Today was a great day!

I woke up around 5:40am and got to speak with my bestie on Skype. - such a treat to see Jen and baby Jacob and have a quick catch up.

Ian and I then spent time with Gloria to get recommendations on what else to see in Ecuador.

Gloria was so helpful and we soon had planned an itinerary to head south once we've returned from the Amazon on Thursday 11th July.

So, our new plans are to stay two nights in the cloud forest at the yellow house hotel and then catch the bus to Banos where we will stay a few days and enjoy the hot springs, go for bike rides, hike and maybe even rock climb and zip line (might throw in horse riding too - we shall see!).

After that we continue south, stopping off at a few places before flying to the Galapagos (it feels fantastic to be able to write that!!).

So, after our planning we said a huge thank you and friendly goodby to Gloria and jumped into the car we had arranged to pick us up and take us to the equator.

As one of Ecuador's most popular place for tourists, the equator is set within a small park with numerous small museums and shops dotted within it.

These museums explain the history of the exploration by the French with the blessing of the Spanish king to venture into Ecuador and measure several arcs to determine the centre of the earth.

One of the best museums also had several floors explaining the complex cultures and genealogy of Ecuador.

I was amazed at how many cultures there are within the numerous regions of Ecuador.

For example, in the north live one of two African-Ecuadorian tribes who are direct descendants of 23 Africa slaves who survived a ship wreck and claimed their freedom.

Another museum had an amazing selection of insects, butterflies and beetles from around the world.

Some of these suckers were absolute beasts! Flying beetles that would fill the palm of your hand and grasshoppers the length of a dinner knife. (Jeepers creepers - these things made me rethink the Amazon trip for a few seconds!).

The landscape around the equator is breathtaking. Mountain after mountain with rolling clouds casting shadows on each peak surround the area.

After taking photos of the landscape and of ourselves on the equator line (whoop whoop!), we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to the bus station to catch a coach to Otavalo.

20cents later (yes really!) I had my ticket for the 2.5hr coach ride!

I fell asleep on the coach though did enjoy some amazing views of mountains in between naps.

Otavalo is a beautiful place. It is very high in the mountains so unfortunately altitude sickness kicks in a bit but the fact that from our hotel window at eye level we can see the peaks of mountains and watch clouds bounce over them more than compensates for any discomfort (plus we popped to the chemist and purchased a stack of altitude sickness pills!)

After a short rest we went and explored the town and came across a live band and what we think was a mini festival of sorts ( a lucky treat indeed!).

Otavalo has numerous shops throughout its weaving streets (mainly clothing and phones) and its people are really friendly.

Stopping for dinner at the recommended Sisa restaurant (it took us 15 mins of walking to realise it's right next door to our hotel!) where we both had an amazing steak and fresh juice.

Ian went to bed early and I stayed in the restaurant to listen to a local musician play some live Ecuadorian music. (Very similar to the Peruvian music with rain sticks and wooden flutes).

I was rather impressed with myself for staying out alone - the concern of missing out on something inspired me to be bold!

So, a fantastic day in beautiful Ecuador.

Tomorrow we will visit the famous market which sells local crafts and animals (I won't be buying a goat just yet...!). We will also check out what else we can do as the following day we are heading to the lagoon for a 15k hike to a waterfall. (I hope we make it!).

Off to bed now as it's been a long and fantastic day.

Bleachy x