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Published: March 25th 2008
Well...I figured out the pictures, finally. But it takes waaaaay to long to have them upload. Not sure if it’s because 1) I was shooting in 8 mgpxl, 2) This blog sight is slow 3) I’m in south america and am using an apple II??? I´ll have to find a faster way to share this trip with you guys...in the meantime...here is my trip so far...in a nutshell
3/17: Flew in to Quito
3/18: Took bus to Riobamba. Pick-pocket tried to ¨help¨ me with my bag. What’s the harm I thought, all he’s doing is putting it under the seat for me...nice fellow. Two minuets later he I found him weaseling under the seat behind me trying to get at it. I yelled at him with my limited Spanish and he backed off immediately...still, no fun. Stayed at 3 dollar hostel ¨Nuca Hucia¨or something like that...pretty terrible, but right next to the Semana Santa parade route that was going on when I arrived. Turns out it’s Easter week...who new? Oh wait, everyone but me.
3/19: Took bus from Riobamba to San Bernardo...Johnny´s Peace Corp sight. I can’t tell you how beautiful this place is. Was greeted by the sight of
Johnny and his sister Stacey surrounded by little Quechuen children pulling at their sleeves and begging for their attention. Johnny has been working at a school for indigenous children for the past two years. These kids adore him. It was a great feeling being around to pick up the transitive gringo love that Johnny had spent years earning. Spent the night working on a wall-size map of the world for one of the two classrooms. Johnny tells me that most of these children have never really seen an entire map of the world.
3/20: Hiked halfway to Columbe with Johnny and Stacey before being picked up by bus, which took us the rest of the way to the Pan-American highway. hitch-hiked from pan am to an indigenous market that few gringos get to see. Bought hat...sorry dad, this one is for me.
3/21: Hiked to Padre Rume with Johnny and Stacy. I really have no idea how to spell it, I think its part Quechuen, which I don’t speak any of. Except ¨Ajichichi¨ which I think means good day. Great hike, kicked our butts. Could have seen Cotapaxi from top of hike if it weren’t for the clouds. High point
of the day was when we happened upon an Quechuen Evangelical baptising. It was beautiful. The colours of the clothes they were wearing, the two streams converging, the cows crazing...never seen anything like it. The one picture I took of it doesn’t really do it justice because, partly because this was a deeply religious experience for these people and i didn’t want to spook them.
3/22: Slept in, headed over to Jose´s house for Johnny’s Dispartida around 12. John-boy wouldn’t let me bring a camera for this because he his sister was going to bring hers and she is a professional photographer. Fair enough. But I can’t wait to get these pictures back from her. We basically helped prepare a feast in honour of Johnny’s work in San Bernardo in a thatched mud-hut. Then we gorged ourselves. Late that night we paid Willow 10 bucks to drive the three of us back to Riobamba...I got sick on the way...not sure what it was from, probably the feast we had just eaten. No fun.
3/23: Sick in Riobamba
3/24: Sick in Riobamba. Got Clothes to laundry and back. That was all.
3/25: Starting to feel better. Did some errands today. Sent
some stuff home that I wanted to keep, but didn’t want to travel with any more. Got ready for my 13 hour (I am guessing) bus ride to the Peruvian border. Leaving at 9. Cross border tomorrow and grab new bus to Trujillo. See ya in Peru!
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Come Home
I miss you... Now that I can run at midnight whenever I want, I realize that I wasn't just using you all these years. Oh, and take more pictures with you in them. If I wanted to see pictures of Ecuadorians, I would read National Geographic. All of our market research has shown that the world wants pictures of you interacting with the locals. Make it happen!