I will be out of touch with the forums for a few weeks , so hopefully you all will behave yourselves and I can catch up on all of the exciting posts when I get back .

Next week we are taking a family vacation to Chincoteague, VA. I come back to work for 3 days and then after a two-year hiatus head down to Ecuador on the 31st returning August 11th .

I hope to have a few interesting , but hopefully not too dangerous stories to share when we get back. My middle daughter (23) will be making her 5th trip with me and my youngest daughter (14 – she will have her 15th Birthday while we are in Ecuador) will be making 1st trip, so I am excited for us to be able to share this wonderful opportunity, after many years of her begging to go. For her Silver Award in Girl Scouts, she has organized collecting school supplies to take with us and distribute to schools in the rural areas we will be visiting.

My Fire Department received a grant to replace turnout gear, so they gave me all of the old gear, a few sets are in almost new condition and will greatly benefit the Tosagua Fire Department.

So, I may be able to stop by and chew the fat for a few days after the family vacation, but after that, it is off to fun and adventure.

Pete

Bon Chance et Bon Voyage mon ami!!!

Vaya con Dios amigo!!

Have a great trip! And don't drink the water...

Have fun and stay safe!

-Bill Liptak

Hi Pete!

I spent a week in Equador last May, my second time in that country. Most of the time I was in Quito (bussiness trip) but took two days off to climb "Cerro Cotacachi", a mountain near the city of Otavalo.

Everything quite calm in Quito and suroundings,except for the traffic jams.

I was planning to do a solo hike to the summit of Guaca Pichincha volcano, but gave up because I heard about some incidents (robbery) on the trails around the cable car highest station.

So, if you are planning to take the cable trip (very nice views of quito and the mountains), remain in the stations!

Suerte!

Fabio