Out of the jungle. On the move. Its´s ON.

Hola from the (sort of) real world!
Do you guys know how crazy it is to see televisions? Everyone has them! And to be able to turn on a light or charge electronics whatever time of day you want? And do you know that I havent seen rain in almost 3 full days? This world is a crazy place! And don´t even get me started on the food options... It is very strange not to be at the house, but soon it will hit me that I no longer live there. Sad and exciting all at once.

So yes. I finally managed to get myself out of the jungle. Jessie came with me and we had a delightful dinner to celebrate her birthday/my leaving at El Jardín, often listed as one of the top 10 restaurants in Ecuador, and always deemed the number one restaurant in the area. And it´s right in Puyo! It was so nice to splurge and have a STEAK. mmmm so good. Worth every penny and calorie.

Jessie and I are an old married couple and werent quite ready to handle saying goodbye, so we met for coffee the next morning before she finally kicked me out of Puyo for good. So off to Quito I went, ready to do some research on the Galapagos trip I have been dreaming of forever. AND TODAY I BOOKED IT!! Thats right, I am officially going to the Galapagos islands...on Friday! I am SO SO SO excited. For the same price, I could have purchased a small house here, or funded another month and a half in south america...but it was just too amazing to pass up. I can´t wait to play with the animals!

I´m now in Otovalo, 2-3 hours north of Quito, and known for its huge market, one of the biggest in south america. I´m not here for market day though, but just to meet up with Jeremy as he heads back to the jungle. So its 2 days in Otovalo, then back to Quito for my big trip to the islands! And i´m hoping to be in Colombia by the last week of May. Time is already just whizzing by, I can´t believe how fast its all going.

I got to my hostel here and immediately realized that I was without my only fleece jacket...super lame. It´s either on the bus or in the park, both options being totally unhelpful. Luckily, the town is renound for its alpaca goodies, so I will (yet again) be buying warm south american clothes. I always do, now i´m just glad to have an excuse!

Not sure how much internet access i´ll have from the boat, and i´m going to be staring at animals, not computers... so i´ll check in again after the 20th, when i´m back on the mainland.ç
:-)