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Published: June 13th 2007
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The first stop on my trip is Quito, Ecuador. Quito is the capitol of Ecuador, as is evident by all the security guys with big guns on every corner. At first, I thought they were only posted in front of banks and government buildings, which makes sense. But today I saw one in front of a bakery so I’m not sure how it works. Quito is at an altitude of approximately 8,000 ft. The first couple of days I felt a bit dizzy from the altitude and could tell when I hadn’t had enough water to drink. But after a couple of days my body has acclimatized.
Quito is just like any other city - lots of cars, cold concrete buildings, and smog so thick it burns my nose and throat every time I breathe. After 1 day, I was ready to get out. Kate and Francheska had been in Quito for a week so they were itching to get to the countryside as well. So, we took a 2-hour bus ride to Otavalo.
Otavalo is 2 hours north of Quito - a beautiful little town tucked away in the mountains. Every day I’ve been in Ecuador, I
haven’t been able to sleep past 7:30 a.m., which is odd for me, as everyone knows! 😊 The sun is up, roosters are crowing, dogs are barking, birds are singing … and I wake up. I also go to bed by 9:30 p.m. so I guess that makes up for it. There hasn’t been much of a nightlife for me the past few days.
Going to Otavalo was exactly what I needed. There are three different types of indigenous people in Otavalo. I don’t recall the names but they are very distinct and wear beautiful clothing. Otavalo is famous for its market on Saturdays called Plaza de Ponchos. The market seems never-ending! The stalls full of jewelry, clothing, souvenirs, paintings, vegetables, blankets, and shoes go on and on. There’s also an animal market but I didn’t get to see it.
We stayed in a fabulous hostel in the mountains for $8 a night. The view was amazing and we were surrounded by all types of animals: horses, cows, dogs, pigs, birds, roosters, and donkeys. I never saw the donkeys, but I could hear them. Every so often they would bray loudly letting everyone know they were there. Ecuador
is full of dogs - everywhere you go there are dogs but oddly I haven’t seen any cats. At night the temperature in Otavalo went down into the 40s (F) or maybe even lower and there was no heat. We had to sleep with 4 woolen blankets each! On top of that, I was wearing a sweater, sweat pants, socks, and a beanie and I was still cold!
The second day in Otavalo, we hiked for an hour through the countryside and a really muddy pathway to a waterfall. I slipped once and cut my arm on the barbed wire. The cut wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be - I think my ego was bruised more by the fall! It’s the closest I’ve ever been to a waterfall. I literally walked right up to it (as you can see from the pictures)!
We walked an hour back to the hostel and by the end of it, I stunk! I took a bus back to Quito that night and didn’t get a chance to shower - those poor people who had to sit next to me! The best thing about the bus ride was the guy
La Luna Hosteleria
The hostel we stayed at in Otavalo. sitting on the dashboard. There weren’t enough seats for everyone so the bus conductor told the guy to sit on the dashboard!
The bus driver was a character. He was driving like he was in the Indy 500 - overtaking other buses and cars and honking at anything that got in his way. About an hour into the bus ride, while we were going through some winding roads in the mountains, a girl selling ice-cream got on the bus. She asked the conductor if he wanted ice-cream and instead of paying attention to the road, he was arguing with the lady about ice-cream flavors! Santa Maria!
As anyone who travels knows, the best and I mean THE best part of traveling is sampling the local cuisine. I was a bit disappointed because the first few days all I had eaten was American or Italian food. No real Ecuadorian food. I’m staying with a local family in Quito and the lady of the house has made pasta, pork chops, and lasagna so far. And last night we had KFC! Can you believe it?!? Not exactly what I had in mind. I was itching for some authentic flavor. We finally
had some local ceviche, fritadas, and llapingachos (pronounced japingachos). A little too salty for me, but at least now I know.
The family I’m staying with is extremely nice. From what I’ve heard from other students, they are the friendliest of the host families. They have a huge house - it’s 3 stories and more like a bed and breakfast then a house. The top floor is a terrace with 5 rooms; the second floor has 3 rooms, a kitchen, a sitting area with a T.V., and a game room with a pool table and chess table, etc.; and the first floor is where the family lives and is quite large. Jorge is a lawyer. He has his own practice and also teaches at the local university. Teresa, from what I can tell, is a housewife.
This week, I’m in Quito taking Spanish classes for 4 hours a day. My basic Spanish is ok but it’s definitely improving because I am forced to use it whenever I’m at school or traveling around the city. On Friday, I’m off to Montanitas, which is one of the best beaches in Ecuador. I hope it’s warm there. I need some sun!
😊 After that, I’m off to the Amazon Jungle for a week. I’m really excited about the Amazon! I’ll be taking lots of pictures!
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Phillip
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Yay for updates
Hey Jen, Your trip looks like it is starting off amazingly! Keep the updates and pictures coming. It's good to see and read about the outside world from this little cubicle. You should find one of those mysterious donkeys while you're there and take a picture of it. That is your mission before you leave the hostel. GNE is going okay. Still learning lots and enjoying the job. It's a lot quieter these days it seems. Diane quit last week! Our department shrunk, again. I'll keep you posted so you can see what you're (not) missing :)