Good bye to Ecuador

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I cut my stay in Ecuador short by 3 weeks to fly back to Vancouver for a job interview. I was happy to arrive back in Vancouver; it`s always nice to come home.
To sum up the experiences from my trip; it was about what I expected. I anticipated having both negative and positive experiences, and I did. The worst experience was getting mugged in Quito. A warning to those planning to go to Quito in the near future .... tourists are currently a target in Quito. Do not walk around alone any time of day, but especially not after dark which means after 6:30 p.m.

The highlights for me in Ecuador were learning about the culture (education system/ family life, etc), and seeing the unique birds and marine life on the Galapagos Islands. As we know, through human behaviour the oceans are becoming more and more polluted. The Galapagos Islands are still somewhat unaffected compared to other parts of the globe, and I wanted to swim and snorkel there before that too is ruined. It was glorious! It was amazing to swim with an abundance of giant sea turtles, sharks, sea lions, rays, etc. who glance at you with a mild curiosity when you are close by.
While in Ecuador my ability to speak Spanish did not improve as much as I had hoped, but I`ll keep working on it.
Being away really makes you appreciate what we have at home. I have never taken what we have here for granted, and a trip away often reinforces that.
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. I really enjoyed writing it.

Adios amigos!
Linda V.