Recent Comments
Author Archives: Jean Nguyen
Havana
Most tourists fly into Havana, the capital of Cuba. Beyond the stifling summer heat and lively, gritty streets, Havana is simply put…BEAUTIFUL. Tall, historic buildings that serve primarily as small homes line the narrow streets of Havana Vieja. Rotund, topless … Continue reading
Cuba – Know Before You Go
In late 2014 we toyed with the idea of visiting Cuba during our 5 months of South American travel. Only a couple months later in 2015 when Obama made it public that he wanted to lift the Cuban embargo, we … Continue reading
Posted in Cuba
3 Comments
Otavalo
We bid farewell to the historic center of Quito on Saturday morning as we headed out for Otavalo at 8am. It was an easy 40-minute 25¢ trolly ride from Santo Domingo to El Ejido to Terminal Norte. However, Terminal Norte … Continue reading
Posted in Ecuador
Tagged cascada de peguche, lago san pablo, laguna cuicocha, otavalo market
1 Comment
Quito
At 2,850 meters high Quito is the second tallest capital in the world after La Paz. This long city stretches from north to south, with the primary tourist neighborhoods of Historic Quito (Centro Historico) and La Mariscal situated in the middle … Continue reading
Quilotoa
The Quilotoa Traverse, a multi-day trekking excursion from village to village in the Ecuadorian Andes, was actually what I looked forward to the most in mainland Ecuador. Typically hikers follow this standard 4-day route from south to north: 1. Arrive … Continue reading
Baños
I didn’t realize that Quito’s international airport was so far from Quito (and a whopping $35 taxi ride into the city!), and because we wanted to go straight to Baños after the Galapagos, we spent the night in Pifo instead … Continue reading
The Galapagos
We came to the Galapagos for one primary reason: to experience the wildlife, particularly the blue footed boobies. They say that you will take many more pictures than you anticipate, and they were right. Wild animals, galore! During our transport … Continue reading
Galapagos on a Budget
We told everyone we weren’t going to the Galapagos since we had already planned one expensive island excursion to Easter Island. However once I arrived to Cuenca, I couldn’t help but keep an eye out for last minute deals for … Continue reading
Guayaquil
On July 4th after celebrating Independence Day in Cuenca with American retirees over hotdogs and hamburgers, we headed out to Ecuador’s largest and most populated city, Guayaquil. Guayaquil is really more of a 1-day stopover for tourists before visiting the … Continue reading
Cuenca
About 4 hours by bus north of Vilcabamba is Cuenca, Ecuador’s beautiful colonial city, Ecuador’s third largest city, and our new favorite city in South America. As it is nestled in lush, green valleys and surrounded by rivers, the architecture … Continue reading