Read about our first week in Villanueva Villanueva - Week 2 During our second week in Villanueva, our volunteering schedule was shuffled around a bit. The director decided that she wanted Dennis, the writing expert, to focus on teaching written English to the older students, who are only at the main campus. And she wanted … Continue reading Kicking Back in Villanueva
Dancing in the streets of Colombia, birds, sunsets and more - our first impressions of Villanueva.
Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, Ecuador is a relatively new facility, having opened in 2013. It replaced the former airport of the same name, which became obsolete when it could not be expanded any further because of the surrounding mountainous terrain. But it was at least conveniently located, near the heart of town. This … Continue reading “Twenty Minutes”; and No Bathrooms on the Bus – Getting from Ecuador to Colombia
Puyo, Ecuador turned out to be a bit of a disappointment -- at least as far as the city itself. We didn't see why anyone would recommend going there except for nearby attractions. Like the Amazon -- Puyo is the closest jumping off place to tour the jungle; even the tours leaving from Baños go through … Continue reading Monkeying Around in Puyo
After our session of Performing and Poetry in the park, we jumped in an Uber and headed over to the bus terminal on the east side of Ambato. Destination: Return to Baños de Agua Santa Sunrise in Ambato, Volcan Tungurahua in the distance Our return trip to Baños involved two little lessons about the importance … Continue reading Baños to Puyo
All good things must end, which alas included our stay in San Pedro la Laguna. Finally the day came when we had to start making our way toward our next volunteer gig. And we couldn't stay with our new buddy Rene any longer, because he had a friend coming to town. So we said goodbye … Continue reading Detour to Antigua, Guatemala
With a week to spend at an Airbnb in Santa Cruz la Laguna on Guatemala's Lake Atitlan, we had a chance to absorb the local color, which is a vibrant blend of trendy establishments catering to tourists and ex-pats, as well as a traditional native lifestyle, with a strong Mayan presence. And of course incredible … Continue reading A Weeklong Introduction to Lake Atitlan
We had an early morning flight from Cancun to Guatemala City; and from there, we had to get to the village of Santa Cruz la Laguna at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. This was a long, rather complicated process with several hurdles to overcome. The first problem was just getting to the airport. As we've mentioned … Continue reading Getting From Cancun to Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
travel with a theatrical flair 