This holiday season it definitely has not felt like Christmas is here.  This is my second year spending Christmas in Ecuador.  Last year it actually felt like Christmas because I spent it in Quito with an Ecuadorian family while I was taking Spanish classes.  We celebrated with presents and with a dinner with the whole family.  It helped me get through the holiday season.  This year is just not the same.  I returned late last night from Vilcabamba.  It was over 12 hours of traveling by bus and lots of waiting.  Now I am back in Guayaquil.  The sun is shining and it's pretty warm.  Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing.  I miss my family, the snow, the Christmas food, and the Christmas spirit.  I'll in Guayaquil Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then the 26th I leave for the Galapagos.  I am excited, but at the same time missing home.  It feels like a really delayed home-sickness.  I'm not sure what to do . . . go for a bike ride, swim?  None of which are Christmasy at all.  I think I will settle for finding the most Christmasy DVD I can find and hope for Skyping with the family.  Here are some pictures and videos from the last day in Vilcabamba.  You can tell I was getting a bit bored or going a bit crazy by some of the photos.  I ended up completing the same hike as the previous day.  I wanted to do it again to go by myself this time and stop on the ridge line to pass some time reading and just appreciating the view and life in general.