minimalism for the adventurous heart
You might remember that Aaron and I spent July in Ecuador. We wandered through the lovely streets and plazas of Quito, and made a 3-day jaunt to the Andean town of Cuenca as well.
But the main reason we visited was to volunteer with Casa Victoria. We helped run their summer program for kids in the San Roque neighborhood, and spent time taking photographs, sharing stories and falling in love with their ministry.
See the mint-green house below?
1) My dream this summer was to interact with children in need and support a ministry doing amazing work. And that’s exactly what happened.
2) Alicia’s dream years ago was to purchase this dilapidated home and turn it into a redemptive force in the community. And that’s what it is now.
Today I’m sharing about dreams, and the strange ways that they come true. You know that I believe in keeping dreams alive— even when circumstances are challenging….Continue Reading
There’s a feeling I can’t seem to shake. Coming back from Japan, I was energized by the beauty we explored there. But coming back from Ecuador, I was just nostalgic– crazy nostalgic.
Perhaps this is because we did not simply tour the lovely cities of Quito and Cuenca while we were there. We actually spent most of our time in Quito working with underprivileged youth at Casa Victoria, a ministry that is dear to my heart. I will be sharing more about our time at Casa Victoria next week.
But, without any doubt, Ecuador is absolutely gorgeous. Popular mainly for the Galapagos Islands– which we had neither the time nor budget to visit– Ecuador’s mainland is less recognized among Americans.
But both Quito and Cuenca are gems in Ecuador’s Andean range, 8,000-9,000 feet above sea level. This means the whole area is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, and little towns bedeck the hills!
So, in an effort to convince you to add Ecuador to your travel bucket list, I’ve compiled my ten favorite snapshots from our time there. Perhaps this means I’m only indulging the nostalgia more…
Let me tell you a little secret. Sometimes I don’t plan my travels. At all.
When I decided that we would do a brief excursion to Cuenca during our 3 weeks in Ecuador, I figured we would stroll its quaint streets, people-watch at cafes, window-shop the artisanal alleys and pretend we were in Europe. The only planning I did was to purchase our tickets and reserve a place to sleep. I left the rest up to our whims.
We did do those things, but Cuenca was smaller than I expected. We finished seeing almost everything on foot in one full day (granted we’re fast walkers!).
And so, with 2 days remaining, we had to ask ourselves: what are we going to do? We decided to slow down, take a breath, and see the city all over again.
The best part about having 2 more days “stuck” in Cuenca? We went back to the same sights and saw things we didn’t see before. The detail on the edge of a stairwell. The variation of florals in the balconies.
Because wandering slowly through is exactly what Cuenca is for. Its old-world charm and subtle details take time to see. Not to mention, there’s a bustling life (and smog-breathing buses) to look beyond.
We are back from Ecuador! After spending 3 weeks mostly in historical Quito, I’m ready to share some of our favorite spots. What a special place– Quito has the largest historical center in South America, with some of the most beautiful churches and buildings!
If you find yourself in Quito, I highly recommend spending at least a full day, if not two, in the historic center. The days in Quito are usually exactly 12 hours long, but not without variation! As the sun breaks through the clouds you will see the most glorious light, and the bluest skies! It’s definitely worth it to hang around all day to admire the colorful architecture.
Quito, though it has its problems, feels relatively safe. People tend to mind their own business here, and you likely won’t run into any over-enthusiastic sales people. By keeping a low profile and being smart about our valuables, we didn’t have any issues at all!
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.simplicityrelished.com" title="Simplicity Relished"><img src="http://simplicityrelished.com/wp-content/easy-cache/others/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/200x200_Button.jpg" alt="Simplicity Relished" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
