Blogs from Ecuador, South America - page 619

Hola!!! After starting out at 4am (uk) we eventually gt to Quito some 18.5 hours later. Admittedly can´t really tell you much about that first night as we went to bed 2 hours later (8pm in Ecuador)! After Russia it seems to get dark so early (about 7pm). It´s very weird to think that we´re on the Equator. The weather is gorgeous - hot in the sun and cool in the shade - although the sun is intense. Haven´t noticed the altitude too much - a little when we were doing salsa... but not too much. After nearly being sent two hours north to track Andean Bears with the voluntary organisation... we sorted out the right work - with the kiddies in Quito. We also had a 3hr Spanish lesson and a salsa lesson. Ahh - ... read more

Our next trail today we came up the matapalo. It is a strangler fig. Its vines wrap around another tree and ‘strangles’ it until it kills it. Then the vines surround the tree. The tree finally decomposes and the vines become a new tree. We got to go inside the matapalo. Later in the day a few of us asked Ima to show us some of the things the Huaorani use in the jungle. He took us out in the jungle and then grabbed a vine and rolled it into a circle. He used the vine around his ankles for leverage as he climbed the tree. He climbed really far up. We each then attempted to climb the tree. He made it look really easy. It was not. Then Ima taught us how to use the ... read more

Howdy Yáll, Sayard and I are in Quito, Ecuador. And at 120,000 inches of altitude, the first couple of days were exhausting. And you can forget about hard boiled eggs around here unless you have a lot of time on your hands. I mentioned the Cabalgattos in my last posting. It is a great example for examining the differences in liability laws between Colombia and the U.S.A. Imagine if you can, taking 10 people who have never or almost never ridden horses and setting them upon mostly well behaved steeds without the option of a helmet. Then take them galloping down country roads used by vehicles. Top that by making destination points bars and there you have it. Ten drunk gringos galloping through Colombian villages! Erik´s wedding was on Saturday. It was held at the former ... read more

I know how excited you all must be to see that I have written yet another blog in such a short amount of time. The past two days have been super amounts of fun, though it´s not even 8 o´clock and I´m pooped. My eye lids are gaining pounds by the second, so I´ll hurry and tell you about the past two exciting days. Starting, of course, with Yesterday. MONDAY (6-26) During school today I taught my babies in K-class and later in the morning went upstairs to teach the sixth graders. It was a fun morning and the kids are just wonderful here. It´s so much fun talking with them, even if I have to tell them to slow down or be more clearer with their pronounciation. Practice makes perfect, and believe me these kids ... read more

I arrived in Quito Saturday night. It is a lot bigger than I expected. Looking down from the plane it was beautiful to see the lights of the city spread out up and down the hillsides. After some confusion I made it to my hotel. I was getting picked up at the airport and I was searching for the person holding the sign with my name. Finally I realised that the sign saying Kelie Vraele was me. That is how my name translates from spoken to written in Spanish. On Sunday morning I woke up very early (no more sleeping in!) and with my guidebook in my pack, headed to the Old City. Quito is divided into the Old City in the south and the New City in the north. The Old City is listed as ... read more