“You’ve never been to the Galápagos Islands???”

And yes, this is what people from other countries have asked me after they learn I am from Ecuador. But the truth is that no one knows well every part/location/province of their own country! Let’s be honest…

As a result of the pandemic, my desire to see other places just grew and grew each day (obviously, because I was stuck at home for a long time). Since 2022 began, I have wanted to visit Italy which has been my dream country for a long time now. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, I must say), the Universe/life had other plans for me, so I didn’t go. To visit other places is a very enriching thing to do and has sooo many benefits. That’s why I love it. Traveling solo or with friends and family is a different adventure and, yes, you must try them ALL.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Country

We are constantly dreaming about traveling somewhere else, BUT have you ever visited other states in your own country? My dad used to say that I should get to know mine first. Let it surprise you; in fact, it will.

As I mentioned, I live in Ecuador. It is a small country, but full of color with different landscapes, cultures, history, food, and climate. Throughout my 29 years, I have been to 12 out of 25 provinces. While I was counting them, I vividly remember my time in each of them.

Now I will mention my top 5, but something you have to know is that my favorite location is where the beach is, so here we go…

1. Galápagos Islands (San Cristobal)
2. Azuay (Cuenca)
3. Pichincha (Quito)
4. Imbabura (Ibarra)
5. Guayas (Guayaquil)

If I could describe each with one word, I would say Galápagos Islands – paradise, Cuenca – beautiful, Quito – culture, Imbabura – peaceful, and Guayas – hot. I was wowed by each place, and it made me realize how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful country with diverse fauna and flora.

If you visit this beautiful country, you’ll discover that every province is different in a certain way. By traveling, you and your mentality grow.

I am aware that I have so many more provinces to explore. I see all these stunning pictures online or I listen to cool stories my friends talk about from their visit, and it makes me want to go there. I think I take it for granted, like “I could visit any time” just because I live here, but that’s a sad way to think of it. We are in this world for just a short time, so we might as well do things now.

Time to Go!

I have been very lucky and grateful to travel to a variety of places with different people. It’s always nice and fun, but if you have the opportunity to travel by yourself, do it; you will learn more about yourself and you won’t regret it.

Traveling solo is cool, but have you ever traveled with your mom? IT’S SO MUCH FUN! Who would’ve thought I’d say that one day?!

It was July, and I wanted to travel but I had a very limited budget. One day I saw a video on TikTok about a girl who went to the Galápagos Islands, and it was more accessible than I thought. So, I did my research and found on Google Flights that the tickets were cheap. I knew that my mom wanted to visit this place when she was younger and had never gone, so I convinced her. Within two weeks, we were traveling to that paradise, the fastest decision we’d made.

We were very excited, but I didn’t really know how the adventure was going to go because we were warned about having to make long walks there. I was concerned about my mom getting tired, but she surprised me. Our stay there was one of the best experiences ever, I enjoyed every second of it. We were so amazed by everything we saw, the marine life and every beach. The sunsets were amazing; we talked about life while she was smoking her cigarettes, and I was drinking a beer. We were there together, just living life.

I really felt the truth of the phrase “En el mar, la vida es más sabrosa” (“In the sea, life is nicer.”)

We built so many memories and had funny moments together that I will never forget. Like when I got seasick, and the time she had to wear pajama shorts because she didn’t have any other clean ones. I truly can’t wait to live another adventure with her.

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