User Name: eguy Hometown: Sheridan, Wyo. # of U.S. States visited: 20ish # of countries visited: 2 Next trip planned: Hawaii Dream trip: The British Isles

Description of my trip:
I flew to Ecuador with my fiance and his family as part of a research project for leprosy. The view over the Andes was fantastic and the people were very accomidating and wonderful. The country is extremely service-oriented, and people will do whatever is necessary to make your visit a good one.






Favorite memories:
Bargaining at the market with my terrible Spanish. Everything is super cheap, so I was able to bring back hand-made table cloths and things we don't have in the U.S. I also ate fruit that I had never seen before and it was fantastic. The architecture and the city is so interesting, and you can people watch for hours.





Unexpected detours:
The lizard gardens. Tons of lizards everywhere, and people would just walk up and pet them.








Roadblocks:
Getting home. The flight out of Guyaquil was delayed, and when we got to the US, our plane had left. And because we had to switch airlines once we were back in the states, that meant, yep, buying all new plane tickets. It took three days to get from Miami to Wyoming by jumping flights.

I'll never forget:
The people I met. They all had amazing stories, a lot of them had been through hardship and were still hopeful and optimistic.