pictures??

I think I finally figured out how to work this picture thing, but the computers are really slow, so I´ll try and show you guys a good summary of everything I´ve seen so far...cuz I´ve taken over 150 pictures already. Sooo here we go! (and they are out of order which really bugs me but oh well, you´ll live).

The cute little town of Patate, known for their wine. When we tried to go and buy said wine, we found out it was boxed...and flavored like fruits, so we passed.

This is the hotel we stayed in for two nights, it was so gorgeous, surrounded by mountains (see below) and each room was really nice with a fireplace and everything. I could have stayed there for weeks.

Me and the Andes and the hotel mentioned above

This is a really old Hacienda we visited, I think around 300 some years old. Its now a hotel but it used to be sort of a plantation for various things, roses being one of them.

I bought this hammock...for $12!! Its sweet and don´t worry ladies of the Russian house, it will be in place either inside or outside next year!

Nick the adventurer giving the rope swing a shot. He later did a back flip off of it...

This kid really wanted me to take a picture of him, so I did.

Guards, guarding the presidents house, but he doesn´t live there. The president is a pretty touchy subject here in Ecuador. They´ve had about 10 presidents in the last 12 or so years. When they don´t like the president anymore, he´s gone. The current president has been in office for about 7 months, which is apparently pretty good. My host family tends to refer to him as a dictator though, so I´m not sure that will be good. We will see...

Ecuador is known for its beautiful flowers. It´s one of their main exports and they are really cheap here, a dozen of gorgeous roses = $2!

This is the market in Otavalo. I think I wrote about it, we stopped there on a saturday and I wanted to buy everything.

más flores

A traditional dance by some indigenas.

Here they are dying wool with a paste found in a cactus. The paste goes through a process of drying and mixing with water and then it boils with the fabric and turns it purple/red, very pretty.

Gorgeous view

This is Humpy. You can guess where his nickname came from....

Another gorgeous view

This is the guinea pig farm. Aren´t they cute?

This is the beautiful volcano/lake

Big pretty church in Quito

I just thought it was a pretty road

This is our whole group straddling the Equator!

Well I guess that´s all I have for now. Hope you enjoyed the picture tour! Hopefully if it ever stops raining I can get some pictures of Cuenca, but so far it´s rained everyday here and it´s cold so we don´t do much. Although since this is our first weekend in the city, we will probably go out tonight and check out the nightlife!

I hope you all are doing well and I miss you all! Let me know how you´re doing!
Love and miss you,
Linds