Our trip to Ecuador

Last year Lorena and I had a chance to visit her home country---Ecuador. It was her first trip back after she had moved to the U.S. as a little girl (around 11 or 12 years old); and it was also my first time traveling outside the country. So, as you can probably guess, it was a pretty exciting trip for us. I was eager to find out more about my wife's childhood and where she came from, as well as getting to know her family. But more specifically, I wanted to show off my newly developed latin dancing skills (bachata, merengue...and salsa...oh yeah, you heard me right..) to the new fam! Who says white boys can't dance?! Pssht! Let's just say that you haven't seen salsa until you see me move it baby! Anyway, some of you may have seen these pics before, but we wanted to post them so that those who haven't seen them will have a chance to. Hope you enjoy them.

Here is some of her family that greeted us when we arrived. Everyone in this picture and the following pic showed up at the airport to welcome us with balloons and posters and stuff...it felt like we were celebrities or something!




If you couldn't tell on the previous pic, apparently I am a giant in Ecuador...a little hard to "blend" in..



The city behind these foxy ladies is Quito, the capital of Ecuador. This city has roughly 1.5 million people.



This is a ferreteria (hardware store) owned by Lorena's aunt.



The LDS temple in Guayaquil...cool eh?



This is a cathedral called "La Basilica del Voto Nacional" in Quito...



La Plaza de la Independencia in the colonial section of Quito..


Iglesia San Francisco in Quito...(this church was featured in the movie "The Negotiator" with Russell Crowe..FYI)



Goat milk anyone? This pic was taken in a small town outside of Quito...



This is Otavalo, a small city 3 hours from Quito. At the center of most cities in Ecuador you will find a plaza that contains a monument or statue, along with a fairly large church.



Another pic of Otavalo...



Here is where the President of Ecuador lives...in the colonial section of Quito..



This is me at a local market...as you can see, markets typically have various types of fresh meat available along with fruits, vegies, etc. You can't find food fresher than this...



Us trying an alfalfa concoction...which was surprisingly tasty!



This is Laguna San Pedro (we think)...a beautiful lake with a large mountain in the background...



One of the many fun waterfalls in Ecuador...also the place where Lorena and I were both hit on by locals on the same trail...



A tram ride called "teleferico" that takes people to one of the highest mountain peaks in Quito. As you can see, this is a very large city, and proves to be quite a spectacle to see from an airplane at night with city lights stretching as far as the eye can see...



Here is my beautiful wife sipping back on some coconut milk in Salinas beach (otherwise know as "Little South Beach")



Here I am stepping off the plane on our way to the Galapagos Islands...we know, you're jealous..




The famous gigantic turtles of the Galapagos...chowing down on some food...



This is a "Blue Footed Boobie". Obviously they get their name from the color of their feet...its hard to see in this pic, but just click on the photo to enlarge it.



This rock is called the "Sleeping Lion" and it is also located in the Galapagos. Our local "guide" wanted me to swim with sharks between the rocks..."its okay, the sharks get plenty to eat, they won't bother you..." Naturally, I gratefully declined...



We decided that this would be a better spot to swim rather than with the sharks...so we took out our snorkel gear and swam with sea lions!



These were the sea lions that we swam with, and they were found everywhere in the Galapagos...




Here are more "lobos". There are typically 20-30 females for every male (sounds like high school all over again for me! jk). These are females...males are much larger...and meaner...



Also famous in the Galapagos are the large Iguanas...



Most of the time the Iguanas like to hang out on the rocks as they can blend in perfectly and they like to get warm...you can see it on the bottom of the pic.



Bananas are the #1 export for Ecuador. There are miles and miles of banana fields throughout the country...this bushel of bananas cost around $.75-$1.00.



Banana fields...



And don't forget...also commonly found in Ecuador are hot, buff, dead-sexy men with beautiful hair...




THE END! :)