May 24th, 2019 - Ecuador - an amazing country. It has everything...islands, coasts, mountains, forests, jungle (the jungle, as it turns out, is pretty wet). Too much to see in 2 weeks, but I tried my best. However, I spent almost a month just between Colombia and Ecuador, and I have to get moving. It is a big world, and there is a lot more to see. So, I got some new rubber on the car, and crossed into Peru today. However, today is a holiday in Ecuador (Battle of Pichincha), so I got caught up in the rush at the border crossing. Northern Peru is about as opposite Ecuador as you can get. I feel like I drove into southern Arizona or Texas. It is also quite poor. A friend I met along the way suggested that I take pictures of Piura, Peru and tell people I am in Iraq...I think it would actually work! I am not a fan of this area. But, I am going to high tail it down to Lima and southern Peru. Then, after that, I will be heading to La Paz, Bolivia. Since I have been to Cusco and Machu Picchu before, I will be skipping that this time around.