A woman on a mission to explore
Traveling as a woman can be intimidating. However, traveling is one of the most inspiring, meaningful, and freeing things a person can do during their life on earth. With this in mind, I visited South America for the first time, specifically Quito, Ecuador.
Before leaving for my trip, I was informed by numerous people that the country was violent and “way too dangerous” for two young women to visit alone. This tends to be a popular narrative here in the United States. A story that has been put into the minds of American citizens that countries outside of the US are unstable, scary, not worth the visit, and incredibly unsafe for women to visit alone. I think this has led to an entitled and poisoned country, but that’s a topic for another day.
Choosing not to listen to the pessimistic acquaintances was the best thing I ever did relate to this particular adventure because I will now tell you about one of my favorite trips to date, a quick 5-day adventure in Ecuador.
I am all for spontaneity, so when two of my best friends from college asked my work bestie and me if we would run a 50km race in Quito, Ecuador, 1.5 months before the race, I quickly agreed. Spontaneity keeps life exciting and leads to the best stories in the long run.
12345 days in Quito let’s do it!
The trip began on August 1st
when we arrived at the Quito airport around 10 pm and met with our taxi driver, who would take us to the Secret Garden Hostel. Quick side note: my two college friends who invited us on this adventure were in the process of moving to Quito for the next three years. Because of this, my friend Carson and I were in charge of bringing four 50-pound bags full of personal belongings, cat food for their Senegalese cat Yassa Poulet, and who knows what else.
Traveling as a woman can often be a challenge just packing for yourself. Honestly, I felt ridiculous walking through the airport with all these bags. I wanted to assure everyone I’m a low-maintenance traveler because I looked the opposite. Our poor taxi driver struggled to fit everything in his car, but after some effort, he accomplished it, and we were ready for our 45-minute drive to the hostel.
Even though I am an experienced traveler, this was my first time staying in a hostel, which meant I did not know what to expect upon arrival. The hostel was in the city’s center, full of young adults chatting and walking around. We arrived past check-in hours, so the security guard escorted us to our room. A room that was on the third floor. And if you recall, we still had our four 50-pound bags. The security guard was speedy to inform us that if he were us, he would have told our friends to “fuck off’ with the bags. And honesty, at this point, I agreed.
My friend Carson and I had a private room that shared a bathroom with ten other people. This type of environment would turn some people off, but it allows travel to be budget-friendly. Luckily, the bathroom was empty, so we could shower and get into bed because we needed to be well-rested for the rest of the trip.
Altitude is Fun They Said…
Now, Quito, Ecuador, is the world’s second-highest capital city, sitting at an altitude of 9,350 feet above sea level. I am from Indiana, which sits at a whopping 719 feet above sea level. Our bodies were not used to the quick altitude change, leading to some minor problems.
It was 5:00 am when I woke up to the sound of sniffling. I quickly sat in bed and turned to my friend, who told me her head felt “splitting in two.” She was altitude sick, something we had both been worried about. I jumped out of bed and wandered down the stairs of the hostel in search of some medicine. Even though we are both in our twenties, we are not at the adult age that we carry medicine. How responsible of us, right? At the moment, I didn’t think quite so much…
Traveling as a woman, you tend to give more thought to safety than you might as a man; I believe my friend wasn’t doing great, and I had to think creatively about how I could help and not jeopardize our well-being. In the hostel, I finally found a stranger who helped by supplying medicine that was not in its original packaging. Usually, I wouldn’t take a chance, but I was desperate to find some relief for my friend. Though I wouldn’t recommend this approach for future trips, at the moment, it got the job done, and within an hour, my friend was ready to begin our adventure. The malaise was behind us.
On our first day, we explored the city and got a feel for the culture and community that it offered. If I could recommend anything to people who travel, it would be to go out into the city or area you are located in and get lost. It allows you to get a feel for the place and meet locals. Carson and I are both passionate baristas, so we spent some time looking for a quality coffee shop. Shoutout to Fankor Coffee Roasters, who we visited every day we were there. To finish the day, we reunited with my two college friends Kayla and Grace, checked into our race for the following day, and fueled up on some pasta from a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant near the hostel. There, we laughed with the owner, who made our pasta dishes right before our eyes and told stories with the other customers from Brazil and Spain. These moments are what I treasure most on a trip.
A race to the top – at the top
Now it’s race day. We are all mentally prepared for the 30-mile race with a 2,500 ft elevation gain during the scary 45-minute taxi ride. Speed limits were a concept our driver had yet to learn. Once the race started, my friends and I split quickly because we all had different fitness levels. I had never done a trail race, let alone one at such a high altitude. It was incredible.
The views, the feeling of pushing your body to the limit alongside so many other people, and the conversations you have with fellow runners from all over the world are like nothing I had ever experienced; runners high to the max! I dropped out at mile 10 due to altitude sickness, and so did my friend Carson.
We didn’t want to wait for the race officials to take us back down the mountain, so we ended up catching a ride down the hill with the National Police in the back of their pickup truck. The amount of dust that coated my body and the car sickness I experienced during that ride back to Quito was intense but so worth it. I mean, who else can say they’ve done that? There was a language gap, so the police tried to drop us off in a small town without cell service. Thank goodness for Google Translate! We were able to convince them to take us back to Quito. I’m positive they were unhappy about it, but you win and lose some. And that day, we won.
The end of our trip involved a horseback riding experience in Cotopaxi National Park. The horseback riding was freeing, and the views were breathtaking. Galloping on a horse in that beautiful location is a meditation I wish I could have more often.
Traveling as a woman doesn’t have to be intimidating if you’re smart, make good decisions, and trust your gut. Long story short, I’m glad I took the risk and went to this somewhat off-the-beaten-path location. I fell in love with Ecuador. Because of my newfound love for Ecuador, I plan to spend my next trip back to South America and explore parts of Brazil and Argentina. I am so thankful that I discovered my love for traveling, and I would encourage everyone to do it alone or with friends! My soul feels most complete experiencing the world’s cultures and communities, and I plan on doing it for the rest of my life.
About Makayla Collier
Maykayla Collier is a world traveler, professional runner, and coffee enthusiast who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is currently a barista at Farm House Brew and loves it. She is incredibly passionate about coffee, the community a coffee shop provides, health and wellness, and traveling! If you’d like to connect with her and follow her on her future endeavors and dreams, you can find her on Instagram at @makaylacollier7.
To read about more travel adventures, click here to read Joyce Lombardi’s article on the Omega Institute, which was recently published.