23.12.2009 17:20 Von Quito hatte ich bisher sehr unterschiedliches gehoert - Moloch, Kriminalitaet, Party, moderne Einkaufscenter, Kolonialarchitektur… es trifft wohl alles zu. Was ich bisher gesehen habe, beschraenkt sich auf die Ausgehmeile Mariscal, wo ich wohne, und die Altstadt, die ich mir heute angesehen habe. Beides gefaellt mir, aber natuerlich habe ich nur einen Einblick in das Vorzeige-Quito erhalten, das schoene neue oder sanierte, modern, chic und relativ touristisch. Es laesst sich leben hier - ich bin derzeit ohnehin auf dem Geniessertrip. Hier gemuetlich i [View Full Entry]

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It is hard to believe that in about 3-weeks, we’ll be heading off to South America!!! The time is ticking by ever so quickly and we are looking at piles and piles and piles of stuff to try to get into our suitcases. Dios mio - Hay demasiado cosas y no hay bastante espacio! Along with a guitar, a violin, backpacks filled with art supplies, books, books, and more books, we also have our own mobile drug store. Yes, most of the items have to do with getting sick to the stomach, or items that have to do with the aftermath [View Full Entry]

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13 Dec - Middle of the World!!!!!!! - Woke up again around 6am (nice - Alice snoring lol). We heard about this place that you go to which is about 1.5hrs by bus outside Quito which is where the exact equator is (monument and all). - Cost about $2 for the transport and we got there about 9.30am and looked around. Funny story the massive monument there actually was built in the wrong spot by about 100m hahaha very funny. Heaps of singing on the Sundays and loads of museum stuff about Equador etc - really interesting. - Went out of [View Full Entry]

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You are receiving this notice because I have added you to my Ecuador - Galapagos Blog posting notices. If you do not wish to receive these emails please let me know and I will remove you. This is my second try at posting this entry, please forgive me for getting so many posting emails. I've had a bit of challenge with the travelblog website and internet connections. ~Sue Getting There We started ar 1230 am Wednesday morning and flew to Dallas and then to Miami and then to Quito. We arrive in Quito at 730 pm and got to the Hotel [View Full Entry]

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12 Dec 2009 - Looking around Quito - Started off walking to 1 of the central parks (La Carolina) and had a picnic with our own tour guide ´Mo´. Heaps of activity going on - music, football, volleyball - for us a little rest (nice). - After this we caught our first public transport (trolebus) which was crammed - holding onto your pockets. We made our way to the south of Quito for $0.25 to go to the top of El Panecillo (lookout) to take some photos of Quito. Very dodgy - we were walking up steps and a kid told [View Full Entry]

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Mindo has been great over the last few days. I didn't get up to an awful lot this time, just some tubing down the river and another early morning Cock of the Rock visit. I've met a few people at El Monte; an Austrian family, a group of visiting Americans, two nice English girls, a national geographic film maker and an Australian university professor. An eclectic mix, as many of the people I've seen during this trip have been. This time I decided just to settle back and relax, to do some writing and to talk to the guys around the [View Full Entry]

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I was worried that coming back to Mindo might actually spoil the memory that I had of it. As almost the first place we came to in South America it left a big impression upon me, an impression I now thought might no longer stand up in comparison to what we’ve experienced since. But I was wrong. Coming back to Mindo, has, if anything, made me realise more, how uniquely special this place is. It’s a different Mindo though, one bearing its cloud forest credentials more fully, with cloud playing a prevalent part now compared to the last time we were [View Full Entry]

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Having just stayed in La Paz for the fifth time, I think I'm ready to leave it behind me now. Just as well, for today is the day we travel back to Quito, and make some real strides in a homeward direction. For the first time on this journey, I have finally been afflicted by Montezuma's revenge. It isn't pretty. My stomach has been cramping all day, and visiting the toilet has been a less than positive experience. Just one week from the finish line, and I get ill. Marvellous. The thought of two flights tonight then isn't a good one. [View Full Entry]

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The first leg of my world adventure, Latin America, is nearing its conclusion. As I begin writing, I am flying over the Caribbean, from Quito to Havana, after a layover in Lima. I’ve been excited going into each part of this trip; this time, I’m not only nervous, but also anxious. First, there is the illegality; second, Cuba is a very different type of place. I’ve heard a lot about it over the past three or four weeks from fellow travelers, and also from a guide, and, frankly, their insights are quite different from what I had heard in the past. [View Full Entry]

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Nous avons décidé de passer plusieurs jours sur Quito, histoire de s'habituer à l'altitude, Quito étant à 2800 mètres. Dave avait en tete d'escalader le volcan Cotopaxi, qui est le plus haut volcan actif au monde, donc le 1er jour, nous avons fait le tour des agences de voyages pour connaitre les prix et les arrangements pour l'escalade du volcan. Au départ, on pensait prendre un guide particulier, louer l'équipement (crampons, piolet...) mais au final cela revenait plus cher que de passer par une agence. Et puis avec l'agence, tout est inclus et elle s'occupe de tout! A l'auberge, nous avons [View Full Entry]

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