Santa Elena, La Libertad, Salinas - La Costa de Ecuador

This is my room. I sleep under a mosquito net every  night and I don't think I can turn back. I am going to buy a Toldo (spanish). I also have a nice big window that I leave open during the day and at night I close it and turn my fan on. The place where I'm staying is called Campamento Cautivo located in an area called Cautivo :). Anyway, the area was an oil refinery, but now its run by military guards. 

When I moved into the house I set up my fan on top of this orange cloth and thought it looked so beautiful, especially with my hat hanging on the bolt next to the window!

This is Salinas, Ecaudor known to be the tourist spot during the winter months because of its warm water and sunny days, but now its summer time here and every one is hibernating. Apparently the water is too cold and to be honest it kind of is, but its not as cold as the California beaches.

Its becoming like Miami Beach~

People relaxing on the beach and a man in his speed o... :) Haha

Beautiful scenery!

Cute Burrowing Owl! These owls live in the campamento and I found them the other day hanging out by some pipes and I presume that they live in this pipes or its where they find their food. Anyway, I think they're adorable!
On this day I spent my time walking around the campamento trying to familiarize myself with the place and looking at all the junk! You'd be surprised at how much junk there is here in the campamento! It looks terrible, but there are opportunities for artists to create something with this stuff and make it beautiful!

:)

Otavalo Ecuador and Artisan Market

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…
It’s about learning how to dance in the rain. 
Goodbye to you forever...
Never act like anything happened and never pretend to care. Just live your life and I will live mine.
Because sometimes things just aren't meant to be.

Volcan Imbabura

Artisan Market

More Otavalo Market

Such beautiful and fresh vegetables and fruits!

Local people

Beautiful beads!!!

This was rather interesting, the local people were searching through used clothing to take home with them. Clothing especially shoes for children is very expensive so people look for used clothing instead.

Colorful Alpaca blankets

Pigs like this one or in worse conditions a bloody pig and hanging from its feet, are very common in markets all over Ecuador! 

Quito, Ecuador- the first few days...

View of La Basilica de Quito

Fruit vendor in Parque La Alameda

Futbol!!!!
Parque El Ejido

Men playing marbles
Parque El Ejido

Men's volleyball is a big sport in Ecuador.
Parque El Ejido

Plaza Foch
This place is at its peak at night! Its referred to as South Beach. When I return to Quito in the next few weeks I will capture this comparison.

Plaza Foch

On this day I walked around Quito and took pictures of everything! Here things are older and have a certain beauty that you can either like or not. Now that I have been in Ecuador for two weeks I have come to appreciate the beauty this country has to offer especially the culture! The people here are so nice and they are always willing to talk to me about the lifestyle and places to visit. Its wonderful! 

I slept better last night (June 8). My heart wasn't pounding as much and my excitement was a little more at ease. Early this morning, Karen(my professor and mentor) and I had a  breakfast date with one of her friends, Lucia, at this wonderful Ecuadorian-American restaurant called The Magic Bean. There I had a delicious bowl of various fruits mixed with creamy plain yogurt and honey and a cup of Coca tea, which is used to help rid of any headaches or pains in the body.

Mornings in Quito are loud and there are so many people walking here and there, going to work, etc. And the taxis are always on the go. Its so different and amazing :) The best part is the weather because its cool and pleasant and its not overwhelmingly tiresome to walk around the city.

After the wonderful breakfast with Karen and her friend, Karen and I got on the Trole (Trolly) to meet her other friend, Ivan, at the Casa de Alabado- Museo de arte precolombino. This place is nestled in the colonial neighborhood in Quito. The museum is so peaceful and very well kept and when I walked in I could see the pride these people have for their art and history. The museum is full of little courtyards all over  and I could have stayed there all day and enjoy the ambiance and the tranquil environment, but I had to go and grab lunch with a couple of people! 

All of these pictures on this post are from my first few days in Ecuador. I hope you guys like them! At night the view of Quito from Itchimbia ( Crystal Palace) is absolutely spectacular!