Back to the Beach Basics

Wow! So it was so easy to pass the days always at the beach again. I was really missing the ocean after so much time in the mountains and the cold altitudes. I arrived in Iquique and found a very homey hostel. The Chilean beach has a neat counter culture feel, sort of Southern Cali but more urban and punk style. It was nice being around all the surf and skate vibes, and seeing some amazing street murals and graffiti art. I almost felt like I was back in the states again because Chile is so much more western feeling than what I’ve been used to, plus the hostel was equipped with a load of English speaking travellers, American movies and target looking comforters. The hostel was a little far from the quiet downtown area but very close to the beach. I spent the next 4 days going between the beach, the hostel, and the giant grocery store. It was not super hot but from about 11am to 3pm the beach was hot enough to sit out on, get a tan, and make a quick dash into the ocean. The first night I cooked about enough rice and black beans to feed an army, and the rest of my nights I worked my way through it making different variations on the basic. Every night I also drank red wine and watched a movie or two. Very chill.

I also began hanging out with Marthe, my roommate in Iquique who is on the same path as I am. She is a 22 year old Psychology student from Amsterdam and also volunteered in Cusco and is travelling alone. Her flight is from Lima on May 10th so it is perfect timing. We are now back in Peru, my last South American border crossing, after having stopped over at one other Chilean beach town to split up the travel. Tonight we plan to go out in Arequipa for a few drinks and maybe some dancing. It is exciting to be in a vibrant city! Then Saturday early morning we will leave our big suitcases at the hostel and go on a 3 day trek of the Colca Canyon.

Tornado of Tours

I have been keeping very busy over the past week and doing a lot of tours, which were reasonably priced in Bolivia. I´ve bared amazing altitudes and cold but I was worth it. First I went to Potosi, the highest city in the world. It was a pretty neat mining town with a lot of character, set up in the mountains. There I did a tour of the mines. I felt that I learned more about the miners´ situations from seeing the documentary, but actually being inside was pretty neat. We were given a whole mining jump suit, boots, and head lamp.

Then I went to Uyuni and signed up for a three day tour, with 6 other people in a jeep. I really enjoyed my time on the tour. It provided a stress free few days where everything was more or less planned out for me. I also had a cool group of people to get to know and some quality card playing time. I have learned two really good new games, which I am determined to remember and play again when I return.
There was a lot of time in a jeep on the wide open desert type landscape. My little Ipod speakers came in handy. The first day we spent on the actual salt flats of Uyuni, the largest in the world. Its a truly bizarre landscape an there is no sense of depth in photographs because there is so much flat nothingness. The next days we saw beautifully colored lakes and mountains, boulder fields, natural gysers, and flamingos. The tour ended by crossing the border into Chile. ´Now I head to the beach!

Feeling Strong in Sucre

Following a successful night bus ride, I have had an amazingly productive first day in Sucre. I always get a little nervous before taking a night bus. You just never know what those 12 hours trapped on a bus might be like. Other than being freezing for most of the night, while my neighbor was snug under like 5 layers of blankets and various other warm looking belongings, the ride went smoothly. I was able to sleep and we got in right on schedule at 7:30AM.

I had luck and found a nice hostel on my first try with a pleasant courtyard, a giant kitchen, hot shower, and a friendly british couple who were on my bus. Then I went to the large nearby market and finally bought a small, cheap bath towel which I have been making do without thus far. I also got all the makings for speghetti and a homemade somewhat spicy tomato, garlic, spinach sauce.

This afternoon I checked out some Spanish classes and signed up to take two hours of one on one lesson for the next three days. It will cost me about $11 a day, but hopefully will motivate me to do some extra studying. After 2 months travelling I feel my conversational skills slipping. I can keep up on my listening comprehension but my speaking skills are getting a little weak.

This city is absolutely beautiful and I feel much more comfortable here than in La Paz. It seems like a good place to sit around at cafes and study, draw, and think. Today´s weather was sunny and fairly warm. Hopefully it will keep it up before I head to Potosi and the salt flats which are spose to be freezing!

Bolivia

I now have a Bolivian visa in my name and am able to enter Bolivia for up to 90 days a year for the next 7 years. I was a little nervous about the process because there was a laundry list of documents they claimed to require included things like a letter of invitation. It turned out all the border guards really cared about was the $100 fee.

I am currently in La Paz, a large city with both modern looking areas and less westernized parts where you can buy about anything from the multitude of small booths and carts on the streets. The entire city is set in a kind of natural bowl and you sometimes catch glimpses of the snow capped peaks surrounding you. Logan and I spent a while trying to find the perfect hostel here but it was somewhat of a lost cause. In the end we settled in a quieter one with a nice owner, a pretty courtyard, a sunny roof hangout, a double room, and shared kitchen and bath, for $35 bolivianos. The exchange rate is about 7 bol to the dollar, this being the cheapest country I have travelled in so far. Meals are usually about 15 to 25 bol. Being in a city you have a little more option in the type of food you are eating. We had Arab food the first night and Italian last night. The Bolivian standard is quinua and veggie soup, rice, pan fried trout and chicken.

Before coming here we spent about 3 days around Lake Titicaca. It was vast and beautiful, reminding me a little of the Mediterranean Sea. We had two days of hiking with a day pack, which tested my lung capacity and endurance due to the amazingly high altitute, around 3,600 meters above sea level. We made our way along the coast to a point on the mainland and then took a rowboat ride from a hunched 70 year old local over to the Isla Del Sol. We spent one night in a hostel on the southern part and the next day hiked on the mountain crest line to some ruins in the northern part. A two or three hour boat ride took us back to Copacobana, the main Bolivian town set on the lake. Copacobana was very chill with lots of wandering South American hippies playing live music in cafes and selling hand made jewelry on the streets.

Moving On...

After 3 full weeks here in Cusco, I have decided to cut my planned volunteering time a little short and continue travelling. I have heard wonderful things about Bolivia and I am going to use this extra week or so to explore a new country or two. Unfortunately I need to go through some paper work and spend $100 to get a Bolivian visa but will be worth it and the country is so cheap I´ll prolly make that money back on all my food and lodging savings. I am leaving Sunday night with a friend I met in Huanchaco and ran into again here in Cusco this week. Her name is Logan and she is a history teacher in the Bronx. We are going to start by exploring Lake Titicaca and then I will head on to La Paz. I hear Copacabana, the city on the Bolivian side of the lake is the nicest place to stay and then we will probably do one night on the Isla del Sol. It will be cold but I´m still excited to be near the water. After La Paz, I plan to head to the South of Bolivia and do a tour of the giant salt flats. Then in order to make my journey more of a loop I will cut into the north of Chile and travel along the coast up into Peru. Mmmm, beach.

Machu Picchu

This weekend Beverly, a friend from the Yanapay hostel from Britain, and I did the somwhat trying but unavoidable Machu Picchu journey. I booked the whole trip through Jesus, a spanish teacher at Yanapay, who also runs a tourist agency. I think we got a fairly good deal but it was a little frusterating following along blindly with some set tour. The hotel room, bus and train transport, guide, and entrance fee was $150. It is amazing the amount people pay to see this wonder. We left very early Saturday moning and had most of the day to just space around Aguas Caliente, the small base camp city for Machu Picchu, and rest up. The town was very touristy and fairly rustic, with half finished looking apartment buildings, no cars, and a railroad running through. It was nestled next to a roaring stream and towering mountains on all sides. After a few unexciting meals we went to bed early and waited for our 5am wake up call the next morning. The Sunday morning arrival at the ruins was a zoo of tourists but I slowly eased into the day and the beauty of the site. The most picturesque moment was the clouds rolling over the mountains and the Inca grounds. After our tour ended, around 9:30am we had a packed snack, rested, and then Beverly and I hiked up Winapichu. This is the mountain you can see towering in the back of Inca ruins. It was a very tiring hour long climb, mostly up rock stairs in the mountain face, but well worth it for the view and experience. I am now back in Cusco and happy to be settling in to my hosel and volunteer routine again.

Cuzco Buzz

I have been in Cuzco now for a little over a week and it has been a buzz of activity. Volunteering, exploring the many tourist attractions around this area, and going out to eat, drink, and dance.

I am here until mid April volunteering with Aldea Yanapay. The organization seems really unique and I have been happy with my experience so far. Yanapay runs a school, a restaurant, and a hostel for volunteers. There are around 15 other volunteers mainly around my age and from the North America or Europe. I work 5 days a week at the school, which is actually a type of after school program, open from 3 to 6:30 and Saturday mornings. It has been perfect timing because the program is just winding up again with the start of the new school year (summer is just ending on this side of the world). There are about 50 children that attend, although Yuri, the director, hopes to recruit 20 more. I am working with the older children. From 3 to 5 I work in the homework area, helping those children complete various assignments. There is also an art area but I am one of the few volunteers right now who speaks spanish (at least enough to get by) so I have been put in the more challenging area. Then at 5 we break into other small groups according to age and I teach an english class. I have been getting by alright, making up small games and activities.

I have also purchased a tourist ticket which gives you admission into various museums and ruins in and around Cuzco. This area is full of Inca ruins, Machu Picchu being the most famous. I will have to make it there at some point, perhaps next weekend. So far I went on two nice day trips, one to Pisaq and one to Ollotantambo. They were both cute small towns, one with a large outdoor craft and food market. From there we went on day hikes up the mountain side and among the large stone walls. The weather has been very nice during the day, with strong hot sun, although it get really cold at night. You always have to have a ton of layers cause a breeze or cloud can change everything.

This week has also been Semana Santa, and there have been tons of festivities surrounding the Easter holiday. Several nights there were large processions through the streets. Ash Friday is the largest day of the celebration here. Me and a friend happened to be invited by a local to come to his family´s holiday meal. It is traditionally 12 platos, courses, although ours wasn´t quite to that scale. His family live about an hour outside Quito and are farmers, although some work in tourist related jobs. It was a unique experience and we were able to see how traditional people live. The mother was very welcoming, however I was a little uncomfortable with what my place was there. We ate a type of corn on the cob with cheese plate, a baked apple dish, a vegetable soup, and fish with a beat salad and potatoes. It was fairly informal and there were many kids running around, some of whom only spoke Quechua, the native language. After the+ meal the boy we originally met and his brother, who were both in their late teens and interested in trying to become tour guides, took us on a nice walk around in the beautiful mountainside and pointed out various plants they grew. In the end we bought a few handycrafts at higher prices than you find in the markets, but that were hand made by this family and I guess in a way it was in exchange for the whole experience.

Lazy Days

I have been having a lot of wonderful lazy days here in Huanchaco. Cooking in the kitchen they have here, oatmeal in the mornings and fresh sandwiches and omlets later in the day. I finished my book and found a new one at a small book exchange. One evening I arranged with a few locals I met and some people from my hostal to have a bonfire on the beach. I put the few dollars out for the wood and we spent the night sitting around the fire with a guitar.

Sunday I went on a day long tour of indigenous ruins around this area. Chan Chan being the most famous and the highlight of my day. We arrived at the site just as it was closing and the late afternoon, early evening lighting was amazing. The site was like a giant maze that opening up into grand plazas. We were the only group at the site at the moment and it was neat looking over all these dessert ruins and beautiful mountains in the distance.

I am having a little trouble motivating to leave and have pretty much put it off to the last moment. Tomorrow night I take a night bus to Lima. I will have one day there and then Friday morning I fly straight to Cuzco. I have promised myself I will leave a little more time to explore Lima right before I fly home from there in May. It is crazy to think that I am about the move onto the 3rd of 4 legs of my trip.

Fried and Eaten Alive

I am happy to say I have finally found paradise after a long, hot, tiring journey through the Peruvian desert in the dead of summer. I was for the most part disappointed with Mancora, known as a very popular tourist hangout. It was basically one strip set smack dab on the Pan American highway. Tons of traffic and unrelenting bugs and heat. I also was new to the coast and got a little over zealous with my beach time. Now I know not to spend the day at the beach as if I was in Maryland. After 3 straight beach days I was burned and suffering from dehydration and perhaps sun poising. Who knows but it was bad and I had to slowly, due to my exhaustion, flee Mancora. Now it wasn't all painful, I was able to do some nice drawing. I also met an interesting artisan from the Peruvian jungle who was travelling with his jewellery and wire work around South America participating in various markets and street vending. After Mancora, I spent two nights in hot, busy cities on my way south, Piura and Chiclayo. Authentic city experiences with few tourists around but for the most time I laid in my budget hotel room recovering and watching MTV and other TV crap, trying to stay cool.

Now back to paradise. Today has been amazingly refreshing. I am in Huanchaco, a beach town near Trujillo. The weather has been amazing, hot but cool enough in the shade and no bugs! My hostel is very nice with lots of other young people around and good places to chill. I spent the morning reading in a hammock, then I did a nice drawing in the shaded courtyard. I went for a seafood lunch, took a quick dip in the ocean and a short lay on the beach, completed my drawing, went for a walk around the mellow town and then watched surfers and the sunset on the beach. I think I will spend maybe 4 or 5 days here and then go straight to Lima where I catch a flight to Cusco on the 14th. There are some good day trips from here to Inca ruins and I will probably go into Trujillo one day.

Also, check out this website show the volunteering I did at the children’s hospital in Quito. All of the photos were taken by me:
http://www.yanapuma.org/BacaOrtiz.html

Vamos Vilcabamba

Last night I left the beautiful tranquilo mountain town of Vilcabamba and crossed the border into Peru. More about beach bumming in Peru later but for now I´d like to reflect on Vilcabamba, probably my favorite Ecaudor stopping point. You can check out my hosteria at www.izhcayluma.com . I had three plus days of relaxation, including a full body massage and a somewhat out of the ordinary hike. The town was set between lush green mountains and my hosteria was about a twenty minute walk out of town with a view down on the valley. I spent the first two days taking it slow with a nice included breakfast, a walk into town for errands, a bite to eat or internet, a dip in the pool, a warm shower, reading and drawing, then a rico dinner. The hosteria had a nice crowd of travellers and its own bar with a chill night life. A couple glasses of wine and a few games of jenga and darts was typical. My last day there I mustered up some energy to go one a hike with 3 other folks. We hiked along a stream with an interesting log bridge cross, then up along the ridge of a mountain with great views. The furthest point was one of the most amazing waterfalls I have ever seen. It had two parts and the mist from the falls chilled the entire area. Unfortunately while we were crossing the stream at the base of the falls one of the girls slipped and landed on her elbow. She was in a severe amount of pain and may have broken something. We had to make her a sling and take it slow for the 2 plus hour walk back.

Wet in Cuenca

Friday evening I arrived in Cuenca after a long 9 hour day on the train and bus. The views were amazing though as we made our way south along the andes. Hoping to meet people and have a fun night I decided to spend my first night at a hostel called Cafecito. It had dorm rooms attached to a bar and restaurant. When I checked in I didn't realize exactly how close and how candle lit and popular the resaurant would be. It was definately a bit odd but I immediately met a British girl my age travelling alone. We went out for dinner and a few drinks. Then we hung out in the restaurant until they closed and turned off the music around midnight.

Saturday morning I was ready for a change and headed out to check out a new hotel. The swedish couple I met in Puyo gave me a flyer and highly reccomended this somewhat small, family owned spot. The mother immediately roped me in, we had a nice conversation in spanish as she showed me around the 4th floor apartment style hostel. She was quite chatty so I mostly just had to listen and make the usual claro, que bueno comments. My room is closet size but there is a nice shared kitchen, living room, and porches with views over the city in two dirrections. Hard to beat for $5 a night.

Saturday morning I also recieved a text message from a couchsurfer, Jose, who I had contacted. I was kind of amazed because I've had no luck with couchsurfing so far here in South America. He invited me up to his house for lunch and after getting settled I walked up to the northern edge of the city center where he lived. It turned out he was rather rich and his family had a really nice single family home with a garden and house keeper/ cook. He was my age and also an artist and art teacher. We had a wonderful almuerzo including soup and a second course with tuna cassarole, rice, and salad. Lunch is traditionally the largest meal here.

After lunch two of his friends came over, a local guy and a girl who was in town from Quito, and we drove out of the city in a jeep with his quite lovable dog. We found a spot to hike where his friend had been before that was spose to have some waterfalls. It turned out to be an adeventure as the trail quickly peetered out and we were left to forge the river and cut our way through the forest and thorn filled brush. I was feeling more or less good until it suddenly started pouring. We were all soaked to the bone and I think I was cold for the rest of the day. Luckily we made it out, although we never found the waterfall. After the hike we all went back to Jose's house. He lent me some dry clothes and the four of us spent the night watching movies.

My last two days have been a little more normal and I have pretty much been spending all my time alone. I've been a little bored and lonely but its definately been pleasent and relaxing. Lots of time walking around the city, journaling, shopping at markets, and eating out. Last night I watch some break dancers informally preform in the park for an hour or so. I think I will leave Cuenca tomorrow morning and head to Vilcabamba, a small rural town in the mountains which is popular with tourists.

Banos a Puyo a Riobamba

I have been on the move and I am now sitting in an internet cafe in Riobamba, a city in the Andes south of Quito. Before leaving Banos, I managed to catch a few hours of sun and enjoy the natural hot baths. There were three different pools, all made of concrete but with water that is naturally heated. One was frigidly cold, another was warm, and the third was scaldingly hot, around 118 degrees. After jumping between all three I could hardly feel my legs but it was a neat experience. That same afternoon I went on a hike with Felix, a French guy with a guitar that I met at my hostel. We climbed to the top of one of the surrounding mountains, a steep hour walk, and had a view over the whole city.

I left Banos rather late and arrived in Puyo in the dark. It was a little intimidating but I got a taxi and found a very nice place to stay called Las Palmas. They assured me at the hotel it was safe to walk alone at night and I went out to eat and explore. The city, set in the region of Ecuador called the Orient and close to the jungle, had a different feeling in the air. It was humid and slightly less developed with paved sidewalks and dirt roads. The next morning I had a wonderful complimentary breakfast at the hotel and then met an older couple from Sweden. They had been to Puyo once before and advised me to visit this spot with native animals. Before going I took a walk with them along the Rio Puyo with lush vegetation. Then I managed to catch a local bus, after walking along the road for a while, to the zoocraidia. There I saw monkeys, turtles, an alligator, large rodent like things, and a strange friendly creature that is a distant relative of the elephant.

This morning I left Puyo and came to Riobamba. Its a good stopping point on my way to Cuenca tomorrow. There is also a famous train ride that leaves from here, where passengers are able to ride on the roof of the train. Unfortunately the most popular section of the track is closed due to all the rain, but I still plan to ride a section of the track tomorrow morning and then get a connecting bus.

Banos

Sunday Morning I left Quito, my home for more than a month. It was kind of sad because I had grown attached to my family, friends, and routines there. Things have picked up again quick though, and I´m have a really nice time thanks to the place where I´m staying. It is a hostel called Plantas y Blancos in Banos, a super cute town known for its hot springs and outdoorsy opertunities. At the hostel there is a room with two computers, and an awesome roof top terrace with a kitchen, drinks, and games. The terrace is somewhat inclosed but has windows all around with nice views. I´ve met a couple cool people and I have just been hanging out with them around here and relaxing for the most part. It has been kind of rainy the whole time but I also went for a nice hike near this river on the outskirts of town. There were two different bridges you could cross and views of the ravine and waterfalls.

Calderon. Figuras de Marzipan

This morning I went on an excursion to Calderon, a town about an hour north of Quito, with one of the spanish teachers and another woman from my school. I had requested this trip because it is home to the marzipan artisans. These figures are most popular during Christmas time. Only the larger figurines need to be baked, the rest are assembled with some sort of glue, left to harden, and then cover with a glossy non edible coating.

Viva

My Excuse

Hello my diligent followers. I owe you an apology because I have not been keeping up on the old blogging. I was out of town last weekend for carnival, basically a giant nationwide party, and stayed at the beach until Tuesday. Since my return to Quito my days have been pack with trips to the hospital and spanish classes. I have a two hour window in the afternoon to eat and internet but it has been so warm and sunny this week that I haven't felt like being trapped inside during my free time. Anyway, things are well and I plan to do a nice post on the beach trip shortly.

Puerto Lopez for Carnival

Everyone flees the city for carnival, so our beach trip began with a long search for any free rooms anywhere along the coast. After many calls we discovered a place in Puerto Lopez, which was originally a small fishing village. After a struggle just to plan the get away, the trip proved to be full of challenges. Thats what makes a good story though so no regrets!

We took the night bus on Friday and barely after clearing the city we came to a stand still. It turns out there was flooding all across Ecuador because of all the rain we had last week and there was a mud slide that had covered the road. We sat for about 2 hours and in all the trip took us about 14 hours, 7pm to 9am. Luckily I was able to sleep for a good portion and there were bathroom breaks, as well as a strange "dinner break" at 1:30am.

When we arrived we were thrilled to see the sun and spent the day on the beach. As the day passed we became aware that the entire city, as well as some other parts of the coast, was without power. Unfortunately in our case this also meant no running water in our hotel room, so it was bucket baths for all of us. Then we went for a candle lit Italian dinner at a really nice little place. We got a bottle of wine and toasted to light, and a few minutes later the power returned.

I went on the trip with Lilly and 3 other girls she works with, so in total we were 3 Americans, 1 Scott, and 1 German. Needless to say we attracted a little attention. One of the main traditions for carnival is to throw water at people on the streets (mostly boys and young men throwing it at girls). They were equipped with water guns, water balloons, and in some cases eggs or ¨bombas¨filled with red fruit. So for the next 3 days whenever we walked the streets we had a little fear.

Saturday was a little rainy and overcast so we decided to take a bus to Montanita, a surf village about an hour and a half north of Puerto Lopez that is very popular with tourists. It had a much different vibe, a little more chilled out and we didn´t stand out as much because there were many more international faces. I ate my first ceviche, fish that is cooked more or less in the acid of lemons. Very tasty. We had a fun night out there, with lots of good people watching, but I had one too many strawberry daquories and didn´t feel so hot the next day.

Hospital De Niños: Baca Ortiz

This week I began my immersion program at Yanapuma. I volunteer three mornings a week at a nearby children´s hospital and attend spanish classes in the afternoon. This has been tiring but rewarding. The hospital mainly serves poorer families, who sometimes travel from all over Ecuador to receive care. A family member usually accompanies the child and I have heard mothers sometimes sleep on the floor in or outside the hospital. Most of the children I see seem to be recovering from accidents, broken bones, etc. In Ecuador it is much more common to spend a prolonged time in hospital to recover, for example a month for a broken arm. When I go I am able to check out toys, usually a few puzzles, legos, coloring sheets and crayons or markers, from a play area they have. Then I visit various rooms to play and talk my best spanish. I have spent the majority of my time in one room and have become attached to these four children, plus the 18 year old aunt of the boy on the left. Here we laugh, play games, and I have even brought my Ipod with speakers and we sing and dance. Some of the other rooms are slightly more depressing and some children are in quite a bit of pain and unable to easily move.

Yikes Yellow

I dream of last week´s sun cause this week has been rain, rain, rain.
My host mother washed my clothes but they´re still not dry after 3 days of hanging.

Quito Cityscapes

Old Town

New Town

Otavalo

Friday afternoon, we rushed to leave after an exhausting but fun two days of classes, dancing, and going out. Thursday night I did my best salsa dancing, after taking one class earlier that day, to some live music at a small Cuban restaurant.

The bus to cost two dollars and took about 2.5 hours to get to Otavolo, a smaller town north of the city that is best known for its large Saturday morning market. Lilly had arranged a hotel. The service was friendly but our room smelled like car exhaust and shit. We should have asked to change rooms from the get go but live and learn. The highlight was the hot strong shower, which I managed to take two of in the time we were there. My shower in Quito leaves a bit to be desired.

We went out to a somewhat high class dinner, $15 compared to the normal $2-7, at a hotel on the outskirts of town. Wine, chips and guacamole, fress homemade bread, and an enchilada cassarole. Saturday we woke up early to go to the market and spent the whole morning looking, shopping and bargaining. It was fun to interact with the vendors and I was happy with my purchases. A light multi-colored woven scarf, a traditional wool wall hanging with an animal design, a little music maker, a matching pair of earings and necklace made of some sort of seeds from the orient, and a few gifts for my family which I guess I will leave as a surprise. I think this will be my biggest shopping event of the trip because I can´t carry much while traveling and I hear is it expensive to mail things from here.

Guayasamin

On Tuesday I went with Tessa, a girl from my school and a fellow artist, to see the Guayasamin Museum. We basically had to climb a mountain to get there but it was a good work out and well worth it. There was a beautiful garden and views over the city as well as a nice show of his work. We had a ¨rock star¨ tour guide who wore a smart suit and sunglasses indoors. Guayasamin came from a poor family, mixing natural materials and breast milk to make paint when he was younger. He was influenced by Picasso, Goya, and Mexican muralists.

La Mitad del Mundo

Yesterday morning Lily and I went on an excursion to La Mitad del Mundo, the equator. Thats right folks, I was in the middle of the world. It was all a little silly, we went to a museum where they did strange equator tricks like balancing and egg on the head of nail, but it was all in good fun. The bus ride there and back, about an hour and a half each way, was also amusing because we were able to see the outskirts of the city.

Homestay

Here you see one view from my casa en Quito. The apartment is a third floor walk up with great views in many directions around the Old town. We spend the most time sitting around at the table in the dining/ tv room. My only complaint is the dim lighting throughout the house. I´m picky about my lighting but other than that its homey. My room is small but comfortable.

The food has been pretty good. I prefer the breakfasts, bread (some type of roll or croissant) with butter and jelly, fruit (mango, banana, or pinapple) and coffee. The dinners are somewhat unpredicatable. The portions are a good size for me, not too large, and we always have a dessert. I am somewhat nervous to tell you all that I have decided not to be picky while on my trip and have been eating a little meat. I don´t really enjoy it but I feel it will make my travels smoother, and I feel better eating what the rest of my family is eating while at the home stay. So meals have ranged from beans, potatoes, and muffins last night to chicken and rice. We almost always also have a salad with cucumbers and tomatoes.

I love that its only women in the house. It really nice sitting around together and talking, laughing, watching tv, or playing cards. I can´t really say much yet cause my spanish is limited but I do a good job listening and I am usually able to follow the conversation more or less.

Weekday Schedule and TeleferiQo

After two full weekdays in Quito I have established somewhat of a schedule.

7am - wake up
8am - eat breakfast
take ecovia bus to Mariscal (10 - 15 min ride)
9 - 1pm - spanish class
lunch, walk and explore, internet
6pm - return home
7 - 9pm - dinner and chat con mi familia
9 - 10pm - telenovela (spanish soap) and homework
bedtime

I spent today with my roommate, Lily. It was very sunny and warm! We took a taxi to the TeleferiQo, a lift that takes you way up into the mountains surrounding the city. You can look down on the whole city. We both felt a little light headed and strange from the altitute, twice that of Quito, but it was still very nice breathing the fresh air and taking in the view. In the afternoon she helped me buy a cheap local phone plan, she speaks fluent spanish. Then I found a good pizza restaurant (with the help of the guide book) for lunch.

Bienvenido Quito

I am happy to report that my travel day went very smoothly. Straight from Miami to Quito with no problemas. When I arrived in the small Quito airport at around 7:45 pm there was a man holding a sign with my name. There is actually no time change between Quito and Baltimore so the journey was much easier than flying to Europe.

The airport is in the far north of Quito, so we drove south through New Town and into Old Town, the city center, where my home stay is located. The streets were bustling with locals and mountains rose up on all sides of us.
I was pleasantly surprised by my home stay after coming with the least amount of expectations possible. It is an apartment on the third floor of a large historic building. There is a wonderful view across the city. One other American is also staying with the family, a kind woman and her 20 something daughter. She is somewhat fluent in spanish so they spent the evening sitting around watching a spanish soap opera. There is so much more to share but it is starting to get dark so I should head home. More tomorrow and I have a good connection and a nice mac computer here at my spanish school, so photos will come!

Get Set

Welcome to my South American blog. I will hopefully be posting updates here throughout my travels over the next 4 months. Here is my rough schedule:

Jan 16 Fly from DC to Quito, Ecuador
Jan 16 - Feb 14 Studying in Quito at Yanapuma Spanish School
Feb 15 - Mar 14 Traveling through Ecuador and Peru
Mar 14 - Apr 18 Volunteering in Cuzco at Aldea Yapay
Apr 18 - May 16 Traveling in Peru
May 16 Fly from Lima, Peru to DC