Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

While visiting Ecuador, I spent some time in an out-of-the way village north of Quito, named Tabacundo. The Hacienda of Hope, a children's home for orphans, is what brought me there. Many of the kids who live at the Hacienda were previously living on the street as beggars, with no one to take care of them. At their new home, however, they are given the opportunity to go to school and live with new parents. One day during my visit, I was able to join the children and their new families on a hike up the mountain, Mojanda. It was a difficult hike and I expected the kids to complain and whine, like some children I knew back home might. Instead, those kids were an inspiration to me. They never complained at all. This moment was when two children and I reached the top of the mountain where we had a spectacular view of the lake below. Even more spectacular, though, is thinking about the opportunities that these kids have compared to their previous situations. Amazing.