a group of doctors who gave free medical exams while we provided a variety of public health interventions. My specific group was in charge of teaching children about hygiene. Each child made a sock puppet and then we taught them how to take care of their puppet and themselves by brushing their teeth, washing their face, washing their
hands, etc. After Langulo I headed directly to Quilotoa to meet up with Amit, Hudson, Angella, and Ingrid. Quilotoa is volcanic crater lake and is known as one of Ecuador's "most staggering sights". It is a bit off the beaten path so it was a great place to get away for the weekend. We spent one day hiking around the rim of the crater and the following day hiking down to the water and back up. We stayed at an amazing little hostel called Cabanas Quilotoa where we recieved a delicious breakfast, dinner, and room to sleep in for $10. The views and company were spectacular! After arriving back in Quito I had about a week and a half of normalcy before my parents and friend from college, Jamie, arrived.
My parents visit was wonderful. I had a great time showing them my favorite parts of the city,
enjoying my Mom's delicious Indian food, and listening to my Dad attempt to speak Spanish. Following a week in Ecuador, we headed to Peru to meet up with my little brother Nikilesh, and hike the Inca Trail. While the altitude in Cusco and on the trail proved to be a bit of a challenge, especially for Nikilesh, we enjoyed our 3 day hike (about 30 miles in total) to arrive on the 4th morning at the Sun gate with a spectacular view of Machu Picchu. We hiked in a group of 14 people from the US, Canada, and Japan. Our two guides (Ruben and Hugo) were extremely knowledgeable and encouraging throughout the trek. Ruben, our main guide, had an amazing accent and funny phrases that he loved to repeat in English over and over again. We trekked with the company SAS Travel(http://www.sastravelperu.com/) and I highly recommend them.
The food was delicious with hot tea every morning in our tents, garlic bread to snack on when we arrived at our campsite, and an amazing variety of veg and non-veg options at every meal. Despite the fact that we were hiking during the rainy season, it only rained for about 45 minutes throughout the four days. We were all pretty exhausted when we finally arrive at Machu Picchu, but I think that hiking for 3 days and being able to see other Incan ruins and absolutely breathtaking scenery along the way made the arrival even more amazing. For the last two days we were hiking on the actual Inca trail that has been used for hundred of years and has never been refurbished. If you are thinking of making the trip, I think trekking is definitely worth it!!!
Looking down on Machu Picchu with the Rao family
Machu Picchu!!!
The entire group after arriving in Machu Picchu
I arrived back in Quito two days ago and I think I have finally caught up on my missed sleep and lots of school work. Things are going to be quiet around here after having so many visitors but I know there are more adventures to come. Much love!
hands, etc. After Langulo I headed directly to Quilotoa to meet up with Amit, Hudson, Angella, and Ingrid. Quilotoa is volcanic crater lake and is known as one of Ecuador's "most staggering sights". It is a bit off the beaten path so it was a great place to get away for the weekend. We spent one day hiking around the rim of the crater and the following day hiking down to the water and back up. We stayed at an amazing little hostel called Cabanas Quilotoa where we recieved a delicious breakfast, dinner, and room to sleep in for $10. The views and company were spectacular! After arriving back in Quito I had about a week and a half of normalcy before my parents and friend from college, Jamie, arrived.My parents visit was wonderful. I had a great time showing them my favorite parts of the city,
enjoying my Mom's delicious Indian food, and listening to my Dad attempt to speak Spanish. Following a week in Ecuador, we headed to Peru to meet up with my little brother Nikilesh, and hike the Inca Trail. While the altitude in Cusco and on the trail proved to be a bit of a challenge, especially for Nikilesh, we enjoyed our 3 day hike (about 30 miles in total) to arrive on the 4th morning at the Sun gate with a spectacular view of Machu Picchu. We hiked in a group of 14 people from the US, Canada, and Japan. Our two guides (Ruben and Hugo) were extremely knowledgeable and encouraging throughout the trek. Ruben, our main guide, had an amazing accent and funny phrases that he loved to repeat in English over and over again. We trekked with the company SAS Travel(http://www.sastravelperu.com/) and I highly recommend them.
The food was delicious with hot tea every morning in our tents, garlic bread to snack on when we arrived at our campsite, and an amazing variety of veg and non-veg options at every meal. Despite the fact that we were hiking during the rainy season, it only rained for about 45 minutes throughout the four days. We were all pretty exhausted when we finally arrive at Machu Picchu, but I think that hiking for 3 days and being able to see other Incan ruins and absolutely breathtaking scenery along the way made the arrival even more amazing. For the last two days we were hiking on the actual Inca trail that has been used for hundred of years and has never been refurbished. If you are thinking of making the trip, I think trekking is definitely worth it!!!
Looking down on Machu Picchu with the Rao family
Machu Picchu!!!
The entire group after arriving in Machu Picchu
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