Surprise!

Since Mandy moved to Ecuador a year ago, some of our former housemates and I have been dreaming and scheming about meeting up in Ecuador. Although we had our doubts about timing it right, we did it! My friends Valerie and Colleen both came in to Quito last weekend -- the trick was that not everyone knew the dream was about to come true.

Colleen, Valerie, and I had been planning to make Colleen's visit a surprise for Mandy. At one point, we really thought Colleen wouldn't be able to come, so we went with it. Colleen told Mandy she couldn't get vacation time to come (she has a big-girl job with Apple Computers). Val and I created a cover story, saying that Val was coming in Saturday night, when really Colleen was coming in Saturday night.

Then the plot twisted. Valerie wasn't sure she'd be able to come the week Colleen could. She made it work, but the potential missed timing inspired us to make it a double surprise. We told Colleen that Valerie couldn't come until the following week, that they would just miss each other.

The surprises went perfectly. Colleen came in Saturday night, when Mandy was expecting Valerie. I had just enough time between seeing Colleen and greeting her to tell Mandy that Val would get in the next night. We created a fictitious friend of a friend named "Mike Peterson" to give a reason for going to the airport again.

After we were reunited, we had a full week of sight-seeing and enjoying being together. We climbed up the Basilica in Historic Quito, visited the equator, rode the Teleférico cable car to view the city from above, soaked in the Papallactas hot springs, and ziplined over the jungle canopy. Best of all, we shared adventures.

Colleen left yesterday. Valerie and I will be here with Mandy for a week and half more until we travel together to Peru. Time here has gone by quickly. I've seen many parts of Ecuador -- coast, jungle, mountains, city -- and have had good-quality time with my friends. So far, so good!