So Over Bus Travel...

When I evaluate how I've spent my time over the last year, I can honestly say that most of it has been spent on buses. I may have lost months of my life on public transport going from one place to the next because I was too cheap to buy flights.

On each bus, I usually encounter some sort of animal whether it be a chicken, bird, cat, dog or even a guinea pig. People crowd the rest of the space and I just try to blend into the scene. Since I'm usually the only foreigner on the bus, the locals take great delight in helping me get off at the right stop. Sometimes the entire bus cheers me off so I know I can't get lost.

What has become a typical travel day, I took an hour bus from Montanita, Ecuador to Puerto Lopez, then switched to an overnight bus to Quito and arrived at 4:45am. I took the 5:30 am bus to Tulcan that took 5.5 hours, switched to a taxi to get to the border, crossed the border, took another bus to Ipiales, switched to another bus to Popayan that took 8hrs. After 29hrs, I arrived at my final destination in Colombia. En route, I took a quick detour to visit the Santuario de Las Lajas near Ipiales. The church was built into the valley to memorialize the appearance of the Virgin there in the early 20th century.

Video Updates to Blog

I finally found a fast wifi connection and hence the multitude of updates. I was able to finally upload some videos for past blogs too. Here are the links.

Playing with Pumas in the Bolivian Jungle

Howling Faustino the Howler Monkey in the Bolivian Jungle

Partying with the Dutch at the Heineken House at the Beijing Olympics

Cheering as the Chinese Weightlifter Wins the Competition at the Beijing Olympics (still uploading video)

Watching a Penguin Waddle in Patagonia

Mating Dance of the Blue Footed Bobby in the Galapagos

Mating Dance of the Waved Albatross in the Galapagos

Celebrating with the Sandinistas at the Nicaraguan Election in Leon

Top 10 Travel Tips for Women

Since the Lonely Planet editors in the end rejected my boxed text submission for the new Nicaragua book to come out next month, I've decided to repost my top 10 travel tips for women. Maybe this will one day be included in my own travel book. Who needs Lonely Planet anyway? Thanks Liz for the edit

Let's face it. Traveling as a woman has its challenges and men just don't understand. With such little room in our backpacks, we need to make the most of the space we have considering hygiene, beauty and safety needs. In order to make traveling easier, below are my top travel tips for women. The first few are not bad advice for a weeklong getaway. The last few will prove your mettle as a hard core travel diva. Guys, just be grateful for all that you don't have to deal with, and one tip for you-NEVER blame her mood on "that time of month".

1) Face Wipes-Although an obvious addition to bring these, this is more of a reminder. Face wipes keep your face clean at all times of the day especially on long dusty bus rides and so don't leave home without them.

2) Wristband Fleece Wallet-It has a zipper opening to keep money and keys inside and is fashionable enough to wear out on the town at night. No purse to worry about losing and it can double as a sweat band when jogging.

3) Fake Wedding Ring-Great distractor to keep local lurching men away. Just simply flaunt the ring when an unwanted on-looker asks if you would like a boyfriend, usually meaning him.

4) Leave-in Hair Conditioner-Being on the road can take a toll on your hair and leave it fried and frizzy. Leave-in hair conditioner or just leaving in the conditioner helps smooth out the tension to keep your hair looking healthy all the time.

5) Sarong- Use it as a towel, beach blanket, dress, wrap around to change into a bathing suit, shawl, and much more on the road. This one item serves multiple purposes and takes up very little space.

6) Tiger Balm-This little menthol cream is a catch all for everything under the sun. Put a little on your temples for a headache or for heat exhaustion, on your body for aches and pains and to relieve the itchiness of mosquito, bedbug or flea bites, under your nose to remove stuffiness, and even on your wrists as last minute perfume.

7) Tinted Eyelashes-For women with light colored eyelashes, tinting them avoids having to wear and apply mascara every day. Additionally, the panda look after swimming is not attractive. Each tinting lasts about a month.

8) Laser Hair Removal-Yes, it is expensive, but well worth the cost in the long-run. Forever you will be bikini-ready. Ingrown hairs and the ugly in-between stage are not an issue. Laser hair removal takes between 4-6 sessions over a 6-8 month period depending on your hair and so start early in your planning


9) The Pee Funnel-This is the ultimate in female empowerment-to pee standing up. Avoid squating over dirty outhouses during the day and searching for them in the middle of the night. You can even join the men as they line up on the side of the road during a long bus ride. Best part-you can write your name in the sand.

10) Diva Cup-No longer do you have to search every pharmacy for tampons and be weighed down by them. The Diva cup is all you need. It is a silicone based cup that fits inside you to catch your menstrual flow. It is reusable for up to 10 years and therefore environmentally friendly. It's simple to use and comes with its own carrying case. On a related topic, Multi-month Birth Control Pills can help regulate periods and simply life. With certain combo estrogen/progestin and progestin-only birth control pills, you only have to worry about your period once every 3 months by taking the daily pill. This provides so much freedom in traveling, however, it is not for everyone. Talk to your doctor for more information and for what is most appropriate for your body.

Surf's Up!

Board shorts and bikinis line the beaches, surf boards grace the waters and bare feet cross the sands. Montanita is a surfer's delight-endless waves, warm water, and plenty of sunshine. Although I'm not a surfer, I thought I would try my luck at the sport once again. Italu, a local guy I met, offered me surf lessons including board for only $4/hr. I couldn't pass it up. On top of my surf lessons, he also corrected my Spanish and so I received free Spanish lessons as well.
I've never been a fan of surfing because I hate cold water, but the water here really wasn't as cold as I would have imagined. Despite Italu's best efforts, I still suck at surfing and will stick to land sports once again. Gradually, my fear of the ocean and water is fading, which was one of my goals of this trip.
Besides the surf, Montanita is known for its non-stop partying. The weekends are like one long never-ending party with bars open 24 hours and since that's not the scene I was looking for, I only arrived for the mid-week surf. Another hotel on the beach, a hammock and a surfboard, that's how I spent my time.

Whale Watching -Too Close for Comfort

In the States, there are rules as to how close a boat can get to a whale, but in Ecuador, no one seems to care. At the expense of interfering with whale mating and migration, tourists have the pleasure of watching whales up close and personal. I feel somewhat guilty for contributing to the on-going environmental risks by being one of those whale seeking tourists, which is partly why I didn't go twice to see the whales even though I really wanted to.

During the months of June to December, one can see humpback whales migrating. Any tourist going on a whale watching tour is pretty much guaranteed to see them since they seemed to be everywhere when I went. The boats almost surround them and the whales have to adjust their positions to get around the boats which is how I'm able to take photos so close-up. Although I wasn't fast enough to take a picture, I saw a whale leap out of the water for the amusement of his mate. Only the males seem to jump and they can jump quite high.



Their heads are covered with tubercles that look like stuck mussels, but are actually hair follicles as seen in the photo below. I could have watched them all day, but only did so for a couple hours because I also had to see the Poor Man's Galapagos that same day.
The island off of Ecuador, Isla de La Plata, is known as the Poor Man's Galapagos because a tour to see similar wildlife as on the Galapagos only cost $30 including the whales as opposed to thousands for the Galapagos. Because I could not get enough of the blue footed boobies, I went to see them again along with the Nazca boobies who currently have little hatchlings.




The town of Puerto Lopez is mainly known as a fishing village despite the whales and the Isla de La Plata. Fishing boats congregate and bring in the daily catch. Therefore, I ate fresh seafood every night for dirt cheap and chilled out with fruit milkshakes. One day, I laid out on the National Park beach of Los Frailes. I woke up every morning to the sounds of waves crashing since my own private cabana only cost $10 including breakfast. And in the evenings, I huddled around a beach bonfire and chatted with other gringos or I relaxed on my hammock with my latest book. Life is good.

Valley of Longevity

When I feed a stray dog food, I do so out of pity for the desperate and sad dog. I wonder if strangers feel the same way towards me when they buy me dinner. I wonder if after 13 months of traveling alone, I have developed the sad and pathetic puppy dog look. Maybe travel is catching up with me. This time, the free dinner though came with a bet. Bruce of Villcabamba bet me that I could not finish a plate of spaghetti that he has never been able to finish and if I did, he would buy it. What Bruce did not know is that I've been taking food bets ever since I was 10 and only lost once on a cheesecake.

While we waited for my spaghetti, he paid for my dinner anyway. When my food did come, and to everyone's surprise, I finished that meal with no hesitation. And this is how I came to know Bruce who has retired in the Valley of Longevity and has become just like one of the regulars here.


Villcabamba is known for the longevity of the inhabitants. No one is really sure if it is the tranquil setting, mineral water or fresh air that contributes to the longer life. One thing is for sure, Americans are moving here in droves. I visited during a real estate conference with hordes of Americans looking to buy property. Bruce came for all of the above and the cheap rent and massages. It has become a backpacker's resort of sorts.

During my time here, I took advantage of another spa opportunity and another horseback ride. I've ridden more horses during this last year than in my whole life. Horseback riding just seems to be the tour of choice around Ecuador.

The rest of the time, I read and caught up on my life. I've also read more books in the last year than I may have read in my life. I had forgotten how much I enjoy reading and I relish the time I now have to delve into worlds, lives and adventures so different from my own. I have a born again devotion to books, which I hope continues even when I return to the real world.

Hablas castellano porque necesito un amigo?

Do you speak Spanish because I need a friend? Ok, so I'm not that blunt, but since my Spanish hasn't improved as quickly as I would have liked, I have had to make more of an effort to reach out to locals to practice. I've been accused of and found guilty of hanging out with too many gringos over the last year. Meeting strangers has never been difficult for me. I even befriend the local animals and currently have a kitten who follows me around and insists on being my best friend. But since I hang out in hostels, I tend to meet more Europeans, Aussies and Israelis than anyone else.

In Cuenca, I met two musicians from Quito. David and Andres, who invited me out to listen to an orchestral concert. I gladly joined them and after the concert, we met up with one of their friends Mayra who is from Cuenca and we hit the town. We ate street food, watched fireworks from the Corpus Christi festival, laughed endlessly at a microbrewery and danced the night away at a hole in the wall salsa club. Wonderful and entertaining night...



Additionally, to help improve my Spanish, I returned for a few hours to focused Spanish school at the Simon Bolivar School for $8/hr www.bolivar2.com. I couldn't commit to or afford 4 hours a day again and so instead went for 2/day and reduced the cost of housing to $5/day to balance my budget. In the afternoons, we learned salsa and one evening we competed in a very long round of musical chairs. In the end, I beat out everyone including the last remaining tall Australian and won the whole event. My prize-my pride and an incredible dance workout.


Over the weekend, I bused up to Ingapirca, known for their Inca ruins and the sun festival of IntiRayma. David was already there and I met him and his friends who had camped there the night before. During the day, locals from varying regions dressed in forkloric costume danced to their traditional beats.



I followed some of the performers over to the ruins and hiked down to see the face in the rock that was either naturally made or formed by the help of a sculptor many years ago. No one is quite sure. On the hike, I befriended three guys from Riobambaba and they taught me the cool words in Spanish that I have sadly suddenly forgotten.



In the evening and throughout the entire morning, the village rocked the night away. Thousands bused in to celebrate the festival. David left that evening and I met more locals from Cuenca who are now part of my phone directory. I have so many names and numbers in my phonebook, I can't remember who is who. I just know that Rene or Oso (bear in Spanish) keeps texting me. At least I can practice my Spanish via short text. Throughout the night, I learned new Ecuadorian dance moves-another great workout.

At the bus station, an elderly woman befriended me. She told me of how one of her nieces met an American and after 4 months they got married in Ecuador. Discovering that I'm single, she is on the lookout for any man for me. Of course, my green card wedding gift is a great sell.

After a week, my Spanish improved a bit, but I still have quite a ways to go.