Cuenca, Ecaudor

founded 1557

Since the airport in Loja is closed and we had to fly to Quito from Cuenca anyways we thought it would be fun to head there a day early to check out the sights.

We all chipped in for a van ride, which worked out great. It's about a 4hr drive. Here are some hightlights

Getting everyones stuff put into the van. They had all been in Ecuador for 3mos!

Everyone SQueeZED into the van

Truck of sheep

We all stayed at a Hostel in Cuenca. We were able to get three rooms which were all unique, but comfortable

They definitely had a lot of produce! You could pretty much get any flavor juice you wanted.

The soups were very good. They always gave you a bowl of popcorn to put in your soup. Wasn't sure about this at first, but it's actually quite tastey

Had a great time checking out the sights of Cuenca. Ended up doing a bus tour with Amy, one of the scientists working with Meghan. This was a great way to see the sights of the city

Some of the sights along the way

Part of the city tour was heading up to church that overlooks the city.

Great views

Not sure whose hair this is or why it is tied all over the gate to this alter.

Some locals working hard. Wonder what's in those sacks. Any ideas? grains?

Really enjoyed this city. It's a hot spot for Americans and I can see why

Loja, Ecuador

Had an amazing opportunity to head to Ecuador to meet up with my good friend Meghan. Meghan spent 3mos living in Ecuador doing conservation research. Her particular field of interest was Andean Bears- think Paddington. After a couple of flights and a four hour bus ride I arrived in Loja.

Flying over Ecuador from Quito to Cuenca. Great views of Cotopaxi from the airplane

Views from the bus rid- Beautiful country side.

one of the little towns I saw along the way

more sights

Loja, located in Southern Ecuador is a city of approx 200,000 and sits at about 2060m or 6700ft. The city is not a popular tourist destination, which I thought added to its appeal.

Taxi's are super cheap here, but we did a lot of walking

Some sights walking around the city

This is the campus Meghan's research was based from. Had an opportunity to go hear about everyone's research- Very Interesting

A club beer. Ecuador's local brew

While in Loja got to stay with Meghan at her host home.

this is the living room. It was nice to have home, instead of just a hotel room since it allowed us to not have to eat every meal out. We were also spoiled with some delicious breakfasts that Maria, the host mom made for us.

Ava our protector and guard dog-GRrr

Puerta de la Ciudad (Gates to the city)

Everyone getting ready to head out of Loja and on to explore other parts of Ecuador

Loja, was a great city. I'm glad I had an opportunity to explore it.

New Jersey/NYC

Made it down to Union City, NJ to visit my good friends Phil and Lara.

Always have a wonderful time with these guys. Arrived in NYC on Friday evening and headed out to Montclair, NJ to have dinner with some of Lara's co-workers. Small world as my parents are from here. Great food/drinks and conversation.

On Saturday we did some touring around Hoboken. Union City is just a short walk to here. Checked out a farmers market and had some refreshing juice. Yum. Then continued to walk around Hoboken and check out the sites including views directly across to Manhattan.

Met up with my cousin Emily that evening for dinner and drinks at the Pilsner Haus. I didn't take any photos from this- having too much fun to worry about it.

Sunday- Phil, Lara, and I headed into Manhattan. Had an awesome brunch,
did some shopping, and then watched the World cup game before heading home.

Thanks Phil and Lara. Had an awesome time. Hope you'll have me back that way soon.

Vermont

Took a road trip, to Vermont, with my friend Audra. It was fun to get out of the city and go see more of New England. We made Burlington our home base. Cute city, but it definitely shuts down a little early for me- around 8:30pm!

Even so the downtown definitely has character and the walkway at lake Champlain is gorgeous. Had a lot of fun exploring this area.

We even found a beach to do some sunbathing : )

And a playground...

We decided to go for a hike and found one called Camels Hump. Started off very nice, but the trail definitely got a bit sketchy the farther we went. I truly enjoyed being out in nature and completely away from civilization

The beginning of the hike.

a little more snow as we venture up the mountain

Yes, this is the trail!
Fortunately we both made it out with nothing more than a few bruises and cold feet which was quickly alleviated at the hotel hot tub.




We drove through many small towns. Here is one Randolph that we stopped in for a little bit.

Of course going to Vermont we had to go see the Ben and Jerry's factory. The tour was really quick, but fun. I found it funny that they did not want us taking photos. Yeah sorry guys I'm pretty sure the recipe for ice cream is not a secret.

I also found it funny that the flavor they had us sample and wanted feedback on was strawberry w/ chocolate. Really?! you don't have consensus yet on the publics opinion of strawberry icecream.

We also sampled cabot cheese, wine, and maple syrup. Especially loved the maple habenero wings in Burlington. I would go back there for those alone.



After all the delicious samples we went over to the Von Trap lodge. I had no idea they ended up in Vermont. There were some gorgeous views from the property.

There are several breweries in Vermont. We decided to go check out Magic Hat. They have a self guided tour and then a sampling of some beers.

During out adventures in Vermont we made our way over to Montpelier. The state capitol. I really liked this city. It reminded me a lot of my hometown with all the New Age stores.

Had a wonderful time! It was fun and definitely time to start exploring more of New England

New York City

Had a fun weekend touring around NYC and visiting family. My sisters and cousin Meg all flew in from AZ to run in a Central Park 5k. Morley's dominated! Unfortunately, I can't take any credit in this. I ended up meeting up with them later that day.

Thanks to Pam and her willingness to brave the Lincoln Tunnel and the streets of NYC we had a personal ride into "The City" We ventured down to site of the World Trade Center memorial. Although not completely finished I thought the memorial was very fitting. It's hard to get the true effect in the photos, but I did my best.

I personally liked how you can't see the bottom.

After the World Trade Center Memorial we made out way over to the Highline. I'd be here all the time if I lived in NYC

Old train tracks converted into greenspace : )

The views looking out onto the city from the Highline are gorgeous

After a delicious NYC lunch we made our way over towards the Village(East,West,Grenwich) Had fun, but swear we walked all of Manhattan : ). I really enjoy how every area feels completely different.

Always so much to do in NYC. Love that it's so convient for me to get down there to see the sights and course my family and friends.