Dallas

After a short delay and a 3-hour bus ride, I arrived in Dallas. My trip was coming to a close, with only one more stop after Texas, before concluding my trip in NYC. I decided to tack on Dallas so I could visit my friend Pam. It was also pretty close to Austin. She was going to have to work all week, but we would get to hang out in the evenings. I needed to do a few things, and I'm a pro at entertaining myself. The last time I saw Pam was in Vietnam, so it was great to see her again so quickly. I got to technically see her twice on my trip. Lucky me. 

All I did the first few days, was go to the grocery store, do laundry, catch-up on life, and buy a new Kindle (my 5-year old Kindle broke in Peru). Super exciting. Oh and I ran and went swimming in their pool. 

However a few days earlier, I saw that that Yankees were going to be in town. I didn't need to convince Pam, so a couple of nights after I arrived, we headed to Globe Life Park to cheer on the Bronx Bombers. Unfortunately the cheering did no good and the Yankees lost. At least it wasn't as bad as the night before. And I did get to check off a new ballpark, and drink a beer out of a plastic mason jar. Little wins.

Checking out the Yankees in Dallas. 

Since I had a vehicle to use, I decided to get out the neighborhood and a run in around Grapevine Lake. The trail was amazing to run on and I actually kind of wished I had a long run planned so I could have kept going. Unfortunately throughout my run, I could see the aftermath of last year's flooding. It's hard to believe that almost a year later, the water still hasn't returned to it's normal levels.

Flooded Grapevine Lake.

After my run, I met Pam for a lunchtime barre class. It was my first ever barre class and of course it took me a little while to get the hang of it. I was trying too hard to not be out of sync with everyone else as we were doing the various exercises. I finally just had to let it go and not worry about it. I tried to just focus on the actual exercises. It was a good workout and I was a little sore the following days. After my run and the barre class, some time by the pool was needed.

Beer by the pool.

On my last full day in Dallas, I spent the afternoon in downtown. I had been down there before on a previous trip, but I was able to take a bit more time to explore. I started off with some BBQ since I was headed to the Northeast, and it was my last chance for proper Texan BBQ. There was a pretty long line, but worth the wait. 

Sammie's BBQ.

After getting my fill, I headed over to the Nasher Sculpture Garden. Since one of the exhibits was closed, I got a discount on the entrance fee, but I still got to see a fair amount of sculptures. I wandered around the garden and the two rooms open for viewing. There were some cool pieces throughout.

Nasher Sculpture Garden.

I walked over to Klyde Warren Park. The weather was a bit iffy, but people were out and about enjoying it. I also loved the library of books they had out. I love seeing books in public places for people to enjoy. I never leave home without a book, but it always fun to see what books they have. 

Dallas.

Next up was Dealey Plaza to see the JFK assassination site and memorial. I had also see these before, but from the car. I got to take my time and walk around the area. 

Kennedy Dealey Plaza Memorial.

Once I was done exploring, and before the rain hit, I headed back to Pam's for some Mexican for my last night. And some tasty sangritas.

Mexican food with Pam.

I had a great week hanging with Pam and relaxing. Seeing friends was making the transition back home much easier. 

Next stop: Philadelphia for the Broad Street 10-miler.

Luling

I was headed home. Well not home home. But back to the USA. I boarded my flight in Quito after taking a little bit of a roundabout way, but in the process getting a cab with a girl who was studying abroad. She was very outgoing, and it was great to hear about her experiences. The flight was pretty uneventful. However, even with extra legroom (it was JetBlue), some dude obviously couldn't help himself and man-spread. Fortunately, he got the hint and moved out of my space shortly after take-off. I wasn't about to deal with that for 4 hours. Before I knew it it was morning, and I was in Ft. Lauderdale.

Since my layover was over 10 hours, I got a shuttle ride to the beach. I paid for a gym day pass, and went out for a run. Fortunately it wasn't too hot. I was definitely more acclimated to Florida weather this time than all previous trips to the Sunshine State. I got a few easy miles in, got breakfast, and headed to the beach.

Layover in Ft. Lauderdale.

After swimming for a bit and getting some sun, it was time to head back to the airport. A beer and chat with my bar neighbor later, I boarded my flight to Austin. Of course it was delayed (shocking), but eventually I made it. And went immediately to the bar to meet my friends for some pre-wedding celebrations.

Made it to Texas.

I showed up with my backpack, and may have drawn some stares from the other patrons, found my friends, and got a beer. After some catching up, and maybe a shot or two, a few of us headed out. It was a fun bar and I would love to go back.  But we were all a bit tired from traveling, and definitely hungry.

The next morning, I got my long run in along the highway. Let's say running along the highway wasn't my preference. Is it anyone's? But since our hotel was in the middle of nowhere, I was stuck. Eventually I made it to a park where I was able to get some quiet miles in, before turning around. Good times. 

Running in Texas.

My post-run long run activity usually includes beer, and fortunately my friends were on the same page. They may not have run, but beer is usually on the agenda. We headed to Shiner. We had all been to the brewery before, but that didn't mean we couldn't go back. Unfortunately, like my visit in 2012, there were no tours. I'll have to come back again someday for a tour. 

Shiner Brewery.

After a variety of tastings, we headed to a nearby gas station to eat our lunch and grab some more beer. Yes, the gas station had beer on draft. And picnic tables out back to to enjoy them. Only in Texas.

Picnic.

We then headed off to meet Sara and Marie for some wedding festivities at the Zedler Mill. The brides invited all their guests to hang out for a BBQ the day before the wedding. The weather was lovely and the beer was plentiful. So we planted ourselves there for the rest of the day. 

Somehow we managed to coordinate colors.

The following morning, we walked, yes walked, along the highway to the nearby Buc-ee's, a gas station and convenience store on steroids. I literally left with a damn good BBQ sandwich, candy, a beer coozie, wedding card, and some postcards. And that was just me. Anything that you may have wanted in Texas, you could have found at Buc-ee's. 

It was time to make a move and get ready for the wedding. Just like my friend's wedding in Denver back in February, I didn't pack a dress or heels in my backpack. But luckily my friend Jess packed some dress and shoe options, and I had a suitable outfit to wear. 

The brides.

The wedding was beautiful. The brides were stunning. We had such a fantastic night of dancing and celebrating. There may have been an after-party with leftover champagne at the hotel. 

Wedding fun.

The following morning was a little rough, but I took that as a good sign of the previous night. Before heading out of town, we headed into Austin for the day. We started off with some tacos, and ended it with some drinks, with some walking around thrown in for fun.

Hanging out in Austin.

One by one, my friends all departed for their respective flights. We made some tentative summer plans and said goodbye. It was such a short visit, but so glad I made the trip.

It was time to head to Dallas and visit another friend.

Quito

I made it to my last international stop on my world tour. And it took forever to get there. Literally in the first hour, we  only went 6.6 miles. I can run 7 miles in under an hour on an easy day. That meant I could have run faster than the bus. I really have no idea why we were go so slow. The speed that is prominently displayed on most South American buses was set at zero. We were obviously moving, so we weren't going that slow. We finally started to pick up speed and made our way from Tena to Quito. Once we got going, and were outside of town, I was able to enjoy the amazing landscape. As we headed to the highest capital in the world, we drove up and down mountains, along rivers and waterfalls, all full of mist. Pretty beautiful. Really hard to capture from the inside of a bus.

Misty hills.

I finally made it to Quito, and my dilemma was now how to get to my hostel. I didn't hear good things about Quito when in came to safety. And I definitely didn't want to spend extra time to go to the bus station in the southern part of the city, and then head back north. So I got off at what seemed like a good intersection, and headed somewhere closer to my hostel. After a short bus transfer, I made it to a closer station, and from there, I decided to walk. Except I had to walk up stairs. Of course there are stairs instead of a road. But that's what happens when you are in a hilly city.

I finally made it to my home for the next few days, and then went in search of food. I was staying in the Old City and figured there would be plenty of places to eat nearby. However, the city was pretty quiet. I had looked up a few places to eat, but nothing seemed to be open. I  ended up at a fancier spot then I had planned on. But I did have it all to myself.

Only one in the fancy restaurant.

After a delicious meal, and being warned to be careful, I headed back the 2 blocks to my hostel. On alert, I walked quickly back, but still tried to enjoy the beautifully lit churches and colonial buildings. I had no issue and there seemed to be a fair amount of cops around. It seemed like the quiet was due to the earthquake, and over the coming days, it would get a bit more livelier.

Iglesia de San Francisco.

The following morning I wandered around the Old City to check out La Ronda and to see the colonial buildings in the daylight.

La Ronda.

I gradually made my way up some hills to Basílica del Sagrado Voto Nacional, a beautiful church, but more importantly, a church with beautiful views. I climbed up the main tower, which was a bit precarious at times to see the surrounding city and mountains. In order to get up the tower, I first crossed a rickety bridge, and then climbed a ladder up to the tower. A little scary if you thought about what I was doing. Although it was all worth it for the view.

The back tower.

I enjoyed the views, including the towers up front.

The front towers.

I made my way back down the precarious staircase/ladder, and headed to the front towers, where I had a less-scary climb to one of the clock towers. Some similar views, but a little different.

View of the Old City.

After I was done visiting the church, I continued to wander around and look for some food. But first wine. To my defense, I thought there would be food. I sat on a rooftop cafe of a hostel, and chatted with some people staying there. I eventually had to go and find food though. After that, I had some energy to climb up some more stairs to Parque Itchimbia. For more beautiful views. So many spots to see the city. But no volcanoes. They were all covered by the clouds. 

Quito.

I wandered around some more and made my way back to the hostel. I returned to La Ronda for dinner. This was the spot for food. Many options were open for dinner, even if it was still a little quiet. 

The following morning, I decided to return to Parque Itchimbia to do a tempo workout. I did a hill workout the previous week, but this would be the first time I planned on some sort of tempo. And it was hard. Talk about pain face, and I wasn't even racing. I made ran to the bottom of a set of steps that would take me up to the park. And then walked up the stairs. There was no need to completely tire myself out before the workout. I made my way up to the fantastic 2 kilometer path at the top of the hill. I mentioned that Quito is the highest capital in the world. Doing mile repeats at 2850 meters wasn't as fun as it sounded. After one, I was thinking I would be done. But after a short recovery, I knocked out a second. And while I ran that, I figured two would be good enough. But somehow got a third mile in. And then I called it. They may not have been my fastest miles, but at least they got a little bit faster. And the views were amazing, while I was trying to breath properly. 

Doing mile repeats on top of a hill.

I recovered from my workout, and headed to another hostel, where I paid for the Quilotoa day tour I was taking the following day. I also dropped off a few suggested items for earthquake victims. Afterwards, I intended to volunteer for a couple of hours. However, I find out that I had inadvertently signed up to donate blood. Not volunteer. To my defense, when I was looking up some words to translate, a cop came up to me to ask if I would sign up. And since he didn't speak English, and I don't speak Spanish, I somehow signed up to donate blood. I, of course figured it out the next day. However, that day wasn't the day I was giving blood. So I continued on with my plan for the day. Go to the Center of the Earth. I wanted to help in some way, but I also wanted to see a few things before leaving the country.

I loaded the local bus that would take me to Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, otherwise known as the equator. The bus ride was pretty uneventful, but definitely long. But it was only 60 cents. 

The equator is marked with a yellow line, but not exactly in the right place. It's actually 240 meters north of where the line is marked. I didn't actually go check it out, and didn't go inside the monument, which I learned later, there were some fun science experiements. Oh well. There's always next time. It was still fun to be in the Northern Hemisphere, and then back in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Walking along the equator.

After spending a few hours there, I got back on a bus back to the Old City. It was my last night in Quito, so I needed to pack up my bag as much as possible. But not before dinner at a cute cafe in La Ronda. With a little bit of live music. 

Wine and tapas.

My alarm went off way too early in the morning, but I showered, got my backpack packed, and left it downstairs. I headed to the cafe to meet the rest of the group, which happened to be all female. All from Ireland, the UK, Australia, Curacao, Spain, and Argentina. Pretty split on English vs Spanish speakers. It was a great group of girls to spend my last day in Ecuador with. 

Our first stop was a visit to a local market in the town of Saquisili. This market was great as it wasn't meant to be a tourist market, as it was mostly locals selling and buying items.

Saquisili market.

I aleady had breakfast, but did want to try some local fruits. So I got a bag of achotillo (rambutan). You break through the spindly skin and eat the fruit on the inside. There is a large pit though, so it's a little bit of an effort to get all the fruit. But it was tasty, a mix of sweet and sour. Pretty good. I was able to sample some other fruits as well like tomate dulce.

Achotillo fruit.

We continued on our way and drove through some stunning scenery. I saw a lot of similarities to Peru, like this mini Huayna Picchu. Not really, but that's what the locals like to say. 

Beautiful drive.

We finally made it to Quilotoa, a water-filled volcanic crater. It was pretty cool, and glad I decided to make the trip. After a few photos, a few of us trekked down to the bottom. I'm usually not a fan of hiking down a hill, mountain, or volcano, and then hiking up. Hiking down is usually the reward. 

Quilotoa Crater.

We made it almost to the bottom, where we took a break to swing for a bit. After swinging in Banos, this was a bit easier. Although, you can't spend too much time looking down or you may want to get off.

Swinging.

We made it to the bottom and I stuck my feet in. For being on top of a volcano, it wasn't even close to being warm. But it wasn't as cold as I expected it to be. I wished I had brought my swimsuit. I regret not going all the way in. What other chance would I have had to swim in a lake on a volcano? I'll just have to find another one, and just go for it. With or without my swimsuit.

In the volcano lake.

We made the hike back up, which wasn't easy, but fortunately didn't take that long. Since we were at elevation, it was still a challenge. It better feel great when I'm back at sea level and running/hiking around.

We got some lunch nearby and then made a quick stop at Rio Taochi Canyon. Nothing like the Grand Canyon, but I did see some similarities with Pai Canyon in Thailand. We took some photos and continued on our way.

Rio Taochi Canyon.

Our next stop was at a local indigenous family's house on the side of a hill. Very similar to the Quechua we met in Peru, they live a very simple life. And also with their guinea pigs, which they will most likely sell. There seems to be little differences between the two countries, but I'm definitely not an expert. As with most groups of people though, I imagine the language is a little different, and they have adapted over the centuries dependant on outside influences, the landscape, and other factors.

Quechua house.

We made our way back to Quito, with a stop for ice cream and a photo-op of Cotopaxi.

Cotopaxi.

We got dropped off, I said goodbye to our fantastic guide and the great girls I met, and headed off to get a final beer before leaving the country.

Final beer in Ecuador.

I had a really great time in Ecuador and wish I had more time. The earthquake was definitely an unfortunate event that happened. It would be great if I could find a way to help those who were impacted. I'll be keeping an eye on the progress and will be hoping for the best for everyone affected.

Off to Ft. Lauderdale for a quick stop, and then off to Texas. 

Puerto Misahualli

It was time to head into the Amazon. When I was leaving Banos, I mentioned to the woman at the hostel that I was headed to Tena. She recommended going to Puerto Misahualli instead, a smaller town not far from Tena, but further into the jungle. It sounded way better, so I followed the instructions she gave me.

The bus to Tena was windy, per usual. I'm telling you, all buses will seem like a piece of cake from now on. Throughout the ride, there was nonstop people trying to sell items. I've seen this a lot in my travels but it's definitely prominent in Ecuador.  One man sounded like he was auctioning off items. I have no idea what he was saying or selling, but after 10 minutes I was ready for some quiet. 

After a few hours, I finally got nudged awake outside Tena, in Puerto Napo. I walked to the bus stop in the small town, and waited for another bus to Puerto Misahualli. This one was a little more entertaining. I got front row seat, which is usually dedicated to the person collecting the fare. However it was a bit crowded so I couldn't go anywhere. The bus driver and fare collector wanted to be sure I was comfortable. I did try to make conversation in my limited Spanish. Unfortunately I haven't learned as much as I would have liked. My app only works in wifi, and I haven't looked at a lesson in weeks. Oh well. My time in South America was dwindling.

The two guys were super helpful, and I got off the bus in Puerto Misahualli with no issue. Next stop, find a place to sleep. I flagged a few places to sleep before I left Banos, and went to investigate. The first was a hostel which looked relatively promising. The second place was deserted. Not sure where they were since they were on Booking.com. I wandered around for a few minutes and spotted three women near the cluster of restaurants. I went up to them and asked if they spoke English (they did), and where they were staying. They recommended a place across the river, and I'm really glad I ran into them. It was a beautiful lodge in the jungle. And only a short walk from town.

Home in the jungle.

I headed into town for dinner, after checking out some tour agencies. I sat down to eat some trout from the Rio Napo. The girls I ran into earlier were also there and they joined me. They were studying abroad and two of them were actually attending Ithaca College. Small world. They were really sweet and it was nice chatting with them. 

Full on trout.

On our way back from dinner, we saw some critters, including this guy at the lodge. Too bad it was dead. And good thing my sister wasn't here. She's not a fan of spiders. 

Dead tarantula.

The following day, I took some time to relax. In the jungle. I went for a run on the one road that goes even further into the jungle. After some breakfast and getting some laundry done, I eventually I headed into town for lunch.

Welcome.

When I was in town, I had plans of booking a jungle tour, and go swimming in the river. At first, I was hesitant on swimming in the river. You know due to snakes and other animals that could be lurking under the surface. But apparently the river is too fast-moving for any such animals. Before I could go for a dip, the rain started coming down. And didn't stop. And then the wifi went out, so eventually I grabbed a beer at the local market, and headed back to the lodge to wait it out. Without booking a tour either. 

Rio Napo.

As I was sitting on the porch outside my room, enjoying my beer, I noticed some shaking. I thought I had imagined it at first, but it continued. It was very slight. I immediately thought earthquake, given the recent quakes in Japan and Myanmar. And of course, I've been traveling in the Ring of Fire for a few months. It went away, and I forgot about it. I went to have dinner and nothing came up, except that wifi was out in the entire town. I called it an early night since I was running long the following morning.

When I woke up, wifi was back in business. And sure enough, there was an earthquake. I couldn't believe it. I had received a ton of messages, but fortunately friends and family were able to figure out where I was because of social media, and that I was several hours away from the epicenter. I was also able to check in 'safe' on Facebook, which allowed everyone else to know.

After checking in with people, I headed out for my run. I had 10 miles scheduled for myself. Since there weren't too many places to go, I headed out 5 miles on the road I ran on previously. The landscape pretty much stayed consistent, but I did find it funny to come across some cows.

Running with cows.

Later that afternoon, I finally went on my jungle tour. I had originally looked into doing an overnight, but liked where I was staying, so didn't do that. I then went into a few tour agencies in town, but since it was just me, it was going to be more expensive. I thought about just committing to one of them and staying an extra night, but I asked one of the hosts at the jungle lodge if they had tours. And the guy was on board with taking me for a jungle walk.

I put on some rain boots, insect repellent, and long clothes, and headed into the jungle. We started our trek and came along some plants that the guide's family were growing in order to reforest the jungle. I liked how they are promoting ecotourism. Their place isn't well known, but would be great if they could get more business. 

Reforestation.

My guide pointed out a few birds flying around. Good thing for the binoculars since they were hard to see. Of course I don't remember their names now, but he had a handy book to show me the names in case I didn't understand him. We also found some cocoa trees and cracked open one of the fruits to check out the beans on the inside. I ate some of the skin on the outside of the beans, which was a bit slimy but not bad tasting. I didn't take a chocolate tour while I was in Ecuador so I don't claim to be an expert, but I was told they then take the beans out and dry them in the sun. After that, I assume they take the cocoa and make some delicious chocolate. 

Cocoa.

A jungle trek isn't complete without seeing a snake. And I'm glad I didn't step on it while walking. Instead it was hanging out in the water. We kept an eye out for it and watched it as it slithered around. 

Snake in the water.

Once the snake went into hiding under some plants, I boarded the canoe that had appeared. We rowed around for a bit and spotted some spider monkeys up in the trees. After about 15 minutes, we docked at a shelter nearby.

Canoeing around.

I then headed to the guide's family, who are Quechua, who lived down the road.  We walked around the grounds, saw a few animals, and drank some chicha (yucca-based, not maize-based like in Peru). I also got to know the guide's wife, who was from Switzerland. It was interesting to hear her story and how she ended up in Puerto Misahualli. Their baby was super cute. 

While we waited for our ride back to the lodge, I played soccer with a few local kids. They were all pretty friendly, but it was hard to communicate when were weren't kicking around a ball. They asked me a bunch of questions, and I only wish I could understand. I just smiled and tried my best. 

Local kids.

It was time for dinner and my last night in Puerto Misahualli. The following morning, I got one last run in, another delicious breakfast, and a swing in the hammock before heading out. 

Hammock swing.

I may have not done all that I had envisioned in the jungle, but I still enjoyed my three days in the Amazon. After being in Southeast Asia for so long, it wasn't as much as a surprise as it may be to most. But that didn't mean it wasn't still amazing. 

Deserted boat.

Time to return to Quito and soak up my last days in Ecuador.