Dutch version: Van de Galapagos direct naar Quito was wel weer ff wennen, opeens weer op zoek naar een hostal, weer opletten op je spullen etc. Kortom bright lights, big city. Van zeeniveau naar 2.800 meter was ook niet geweldig voor mijn hoofd maar ach dat gaat vanzelf over. Maar het oude, koloniale gedeelte van Quito is zeker de moeite waard. Veel kerken, pleinen etc. Ik ben in deze trip al veel kerken ingelopen maar het bezoek aan de Baseliek van Quito was toch wel heel bijzonder. Je kon 1 van de torens beklimmen en elke keer als ik dacht, hoger [View Full Entry]

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I have now been in Quito a long time, so long in fact that the customers in the stationary shop always ask after the "vecino gringuito" (the gringo neighbour). On that note i think that we (South-West Londoners) should incorporate "Veci" and "Pana" into our slang as they are pretty cool. Also a fit girl who is a local definitely should be called "Vecinita". Before i recount more tales involving alcohol (sorry mum but it is peer pressure) dancing and transit police (more or less in that order) i thought i would share a few observations i've made about Ecuadorian culture [View Full Entry]

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I spent an hour writing this blog entry last week and lost it at the last minute, needless to say I left in a huff and did not try for a second time. I have now calmed down enough to attempt the entry again. On Saturday 18th at 7 am my friends and I headed out for a weekend of adventure in Mindo, Located about 2 and a half hours away from Quito into the Jungle. The scenery from the bus window was the most dramatic and beautiful of my trip yet. The views changed suddenly from the city I have [View Full Entry]

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I did make it into school at 7am on Thursday morning for my first ever school trip. 6 other pupils, our respective teachers and myself all headed in a minibus to the "local" (2 hours away!!) Farmers market i.e. Saquasili Market. I was tired and hungover at first but Im so glad I went. Saquasili market is completely off the beaten track and not designed for tourists at all, which was really refreshing. There were little old women sitting on the floor separating peas from the pods and animals of all varieties protesting against their constrains amid stacks of Alfalfa. Its [View Full Entry]

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I did make it into school at 7am on Thursday morning for my first ever school trip. 6 other pupils, our respective teachers and myself all headed in a minibus to the "local" (2 hours away!!) Farmers market i.e. Saquasili Market. I was tired and hungover at first but Im so glad I went. Saquasili market is completely off the beaten track and not designed for tourists at all, which was really refreshing. There were little old women sitting on the floor separating peas from the pods and animals of all varieties protesting against their constrains amid stacks of Alfalfa. Its [View Full Entry]

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I have decided that there are definitely no rules to the road out here. I am pleased to say that I have just survived the taxi Journey from hell just so that I can add an entry to this blog!!! There are no road markings, no give way signs and definitely no speed limit... I hope your all happy!(rant over!) Hola every body Oh , Ive had quite a quiet week really, you know... just climbed the local volcanoe, came face to face with an armed gunman demanding money ( well nearly , Ill explain in a minute), visisted the local [View Full Entry]

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Feliz fiesta del sol! Happy midsummer! This year I finally got to celebrate midsummer as I've always felt intrigued to do. Thursday was the big midsummer festival, known as Inti Raymi, in Quito. Most of the festival was held in the center of the city and consisted of performances by school children in the indigenous communities, crafts, and music. The performances were all so great, and one girl did a monologue about the exploitation of the indigenous people in the Andes since the time of the Spanish conquest that nearly had all of us in tears. That night, Alicia took me [View Full Entry]

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ok i have like two minutes to post this before i have to disconnect. here are entries from my first few days in quito. sorry it's a lot! only read if you want. June 5 Hi to everyone. Well I am safe and sound here in Quito after 24 hours of travel, more or less, a lost debit card (very very bad me), and a few instances where I wanted to do serious harm to certain airport personnel. But overall it was an uneventful trip and I am taking in my first day in Ecuador. We arrived late last night and [View Full Entry]

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The trip is going very well. Actually it has been awesome... you know, to be precise. Yesterday, I spent most of the day at Casa Gabriel (a mission for street kids in Quito). Great experience and also great to see people from back home. Last night I got back to the hostel around 7:15, and dinner was still not quite ready. Over dinner I met two guys from the UK. We talked about everything from American and British politics to history to conservation to global travels. One of the guys, named Joe, was planning to go to Mitad del Mundo ("Middle [View Full Entry]

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Well, we are now on our Easter holidays until next Sunday, which is very exciting! So, as we live so far south, we decided to go up north and see some of the quieter lesser visited parts of Ecuador. Travelling up to Quito on the 9 hour night bus was a lot of fun, mainly due to the fact that I remembered my fetching eye mask and ear pliugs which proved invaluable! Thanks to my very comfy Mat pillow I got 7 hours sleep...where as the others got pretty much non...oops! Eye masks will now be essential travelling equipment from [View Full Entry]

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