Day 329 Miraflores 30 December 2012

After lunch at a very interesting unlimited sushi place – they even had a roll of ceviche and for desert a strawberry sushi roll- we explored the Miraflores area of Lima, walking along the shore.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

In the evening we ate at another great place with a mix of frozen fruit juices and sandwiches.

 

 

Day 328 Arrive in Lima 29 December 2012

After spending the 29 hours on the bus we finally arrived at a very chic boutique hostel in Miraflores, Lima. Because Martijn looks the best of the both of us after these long bus rides, here he is in our room.

Day 327 Travel Day 28 December 2012

Another morning swim and early lunch and we were ready to board the bus from Guayaquil all the way back to Lima in Peru. This was a record breaking bus ride of 29 hours!

Day 326 Guayaquil 27 December 2012

We woke up for a morning swim then we decided to go for some luxury sushi at Guayaquil fanciest mall.

 

When we returned to our hotel we noticed that the entire street, the famous Malacon 2000 along the river was blocked because the city was giving back to its senior citizens by treating them to an end of year dinner. The tables stretched beyond the horizon!

 

Day 325 Travel Day to Guayaquil 26 December 2012

After a morning hot steam box session (our third in 3 days) we had some lunch and then got on the bus for an eight hour bus ride to Guayaquil.

 After we arrived we took a dip in the pool and then called it a day.

Day 324 Christmas in Baños 25 December 2012

After relaxing the morning away and exchanging the traditional Ecuadorian gift of candy we found an adorable manger in a banana.

We had lunch and then went back to El Refugio for another steam box bath and mud mask.

 

 

 

In the evening we decided to visit the local hot springs and we for sure were not the only ones. The pools were completely filled up and hardly had enough space for the two of us!

 

Since we had enjoyed yesterday’s dinner so much we returned to the same restaurant for some Christmas steak and fish.

We wish all a very Merry Christmas!

Day 323 Christmas Eve in Baños 24 December 2012

After upgrading to a beautiful hotel in Baños we went out for lunch, and tried some local candy.

 

 

 

Then we headed to the El Refugio spa where we took three treatments. The first was a Spiritual walk (barefoot) to the house of screams on a mountain, the wall of reflection and the wall of forgiveness. At the end of the walk, with our spirits cleansed we crawled like babies before we started our other treatments.

 

 

 

 

 

The second treatment was a 45 min steam box bath! Alternating with cold water!

 

 

The third treatment was a relaxing massage.

We found a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner at a French Mediterranean restaurant close to our hotel where we enjoyed a buffet of starters, a turkey dinner and a buffet of desserts.

 

At 11pm we went to La Misa del Gallo (the rooster’s mass) at the overflowing Basilica of the Virgin of the Holy Water, Nuestra Señora del Agua Santa. Almost all the families at church had a Baby Jesus (most in a beautifully decorated crib) with them during the mass. When mass was finished at midnight they all took the Baby Jesus with them to put them in their own mangers at home.

 

Day 322 Quito and the Equator 23 December 2012

We took the morning to explore the historical center of Quito after a nice breakfast with a deep fried plantain ball stuffed with cheese.

 

 

 

 

The colonial center was charming and the city with its candy shops crowded and churches full was clearly getting ready for Christmas.

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon we took a taxi to a small attraction park right on the equator, where we spent some time on 0’0’0.

 

 

 

In the evening we took a 3 hour bus to Baños.

We thought we were going to stay at a quaint hostel but it was quite a disappointment - Martijn didn’t even fit in the bottom bunk bed! We stayed for the night but quickly canceled the rest of our stay.