-
Mammoth Cave National Park, KY
I spent two days at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Like Mesa Verda, you mainly see this park through tours. There are a few hikes above ground that you can do on your own, but I didn’t do any of those. Mammoth Cave is the largest known cave in the world. 426 miles of…
-
Austin, TX
Last Thursday, I flew to Austin for my friend Alex’s wedding. She and her husband, Miguel, are from Austin. Alex had already moved to Houston when I moved to Austin and Miguel was about to move. I met him at his goodbye party. A few years later, I met Alex at a retreat and we…
-
Nashville, TN (Part II)
After I got back from Ecuador, I spent 3 weeks in Nashville. This time, I stayed with my friend Daniel instead of Anne. He was going to be gone for the first 1.5 weeks of my stay, so I had the entire house to myself. Nashville is one of the cities I’m thinking of moving…
-
Reflections at the Not-So-End of My Road Trip
13,263 miles, 219 hours of driving, and a few flights later, I made it to Nashville. What a ride the past few months have been! Truly, one of the best experiences of my life. And the experience continues. Nashville was supposed to be the end of my road trip, the point at which I decide…
-
Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador
We arrived in Mindo on the evening of July 26. We walked to the town square to find food that night. It was nice to feel safe enough to do that. We stayed at a cabin that borders a river and is surrounded by trees. There was an open-air yoga studio with hammocks nearby. We…
-
Cotopaxi National Park, Cotopaxi, Ecuador
On Sunday morning, we went to Quito’s historic center for Mass at the Basílica de San Francisco. In the US, I’ve often walked into a church with a friend, they’ve mentioned how pretty the church is, and my response has always been “meh, it’s fine”. Churches in Ecuador, especially Quito, are the reason why. If…
-
Laguna Cuicocha & Otavalo, Imbabura, Ecuador
On Saturday morning, we drove to Laguna Cuicocha, a crater lake that’s 2 hours from Quito. Monica was set on doing the 8 mi, 2,200 ft hike around the lake. I wasn’t convinced that I’d be able to do it because 1) I’ve never hiked 8 mi, 2) I’ve never hiked 2,200 ft, especially not…
-
Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
We arrived in Quito late on Thursday, July 23rd. It was Friday by the time we got to our Airbnb. In the morning, we found an Asian cafe for breakfast and then went to rent a car. Once we had the car, we drove to Mitad del Mundo, the center of the world, where the…
-
Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
On Tuesday, July 21st, my grandmother, Monica, Becky, and I went to Cuenca. There is a spa there called Piedra de Agua that my grandma discovered recently. Since then, she’s been taking all visitors there. Naturally, I told her she had to take me. Since Becky’s birthday is in July, she got to come along…
-
Punta Barandúa, Santa Elena, Ecuador
On Friday, we had lunch at the Farallón Dillon in Ballenita, where we could see whales way off in the distance. After that, my grandparents dropped Monica and I off at Punta Barandúa, where we’d spend the weekend for my friend Joti’s wedding. We stayed at an Airbnb with some of my friends from high…
-
Puerto Lucía, Santa Elena, Ecuador
On Tuesday, July 14, Monica and I went to the beach with my grandparents. They just sold their beach house in Ballenita that my mom, aunts, uncle, siblings, cousins, and I grew up going to. It’s an old house that had a lot of stairs and needed a lot of maintenance. The stairs were getting…
-
Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
On Wednesday, July 7th, I flew from Nashville to Guayaquil, Ecuador. I had a layover in Miami. Monica met me there and came with me to Ecuador. When we arrived, my grandma and aunt (mom’s side) picked us up at the airport and they had yogurt and pan de yuca for us at home. We…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
The Scenic In-Between 