Leaving BSI

After six amazing days at the Black Sheep Inn, we had to prepare to leave for our next adventure. On our last day, we made sure we took advantage of the highest Frisbee golf course in the world. We took a stab at it once before, but Michael launched his Frisbee into the llama area and it took us 45 minutes to find it. We walked the whole area several times. It was Liam who finally found it after ten minutes of looking. 

The course had 9 'holes'. There were some treacherous, steep hills. It was very easy to lose the Frisbee in tall grass, ponds, drainage ditches or just completely losing control of the disc due to the wind. It could be carried to another section of the property and could take hours to find. 

Not a bad landscape for the game

We learned our lesson from our first attempt at the game. We had the other person go ahead and spot where the disc landed because there were some 'blind' throws, especially where Michael lost the disc before. I went ahead only to watch the disc graze the top of a llama's head. It jumped, but didn't seem to harbor a grudge when we retrieved the disc. There were about six llamas in this section of the course. They were tied down in different areas. They added a unique twist to the game.

The llama hazard

At least they were friendly

Leaving was definitely bittersweet. We would definitely miss being spoiled with the attention and amazing vegetarian meals. We will also miss the incredible views, but it was time to move on to our next adventure in Baños, Ecuador.

Quilatoa-Ecuador

Quilatoa is a crater, or more specifically a cauldron-like formation resulting from a massive volcanic eruption. In this case, the eruption was 800 years ago. Once the volcano collapsed into the ground, the hole left behind filled with water. So now it is referred to as Lake Quilatoa. It's about 3 kilometers wide. Tourists can hike down, rent kayaks and even rent donkeys for the hike up if you're not feeling up to the 75-90 minute uphill, sandy climb. 

Instead of taking the local bus to the crater, we hired a driver. He picked us up at 9:30 for our 25 minute drive. Less than ten minutes in, we hit a construction zone. The road was temporarily closed.  The roads in this part of the mountains are unpaved and they are trying to fix that. We had to sit there and watch dirt being moved around for about 45 minutes. Buses and cars were lined up. It was incredibly dusty so we just stayed in the car. I think we arrived in Quilatoa about 11:15 annoyed, but ready to walk.

There is nothing to block any wind this high up at the crater's rim. It doesn't seem to matter on the day; the wind just cuts through you. We had everything on us to keep us warm. We wore our 'Buffs' to protect our faces from blowing dust and ears from the cold. 

It might not look windy until you see my hair....yikes...

We easily walked down to the lake. It took us about 35 minutes. We dodged donkeys and everything they left behind. It was much warmer at the bottom and of course, there was no wind. 

Quick selfie on the way down 

Made it to the bottom

Alpacas wandering around

kayaks for rent

We found a nice place to eat our lunches. The alpacas got a little too close, but other tourists came around to snap photos, so they were easily distracted. We didn't rent any kayaks. As many boating experiences we've seen so far, they didn't look too safe. 

A great spot for lunch

We didn't stay at the bottom too long and had decided to walk and not take donkeys back up (even though we were approached many times to rent them). 

Traditional Ecuadorian families wait at the bottom to rent donkeys. They climb up and down with them several times a day.

Just the beginning of our climb back

We had to take a break to breathe and to see how far we had come

It took us about 75 minutes to climb back up. The trail was very soft in spots making it difficult to gain traction and move forward. We were pretty winded and just wanted to head back to the Black Sheep Inn. Fortunately, there was no construction this time.

Reflection

Today marks two months since we boarded a plane and left Chicago to travel abroad taking with us only what we could carry. We've done quite a lot in that two months and I'm still very excited about what is to come. Some travel plans require quite a bit of planning and others are more spontaneous, often evolving from advice of fellow travelers. 

Michael and I often take time to reflect and evaluate. The other day we were deciding what to do the next day in Cusco, Peru. We had a week and we didn't have strong feelings about what to see or do first. Michael smiled and said what a privilege it was to not have set daily plans. He's absolutely right. We no longer have to set the alarm, hit the gym, get in the same car, travel the same route to work, deal with the same office politics that can break your spirit while you try to earn a living and remain positive, rush home to spend quality time with the family only to find out that someone else has something scheduled and there is homework that still needs to be completed and supported, go to bed exhausted looking forward to the weekend and hope that you get one day to relax....lather, rinse, repeat. We needed to break this cycle and create a change that would be best for our family.

We believe we have done that. We've done our research and read other travel blogs. We have found that while it's amazing to explore various countries, it's even more rewarding to meet people abroad who can teach you about their culture or share their travel experiences or life stories.  

Our 'work' has changed to tasks that energize us on a regular basis. Where should we go next, how do we get there, where could we stay, do we know anyone who has been there or who can give us advice and will this experience benefit the children in new and unique ways. We continue to blog about the experiences so we can share these moments with our friends, family and curious others. We have fallen behind on our posts and that just lets us know that we need to continue to schedule time to plan and write (and hope the internet connection works with us).  

So we will continue our journey and share our stories. Please continue to follow along and support us with your kind thoughts and words of encouragement. We truly miss our family and friends and it helps to stay connected with the people we love and care about. We may be meeting new people and seeing places far away, but you haven't left our hearts and thoughts, so you are always with us.

It's always good to take time to reflect