The Cost of Travel

Hey all,

I know quite a few of you are curious to exactly how much these trips cost me, so I thought I would put together a little break down of exactly what I spent. Usually I budget $2,000 for each two month trip, just traveling. This trip got pricey when I added volunteering and extra flights to save 20 and 30 hour bus rides.

On average to travel in Colombia and Ecuador, it cost me $26 a day.

Total to travel Colombia during and after volunteering, 38 days: $1,128
Total to travel Ecuador, 13 days: $356

• Transportation - Taxis and buses: $231
• Food: $298
• Hostals/Hotels: $425
• Water $13
• Nights out: $53
• Tours: $163 (There were a few individual touristy activities that cost a lot - such as Carnaval de Barranquilla, snorkeling in the Caribbean, and the mud volcano, but they were well worth it for the experience.)
• Cafes: $24
• Random, taxes, clothes, and souvenirs: $116

Total (four) flights: $747
Total to volunteer, 21 days: $835 ($40 a day)

My trip was a total of 51 days and cost $3,066.00 = $60 a day. 

If I did it again to save money, I would have skipped the volunteering ($2,231) and taken a few long buses - ($2,041. Right on budget. :))

A large part of the cost was my three week volunteer program which included food and a bed, but not transportation or anything extra. It was a great experience, but I will not be paying to volunteer again - there are many programs that exchange food/bed for your work!

Now...back to working, making money for my next crazy adventure! :)

So Long South America...

I still have a few days left of this journey, but I feel as though my adventures are pretty much over.

I have entered that place again - the "last few days of travel" place of remembering and missing people.

The last week is always hard. You know your trip is ending so you want to be home now - to skip the goodbyes and seemingly endless travel days, but thanks to the crazy awesome people you have met and the things you have experienced, you wish the journey could last forever.

The last week has flown by, but these last two days are dragging on, and now I am killing time, wishing my flight was today instead of tomorrow. 

My last few days in Quito were amazing, like every unbelievable day in Ecuador. As the days brought me ever closer to my Sunday evening flight, my friends from the hostel made it even harder to leave. 

The weekend was spent walking around the city, watching crazy amazing Futbol games, making food together, and just watching people in the incredible parks.

Futbol in Latin America is a must-experience activity. The energy at the game, the chanting and songs, and the way the crowd goes wild as our team scores a goal is indescribable.

After the games, my hostel buddies and I walk back through Carolina park - one of my favorites.

Sunday, as I hurried back after the game to get ready to fly away, I tried to memorize everything.

The vendors along the paths, the hundreds of teens and kids participating in Futbol matches, the families relaxing under trees and taking walks together...

The salsa music playing as people danced, the breathtaking mountains in the distance, the mounted police, the river with carefree paddle boaters...everything.

Way too soon, my walk through the huge park ended, and I hurried to say goodbye to my friends and catch a flight. My flight from Quito to Bogota went quickly. I met a nice guy from Ecuador in the airport and we traveled together for the day, him teaching me Spanish while I taught him English. 

Our first day in Bogota, we took the teleferico cable cars up over the unbelievable immense city, and I was amazed at how much it made me miss Quito.

Bogota is just a city. A big, busy city, lacking in cleanliness and parks and overrun by construction and pigeons.

Perhaps it is a good place to sit and process while I prepare to go home - its lack of enchantment and overly friendly people is keeping me from falling in love with yet another place.

My Ecuadorian friend Felipe and I were taking about the cities, comparing them. We decided that Bogota was just big and ugly, almost having a strange, dark vibe, while in Quito, everyone is happy and filled with joy. Everyone says hi, everyone smiles, and just spends time enjoying being alive.

So now, sitting in this hostel in the middle of a over-stimulating city in which I have gotten lost countless times and can barely breathe because of the bus fumes, I am left with nothing to do but write, to summarize this incredible journey, to bring some closure to my aching heart, even though I know I will never stop missing the people and adventure, and I will always desire to come back.

It's strange...everything about this moment is taking me back to my last days in Guatemala. The quietness with cars rumbling in the distance, the cloudy sky, the ache in my soul from being in a place I'd rather not be, and even the burnt orange and rusty red color of the building outside.

It's hard to believe that this is the same journey that I was on nearly two months ago, when I got to experience teaching English to beautiful kids.

It's also hard to believe that the ache in my heart from saying goodbye to the kids weeks ago has not faded one bit.

Colombia...from the killer sun, white sand, and first experience with clear blue water on Playa Blanca...

The disgusting yet somehow satisfying mud volcano...

...to teaching in Cartagena, meeting incredible volunteers, and dancing at Carnaval in Barranquilla...

To Pablo's domain in Medellin where the people were way too dressy for me and they serve strange hot cocoa and queso...

Those palm trees in Selento...

And the intense climb up 740 steps to the peñol rock in Guatape...

And then...the 15 hour to Ecuador, that while at the time seemed crazy, it turned out to be one of the best, introducing me to some of the most incredible people, the most beautiful places, and unique experiences.

The last few days of the journey, it's hard to be all here. Everything makes me sad, knowing that it's almost time to leave.

The upbeat music that plays everywhere, the clouds floating among the mountains, and even the friendly people remind me it is time to say goodbye.

But unlike my first few trips when the thought of leaving was so unbearable, this time it is just a little easier, because I know I will be back.

Sure, the experiences will be different, the travelers will be different, but the level of adventure will be the same, and there will be new people to meet, new crazy adventures to be had.

Just a few short months. Until then, home sweet home.

Thanks for everything, my friends.

Lakes and Markets and Little Towns With Strange Names...

"Its only 10 kilometeres from the lake to the next little village of Chugchilan." 

"Yeah, that's not bad at all. Lets do it."

Best idea ever. After Valentin and I arrived in the little town of Quilitoa, we descended to the edge of the beautiful lake, the huge center of a volcano.

We spent the night with a local family in their hostel. They served us delicious local food, and I nearly froze to death at such an altitude. I wore three layers of clothes and five alpaca fleece blankets - and I was still freezing. 

I was happy when the sun came up, leading us on a journey to the next village.

We walked for just over two hours - first, along the beautiful, green crater lake and then, down mountains and canyons, and climbing back up. 

At 4,000 meters, it is 100x harder to walk 10 kilometers, yet it was well worth it.

We walked along little sandy trails scattered with tiny flowers of every color -  purple and yellow and red and blue. 

Looking across the Andes mountains, I couldn't breathe (literally and hypothetically;)) the air was so thin, my head started to hurt. But it was worth it - seeing the farms of sheep and cows and traditonal people, and the endless valleys and pointed peaks in the distance.

After about seven kilometers, we made it to a tiny, silent town. Every so often we would see people wearing skirts, shawls, and top hats. Nearly every one smiled and said hello as if we were friends. Every smile made me fall in love a little more.


We continued for awhile more, out of the town, down the steepest trails, and up again. I was glad when we arrived in the simple pueblo of Chugchilan.

Once there, we found a hostel. $15 a night with two meals...and an adorable child. :)

We ate a typical meal of soup, rice, salad, and meat, and then I rented a horse and guide for $15 for four hours. It was absolutely incredible!!

My horse was probably one of the best one I have ridden outside of the states - he actually liked to move a little bit.

For the first hour, I got to experience some classic Ecuador - while the guide led, I rode behind a group of horses and donkeys, chasing them to different farms. Occasionally they would try to run off in a random direction, and my guide would jump off his horse and run to try to catch them. He was so thankful that I knew how to ride and handle the horses while he caught the strays.

When all the horses were safety at their homes, we rode up, up the mountains. We could see scattered houses in the distance, and the clouds rolled in and out  among the mountains.

It was so breathtaking, like so many things in this country. Again I found myself pulling myself down to earth - this is real, and it was created for us to enjoy. I am so privileged to get to enjoy it.

We continued along the cliffs for hours. Soon, the clouds completely consumed us. We dismounted the horses and walked through the cloud forest jungle, and the guide explained various types of plants and their uses. Every one had a strong smell.

After the plant explanation - and walking through mud and misty rain, we again began to decend the mountain. The guide stopped every few minutes to talk to the local people in a language I could not understand, even though the guide tried to teach me a few words.

We continued for hours, along fields and places, all of which were well explained.

Soon, we arrived back at the village. The sun set, we spent time with travelers over  yet another traditional meal, and slept early for a 3 am morning.
3 a.m. We get up and head to the road where we wait until nearly 4:00. Then, a bus rumbles down the cobble stone streets. We climb on, and are taken for the bumpiest, most annoying music ride for three hours. 
But once there, we were rewarded with a  unique Ecuadorian experience - an entire town made into a huge market. 

They sold everything. 
From fruits and veggies... 

...to meat (heads and feet included,) and fresh fish...




...and homemade pastas...

...to shoes and doors and guinea pigs and cows and sheep and more chickens than I have ever seen in my life.







Everywhere we walked, every block in the entire town had something else to offer. Everywhere, the people wore traditional hats and dress. They carried loads on their backs - corn, chickens, and children.




I would keep posting photos forever, but I am afraid that I don't have enough space or time to show all the incredible things I captured. (And it's amazing - there are even more things that I didn't have a chance to take a photo of!)




After the market, my new friends and I headed back to Latacunga, where we picked up out luggage we had left, and I said goodbye, heading back to Quito for a few more days in the beautiful city.
The way back was so challenging - one bus, then a trole bus, then another one. It is surprisingly difficult navigating in a 40 km city! But, thank God for four beautiful people on the buses that spent endless time trying to help me figure it out. Even they weren't sure! They were all angels and I made it, and had some great Spanish conversations in the mean time - and only spent $2.75 to go three hours. Travel win.
Today, I spent $15 and bought tons and tons of random fruits. I decided that I had been in random countries long enough without trying all the fruit. All I can say, is WOW. They may look (really really) weird, but there are some absolutely incredible fruits down here. USA, you are missing out. :)