It was time to explore the art, food, museums, hats, parks and churches in Cuenca, Ecuador. Cuenca (pronounced “kwenka”) was the only location in Ecuador that we parked the truck and loaded our suitcases and toiletry belongings into a hostel room

It was time to explore the art, food, museums, hats, parks and churches in Cuenca, Ecuador. Cuenca (pronounced “kwenka”) was the only location in Ecuador that we parked the truck and loaded our suitcases and toiletry belongings into a hostel room.  We kept busy for about a week soaking up the sights, of which there were many.  It was a bit of a shock to be back in a modern city with cinemas and malls, and we definitely wandered around wide-eyed at all there was to offer.

I have to admit that for the first time on the road we actually started to feel homesick. What is this sorcery!?

Apparently Cotopaxi Volcano is not dormant…

After leaving Otavalo our next stop was Quito, Ecuador, but we couldn’t get there before stopping at The Equator!

Our overland adventure took us next to Chimborazo National Park, Ecuador. We actually first drove by Volcano Chimborazo while making our way from the Ecuadorian coast to Banos and just couldn’t believe the sheer size of it. I mean, this thing was MASSIVE.

After 10 days, we reluctantly left Finca Sommerwind and headed for our next destination: the market town of Otavalo.

We have been using our simple plywood platform and Rubbermaid totes for the last 10 months on the road.  This worked fine (for the $60 it costs us) most of the time, but sometimes it got totally out of control organization-wise and nothing was ever easy to access.

Our first South American border crossing experience was incredibly un-stressful. In fact, we weren’t 100% sure if we had completed all of the paper work after we obtained our Vehicle Import Permit and drove off into Ecuador. It felt like the Ikea television commercial where the woman has a cart full of cheap furniture and shouts, “Start the car!!! Start the car!!”