So sadly it was becoming time for mom to head home so we started our journey back up to Quito. To take the bus from Loja to Quito is 12-16 hours so we decided to break it up by going to Cuenca first, then Guayaquil and then onto Quito. First stop Cuenca. Loja to Cuenca is 497km and it takes about 4.5 hours. The drive is gorgeous though so you don't mind a minute of it. There was almost non-stop rain though during our time in Cuenca but December 24th the clouds broke and it was a gorgeous day so we headed to the hot springs. Yep, we find hot springs everywhere we go, it's part of our mission statement. The hot springs in Cuenca are very different from the city of Banos near Ambato. We went to the private hot springs which was beautiful! December 25th we were up early and headed to Guayaquil. Cuenca to Guayaquil is 243km and we had a superb bus driver who got us there in 3 hours. There are two routes you can take to Guayaquil from Cuenca and we went through the Cajas (which is a National Park) which is the faster route and definitely the more scenic. It was absolutely gorgeous through there and although we had some dare devil bathroom experiences, we really enjoyed this ride. Guayaquil is on the coast and I was warned it's hot there but I was not expecting the humidity. Everyone kept telling us it wasn't that hot and I believe them but considering Loja has very low humidity and also because of the altitude is a bit cooler, Guayaquil felt unbearable. A lot of things weren't open the few days we were there but we wandered the Malecon 2000 which is basically a boardwalk that runs the entire length of downtown Guayaquil. They have areas for kids, shops, some restaurants and is very safe. Guayaquil isn't my favorite city in Ecuador and I found it very dodgy but the next day we visited the Bethel which was a highlight. We had lunch there and did the tour and at 4:40pm boarded a bus for Quito. Guayaquil to Quito is 500km and is 9 hours so yes, we arrived at 1:30am. We had a really comfortable bus though and were able to sleep most of the way. Of course Guayaquil being at sea level and Quito being at 2700m, you could also feel the temperature drop as you went up. We arrived at our hostel at 2am and were up at 7:30 the next morning. We were heading to Otavalo which is 95km from Quito and is about an hour and a half. We had to get on a bus that was headed for the Columbian border since Otavalo is only a few hours south of there. The landscape changes a lot going north of Quito and was much more rocky but was beautiful and as is every bus ride in Ecuador, very exciting! We arrived in Otavalo and headed for the artisan market. This is something my mom had been waiting for since she arrived so we spend several hours here shopping and seeing all the handicrafts. We arrived back in Quito around 8pm and basically went straight to bed. The next day we got on the bus (which I always call the TTC) and headed for the middle of the earth. The Spanish built a monument where they calculated the middle of the earth to be but they actually were not correct and the Incans (smart Incans!) figured it out years and years earlier and had built a little structure to mark it's location. All the tourist books though point you to the Spaniards monument and they have actually made a little city out of it and have information on all the different types of indigenous people in Ecuador, etc. Sadly though, after we headed back from the middle of the earth it was almost time to take my mom to the airport. I was sad to see her go but since she will be back in 4 weeks it made saying goodbye a little easier! Love you Momster!!
