A weekend in Santo Domingo

About two weeks ago I met a nice Ecuadorian boy who along with having a house on the beach and being a very good cook, invites me to visit different parts of Ecuador with him. I’m not one to turn down travel adventures with good-looking men so I took him up on his offer. Yesterday we left Quito during the sunrise to go to Santo Domingo, a small city about three hours outside of Quito and about 10,000 feet lower. The drive alone was a little nerve-racking but beautiful as we drove through the deep green mountains. We were going for a surprise trip to visit his aunt and cousins and when we showed up unexpected at their door we were

greeted with shrieks and hugs. We spent the rest of the day drinking Pilsener, eating good food, dancing, and playing cards. The family was big and happy, full of love for one another and welcoming to me as if I was part of the family. They live humbly and were so down to earth and fun to be around I was so happy that I had decided to go on the trip. Today we lounged around, played more cards and explored downtown Santo Domingo a little bit before it was time to head back to Quito. It was so nice to get away from the city, see a different part of Ecuador, and spend time with some great people. Coming back to Quito was a little bit of a shock to the body as I immediately felt the altitude again and it was about 15 degrees colder. But at the same time, it feels good to be home.