Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja

I arrived in Loja the cultural And music capital of Ecuador. A small town with a few main streets decorated in Christmas lights. I stayed a couple nights in a hostel and ended up meeting a friend Cynthia who took me to Podocarpus National park and went hiking in the tropical forest there.

I was lucky to get to spend the rest of my tome with her family and experience New Years with an Ecuadorian family. One day we spent exploring the small village of Vilcabamba known for its climate and residents who have apparently lived until 130 years old. Today it's filled with foreigners who have moved there to live a "simpler" life and I'd never seen so many in one place.

New Years Eve I went with Cynthia's father to their grandparents Finca (mountain house). There we slaughtered a pig for New Year's Day it was a learning experience to say the least, but the Finca had bananas and many other fruits growing there along with Coffee and I got to drink from the beans grown there. During the day when driving many high school guys dress as women and block the streets. They dance up on your car until you give them money to pass!

The evening was spent with their family eating, drinking and dancing until mid-night. At midnight everyone goes into the street to burn their Monigotes or effigies of themselves or other people to ring in the new year and bring good luck to themselves.Read more