This was the week I had been both dreading and anticipating.  Andrew was heading back to the US for a whirlwind week of seeing patients in DC and NYC, and I was staying in Ecuador with the kids. You would think that after spending no less than 1,800 continuous hours together, we would be ripe for a break. Nope. I was going to miss him.

Luckily, I have a BFF who always comes to the rescue. Anne flew from San Francisco to Cuenca for some serious girl time, including canelazo fueled salsa lessons and great walks along the river..  After a few days, she even forced us into the local gringo gym for a workout. The local ladies workout by lugging huge baskets of produce back and forth to market each day with an assortment of large toddlers strapped to their backs. The gyms are pretty much for the macho cuencaños and the gringuitas.

After day one of Anne (a spin instructor in California) leading us in a sweat drenched modified spin class (only 3 bikes and no loud music), the gym owner, Diego, asked Anne if he could make a short video of her leading us in class. Although the equipment has arrived in Ecuador, apparently the methods of intense spinning are still enroute. We were thrilled to help out, and the offer of free gym admission for the day wasn’t bad either. We’ve now established the value of spin instruction at $2!

So, I showed Anne where to get the best empanadas, the best Ecuadorian single origin chocolate, and the best warm morocho to drink, and in return she made me workout with her every day. That’s what friends are for! She’s back in the states now, and Andrew is back here with us, but I’ll never forget her visit!