A country split by line of fire, the beauty stays cool and intact. Ecuador, a landscape like no other, I look around and see nothing the same; a picture engraved in the mind. The sounds of wild life fill my ears and while tropical rainforests draw in my eyes, peel back a layer and find mountains riding the horizon. Rural land dominates urbanized cities to leave a land untouched by man. A paradise found on both sides of the earth, sparkling water controls the coast while frosted mountaintops touch the clouds. My body lives on one side while my heart, with my culture, resides on the other. Welcome to Ecuador the bus driver says as I step onto his bus. Of course I was clueless of what the stranger said in a language I couldn’t understand. It sounded like an avalanche of sounds rolling off his tongue as I stared him down. I felt my face turn as red as the bus, then walked to my seat as if I was just embarrassed in front of the whole class. Gazing down from the watchtower my abuelo and I sat on the second story of the bus. I could have sat there for eternity just looking out into the country that I new I belonged to. I saw my culture, my people, and my beautiful country no matter where I looked. It was one of those moments when you get that tingly feeling throughout your body like you just won the World Series. It’s almost amusing to only see banana trees as we drove down the roads when we are so used to seeing such a variety back in the United States. Approaching quickly was one of earth’s pimples, a large snow capped mountain owned by the Alps. But a tour wouldn’t be a tour if you took the easy route. A road the size of my pinky finger carved into the side of the mountain with the beaks of the birds living in the forest below is where we are heading. Of course we risk the fact that we might die to see the best view possible of the countryside. The view was unlike anything I had seen before, Its almost as if gold glitter was sprinkled upon the whole land and everything in the worlds largest rain forest below was in full bloom. A giant double rainbow took over the horizon while tropical birds flew in coordinated patterns (I may have imagined this part). The view took away from the feeling of the bus swaying back and forth while six inches to the right was the worlds best free fall rollercoaster to heaven.
Glance over the edge,
Sitting a top a giraffe,
Walking a tight rope.
Pulling back up to my abuelos house, I was almost exhausted from the trip from just sheer enjoyment. I needed to get a good night sleep for the days to come. My abuelas inner racecar driver emerged as we weaved from one lane to the next. One hand on the wheel and one hand out the window, yelling curse words in Spanish to everyone who passed. I eagerly sat in back waiting for what was in store inside the city. I tried to dream the night before about I what I thought awaited me in the city. I vividly remember dreaming of running into the president of Ecuador. He took me to a palace that looked identical to