Have you ever had an experience where due to an over-abundance of rules and procedures, you found yourself thinking, ¨Man, they have taken all the fun out of it!¨? That would be the exact opposite of doing anything in Ecuador! :) Instead you find yourself wondering, ¨Should we be doing this? Is this safe? Am I going to die?¨ Those are phrases that have crossed my mind more than once over the last two days in Baños. (Yea, sorry mom. The good news. I´m sitting here writing you all now!)
Yesterday I awoke to a rainy, cold day. Because I´m friggn´nuts, I was they only person in our group to sign up for a mountain biking excursion before the white-water rafting trip. And then Braden felt bad for me and joined in (thank God!). So we show up and it is the most unorganized thing you´ve ever seen. The guy ¨fitting¨ us for bikes (i.e. pulling out any old POS from the back and having you ride around on it to make sure the wheels don´t fall off) was so high he asked me about five times if I needed a bike. I was then further discouraged when I realized that no one at the agency knew what was going on and it looked like we wouldn´t in fact be meeting up with our friends like we had anticipated. Twenty more minutes of mass confusion and we´re off. I´m wearing a damp bathinng suit, shorts, sandals, and a rain coat. After 20 minutes of flying down the huge hills going out of Baños (note: we are in the middle of the Andes!) I couldn´t be more wet, cold, dirty and annoyed. I have dirt flying all over my face. I look ridiculous. I can´t feel my toes...and that´s when I started to laugh. It was just so damn absurd that I had to let go off all rational thinking and just enjoy the experience...which I´m glad I did. And I made some new friends from the UK and France while I was at it. We biked for about an hour and a half and, to my surprise, DID meet up with all our friends on a giant open bus.
And that´s when the real fun started. So when I say ¨white-water rafting¨, what comes to mind? For me it´s getting into a giant raft with friends, everyone looking quite silly in their life jackets, and screaming as cold rushes of water splash into the boat. And in the end you have a bit of sunburn, you´re tired, and they company you went with sells you a picture worth $1 for $20. I´ve only done it once before in Aspen and it was a good experience - exillerating but safe. Ok, again, that would be the exact opposite of white-water rafting in Ecuador :) Do you see the trend here? Twenty-three individuals (the majority of which have never been rafting) are packed like sardines into 3 small rafts. Our boat was meant to hold 6 people and we had 8 plus a guide squeezed in the back. But not to worry, we were only attempting Class 4 rapids and all the safety instructions were really clear - ¨when you get tossed, don´t go down the river head first or you´ll ring your bell on giant rocks¨. Sooooo....we start off and hit the biggest friggn´rapids I´ve ever seen. And because we have no idea what we´re doing...we capsize immediately! I don´t remember going over but I distincting remember the long seconds that I spent squirming under the water feeling the rapids and other bodies rush over and around me. After what seemed like forever I came up to the surface and opended my eyes to see the stiching on the bottom sides of the raft. One quick gasp for air and I pushed myself from under the raft. Total chaos. Grabbing the rope on the side of the boat and then counting 1...2...3...as one of my boatmates pulled me by my vest into the raft....Ahhh, I´m alive.
As it turned out, we weren´t the only boat that flipped (2 of the 3 went over) and some people were so freaked out that they couldn´t/wouldn´t continue. In all, I think we lost about 8 people (to exhaustion and fear) over the course of our approx 3 hour trip down the Rio Pesada. At two points we arrived at Class 6 rapids, had to get out of the boats and walk along rocks as our guides brought the boats around by rope. It was pretty crazy and VERY tiring, especially after my biking warm-up. But it was very fun and rewarding in the end. The day ended with a good meal in Puyo (a nearby town) and a long freezing bus ride home listening to soft rock hits. Everyone was screaming Bryan Adams lyrics at the top of their lungs!
I won´t bore you with much more about today, but many of the girls went horseback riding. I enjoyed it because I love horses and the ride provided nice views of the gorgeous mountains that surround the town and the Volcano - Volcan Tungurahua. It erupted in August of 2006 and wiped out 58 houses on the side of the mountain where the lava came down. We passed the spot during our ride up to the horses. I was the only one that wanted to gallop, and apparently mi caballo, Frijol (means ¨bean...and come to think of it, he was quite gassy :)) liked it too. Many of the others weren´t keen on galloping as it was either their first time, or they were doctors that had treated too many patients that had fallen from horses. Oh, do I even have to mention that the horseback riding agency didn´t have helmets as promised when we signed up? I swear, safety is an unknown concept ´round these parts! But I guess that´s part of the experience, and I´ll be sure to ask more specific questions in the future!
Tonight I think a group of us are going to go out and get a taste of the nightlife for the first time, and then tomorrow we´re off to Cuenca (8 hour bus ride). I´ll work on getting some photos up soon! Hasta pronto, Cara
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Las Amazones
Hola a todos! So my time in the Amazon (or La Selva ¨jungle¨) was sort but VERY sweet. We had our first 5 hour bus ride. Really not that bad. I mean the ride is really really bumpy and the roads suck, but just looking out the window is an amazing sight. All the houses and people and beautiful landscape. It´s awesome!
So we arrived and checked into our jungle lodge. I wasn´t quite sure what to expect but they were little screened-in cabanas lit only by lamps at night. That made seeing the bugs hard, but luckily the only one we saw was a GIANT and I mean friggn´giant spider this morning. Ugh, I´m getting the willies just thinking about it! So yea, it was so peaceful and you could hear all the insects and frogs singing away as we slept. And last night it rained all night, so that was pretty cool. But we were hardly in the cabanas because there was so much to do!
The first day we arrived and went on a walk to visit some of the Quechua people of the area. You won´t believe it until you see the pictures, but a lot of these people are still living soley off the land. They make their homes and roofs from the trees and leaves, they hunt, they make clay pots, they pan for gold (I saw a women do it and actually come out with flakes!). Of course the area that were visiting was somewhat commercialized compared to others, but their culture is very strong and as you get deeper into the jungle you get further and further from the civilization we know...
So the first day we just saw where they lived. I gave a blow gun a try. They make wooden darts and poison them with dart frog or poisonous vine sap and then shoot animals with them. It´s a science, as if they use too much poison on the wrong size animal they can die from eating the meat. I also tried this alcholic drink they make from yuca called ¨chicha¨ - everyone drinks it, including the ninos.
The second day we motor-canoed to a spot where we took a hour and a half hike through the junlge (learning about all the cool plants and animals along the way!) to a really cool waterfall. It was pretty hot from the longish walk in our muck boots, so we stripped down to our bathing suits (¨togs¨ in New Zealand) and jumped in. I think that was my first time standing in a waterfall and then I obviously had to try to hang with the boys by climbing the wall and jumping into a deep spot. As some of you may know, I´m afraid of heights. I was shaking on the climb up (half because I´m just weak and the other half because of anticipation), and I didn´t think of this until after, but there really wasn´t any other way down once I got up there, but to jump :) So I jumped and screamed like a little girl on the way down. Hey, at least I did it! I figure I didn´t come all this way to have regrets. Oh, and mom, I also got a huge tribal tattoo on my forehead...sorry, I was on this whole ¨seize the moment¨ kick. :P
So then we tubed back to the cabanas, and had a quick bit and rest before our second trek. We learned so much about the trees and all their uses. It´s crazy how they eat them, use them for glue, for building, weaving, drugs, etc. There was a vine that our guide, Alfredo, showed us that Shamans use to hallucinate (and cure people and see the future...I mean, there´s obviously a lot more to it...and I´m bringing some back. Just kidding Big Brother).
Bueno, Me tengo ir! The next two days are filled with white-water rafting and horseback riding around the Volcano. Oh, and I just went in the thermal baths tonight. Hot Hot Hot!
So we arrived and checked into our jungle lodge. I wasn´t quite sure what to expect but they were little screened-in cabanas lit only by lamps at night. That made seeing the bugs hard, but luckily the only one we saw was a GIANT and I mean friggn´giant spider this morning. Ugh, I´m getting the willies just thinking about it! So yea, it was so peaceful and you could hear all the insects and frogs singing away as we slept. And last night it rained all night, so that was pretty cool. But we were hardly in the cabanas because there was so much to do!
The first day we arrived and went on a walk to visit some of the Quechua people of the area. You won´t believe it until you see the pictures, but a lot of these people are still living soley off the land. They make their homes and roofs from the trees and leaves, they hunt, they make clay pots, they pan for gold (I saw a women do it and actually come out with flakes!). Of course the area that were visiting was somewhat commercialized compared to others, but their culture is very strong and as you get deeper into the jungle you get further and further from the civilization we know...
So the first day we just saw where they lived. I gave a blow gun a try. They make wooden darts and poison them with dart frog or poisonous vine sap and then shoot animals with them. It´s a science, as if they use too much poison on the wrong size animal they can die from eating the meat. I also tried this alcholic drink they make from yuca called ¨chicha¨ - everyone drinks it, including the ninos.
The second day we motor-canoed to a spot where we took a hour and a half hike through the junlge (learning about all the cool plants and animals along the way!) to a really cool waterfall. It was pretty hot from the longish walk in our muck boots, so we stripped down to our bathing suits (¨togs¨ in New Zealand) and jumped in. I think that was my first time standing in a waterfall and then I obviously had to try to hang with the boys by climbing the wall and jumping into a deep spot. As some of you may know, I´m afraid of heights. I was shaking on the climb up (half because I´m just weak and the other half because of anticipation), and I didn´t think of this until after, but there really wasn´t any other way down once I got up there, but to jump :) So I jumped and screamed like a little girl on the way down. Hey, at least I did it! I figure I didn´t come all this way to have regrets. Oh, and mom, I also got a huge tribal tattoo on my forehead...sorry, I was on this whole ¨seize the moment¨ kick. :P
So then we tubed back to the cabanas, and had a quick bit and rest before our second trek. We learned so much about the trees and all their uses. It´s crazy how they eat them, use them for glue, for building, weaving, drugs, etc. There was a vine that our guide, Alfredo, showed us that Shamans use to hallucinate (and cure people and see the future...I mean, there´s obviously a lot more to it...and I´m bringing some back. Just kidding Big Brother).
Bueno, Me tengo ir! The next two days are filled with white-water rafting and horseback riding around the Volcano. Oh, and I just went in the thermal baths tonight. Hot Hot Hot!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Ever Seen Someone Brown Bag a...
baby chick? I have! :) I won´t make this a long entry, but here´s a rapid fire update...ready? I said...are you ready? Thank you. :) ok.
Last night we had our first group meeting and I AM the only American! So, everyone, I´ll do my best to represent by over-eating, acting insensitively to other cultures, and saying ¨ya´ll¨ as much as possible. Just kidding - I won´t say ¨ya´ll¨ :P But everyone is traveling in pairs except me, another girl, and a guy. They are all Aussies except one girl from London (the girl traveling solo) and one couple from New Zealand. Sooo, I´m learning all sorts of new things....like that people will laugh when you say things like ¨fanny pack¨ (I mean that is a ridiculous word to begin with!) and ¨granola bars¨ - apparently those are bum bags and muxsle (sp?). I´d google these things to be more accurate, but if you knew how slow this computer was you´d be amazed I´m even online! So yea, everyone is very nice and I think it will be a ¨rather lovely trip¨.
today. woke up at 6 feeling like a million bucks. took private bus with group to the middle of the world. stood in the northern and southern hemisphere at the same time. went to a animal market in Otavalo. saw pigs fight, women carrying chickens, people buying chicks and taking them ¨to go¨ in brown paper bags, a 10 year old boy auctioning irons and strainers, cows, kittens, puppies, goats. went to a beautiful lago - Cuicocha, with an amazing view of a volcano in the background. very pretty. went to Otavalo Mercado - the biggest open air market in south america. bought some things i probably don´t need for twice as much as i probably could have paid (which is still nothing). To give you an idea of the prices here. I had lunch today at the market - rice, a couple french fries, a chicken leg, beats, soup, and juice (which I didn´t dare sip) for $1.25. Yea, talk about breaking the bank!
It was a day packed with a view into a completely different world (unbelievable that there are people on this earth living in this time that are SO SO very different - the people at the market were all native and their culture dates back to the Incas), and many great photo opportunities. Once I post my pics you´ll understand how I could walk around for hours and just soak up all the sights, sounds, smells, and what ever else one can soak up...oh, tastes too :)
So tomorrow we are off to Las Amazonas (after our first 5 hour bus trip). Don´t think we´ll have internet there so I´ll catch you all in Banos (the place, not the bathroom)! Thanks to all reading and posting comments. I´m definitely not lonely (I´m actually liking the flexibility of traveling alone), but there are some moments when you feel like you´re in middle school and you´re not sure if the cool kids are going to ask you to sit with them at lunch or just let you pick your nose by yourself at the table next to them. So reading all your comments gives me a sense of belonging...which allows me to pick my nose and eat alone, thanks a lot! :) xoxo, Cara p.s. did I really try to make a short entry. ha!
Last night we had our first group meeting and I AM the only American! So, everyone, I´ll do my best to represent by over-eating, acting insensitively to other cultures, and saying ¨ya´ll¨ as much as possible. Just kidding - I won´t say ¨ya´ll¨ :P But everyone is traveling in pairs except me, another girl, and a guy. They are all Aussies except one girl from London (the girl traveling solo) and one couple from New Zealand. Sooo, I´m learning all sorts of new things....like that people will laugh when you say things like ¨fanny pack¨ (I mean that is a ridiculous word to begin with!) and ¨granola bars¨ - apparently those are bum bags and muxsle (sp?). I´d google these things to be more accurate, but if you knew how slow this computer was you´d be amazed I´m even online! So yea, everyone is very nice and I think it will be a ¨rather lovely trip¨.
today. woke up at 6 feeling like a million bucks. took private bus with group to the middle of the world. stood in the northern and southern hemisphere at the same time. went to a animal market in Otavalo. saw pigs fight, women carrying chickens, people buying chicks and taking them ¨to go¨ in brown paper bags, a 10 year old boy auctioning irons and strainers, cows, kittens, puppies, goats. went to a beautiful lago - Cuicocha, with an amazing view of a volcano in the background. very pretty. went to Otavalo Mercado - the biggest open air market in south america. bought some things i probably don´t need for twice as much as i probably could have paid (which is still nothing). To give you an idea of the prices here. I had lunch today at the market - rice, a couple french fries, a chicken leg, beats, soup, and juice (which I didn´t dare sip) for $1.25. Yea, talk about breaking the bank!
It was a day packed with a view into a completely different world (unbelievable that there are people on this earth living in this time that are SO SO very different - the people at the market were all native and their culture dates back to the Incas), and many great photo opportunities. Once I post my pics you´ll understand how I could walk around for hours and just soak up all the sights, sounds, smells, and what ever else one can soak up...oh, tastes too :)
So tomorrow we are off to Las Amazonas (after our first 5 hour bus trip). Don´t think we´ll have internet there so I´ll catch you all in Banos (the place, not the bathroom)! Thanks to all reading and posting comments. I´m definitely not lonely (I´m actually liking the flexibility of traveling alone), but there are some moments when you feel like you´re in middle school and you´re not sure if the cool kids are going to ask you to sit with them at lunch or just let you pick your nose by yourself at the table next to them. So reading all your comments gives me a sense of belonging...which allows me to pick my nose and eat alone, thanks a lot! :) xoxo, Cara p.s. did I really try to make a short entry. ha!
Friday, October 3, 2008
For Every Up There is a Down!
Where to start? Hmmmm, so after I signed off last night I went around the corner for some grub and hey...why not enjoy a local favorite - a nice cold Pilsener!? I was alone and apparently this isn´t the best neighborhood, so I came right home and watched The Simpsons and the US VP debate (in spanish) with a guy that works the night shift here. I would tell you his name, but that was just one of MANY things I didn´t catch. He didn´t speak a word of english and went on and on, very passionately, about several subjects, none of which I can recall right now. But I think he´s opposed to the war in Iraq :). Ok...so that was fine. I went to bed early. I figured I´d get up early and have a fun day of exploration, maybe go visit the equator (La Mitad del Mundo or ¨Middle of the World¨)...but let´s just say my body was going to have the last word. I don´t know if it was the food...the water (which I tried not to drink even when brushing my teeth)...or the cervesa (not my fault they only serve Pilsener in 22oz bottles!), but my body ¨threw a fit¨ at about 2:30am. I´ll leave it at that and let you use your imagination. :)
So when I woke up at 7am I was completely exhausted and not feeling so hot. I tried to go to the drug store to FINALLY get some contact solution (I guess everyone here has 20/20 vision or walks around blind, because NO ONE sells stuff for contacts!) and could hardly walk I was so weak. I ended up coming back to the hostel, abandoning my big plans to the middle of the world, and sleeping until noon. I finally felt alive again after a shower, mind you the store I went to earlier was still closed, so I was again washing my entire body and teeth with peppermint soap. wow....
So, I finally got my booty out to a nearby park (I couldn´t be completely lame!) and things turned around from there. While it was really sketchy and I´m pretty sure the dude was trying to steal my camera (just from the way he was staring at it the whole time we talked), he did speak the most understandable spanish I´ve heard in a long time...or maybe he was just speaking really slow. :) But we sat in Parque El Ejido with kids running around playing and talking about Esmeraldes (sp?), where he is from. I made a good exit and then walked in some ass-backward pattern back to the main street in case he was following. I know. I hate to be suspecious, especially if people have good intentions, but I´m not going to take that chance for some random I just met!
So now I´m really hungry! I haven´t eaten a thing since breakfast at 8am (more on this later). So I went to a little cafe that Lonely Planet recommended (thank you again, Aditi por el regalo!) - Kallari. I ordered way too much, but what I could eat was great (the bread melts in your mouth!) and I had a brownie that LP claimed would give you an orgasm...let´s not push it people! But it was good. :) And I made another, much less suspect friend, Frankie, who worked there and is from Tena (where we´ll be visiting soon). He was really nice and we had a good chat...it´s been great practice for my spanish!
So now I´m back at the hostel and waiting for our first group meeting! There are apparently 15 or 16 of us! yikes! And this morning I met some more folks. A couple young couples that seemed very nice. I won´t go too into the group yet - save more material for later (you know I have a hard time thinking of things to say...uh, yea). But so far I´m the only Americana. Lots of Aussies. Ok, well, that´s enough for now. Hope all is well with you all!!
So when I woke up at 7am I was completely exhausted and not feeling so hot. I tried to go to the drug store to FINALLY get some contact solution (I guess everyone here has 20/20 vision or walks around blind, because NO ONE sells stuff for contacts!) and could hardly walk I was so weak. I ended up coming back to the hostel, abandoning my big plans to the middle of the world, and sleeping until noon. I finally felt alive again after a shower, mind you the store I went to earlier was still closed, so I was again washing my entire body and teeth with peppermint soap. wow....
So, I finally got my booty out to a nearby park (I couldn´t be completely lame!) and things turned around from there. While it was really sketchy and I´m pretty sure the dude was trying to steal my camera (just from the way he was staring at it the whole time we talked), he did speak the most understandable spanish I´ve heard in a long time...or maybe he was just speaking really slow. :) But we sat in Parque El Ejido with kids running around playing and talking about Esmeraldes (sp?), where he is from. I made a good exit and then walked in some ass-backward pattern back to the main street in case he was following. I know. I hate to be suspecious, especially if people have good intentions, but I´m not going to take that chance for some random I just met!
So now I´m really hungry! I haven´t eaten a thing since breakfast at 8am (more on this later). So I went to a little cafe that Lonely Planet recommended (thank you again, Aditi por el regalo!) - Kallari. I ordered way too much, but what I could eat was great (the bread melts in your mouth!) and I had a brownie that LP claimed would give you an orgasm...let´s not push it people! But it was good. :) And I made another, much less suspect friend, Frankie, who worked there and is from Tena (where we´ll be visiting soon). He was really nice and we had a good chat...it´s been great practice for my spanish!
So now I´m back at the hostel and waiting for our first group meeting! There are apparently 15 or 16 of us! yikes! And this morning I met some more folks. A couple young couples that seemed very nice. I won´t go too into the group yet - save more material for later (you know I have a hard time thinking of things to say...uh, yea). But so far I´m the only Americana. Lots of Aussies. Ok, well, that´s enough for now. Hope all is well with you all!!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I Heart the Food...Oh, and The Historical Sites Too!
Warning: Because this computer´s main language is Spanish, it can´t check my spelling. So, unfortunately for me, you all are going to learn just how bad I am at this kind of important skill! No really. You´ll be surprised...but don´t judge me! :)
Wow, so I feel like it´s been a long time since I wrote yesterday! I have much to report. And don´t worry, I´m writing a lot now because there is internet in the hostel, but I don´t think I´ll have this kind of access everywhere! :) Soooooo...I did venture out into the New Town of Quito yesterday afternoon. I´m staying in an neighborhood called La Mariscal. I walked around with the main intention of eating (my FAVORITE thing to do!). It did feel a little strange to walk around alone. KT, I think the song you like to sing would have been appropriate for yesterday - ¨one of these kids is not like the other ones...¨ :) But I felt safe and whatnot. So I kept passing all these places holding out for the little cafe that called out to me, ¨I´m the one!¨ Unfortunately, I learned quickly that cafes can´t talk! :) And by then, my quest was quickly interrupted by a massive rain. I had to stand under a little ledge for about 30 mins to avoid getting completely soaked. I ended up running into a tiny little shop owned by a woman named ¨Shadow¨. She was tiny and sweet, and we chatted about the weather and the three dogs that she stays busy cooking for each day. What ¨lucky dogs¨, no?
So when the rain lightened up a bit I headed back towards the hostel. I ended up going back to the very first cafe I passed - Crear´e. I was so hungry and they were so nice and welcoming. It was a very tiny kitched with 3 small tables.I talked with them and found out that they are a family. A young couple and su madre. I was practicing my spanish, like a good girl, but noticed that the girl spoke english too. Turns out she grew up in a little place called...California :) and moved to Quito 3 years ago! I´m sure her hombre had something to do with that. But they were the sweetest people and I stayed there and chatted and ate for over an hour. The meal was so good and fresh!!! I had a vegetarian quesadilla with a cucumber salad, freshly made papas fritas (french fries - mi favorita!), and a freshly made melon juice. Wow! It was awesome! They said to come back for a beer later, but I couldn´t make any promises...I was TIRED!
I forgot that Quito is high (2,600 ft above sea level), and that combined with all the no sleeping and travel was making me feel seriously drugged. I went back to the hostel and slept from 5:30 to 7:30pm, only to wake up and go back to bed from 9:30pm to 8:00am! Wow! That was awesome! And I have to say that the quiet, tranquil place I described yesterday did pep up a bit...you know the usual, crying babies, barking dogs, and music :) but that couldn´t stop me from getting my sleep on. I was dead!...in the best way possible.
So today I woke up, had my first shower where I used Dr. Bronner´s magic peppermint soap to clean my body, hair AND teeth! haha. That can´t be good. And then had breakfast downstairs. I learned that Carlos, the owner of the hostel, was born in this house and his family lived here for many years. After his grandparents became ill (and presumably passed away) he turned the house into a hostel, just 2 years ago. So he has a lot of history here...pretty cool, I thought.
And at breakfast I met Ken, who I found out is traveling with his partner, Sandy, to Santiago with me. The three of us ended up taking the local bus (interesting and cheap) to Old Town, which really IS the heart of the city (I think I mis-spoke yesterday). Old Town is very beautiful. La Plaza de Independencia was beautiful with mini-gardens and trees and the surrounding buildings, including where the President works are very pretty. We also visited La Plaza San Francisco and went inside La Compania de Jesus, which was a built in 1553 (although there was a fire and it had to be reconstructed) and is the most ornate church I´ve ever seen. We ate empanadas de verdes and tamales con pollo (also yummy!) and then took a taxi to the top of El Panecillo, where you can see the entire city.
The view was interesting because you could see just how densely populated Quito is (apparently there are more people per square kilometer than any other city in South America), but I was more intriged by the ¨wild¨ dogs and kids running around. I swear I saw a kid that couldn´t have been more than 2 feet tall (walking with candy and ciggarettes!...followed by 2 dogs) walk down a steep stone wall, onto a grass ledge, and then disappear again over a hill. I don´t know why that amazed me. I guess you just would never see a kid do that in the states because his mother would kill him!
So we came back and had a jugo de tomate at Crear´e and now I´m back at the hostel...and surprisingly hungry again! :) p.s. didn´t meet Virginia from New Zealand, but saw her and she looks like a nice older woman. So far I´m the youngest in the group (Ken and Sandy look to be in their thirties), but I´ve only seen 3 people! Ok, bye for now!!!
Wow, so I feel like it´s been a long time since I wrote yesterday! I have much to report. And don´t worry, I´m writing a lot now because there is internet in the hostel, but I don´t think I´ll have this kind of access everywhere! :) Soooooo...I did venture out into the New Town of Quito yesterday afternoon. I´m staying in an neighborhood called La Mariscal. I walked around with the main intention of eating (my FAVORITE thing to do!). It did feel a little strange to walk around alone. KT, I think the song you like to sing would have been appropriate for yesterday - ¨one of these kids is not like the other ones...¨ :) But I felt safe and whatnot. So I kept passing all these places holding out for the little cafe that called out to me, ¨I´m the one!¨ Unfortunately, I learned quickly that cafes can´t talk! :) And by then, my quest was quickly interrupted by a massive rain. I had to stand under a little ledge for about 30 mins to avoid getting completely soaked. I ended up running into a tiny little shop owned by a woman named ¨Shadow¨. She was tiny and sweet, and we chatted about the weather and the three dogs that she stays busy cooking for each day. What ¨lucky dogs¨, no?
So when the rain lightened up a bit I headed back towards the hostel. I ended up going back to the very first cafe I passed - Crear´e. I was so hungry and they were so nice and welcoming. It was a very tiny kitched with 3 small tables.I talked with them and found out that they are a family. A young couple and su madre. I was practicing my spanish, like a good girl, but noticed that the girl spoke english too. Turns out she grew up in a little place called...California :) and moved to Quito 3 years ago! I´m sure her hombre had something to do with that. But they were the sweetest people and I stayed there and chatted and ate for over an hour. The meal was so good and fresh!!! I had a vegetarian quesadilla with a cucumber salad, freshly made papas fritas (french fries - mi favorita!), and a freshly made melon juice. Wow! It was awesome! They said to come back for a beer later, but I couldn´t make any promises...I was TIRED!
I forgot that Quito is high (2,600 ft above sea level), and that combined with all the no sleeping and travel was making me feel seriously drugged. I went back to the hostel and slept from 5:30 to 7:30pm, only to wake up and go back to bed from 9:30pm to 8:00am! Wow! That was awesome! And I have to say that the quiet, tranquil place I described yesterday did pep up a bit...you know the usual, crying babies, barking dogs, and music :) but that couldn´t stop me from getting my sleep on. I was dead!...in the best way possible.
So today I woke up, had my first shower where I used Dr. Bronner´s magic peppermint soap to clean my body, hair AND teeth! haha. That can´t be good. And then had breakfast downstairs. I learned that Carlos, the owner of the hostel, was born in this house and his family lived here for many years. After his grandparents became ill (and presumably passed away) he turned the house into a hostel, just 2 years ago. So he has a lot of history here...pretty cool, I thought.
And at breakfast I met Ken, who I found out is traveling with his partner, Sandy, to Santiago with me. The three of us ended up taking the local bus (interesting and cheap) to Old Town, which really IS the heart of the city (I think I mis-spoke yesterday). Old Town is very beautiful. La Plaza de Independencia was beautiful with mini-gardens and trees and the surrounding buildings, including where the President works are very pretty. We also visited La Plaza San Francisco and went inside La Compania de Jesus, which was a built in 1553 (although there was a fire and it had to be reconstructed) and is the most ornate church I´ve ever seen. We ate empanadas de verdes and tamales con pollo (also yummy!) and then took a taxi to the top of El Panecillo, where you can see the entire city.
The view was interesting because you could see just how densely populated Quito is (apparently there are more people per square kilometer than any other city in South America), but I was more intriged by the ¨wild¨ dogs and kids running around. I swear I saw a kid that couldn´t have been more than 2 feet tall (walking with candy and ciggarettes!...followed by 2 dogs) walk down a steep stone wall, onto a grass ledge, and then disappear again over a hill. I don´t know why that amazed me. I guess you just would never see a kid do that in the states because his mother would kill him!
So we came back and had a jugo de tomate at Crear´e and now I´m back at the hostel...and surprisingly hungry again! :) p.s. didn´t meet Virginia from New Zealand, but saw her and she looks like a nice older woman. So far I´m the youngest in the group (Ken and Sandy look to be in their thirties), but I´ve only seen 3 people! Ok, bye for now!!!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Estoy Aqui!
Reporting from Quito, Ecuador...;) After 14 hours of pretty intense travel (i.e. I never went to bed last night, I couldn´t carry-on my bag, and I was THE LAST person to board the final leg to Quito...JUST barely made it!), I´m finally here safe and sound, sitting in the cutest ´hostel´ I´ve ever scene (note: I´ve never been in a hostel before!, but this is awesome!). I´m at La Hostal Casa Kalena. It´s tucked-away on a quiet street in the heart of the city and has hardwood floor and white walls accented by colorful furniture and art. There is tranquil music playing and a wonderful breeze. When I was shown to my room (a single with my own bathroom - sweet), I was so happy to have made it and be here that when the guy closed the door I couldn´t stop smiling, and I´m pretty sure I was talking to myself...¨I made it!¨
So now I´m off to experience my first meal! I am so hungry and can´t wait! And then I´ll shop for toiletries (sp?) and probably come back to see if I can meet up with another girl, that I saw in the guestbook, who is also with Intrepid Travel. She´s from New Zealand...more later!
So now I´m off to experience my first meal! I am so hungry and can´t wait! And then I´ll shop for toiletries (sp?) and probably come back to see if I can meet up with another girl, that I saw in the guestbook, who is also with Intrepid Travel. She´s from New Zealand...more later!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
And I'm Off!
Hello dear friends!
Finally the day is here! I leave EARLY tomorrow morning! I'm not sure who will be lucky enough to drive me to Dulles at 3am, but I've got my bets on my parents or Shim Shady. I'm about to have a last supper of sorts with my parents, Ann and Lisa. I feel like treating them to a meal is the least I can do after living here and mooching off them for the past month. So I can't ramble much now, but trust me...I'll be updating you all, and as usual, telling stories in WAY more detail than you ever wanted to know! After all...that's my style :)
Wish me luck getting there!
Cara
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