Just walk beside me and be my friend."
-Albert Camus
While celebrating the Ecuadorian defeat of Spanish forces on the Pichincha volcano almost 200 years ago, Lynsey and I decided to venture east of Quito for our holiday to support a good friend, John, in a kickboxing showdown. After the battle, we were glad to find that the area was home to wonders ranging from the biggest waterfall in Ecuador to the freakiest birds we've ever seen in a cave. Two overnight buses back and forth to Quito allowed us to stretch this weekend just long enough to again appreciate how small, diverse, and vast this country truly is.