I awoke to soft pitter-patter on the rooftop, looked out my bedroom window, and saw the warm glow of a new day. There was no rain. When I looked out the kitchen door on the other side of our house, I was reminded of the big volcanic boom that had awoken me hours earlier. And now, it was raining ash. A somewhat surreal experience (and more unusual than most of our days), the volcanic eruption is but one example of the adventurous nature of life here in Baños. Our excursions to other places certainly add flavor and diversity, but we really don't need to leave Baños in order to have a wide array of experiences. No two days are alike. We meet people who have a unique version of life, we engage in common activities, (that for us are not so common), we encounter flora and fauna that we have never seen before. Many days I write a blogpost in my head, but before I have time to pick up a pen, a new day begins, hosting another menu of activities. I will rely on my photos to tell the stories and