I was supposed to be going back to Chile. Liz was going onto Quito (Ecuador) to catch her flight home, and I would go back to Chile. That sounded boring. I asked about the price of tickets to Chile anyway. The first bus company cost more than I wanted to pay. We were walking to ask at a second when I wadded up my recently-redesigned itinerary, threw it in the garbage and announced "I'm going to Ecuador with you!" Who cares that I haven't read a word about Ecuador and don't have a guidebook for it? That I have no idea what there is to see? That's what will make it fun.

    It's been rough going from Lima. Eight hours on the bus to Trujillo, stop for a day, 6 hours on the bus to the border, 9 more hours to the next town. Stop for a night, then back on the bus for 6 hours to Cuenca, the nearest interesting town. 24 of the last 48 hours on a bus, and not a comfortable bus either. It's hard to believe that 10 days ago, I was struggling to convince myself to leave La Paz.

    As soon as we crossed the border, I was glad I had decided to come to Ecuador. The landscape was different and exotic -- big jungle plants with jagged mountains soaring overhead. Like Bolivia, but bright green. Salsa music was blaring on the radio wherever we went and people were laughing and happy despite the heat.

    Today has been an "ask and you shall receive" sort of day. Ever since Bolivia, I've been longing for supermarkets and stores. Scouring the town market and negotiating for what you want to buy is a fun experience, but it gets old after awhile. I nearly skipped through the aisles of the grocery store I saw in Lima, and I did the same here. I felt like going to the grocery store, turned a corner, and there it was! Full of American products! My favorite shampoo...Snickers bars that cost less than $2...Ruffles potato chips. Better yet, Ecuador uses American dollars. It's nice to go to a new country and not stand at the cash register for eons, trying to figure out which coins are which. Don't get me wrong -- I'm nowhere near tired of traveling, but these doses of familiarity and luxury are NICE.

    During the interminable ride to Cuenca, I thought about what kind of hotel I wanted. Pretty, I thought, with a big bed and a TV. Liz and I found one, but it cost too much. The woman at the counter saw us vacillating and asked the magic question "how much do you want to pay?" $5, I replied -- 33% less than the asking price. She stood still, looking dismayed. The pause went on too long. But after 2 months in South America, I knew how to play this game. She was hoping I would get nervous and raise my price. I didn't. So, $5 a night for a room that could be in a Holiday Inn or Best Western.

    As we strolled out of our hotel in search of dinner, I thought about my favorite restaurants in New York. I've been missing pretty places with creative cuisine for most of the last 2 months, but didn't expect to find any in South America. But once again, we turned the corner and there it was. Expensive by South American standards ($3 for an entree!), but it was exactly what I wanted. We ate fried onion fritters from India and pork and pineapple skewers. Tomorrow we are going back for chocolate cake.

    I can't wait to explore more of Ecuador. I hope this luck holds!

~Meredith