I didn’t travel too far this past week. Instead, I stayed closer to home and explored some areas near Ibarra. Over the weekend, I took a short 30-minute bus ride with one of the teachers at my school to a town called Cotocachi. From there, we took another 20-minute taxi drive to Cuicocha Lake, which I describe in later sections.
Since arriving, I’ve been very lucky to have visited so many places. I’ve visited Quito, the capital, more than a handful of times. One weekend, some friends and I took a two-hour bus ride to Mindo, a city known for its beautiful cloud forest. Then, as you may remember from my last post, I went to Guayaquil, Salinas and Cuenca for my Christmas break. I’ve also done lots of exploring closer to Ibarra, such as visiting Yahuarcocha, Cuicocha, and a city called Otavalo (known for being the home of South America’s largest outdoor market). As you can imagine, I’ve spent a lot of time on buses so far, but the long trips are always worth it!
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to get to know the city better. One of the ways I’m doing that is by walking to downtown instead of taking taxis. It’s been really nice getting some fresh air while also exploring and getting to know my way around town more.
