Well, first of all, Ecuador is absolutely amazing. In the past couple of days I have met so many people from all over the world. There are a lot of Australians and British people here, not too many Americans. But everyone is extremely friendly and eager to share their experiences traveling in South America. It seems there is a subculture of backpackers in those places. Tons of people travel for months and months, even years. It is not as unheard of as it is in the US. When I was planning the trip it was a little difficult for me to find people who had traveled for long periods of time and had good advice for me. You can only get so much from reading a book or website. Word of mouth is so much more beneficial! There is obviously a weath of that information here. "You have to do this," "stay away from here," "don't miss this." In talking to all of these people the plans have changed a little bit. The most common piece of advice I am getting is don't rush! There are so so many places to see here in Ecuador. I feel as though we would be cheating ourselves out of a lot if we hurried through the trip trying to fit too much in a small period of time. We would really miss out on the smaller, less trodden places where much of the culture really is. I don't want to spend the entire trip in large cities with Burger Kings and Starbucks. Though the cities can be interesting, there is so much more in the small towns and villages. So... I think we are going to scratch going to Peru. There is so much to see in Peru, a week and a half would be unjustifiable. Guess we'll just have to come back :) I have had so many suggestions about places here in Ecuador. I feel like we would have to stay months to see it all. There is so much diversity in such a small place. So as of now there is no itinerary. I have a list of places that have been highly recommended and we will somehow connect the dots! As for the hostel itself, it is great. Beds comfortable, a beautiful terrace with hammocks and a fireplace that overlooks the city, helpful staff, INCREDIBLE gourmet (not kidding!) food for around $3.50 a meal (with lots of vegetarian options!). I could go on and on. My spanish lessons started today. My teacher is excellent, making me talk a lot! Hopefully I'll be speaking spanish in no time. haha yah right. I haven't been able to take many pictures yet because I am afraid to take my camera out in the city. I have heard too many horror stories. The trend seems to be thieves just taking your things if you carry too much. They don't want to hurt you, they just want your stuff. Even in the daylight. So as of now I'll bring out my point and shoot that can be tucked in my pocket, maybe the D40 when we get to the smaller places. Oh and mom, the mace made it and I am carrying it around everywhere. :)