Our first full day in Baños took us to Puyo, which is the gateway to the Amazon. And that’s as close as we got to the Amazon. An issue with vaccinations, plus having a baby prevented us from going all the way into the Jungle. It’s an experience that I would like to have some future trip for sure.

Anyways, off to Puyo which was incredible! The drive took us all along a valley and a vast river. So many waterfalls as well! The animal rescue center, Yana Cocha, we went to first was really beautiful. It would be so fun to return as a volunteer for a couple of weeks. There were so many different plants and flowers. The vegetation was unreal. Thinking back on it reminds me of the Garden of Eden. We walked two loops (in the rain!!) and saw a lot of monkeys. Oh gosh, they are cute and Holly and Greta want one as a pet. And every time they told someone that they want one as a pet, Conor and I cringed because this is an animal rescue center and some of the monkeys were rescued from being pets. 

One creature we saw that I had never heard of before is the Zorro Vinagre or the jungle dog. Apparently this is the only one in Ecuador in captivity and it was pretty special to see it. We had a great time! 

When we were done we went into town to get Almuerzo (lunch), which was very traditional. Soup followed by chicken, rice, beans, a bit of salad and juice. It hit the spot

On our long drive, we stopped at the Guayaquil temple. It was Sunday and the grounds were closed, but it was really fun to see! I’ve never been to a temple that has accompanying patron housing. Holly and Greta love temples. I hope they always have as much enthusiasm for temples as they do now!

We had a 10.5 hour travel day from Puerto Lopez to Baños. It was a big long day, but it was totally fine until the sun set and we couldn’t enjoy the scenery anymore! Ecuador is so beautiful! Before we went back into the mountains we drove past a million banana trees, coconut trees and cacao trees. I’ve never seen those before! The piles and piles of bananas at roadside shops never got old. I probably should’ve snapped some photos of that. Whoops! I wanted to pull over at every turn to capture what we were seeing. Ecuador is so lush and green. Both Conor and I loved returning to the mountains. We really, really enjoyed our time at the coast and we are really, really happy to be back in the mountains. Gosh, I love Ecuador.

Our second time to Los Frailes was great! The girls and I walked along the beach and explored the big rocks. Amongst the rocks was lots of coral. We didn’t bring any home (we are rule followers!), but I really wanted to! There were lots of little crabs on the rocks too. 

We came back to a baby caked with sand and so happy about it too! 

We made friends with a family sitting beside us. We quickly found out that they are the same religion we are. I heard the woman say, “JesuCristo” and “ultimos dias” and I was like, wait what? It was really fun to strike that connection! They have been members for almost 2 years and her son is 5-months into a mission in Chile! So incredible!

We were at the beach on this day earlier than we usually are and at the time of day when the sun is the strongest. I have been so vigilant with sunscreen and wearing t-shirts and taking care of everyone’s skin. We’ve all done really well in the sun until this day! Conor, Holly and I got so sunburned. I’m not sure how Greta made it out without a sunburn. And thank heaveans, Maeve didn’t get burned. I’m so glad I spent $20 on her swim shirt. And Conor thinks that they thick layer of sand on her legs protected her from the sun! At least it happened on our last day.

I can’t even say how much I loved our time in Puerto Lopez! We stayed in the best place and having Conor on vacation time was so awesome! Living in Ecuador has had a lot of challenges and I think striking a balance has perhaps been the biggest and most prevelant. Our family loves the ocean. Conor and I reflected a few times on our vacation we took to San Diego many years ago. The time we spent in Puerto Lopez was so similar. It was very relaxing, very fun!

One afternoon, after a slow, lazy morning that included lingering over breakfast, we went to what is supposed to be the most beautiful beach in Ecuador, Los Frailes. And it was really beautiful! The beach was clean, the sand was perfect and the waves were so fun to play in! We had such a great time, we came back the next day!