You know how first time travelers get overexcited about being on the road for the first time and totally overschedule themselves trying to do and see it all and then eventually crash and burn? Despite the fact that I had years of travel under my belt when I touched down in Latin America, I made the…

Our time in Cuenca was unintentional. And it was amazing. Originally, we planned to fly out of Quito after leaving Mindo. But plane tickets skyrocketed before we could press “purchase” and so we ended up scrambling for a Plan B. Our only financially feasible option, it turned out, was to fly out of Guayaquil four days…

Our time in Ecuador was following a clear pattern — Montañita, thumbs up; Guayaquil, thumbs down; Baños, thumbs way up; Quito, thumbs down. So obviously, Mindo was going to be a thumbs up, right? You can’t argue with science. (You can, however, argue quite passionately with a science teacher, as my high school experience repeatedly confirmed.)…

After eight weeks of pretty non-stop travel, I slowed way down and put the breaks on for Month 31 — a much needed Christmas present to myself. Our original plan for this period was even more sloth-like, but insane prices in Montañita caused us to slash our time there to a third of what we had…

Well, you can’t win ’em all. That’s what I told myself as we waved goodbye, and good riddance, to Quito. I had such high hopes for the high altitude Ecuadorian capital and its beautifully preserved colonial center! Hopes that were positively buoyant when we arrived at the Secret Garden Hostel and, gasping for breath after climbing…

Already, I’ve covered quite the array of adventures we tackled in beautiful Baños — biking the waterfall route, canyoning through the jungle, and surviving a fiery New Year’s Eve. But I saved the best for last. For thrills, for laughs, for value and for devastatingly fashionable attire, white water rafting was the best thing we did…