Kiss me, I'm Irish!

I'm third generation Irish, and although my grandmother was born just after her parents arrived in Australia she always spoke about 'the motherland'. Getting to Ireland was almost like coming home, with the Irish sense of humour and culture being the closest to Australian that I've come across yet. I arrived in Dublin with Garigarra and stayed in a hostel dorm room with over 20 people, which was an overwhelming experience, but also very easy on the wallet. 

The Guinness storehouse

The Liffey river

I feel like I spent most of my time not only in the UK, but also in Ireland in pubs. There's something about the British and Irish pub culture that doesn't quite translate to the rest of the world. We did quite a bit of walking around the city, checking out some famous landmarks, historic buildings, and of course the local shops. We also made sure to stop by the Liffey river to have a Guinness (the best place for a pint according to my father), or should I say I had a Guinness, whereas Gari opted for the far girlier option of a banana cocktail. As night fell we headed to Temple bar, typical I know. It may not be the nicest area in Dublin, but they sure know how to have a good time!

Kilmacduagh cemetary

After a few days in Dublin together we headed over to Galway, where I left Gari and headed off into the unknown on my way to Gort County. At this point I wasn't exactly sure what to expect as I hadn't had the most productive phone conversations with my Grandmothers cousin, but was hopeful, and thought I'd at least have a nice afternoon with the family. Turns out the abrupt phone conversation is ingrained into older Irish people due to the prior extravagant expenses of phone calls, and I arrived to the most welcoming hug from a man I'd never met before. I spent almost a week meeting cousins I'd never before dreaming of meeting, getting to know the family I was staying with, in particular the two boys who were 10 and adorably feisty, and the other was in his mid teens with an amazing sense of humour. I also had the amazing experience of visiting the cemetery that several of my ancestors were built, seeing such familiar names printed on headstones in another country was quite profound. I was incredibly sad to leave, with just in time to have one full day back in London to shop, eat and have a night out. It was a bit of a 'see you later' to a country I had so quickly fallen in love with, and a promise that I would see everyone again soon. 

The cousins

-Melissa

All you need is love

Our English adventure would have been incomplete without a visit to Liverpool, if only for the famous lure of The Beatles. It was on my 'to visit' list, being brought up by a father who was somewhat of a Beatles enthusiast. Liverpool as a whole wasn't unlike any other English city, with similar shops and pubs, despite the variance in accents, thus we spent our time wisely using our only full day there taking the 'magical mystery tour'. The bus tour took us all around Liverpool, from some of the most iconic sights used as song inspiration to places relevant to the band members childhoods and finishing with a visit to the infamous Cavern club. Pure luck on our behalf left us there on the 50th anniversary of their first playing at the club, which gave the place an amazing vibe. You'll find all my obligatory tourist photos below.

The Cavern Club 

The magical mystery bus

Paul McCartney's childhood home

Penny Lane

Strawberry fields forever

-Melissa

The boy who lived

Next stop on the book appreciation list was of course the home of my favourite childhood hero, the infamous Harry Potter. Rowling's tales of Harry Potter and friends are still up there on my all time favourite book series, and the child inside me is still waiting for her Hogwarts acceptance letter. So naturally it was necessary to make a pit stop in Oxford to check out a few of the locations used for filming the movie series. 

Hostel

Another YHA experience, nothing particularly out of the ordinary. This was in the perfect location, right beside the train station, making it much easier to transport our slowly growing selection of belongings (all thanks to our moderate shopping addictions). Not the best for making friends, but since we already had the whole travel buddy thing covered it didn't prove to be an issue. 

Food

The food highlights were unsurprisingly at pubs, because when in Rome right? The first was a little pub called The Eagle and Child, which has literary connections to J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. The food was delightfully homely and the place had an amazingly cosy atmosphere. The second highlight is still up there as the home of the best burger I've tasted to date, which was a hotel on Hythe Bridge street called The Oxford Retreat. 

Harry Potter

The 'cultural' highlight of Oxford would have to of course be visiting a few of the places used for filming the Harry Potter movies. First stop was the location of the Hogwarts great hall, which like the Mona Lisa is surprisingly smaller than previously expected. Next point of interest was the schools hospital wing, complete with intricate ceiling details, but otherwise quite empty which leaves a bit to the imagination. Last but not least, the one venue we weren't permitted photography, which was the Hogwarts library. A beautiful old library, which left us feeling like we had finally gotten the aforementioned 'missing' Hogwarts acceptance letters.

The great hall

The hospital wing 

Shopping

Between eating, drinking and Hogwarts related attractions, shopping was naturally our main priority. After stopping into the Oxford stores of Topshop, River Island, Primark and H&M, we ventured into some local boutiques to great results, and a bit of damage to the bank account. Tourist necessities included an obligatory Oxford University jumper, and a trip to the gorgeous Alice in Wonderland store right by one of the Oxford University buildings, where I personally purchased a hardback copy of 'Through the Looking Glass' and an Alice themed pendant watch. 

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.

-Melissa

London Calling

To get myself amped, London Calling by The Clash was playing on my iPod as my plane descended into Gatwick airport. I arrived and immediately got sick, leaving me bed ridden in my hostel with my only company being the two Brazilian guys in my hostel room. Despite this I managed to do a bit of solo adventuring before my friend arrived shortly to meet me. We spent a several days in central London at both the beginning and end of our European adventure, and found a few favourites along the way.

Food

For a quick and easy meal I found two favourite chain eateries, Pret and EAT. Both had a great selection of sandwiches, soups and snacks at quite reasonable prices, which is always great for budget travel. As a bit of an upper class option we chose to treat ourselves to the English founded chain Wagamama, opting for their delicious udon soup to warm us up on a cold winters day. The best cheap eats would have to be at the markets, with some great options found at the two I visited, Portobello and Camden. Rolls filled with pork from a spit were a standout at Portobello, with my Camden pick being a tasty noodle dish and fresh donuts - nice and hot!

Shopping

Shopping in Europe gave us access to an abundance of stores that aren't available to those of us in Australia. The list of these is extensive, but those that made the top of the list for me were Topshop, Primark and River Island. River Island for gorgeous handbags, Primark for bagging a bargain, and Topshop for just about every fashion need under the sun. The Oxford street Topshop is almost like stepping into heaven for a confessed shopaholic like myself, with three levels of shopping, one for accessories and any sweet cravings, another for general clothing, jeans, hair styling and a nail salon, and last but not least the bottom floor for shoes, vintage, designer pieces and an EAT store to grab a bite and people watch. As for markets, Camden would have to top the list. It's so easy to get lost in, and we spent hours trawling through stores of vintage clothing, jewellery, food and just about anything under the sun you could imagine. Portobello had also been high on my list of must-see's before arriving in London, however I was somewhat disappointed after visiting it. There was quite the range, however only a small section of stores that interested me, most of which were quite expensive, but if you have some free time it's a lovely walk through the street.

In front of the London Eye

Gari & I at the Tower Bridge

Sights

First time in London it was inevitable that the big name sights that the city is known for were to be seen. The first exploration of the city was spent doing a whole lot of walking, starting around the vicinity of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye, then taking a walk along the Thames River. The river led to the somewhat disappointing London Bridge, the Tower of London, the much more impressive Tower Bridge and Shakespeare's Globe. Another picturesque London experience was visiting Trafalgar Square, and also seeing the park that inspired the Sydney version of Hyde Park. 

Getting snap happy in front of the Tower Bridge

Accommodation

Before my friend arrived I stayed at Picadilly Backpackers, which was a great hostel for socialising, which makes it unfortunate that their website says they are closing down. When I was joined by my friend however we did move to a more budget location in Pimlico called Surprise Backpackers, which was extremely affordable with a pretty convenient location. It was quite small, and the stacked bunk beds made the rooms quite cramped but it was definitely worth the savings, and the conveniently located pub downstairs. 

Nightlife

We didn't spend a lot of time in London, and the convenience of having a pub below our hostel made us quite frequent visitors - not to mention the extremely low prices, what more could a backpacker ask for? Our one 'big night out' involved us heading to a club in the O2, which involved some classic 90s tunes and ending the night with some greasy food to soak up the alcohol.

Fast becoming one of my favourite cities, I look forward to discovering more hidden gems on future visits.

-Melissa 

When in Rome

Next stop, Rome! One of the top destinations for tourists, Rome is home to an abundance of must-see attractions, and as it was my first time in the city I was quite keen to experience them all. The beauty of the city was being able to walk around this modern area and simply turn a corner to be surprised with the beauty of a gorgeous landmark like the Colosseum. The standout attractions were the typical landmarks including the Pantheon, Italian forum, Vatican city, the catacombs and the all important Trevi fountain visit (to of course ensure my return to the Italian capital). Spending over a week only just gave me a grasp of what Rome has to offer, but I had an amazing time exploring the cultural aspects and eating all the pizza and pasta I could get my hands on. Here's a few pictures of my time in Rome, featuring my lovely North Face jacket to give me a true 'tourist in Europe' vibe.

Central Rome

Trevi fountain

Inside the Colosseum 

The Vatican

In front of the Colosseum

Till we meet again Rome!

-Melissa

¡Hola España!

Travelling to Italy from South America left me with a stopover in Madrid, so naturally I gave myself a few days to explore the city before moving on to my Italian adventure. After paying for my first and last European taxi ride (a stark contrast from the average US$2 fares of Ecuador) I found myself in Dunkin' Donuts, seemingly the only open establishment where I could consume a hot drink in the freezing European weather at such a ridiculously early hour of the morning. Once I was finally able to check into the hostel I'm ashamed to say that I cheated in my anti-jetlag plans, and took a bit of a siesta (when in Rome, as they say). I spent the rest of my day exploring the nearby city and revelling in the beauty of the European architecture, which was of course quite a difference to their South American equivalent. 

I spent my next two days wisely, enjoying equal parts food, shopping and art. It was exciting to have an actual selection of shops, which was quite decadent in comparison to the fashion standards in Ecuador and Peru, which to be fair were somewhat stuck in the 80s. The hostel that I was staying in, Cats Hostel has a supposed reputation for being a bit of a party hostel, though I feel I had the complete opposite experience. The hostel was lovely, the location was amazing, prices and facilities were reasonable, with the hostel interior being quite exquisite in itself. However I found the layout pretty terrible for meeting people, and although I spoke to a few people briefly I can't say I made any friends (although this is completely luck of the draw as with many hostels), which left me resigned to eating alone. This didn't stop me from enjoying every bit of Spanish food I could get my hands on, nor did it do so from experiencing all the art culture I could jam pack into the few days I had. 

My favourite part of my art experience would have to be Picasso's Guernica, which is to this day one of the most thought provoking pieces of art I've have the pleasure of viewing. I also had the pleasure of making a friend in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, which houses Guernica, a lovely man from Barcelona (think a young Javier Bardem or Antonio Banderas) who was an art enthusiast that kept me company throughout my exploration of the museum, keeping me entertained with fun facts and his lovely accent along the way. In between all of this I took a bit of time out to wander around the gorgeous Parque del Buen Retiro, taking in the natural beauty and enjoying my own company whilst having my head stuck in a pre-loved book. 

Parque del Buen Retiro

Embracing the cold weather

Until we meet again Spain.

¡Adios amigos! 

-Melissa 

A Peruvian Peradventure

Per-ad-ven-ture

adverb
perhaps

noun 
uncertainty or doubt as to whether something is the case

Our fleeting 8 day Peruvian adventure definitely fell into the category of the 'peradventure'. We started in vibrant city of Cusco, staying at one of my favourite hostels yet, Loki Cusco. On the culture side, we were able to visit some amazing Incan ruins, and of course the infamous Machu Picchu. I have to be honest that due to our limited timeframe, alongside myself and Kelly's fear of falling off a mountain due to our extreme un-coordination, we took the cheats way out and caught the train up to the world famous Incan site. Fortunately this was not detrimental to the incredible experience that we had, and to this day it's one of the most amazing historical sites I've seen. The day spent trawling through the ruins with our amazing local guide are etched into my memory, especially the instance of getting stuck in torrential rain half way through our guided tour, with only an alpaca jumper as a raincoat (which was actually amazingly water resistant, I would have never guessed).

Kelly, Gari & I at Machu Picchu

Kelly & I at Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Incan ruins

Making llama friends

Our exit from Cusco was delightfully unplanned, with a spontaneous bus trip leaving us with an ETA of approximately 2AM in the morning. It also left us on the side of the highway without a place to stay, and when we found such a place we had insufficient funds to pay for it. Waking up in the morning we were greeted with insufferable heat and a trip to the centre of town to visit an ATM & find a more accessible place to stay. As luck would have it we found an amazing hotel for a ridiculously low price, which we spent majority of the time lying on the tiled floor trying to escape the heat. Our one adventure was to visit the lookout to view the Nazca lines (a.k.a. the best possible option for travellers on a budget). We took a moment to appreciate the amazing scenery, then immediately made our way back to the sanctuary of our hotel room (adventurous I know).

Nazca Lines

We decided to move along pretty quickly, travelling to Huacachina, leaving us to a crazy 24 hours of sand boarding, riding around in a dune buggy and partying in our hostel. Making bartender friends is always a good option, though losing your room mate is definitely not recommended (it was definitely a stressful morning), and we eventually made our way to the capital city of Lima in time for a quiet night of food and farewells before we both jetted off to Europe.

On to bigger and brighter adventures!

-Melissa

Islas Galápagos

Anyone who asks me what's at the top of my list for most incredible experiences is no doubt going to be subjected to an unbearable amount of gushing about how amazing The Galapagos Islands are. No matter how much praise I give them, it's almost impossible to completely appreciate their beauty without seeing them firsthand, but none the less I'll try to give a little insight into my Galapagos experience.

Galapagos 2010

Gari, Kelly, Alex & I

Gari, Kelly & I pre-snorkelling with turtles

Again booking through Quito locals Happy Gringo, we were able to get a last minute booking for four of us, which set us up on an 8 day boat tour including flights, accommodation, food and tour guide. We were incredibly fortunate in the fact that we were able to get an amazing deal allowing us to afford a normally much more expensive tour package - all due to our last minute nature and flexibility with travel plans. If you are comfortable with last minute plans, or are flexible with travel plans I couldn't recommend booking a Galapagos tour in country any more! In discussions with our fellow tourists on our boat we found that those who had booked in advance had paid up to double the amount for the exact experience.

'The most beautiful face in the world'

Lonesome George

Our tour was with G Adventures, who provided us with whom I can only explain as one of the most amazing tour guides I've come into contact with yet, Julio. If you ever meet the man, please be sure to ask him about 'the most beautiful creatures in the world', his beloved Iguanas. We also had the amazing experience of seeing Lonesome George, the last known of the Pinta Island Tortoise subspecies before he died in 2012.

The Blue-Footed Booby

Baby Fur Seal

Getting up close and personal with the fur seals

We were inundated with incredible wildlife and natural beauty across the few islands that we managed to experience. Most notable would be the unforgettable Blue-footed Booby (even for the name alone) and the pink iguanas, which were definitely the beautiful faces that Julio insisted they were! We were incredibly lucky to get up close and personal with both fur seals and sea lions, not to mention swimming with the Galapagos tortoises.

I was unique in the experience of coming a bit too close for comfort to a Galapagos shark, which I was told in hindsight that they're not too fond of eating humans (however the experience was none the less terrifying at the time).

The pictures don't do it justice, but I can't recommend it enough, if you ever get the chance jump, leap and bound straight at it!

-Melissa

Amazonian woman

There was an accumulation of Ecuadorian celebrated public holidays in early November, which we took as the perfect chance to ship ourselves of to the Amazon for a couple of days. We booked a tour with the ever helpful Happy Gringo team, located in the centre of La Mariscal for all our 'gringo' tourist needs. The team there were incredibly helpful, and were able to give us a good deal booking us on a somewhat last minute tour. When booking tours you can often find amazing bargains at the last minute, as most tour companies would rather fill their tours to capacity in order to raise revenue as opposed to making nothing with lost sales. 

We headed off on a dreadfully long bus trip from Quito towards the Amazonian Basin, taking us as far as possible before we had to step out into the heat, and board the canoe that would take us to our riverside huts. Several hours later we arrived at our destination, ready for a few days of amazonian adventures. 

Tranquility on the river

Our cabins 

Sunset swimming with out tour group

Kleptomaniac monkey 

Intercontinental soccer match 

The berries used to draw on our 'temporary tattoos'

River swimming with Katy

We spent three days undeniably doing some pretty touristy things, think fishing for piranha's, visiting a shaman in one of the local villages and canoeing. For me one the best parts would have to be the afternoons spent swimming in the river, it was an incredibly beautiful and tranquil experience, and shortly after we were able to watch a gorgeous sunset from the boat. On another note one of the most memorable experiences was a hike that we took which included me falling off a log into quicksand, which I was of course rescued from, but none the less an interesting 'fun fact' to be able to claim. Not to mention making a hilarious story for all my travel companions to retell and make fun of me for!

-Melissa

A weekend in Baños

Spending my 19th birthday in a foreign country, our little Ecuadorian family had planned a weekend away to visit Baños, a small city in the highlands which is renowned for its thermal baths, waterfalls and adventure sports to the more adventurous of tourists.  In true murphys law fashion, the weekend of my birthday also happened to fall in the few days of October 2010 when a national state of emergency was called in Ecuador, making it unsafe for us to leave our neighbourhood, let alone the city of Quito. 

Thankfully, we ended up in Baños on one of the following weekends after the political agenda had seemingly reverted back to normality, because it was definitely one of my favourite places in Ecuador. Here's a few of my must-do things if you find yourself in Baños throughout your South American adventures. 

Accomodation

We stayed at Hostal Transilvania which was in a great central location, not to mention a bargain at under US$8 for a 5 bed dorm room, with free wifi no less (which quite frankly is at the top of any gen y's hostel must have list). The guy working at the front desk, Roberto, was one of the most helpful and fun hostel staff I've encountered yet! Not to mention the adorable in-hostel dog, and the social aspects of a communal area fully furnished with a pool table and game consoles. The mornings consisted of a free breakfast which exceeded any free hostel breakfast I've consumed yet, with three daily options of an egg dish, pancakes with fruit, or a fruit salad - all equally delicious and satisfying for a day full of activities. Our nights were spent in the outside common area with a shisha, a guitar playing expat and an array of drinking games that kept us entertained until the early hours of the morning. 

About to spontaneously jump off a bridge

Chiva

The hostel were extremely helpful in organising any activities for us, one of which was a chiva bus tour to visit three waterfalls. We did two hikes down to the waterfalls, one which ended in a refreshing swim at the bottom of the waterfall. We then took an overhead view of the third waterfall, riding a cable car across the canyon to experience its breathtaking views. During our chiva journey we also stopped on the side of the road for the option of a 'swing jump', which is similar to a bungee. At first I was defiant as I'm terribly afraid of heights, but was eventually convinced by the fact that our entire group was keen to participate. I was so scared the man had to give me a little push so I would actually jump off! I'm definitely glad I did it, not to mention the fact that I can now answer the typical mum question of "well if *insert friends name here* jumped off a bridge would you?", with "It's not like I haven't done it before". 

Taking a dip in between white water rafting

Rafting, Thermal Baths & Horseriding

Some of the other activities we decided to do whilst in Baños included white water rafting, horseriding and a trip to the local thermal baths. The white water rafting was so much fun, and we made it even more interesting through the competitive nature of our two rafting groups. The remaining two activities happened on our last day before returning to Quito, packing in as much as we could up until the very last moment! The thermal baths were a great way to start the day, as they proved to be be incredibly relaxing and a great way to warm up on a chilly Ecuadorian morning. As for the horseriding, I'm still convinced my 'horse' was actually a mule, who at one point in our ride almost tried to run me off the side of a hill. He was a stubborn one that's for sure; I've done a fair bit of horseriding in my time and I'd never encountered such a obstinate animal, though that was all part of the challenge!

Just horsing around

Happy adventuring!

-Melissa

Fiesta time!

Being in a group of predominately 18 year olds in a foreign country for three months, there was bound to be a bit of partying going on. Here's a few of our favourite hot spots that we discovered during our time in Quito. 

Bungalow 6

In the heart of gringoland, this was our regular Wednesday night ‘discoteca’. To be honest this was completely due to the fact that Wednesday was ladies night, which meant that us chicas got a cup upon entering the club, and were able to receive free drinks until 9PM. Now if you’ve never been to South America, the drink sizes are quite contrasting to their Australian equivalent, which meant that you would only need a few of their potent concoctions to be seeing double. Rationally, the idea of ladies night encourages men into the nightclub as soon as the clock strikes 9, ready to live up to the ‘machismo’ stereotype that is often related to South American men. It may be a haven for questionable men, but it was also somewhat of a tourist retreat from local bars, which meant amongst the throngs of unsolicited males, there would always be a multitude of cute foreigners – what more could a girl want! All this with a combination of both western music for a bit of nostalgia to home, and a contrasting selection of all the top Ecuadorian pop tracks. Touristy and tacky? Yes, completely. Our favourite club? Undoubtedly. 

La Mariscal

Venturing away from the favourite Bungalow 6, we found a great number of other interesting bars and clubs in our three months. The perfect hole in the wall bar for any Beatles fans out there has got to be Strawberry Fields. With a themed menu and matching décor it’s well worth a drop in – just don’t get too cosy; the prices are quite steep in contrast to regular Quito fare (though mighty reasonable compared to Sydney). Finn McCool’s was a great little Irish bar, which was always a great place for a few drinks and getting your dance on. In my opinion two of the coolest non-western bars in la mariscal were a salsa club just off the main street, and Chupitos. For the life of me I have no clue what the name of the salsa club was, though I don’t recall ever seeing a name for it. It was located behind a different street front bar, with a small walkway taking you down to where all the dancing happened. There are of course a multitude of places where you can try your hand at salsa, so definitely go exploring, and as clichéd as it sounds, some of the most amazing discoveries happen when they’re unplanned. One unplanned discovery would have to be Chupitos, the charming little bar we stumbled upon on my 19^th birthday, which had an extensive and also relatively inexpensive shots (or shooters, for any Americans out there) menu.

Our first Chiva Party

Chiva

Party buses may be something that is incorporated into the western world, but the South Americans definitely do it best. These buses give a new level of danger mixed with party, with the buses being quite open (somewhat terrifying if you get a gas-pedal-happy driver) and brightly coloured.  On our first chiva party we were all escorted onto the bus, given cups that hung around our neck, and bottles filled with one of the most horrible tasting drinks I’ve tasted yet. Little did we know that it wasn’t even alcoholic, so our persistence was completely in vain. If you’re not too interested in partying (we were all around 18 at the time, so I can promise you we were more than eager) the chiva experience can still be for you. Many of our day tours outside of Quito included a chiva bus to take us around, including the musical element without the nocturnal factor. We found this particularly prevalent in the town of Baños, where we spent a day visiting waterfalls and nature walks via our very own chiva bus.

La fiesta de la Mama Negra

Latacunga
La Fiesta de la Mama Negra takes place twice a year in Latacunga, once to celebrate the ‘Virgin de la Merced’ who is said to have stopped the 1742 eruption of the Cotopaxi Volcano, and the second to celebrate their independence day. The festival embraces the diverse cultures of the locals, from their Spanish roots, to the Ayamaran, Incan, Mayan and even African heritage. In doing this, the entire town was a place of celebration, with a parade sprawling through the streets and masses of people filling up the town centre. The festivities include dancing, music, marching bands and the most interesting tradition of throwing or even spitting water and alcohol into the crowds (as a sign of good luck of course!). If you’re in town for the festival, or even just find yourself in the surrounding areas, make sure to check out the breathtaking sights of Quilotoa, which is just under an hours drive from Latacunga. Lake Quilotoa is a 3 kilometre wide caldera in the Ecuadorian Andes, which put simply is a large volcanic crater. At the top of the caldera you will find a small town, with markets, a small home restaurant, a quaint art gallery and a place that you can hire donkeys to walk you down towards the water.

Quilotoa

Cheeky happy snaps with my room mate 

If you've got any other hidden gems to share, feel free to let me know! 

-Melissa 

Oh baby, oh baby!

During my three months living in Ecuador’s capital city, Quito, my roommate Garigarra and I were working in a small childcare centre on the outskirts of the city. The experience as a whole was an eye opening one, having never spent so much time in a developing country, not to mention with underprivileged children. We worked with a group of babies from five to twenty-four months old, which meant a lot of crying, feeding and the dreaded nappy changes, though looking back I wouldn’t change it for the world. These kids, despite their less fortunate upbringings, were just like any other children their age. These are the faces that got me through all the early mornings and near vomit inducing cleanups, and I’ll never forget all of their happy faces!

The cheeky Anderson & Alexandra

This gorgeous little lady

Garigarra with the kids

The children with Garigarra & I

Jocelyn conmigo

This is just a snapshot of my three months in Quito, with some of the gorgeous kids I was looking after.

-Melissa