Loja, Ecuador

We got on the bus to Loja today. It's a 9 hour ride. We are the only gringos on board. Our computer got stolen while we were on a bathroom break or while we were asleep.

Banana fields are all over the place before the mountains.

We all got lunch at a small eatery. 2 USD each for the meal.

 

Upon arriving in Loja right after this grueling bus ride, we set out to find a hotel. All the stores, restaurants and cafes were closed already.  The town looked dreary. Usually, when we get off the bus in a new town, one of the parents sits at a cafe with the kids and all the luggage while the other parent goes look for a hotel. We decided Peter and the kids would stay in one place on the sidewalk with all the luggage while Christelle went looking for a hotel. Meanwhile, a man passing by got Peter to understand that this was not safe, being alone with the kids and all the luggage in the street like that. Christelle came back from her search and everything went well. It really did not feel right for Peter to be waiting like this since he could tell the place was not friendly at all.

 Our hotel is nice enough. It is close to the municipal market
Loja is not the place for us though. Now we are really wondering where to go next. Our travelling budget is almost done. We have about 10-15 days left to find a place to rent before we are out of funds! The clock is ticking and it feels like this is when the adventure is really starting.

 There are a lot of small eateries (comedores) in the municipal market. Main dishes go for 2.50 USD

There are a couple of nice plazas.

A few places are cute in Loja, otherwise it is pretty cold and dull looking but we later heard that Loja is actually a nice place to live in if you do not mind the cold dreary weather. This town is very classical music oriented. They have a wonderful symphonic orchestra and also lots of bands/singers.

Loja seems to be a place of culture and classical music. They have a wonderful symphonic orchestra and lots of music teachers.