Since everything was closed the past 4 days, I first woke up to the large danish crowd making some noise around 8 in the kitchen/dining area which lasted about twenty minutes...then woke up again around 1030am from loud construction projects going on in and around the hostel. I hung out in my hammock outside for about 10 minutes to wake up. I saw David and asked him what cabaña I was moving to today. Since I was originally going to move after a week, they already rented the cabaña I was staying in out. He told me I could move upstairs [View Full Entry]

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J: Ecuador is so named because it's on the equator. So, to see if water really does flush down toilets in alternate directions in each hemisphere we headed up to Mitad del Mundo ('Half the World'). We've already burned through about a third of our budget for the entire trip in Quito and the Galapagos Islands so to keep costs down we went on a couple of buses to travel the 22km to the Mitad del Mundo monument. We didn't really know where we were going, where we were supposed to change buses or how we'd get to the monument when [View Full Entry]

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Wow. I really needed a good night´s sleep. I slept until about 1130am then headed out to breakfast. My neighbor was up so I invited him to join me. Rob is from England and is in Montañita for a month studying spanish and working on his surfing skills...the same original idea I had when I booked my trip! (I just need to get back on board the bandwagon). Breakfast consisted of a couple eggs, juice, croissants, and some Tea...the usual. After breakfast I hopped on the internet and played around in Mafia wars on facebook. Braeden found me so I joined [View Full Entry]

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OK, so Saquisili Market was great, outstanding, excellent ... Otovalo Market was just as good (even maybe a tiny bit better!). We were sceptical about Otovalo, it's on the main package tourist trail and we thought the whole market might now be focused on the tourist trade. Since we weren't in the market for nik naks we weren't sure this market was for us. But first, let me tell you, the town of Otovalo is really nice. Filled with good quality local shops, a couple of lovely plazas and churches, loads of restaurants and a great, friendly feel to it. Our [View Full Entry]

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31.10.2009 15:30 ¡Vive la vida! Gefuehlte 60°C im Schatten, Schwuele - nun faengt sie an, die Schwitzerei. Nach dem relativ kuehlen Cuenca auf 2550m ueber NN und dem fruehlingshaften Baños auf 1500m bin ich nun nach vierstuendiger Busfahrt im Tiefland auf der oestlichen Seite der Anden gelandet: dem Oriente Ecuadors, einem Teil des Amazonas-Regenwaldgebietes. Platt wie eine Flunder liege ich in einer Haengematte auf der Veranda meines Hostels, das ein paar Hundert Meter ausserhalb von Tena auf einer kleinen Anhoehe liegt, und blicke ueber die kleine Stadt vor dem Reg [View Full Entry]

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Landing on the Galapagos Islands for the first time is something that will stick in my memory forever. Maybe it was the tikihut airport, or maybe it was the sea lions lounging on a nearby beach, but something made this place very special. I was greeted by Nelly and her 4 energetic children, Roberto (16), Analia (14), Ivan (11), and Andre (8). It was evident that this town was very small, and it was reminding me of home very much! The Saltos family owns a small hostel, aswell as a fruit/vegetable/chicken farm. My days are spent in town at the hostel, [View Full Entry]

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Ich versuche hier Fotos raufzuladen. Sie sehen fots von Baños und Simons Quadausflug. Dann folgt die Selva von Guyabeno und schliesslich Coca. [View Full Entry]

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Update from the land of giant tortoises - We went on a search this weekend for a cheap tour for the week after our last work week at the reserve, which is our last week in Galápagos. We didn´t have much luck in the port of San Cristobal, so we decided to take a ferry over to the bigger town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. We got here this morning and within one hour of being here we found a tour for an extremely good price, about 1/2 off the normal price! The trick is that it leaves today! So [View Full Entry]

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One of my biggest responsibilities right now is being in charge of this business for the oldest high school girls of sales. We’re working with the girls work program in the escuela, helping them make quality products, helping them sell, going out and doing publicity in Quito outside the Center. Girls program is truly one of my favorite things in the Center. We’re teaching the girls the value of work and responsibility, helping them earn money for themselves and their families, teaching them how to make cool things (from chocolate covered bananas in the kitchen to sewing to m [View Full Entry]

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Just as planned, the beginning of November brings about change in my travels. I will be moving to the island of San Cristobal, which is a few hours off the coast of Ecuador. A local family is "ädopting" me for the next few months while I volunteer at Hospital Oskar Jandl. My experience in Quito has been a very memorable and unique one. I have learned many valuble lessons about Ecuador, Latin America, and life in general. By quickly adapting to this new lifestyle I was able to make the most of my month in Quito. I not only learned the [View Full Entry]

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