Getting to our next destination took about two days. The first step we took was a flight to Lima in Peru. Because the flight we took also went to Los Angeles we got given a pillow, blanket and small tv. The next flight was to Guayaquil in Ecuador. Which was much shorter than the first flight and a smaller plane. Once we arrived in Ecuador, we got a minibus to the hotel we were staying at for the night. Whilst we went to the room and checked it out dad went to get bus tickets for the next day.

As it was quite warm, we went to the pool to chill out for a bit. It was massive and had a swim up bar with seats in the pool. We ordered a coke for me and Hatty to share. Since we were so excited, we forgot to take our shorts off and ran into the pool with them on. That evening we looked at all the restaurants in the hotel and settled on an appropriate menu for me and Hatty. I had breaded chicken with mashed potato and rice. I couldn’t finish it though because there was too much food.

The next morning, we got a taxi to the bus station and boarded our six-hour bus to Ambato. Once we arrived in Ambato we boarded a bus to Baños which took only one hour. It took us just five minutes to get to our hotel in the trees. Next to it had a very famous waterfall it was so famous the hotel was named after it. Since it was in the trees the road was very bumpy and un paved. It was kind of two floors but kind of not. There was a big ladder that went up to a small area in the roof were there was two small single beds for me and Hatty to sleep in. There were two very cute dogs called Anya and Bobby. Anya was like a bigger version of chihuahua with lots of fur. Bobby was like a boxer with puppy eyes and a tongue that was always hanging out a little bit.

That evening we went to a thermal baths heated by the volcano, Tungurahua. Two of the pools we weren’t allowed in because we would burn or freeze so bad that we would have to go to a doctor. The hot pools were brown, but the cold pools were completely clear as they were filled with water from the waterfall. There was this challenge where you go in a hot pool and then go in a cold one or the cold showers also from the waterfall. The challenge for me wasn’t that hard but some of the adults were screaming like crazy. It was very funny. Mum and dad going in the roasting pool and then the freezing pool was also very satisfying to watch. My favourite was actually the cold showers.

After spending an hour in the baths, we got dried changed and went for dinner. For dinner we finally got to have Indian and ordered what I normally order whenever I get Indian. Tikka masala with plain rice and since they didn’t have any popadoms we had naan bread. Food came very quickly but we still got to watch the Bollywood on the tv. My food was delicious, and I ate all of it. It was my favourite meal so far apart from the meal we had in the hotel that we stayed at for one night.

We came home and watched an episode of race across the world. I was very excited to sleep in the roof up the ladder especially as we could see mum and dad from our beds, and they couldn’t see us.

The next morning, we had a lovely breakfast with lots of fresh fruit, pastries, juice, hot chocolate and eggs. The people who owned the hostel had arranged for us to go on a waterfall tour with one of their friends Oswaldo. Me and Hatty got to ride in the back of the truck the whole way. Some of what we saw was very magical and we even rode on a little red cable car across a waterfall to see it closer. The biggest waterfall on the tour though was a bit of a trek but it was worth it. To actually get behind the waterfall and get a closer look we had to crawl through some tunnels that were very low, so you had to be careful not to hit yourself. I managed to hit my side twice, my back four times and my head three times. Even though it was great we got soaked and I didn’t actually enjoy it that much and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

On the way back Oswaldo took us to the ‘best empanadas place in Ecuador.’ Now obviously I don’t know if that’s true but they were definitely not the best I have had. The best I have had were at the farm in Argentina. Homemade fish empanadas. Anyway, back to Ecuador. Oswaldo then drove us to my dreamland. There were massive swings going over the edge of the cliff and it had a really long and fast zip line. Oswaldo pushed me really high and spun me round and round. It was so much fun. When our parents said we had to leave Oswaldo drove us back into town.

We then went to an Italian restaurant for lunch I had fettuccine and bolognese. We then went back to the hotel and did some homeschooling. We decided to pack after that but we just watched tv whilst mum and dad packed. That evening, we went to a local restaurant on the end of our road we all had churrasco which is steak with chips, rice, salad, sausage and an egg if wanted. That evening we watched another episode of race across the world and went to bed.

 More when we get to Quito.