Last days in Ecuador

I still have 10 more days in Ecuador.
By the end I will have spent 1,5 months here in this unexpectedly nice country. Regarding the last notion, a comment. I've read some other people's blogs about Ecuador and their experiences here and not all of them are so pleasant.

Although I like the nature here (the mountains, the playas!), I think for me the main difference comes from actually knowing people who live here (not all locals, but who at least stay here for longer time like the AIESEC trainees), and enjoying the usual everyday moments being part of a great bunch of people. Feeling like in a family :)), that usually doesn't happen if one is a tourist in any country.

What's amazing is that AIESEC has enabled me (and shall do that in the future as well) to create such a network that I'd have an opportunity to feel quite like at home in any place I go. Amazing!! Makes the world really small, in spite of the fact that distances are sometimes wayyyy tooo long.

Just a few days ago I was e-mailing with my old friends from Rotary, other exchange students that were in USA in 1996-97 - a year that I spent in high school in Illinois. They are Brazilians living in Sao Paulo and one will be almost my neighbour there!!! How cool is that!!!!

But back to my life here...Meeli has a vacation right now, so we are both taking it rather easy: wake up at 9-10, take bakeries, yoghurt, milk from across the street, check e-mails in a nearby internet cafe, go to the city for a little while or to the AIESEC office.
Then meet the others coming from work and see what happens, usally something for sure!!
Monday night we enjoyed a nice cafe in Las Penas until past midnight, called Arthur's (or smth). Very nice place on the hill with a romanitic view to the river, especially so at night!
Yesterday had Luigi's B-day dinner (an Italian dude working for AIESEC here) at Roxanas, and today...who knows :))

We plan to see a butterfly exhibition with Meeli now :D

Here some pics of the ATAMI family: