Ecuador - Day 2

Photo:  Sarah Meadows

Thankfully it was not an early start to the day.  After enjoying an amazing buffet breakfast at our hotel (Swissotel), we met for an overview of Ecuador - both the tourist side and the reality that Compassion seeks to address.  Ecuador is divided into 4 regions:  the Galapagos Islands, the coast, the highlands (Andes) and jungle.  Each region has their own unique environment, as well as different social issues.

This trip provided me with travel to my 4th continent and 3rd major mountain range (in the Andes, after the Rockies and Alps).  I was reminded of my previous travels - it felt a lot like Panama (in general and the fact that there were no flushing toilets but rather you placed your toilet paper in garbage bins); Turkey (in that we had to be careful to always use bottled water, even for brushing teeth); and a little like South Africa (in that we were always running a little behind, but not too much!).

After the morning orientation, we packed up to drive down to Riobamba.  We stopped at a local restaurant for lunch (El Cafe de la Vaca Restaurante) and cows were the main theme, as they were very popular in the area.  The trip to Riobamba was not a long one kilometer-wise but it took us about 4 hours to get there, given the traffic and the fact that we were travelling along "The Avenue of the Volcanoes" (more on that to come).

We arrived at Hacienda Abraspungo late Saturday and enjoyed a wonderful meal before bedtime.  If there's one thing that we know already, it's that we will definitely not starve out here.  Compassion (especially the local Ecuadorian staff) have found wonderful accommodations and meals for us to enjoy.  Another thing we already know is that there are a lot of great people on this trip and every meal is an opportunity to learn more about one another.