  |    |
I had forgotten how much actual travel is involved in being a “traveler”. If I had thought it through step by step, I would never have planned this many hours of travel over a 3 day period, positive the kids could not manage it. But as it turns out, I didn’t really think it through, and we had reservations, so we went for it and the kids handled better then most adults would have done. Getting from the Amazon region in the eastern part of Ecuador up to a remote village in the Andes went something like this;
Depart Amazon Lodge-3hrs by boat-2hrs by truck
sleep in hotel
wake up at 5am -8 hrs by public bus-change busses-1 more hour by bus
sleep in hostel
leave hostel at 10am-4 hr bus-Arrive remote Andes village area
There were three keys to our success for this long haul, embracing the feeling of adventure, finding opportunities for little breaks/free play, and allowing some iPad time.
Ecuador is exotic for us, creating a near-constant feeling of adventure. The kids still haven’t tired of the fact that taxis don’t have seat belts and the drivers are slightly reckless. We are continually finding unique foods sold on the buses and in little hole-in-the-wall tiendas. The views are often breathtaking and if not, at least totally different from home. Zuki counted 11 different types of animals on the side of the road on our last 4hr bus ride. With the Ecuadorian music blaring and the aisles filled with standing locals with all sorts of “carry-ons”, the crowed buses are still a novelty.
Depart Amazon Lodge-3hrs by boat-2hrs by truck
sleep in hotel
wake up at 5am -8 hrs by public bus-change busses-1 more hour by bus
sleep in hostel
leave hostel at 10am-4 hr bus-Arrive remote Andes village area
There were three keys to our success for this long haul, embracing the feeling of adventure, finding opportunities for little breaks/free play, and allowing some iPad time.
Ecuador is exotic for us, creating a near-constant feeling of adventure. The kids still haven’t tired of the fact that taxis don’t have seat belts and the drivers are slightly reckless. We are continually finding unique foods sold on the buses and in little hole-in-the-wall tiendas. The views are often breathtaking and if not, at least totally different from home. Zuki counted 11 different types of animals on the side of the road on our last 4hr bus ride. With the Ecuadorian music blaring and the aisles filled with standing locals with all sorts of “carry-ons”, the crowed buses are still a novelty.
