The Worst Fake Tan Ever - Baños, Azuay, Ecador

After putting forth a solid effort securing a job and an apartment, I decided I deserved an afternoon of pampering. Not to be confused with the white-water rafting center of Ecuador, this Baños is a mere 8K from Cuenca. There are at least four different establishments with soaking facilities, but I was feeling like a good splurge and headed to the most luxurious of them all Piedre de Aqua. The entire place is built from lava rocks giving it a unique feel, but torture to walk around.

Ten bucks gets you an all-day pass to the bath-water warm swimming pool, a cold plunge pool and a hot pool. Plus the Japanese bath area, which quite frankly I didn't understand as the hot pool was hot enough to scald skin and the relaxing pool was filthy.

I opted for the $30 day which basically gave me free run of the property. I started with the eucalyptus steam room and, in a word, it was sublime. Branches of new growth from a nearby tree filled the room with a very pleasant eucalyptus steam.

There wasn't really anyone around to direct me, so from the steam room I just started wandering. I ended up in the grey mud bath, which was apparently out of proper order and got the attendant all worked up when she found me.

She basically forced me to move to the red mud bath. The one I wanted to avoid because I was wearing white swimmers...they are now a not so pleasant rust color. The red mud also gave me the appearance of having been victim of an 80s self-tanning product. It took a whole lotta scrubbing to fix that!

Venturing down some stairs I located the subterranean hot pool with polar plunge. The water was just right. Not so hot that I couldn't hang out a while, but hot enough that the occasional plunge into the frigid water was exhilarating.

Lastly, I was stuck into a steam box. Like one of those weight-loss-torture-devices of old, I was seated inside a wooden box with a hole for my head. The attendant wrapped my robe around my neck to ensure I felt 100% claustrophobic. For a control freak like me it was a great opportunity to practice my breathing!

After all of that relaxing I was famished! While the spa has a restaurant I was in the mood for
something a little less froufrou. Thankfully they were some locals roasting up a piggy that was scrumptious! I'm not sure where the heat-source was and I've learned it's best not to overthink street food no matter what country your in. 

San Sebastian - Cuenca, Ecuador

I know, I know...I've only been here for four days, but this is my favorite area of Cuenca! The square is anchored by San Sebastian Cathedral and surrounded by restaurants, coffee shops and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The museum features South American artists in several small rooms which surround a lovely courtyard. Much like the museum in Leon, Nicaragua, I was amazed at the lack of climate control protecting the art. But then I suppose it's no different than having a masterpiece hanging on your wall at home.

Apparently the museum started out as a House of Temperance - a place for the local drunks to dry out. Before becoming a museum it also served as a jail, orphanage, homeless shelter and insane asylum. Now there's a checkered past!

The San Sebastian plaza in front of the cathedral is the prettiest plaza in Cuenca. Simply a great place to observe people, read a book or bask in the sun beneath the palms. Yes, palms at 8000 feet? Who knew!

Café San Sebas is heavily frequented by the expat and tourist crowd, but don't hold that agains them! This is the place in town to get an authentic cappuccino with perfect foam. It's a wonderful place to spend a few hours if you're feeling homesick and need a coffeehouse fix. Plus they have great food, homemade preserves and Kombucha.


The San Sebas neighborhood is also home to storefront selling fresh coconut water and raw sugarcane, just down the street from the museum. While there are carts around town selling the same, it can be difficult to track them down when you're thirsty!

Now Arriving - Ecuador

Photo credit: Andrew de la Rosa

For some reason asking for help is not in my genetic makeup. The double-whammy of stubborn German and Polish heritage. (Some call it self-sufficiency, but let's be honest.) The wild card is that I'm not much of a planner; something that flies right in the face of same said heritage. Unable to get my belongings down to two bags required a different approach. I planned ahead and booked not only a room, but also a taxi for the day of my arrival in Quito. Of course my middle-of-the-damn-night ETA played a small role in this decision as well!

I have to admit, it was my easiest arrival in a foreign country -  ever. The only slight hiccup was checking in for my flight in LA. Why is my government the only one who is concerned about seeing proof of onward or return travel? What is so wrong with a one-way ticket and no plan as to when or where I may go next?

I was selected for stress-free security - no taking off the shoes, no pulling liquids in baggies and computers from my carryon, no invasive x-ray scanning - it almost made me hug the TSA agent. My flights were both on time, I breezed right on through customs AND all of my luggage made it. To top it all off, there was a cute Ecudorian woman holding a sign with my name ready to whisk my off to the hotel which was better than anticipated.

As I recuperated between flights I chatted it up with a family from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. They spent three months in Ecuador last year and this year they are spending six. With no plan other than to meet interesting people and have great experiences. (Guess what, their government doesn't require them to have proof of onward or return travel at the airport!)

Back at the airport for round two of flights, the Customer Service Agent for AeroGal waived my overweight and extra baggage fees because I'd come in on an International flight - even though I'd thrown away my proof.

The cherry on the ice cream has definitely been staying with Lynsey and Josh. The adorable, outdoorsy couple from Chicago who have been living in Cuenca for 18 months. They have welcomed me into their home until I find an apartment and have been been full of helpful suggestions. Now that my foot has recovered, I'm even going to join their workout-in-the-park crew for runs. Yay, change is so much easier when I ask for help!

South Cuenca View from Josh & Lynsey's

Big Basin Redwoods, California

A girl always needs friends who drag her out on a 17-mile trail run when she's all mushy from a year of wandering aimlessly. Big Basin is just the place to kick the training back into gear as the scenery is so beautiful I barely noticed the pain!

We stayed in the the Big Basin Tent Cabins and I'm not sure it's an experience I would care to repeat. The campground was quiet enough as it was the way-off season, but I have a suspicion that the place gets crazy during the summer. The cabins were spartan yet clean and thankfully there was a pot-bellied stove in each cabin as the overnight low was a measly 35!

Keeping a close eye on your food is a must. There were six of us standing around the fire pit when a rascally raccoon grabbed a pack of pitas from the table and ran!

We ran out the Howard King trail until it intercepted with Skyline to the Sea. The beginning of Howard King was nice, easy rollers. At about five miles into the run it changed to exposed, loose rock with a really steep descent to Skyline to the Sea. It's really hard to enjoy the downhill when you know you have to regain the lost elevation!

Fortunately the return trip wasn't nearly as difficult as anticipated. Skyline to the Sea is a gentle climb on a nicely padded fire road following the creek. It was beautiful and so worth the effort!

If you find yourself in the Santa Cruz area you MUST stop at The Buttery. The menu was creative and the food was fresh, yummy and reasonably priced.