When our mom first started talking to us about the possibility that we might go to Ecuador, I thought this was going to be a phase and she would get over it in a week. Then two months before we would be on Summer Vacation, she said "Guess what, guys! We're going to Ecuador this Summer!" The days slowly passed by until June 1st. As we boarded the plane, we made some jokes about how Boy Scouts would save us if the plane crashed. A few plane flights and airport stops later, the pilot said, "We are now landing in Guayaquil, Ecuador." When we landed, we made it through security and the car driver drove us for three hours to our "new home!" We sorted out where we would sleep and my brother Carter and I got to share a room. I finally fell asleep that night thinking about how we actually were in Ecuador, and that I'll thank mom when i'm older for such a diverse experience.

Whale Watching In Ecuador: My mom, brothers, and I went whale watching and saw soooooo many amazing whales! The only problem is that we all got sea sick and mom even fainted. But it was fantastic to see the whales!

We awoke to the sound of a guy on a bike screaming out "CAMARONES!" which meant shrimp (he would be my own personal alarm clock)! When we went to breakfast, I loved the taste of the fried bananas they served us (they tasted sort of like potatoes, my favorite food). As a special treat, I heard little kids who seemed to be five through seven years old. They were screaming with joy and chanting "PARADA DEL NINO!" which means Parade of the Kids. They had huge smiles an their faces and they marched down the dusty street with joy and excitement. It took me a week to finally take in that we were in such a diverse, yet beautiful country.

Parada Del Nino in Ecuador: This is a little parade in Ecuador called Parada Del Nino, or parade of the kids.They were so happy and proud of themselves!

A church on the cliff: This is a church shaped like a boat on a cliff
in Olon. The picture was taken from the beach. We later visited the
church, or on the outside. We weren't allowed in because it was falling
apart. 

The first weeks we stayed in a small beach town named Olon. The people who owned the house we stayed at showed us around, and we met a couple named Maria and Rudolphio. They had three cute dogs named Fiata, Manicha, and Alma. My favorite was the brownish orange one named Manicha! We would eat breakfast at Maria's every day and frequently lunch and dinner. The beach was perfect! It wasn't too crowded, and there were a ton of small fish restaurants where you could eat. The beach was covered with smooth and multi-colored rocks and I found a nice green one that I kept. I ended up catching a crab after our grandpa said he would pay us ten dollars if we could. The sand was the perfect temperature during sunset - slightly warm but cool at the same time. The sunset was so amazing! It was filled with greens, purples, oranges, and reds all mixed up, and the sun would turn a bright orange-red color!

Sunset in Ecuador: We where in the town of Olon when we walked out to see the beautiful sunset on the beach! Our mom kept warning us about looking at the sun but we still looked at it and took pictures!

The second you took the main road out of Olon, it turned into a mountainous jungle. We frequently ate in a large party town called Montanita. MILLIONS of pigeons would sit on the electric wires all day, waiting for someone to drop their burger on the street so they could eat. They had some nice restaurants including a fancy Mediterranean place. At the top of a mountain near Montanita, there was a pirate ship-shaped church and a beautiful view. You could see for miles and miles down the beach and even past Olon.

Three-fourths of the way through our trip in Ecuador we decided to try something new, and everyone was constantly telling us to visit a city called Cuenca. we gave it a shot, and it was absolutely beautiful! On the car ride to Cuenca, we drove up a foggy mountain with winding paths and lots of green mossy plants. There were miniature waterfalls and people riding on horseback up the mountain.

Ecuadorian Misty Mountain: During our drive to Cuenca we drove up a very misty mountain. We passed through a National Park and drove over the Andes Mountains. While driving we could barely see outside our window! This photo is at the top.

We then passed through the Andes Mountains and we saw fuzzy Alpaca and luscious green fields and mountains. In Cuenca, we stayed in a small hotel that had a very nice room and three beds. The town had a cobblestone street and a lot of chocolate/pastry shops (lucky me because of my sweet tooth). In the town square, there was an AMAZING church and awesome graffiti on some wooden fences. The church was a brownish orangey red color and had a bright blue roof.

 This is a church that was in the town square in Cuenca. It was very rainy that day and very cold. We even got to go inside and our mom warned us a few times to stay quiet...

Down the street, about a block, was a giant vendor area and we found some Alpaca Blankets that we ended up getting. I wanted one of them because it was really fluffy and big but when the vendor went to show it to us we started cracking up because it had a picture of a Unicorn on it! (We laughed even harder because I constantly use unicorns when I try to be funny.) We even visited an Archeological Museum and we saw some old ruins. Going to Ecuador was one of the best experiences I've ever had and iIll always remember it, but if Mom said "We're going to Africa!" I'd go running to grandma's house!

Another view of the beautiful church that we passed by on our trip in Ecuador. My favorite part is the blue domes on it.

Sutton O'Neill is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program.

All photos courtesy and copyright Sutton O'Neill.