A Weekend Excursion

Yesterday I traveled with Jolyn Rekasis, an SIUE student, Lucy, a student from California, and JoLyn’s host brother, Carlos, to Mindo, Ecuador.  It is a city known for its beautiful scenery.  Although we did not have time to visit the butterfly house (an attraction Mindo is known for), we did get to hike the mountainside.  This mountain is VERY different from the Andes.  It is full of life, including palm trees and over 120 species of birds.  We hiked for about 4 hours and were able to see 5 different cascading waterfalls.  It was a stunning sight.  After that, we ate impanadas with cheese (a regular appetizer here) and traveled back to our homes in Quito.

Advice: If you plan on traveling to Mindo make it a two or three day trip. There is SO much to do! We didn’t even make it to the butterfly house, the horse rides through the mountains, the bike trails, the large lagoon, the famous dish ceviche de palmito, and much more. Also, plan on getting wet if you travel to the waterfalls (you might want a swimsuit, change of clothes, etc.). J

Is it possible to be higher than life?

Yesterday JoLyn, Cal, and I scaled the Andes Mountains.  It was AMAZING.  The Andes are the third highest mountain chain in the world! The views from pictures are better than those you see in postcards, not even taking into consideration how much better they are in person.  We walked around for awhile and decided to take a break for some photos when Cal noticed a section of barbed wire that had been cut off by someone.  So, JoLyn and I followed him into the “forbidden” section of the Andes.  There really isn’t regulation in the mountains and there were actually a lot of others that followed us.  Good work Cal :-).  From there, we walked for about 4 more hours. Cal brought a chocolate brownie which was another very good idea.  When you are 4.5 thousand meters above sea level, you start to get very dizzy and weak.  Chocolate combats the effects of such high altitude (dizziness, nausea, light-headedness, etc.).  In fact, we refused to stop climbing and ended up walking pretty much as far as you can without having gear for the snow.  I can’t explain how spectacular it is to be standing inside of a cloud.  It is so peaceful.  Not very many people make it that high and it is definitely too far away for cars, or other devices, so noise feels practically non-existent.  Also, because there are such low oxygen levels, much life (trees, animals, etc.) does not exist either.  When we reached our highest point we stopped for awhile to soak it all in.  As I looked around I realized: I was higher than the tallest buildings, higher than planes, higher than the clouds, and yes, even higher than life.

PLEASE, if you are in Ecuador, DO NOT miss the Andes Mountains.  If you are not the hiking type, then take the “teleferico” (cable cars) to the 4.0 meter mark.  It is an experience too beautiful to miss.

ADVICE:  Wear layers and bring very warm clothes if you are planning to hike the Andes.  At first it was very hot, but by the end it was so cold we could see our breath.  Also bring something salty (chips, etc.) and chocolate.  This will help with the effects of the altitude. Further, don’t forget a bottle of water—drink it even if you do not feel thirsty!!  It is a good idea to stop midway when there are steep inclines and rest until you catch your breath again.  Definitely stop and rest if you are feeling any dizziness.  Also, if you are fatigued, stretching and a few jumping jacks will cause more oxygen to reach your bloodstream, which in turn lessens the fatigue.

Pollution and Bugs

There is so much pollution in Quito that I'm not sure I will make it out alive.  That is if the palm-sized mosquitoes don't get to me first.

Night Life and Showers

The night life here is exciting! There is a lot of American music mixed in with Spanish at the clubs and bars as well as new drinks for tasting. BUT, everything closes so early.  From my understanding there are so many robbers at night that the managers all close shop not too long after dark...about 8:00 p.m.   There are some that stay open, but they don't card when letting people in. So as soon as the police show up, then the club closes because they are afraid of being ticketed for having minors in their establishment. I feel like a better idea would be to have the bouncer that stands at the door collecting money actually card people. 

Also, today I finally had my first hot shower! If you can imagine a happy dance, I am doing it right now! ADVICE: If you plan on coming to Ecuador, find out when your family uses the shower and do not shower any time even close to that if you want hot water.

The ups and downs

Today is my first day of getting ripped off.  I knew it would come at some point.  I just bought four movies. One was not actually in the case, one has no sound, and the other two were in English not Spanish. On the other hand, today is the first day I will be going out for the nightlife in the city. Wish me luck!

ADVICE: If you are buying movies in Ecuador, before you purchase them, tell the vendor you want to test them.  The vendor will then pop in the movie and let you see clips from the beginning, middle, and end to ensure that the dvd is what you wanted and has good quality.

Slimy but good

I finished my first lunch in Ecuador only to discover that I just ate cow intestines…hmmm…I'm not sure this is what my papá had in mind when he said I should be careful of what I eat. haha.

My First Day in Quito

Today is my first day in Quito, Ecuador!  What a long day it has been, too.  I started at 3 a.m. central time to catch my flight at 6. On the plane  I met a woman, Catalina, who lives in the U.S. but is originally from Quito.  Three hours later I felt like I had known her for years!  She gave me phone numbers and contact information of her friends in Quito in case I have any problems. Talk about friendly!  Finally, 12 hours later, I arrived in Quito only to find that my ride was not waiting for me!  It was very confusing and scary.  Call it bad luck if you will, but at least I found a nice woman who helped me out and found a tourist booth, who then called the number given to me by my school, who then sent my ride to pick me up.  I guess my ride thought I landed at 9 p.m. and not 6.  When people say Ecuador is known for being patient and friendly to gringos, they are not lying.  Not only was Catalina great, but everyone at the airport was fantastic, too. Even though they didn’t speak a word of English, they were patient and helped me until they were sure I had what I needed.  My host family also seems extremely welcoming.  My host mother, Zayda, fed me a snack as soon as I arrived, gave me a tour of the house (including my own restroom with which she assured me I could use as much hot water as needed), set up my laptop with internet, and insisted I use her landline to call my mom long distance. Although these amenities may not seem like much for those of us living in the U.S., in Ecuador they are a great deal to offer.  Zayda has mentioned several times that this is my new home and these people are my new family….it is very comforting.  She is also very patient with me and repeats her sentences a lot.  Hopefully I will get the hang of the pace and accent that los Ecuatorianos have!  I also live with her husband, Manolo, her daughter, Coya, and Coya’s son, Aaron.  Each have a distinct personality and I can’t wait to get to know them better.  The altitude has given me some problems.  My stomach feels as though it’s in knots, the same as when you are very nervous for a big exam.  Manolo says that high altitudes upset people’s stomachs when they first arrive so I need to be careful of what I eat.  I also have a splitting headache.  For those of you planning to travel to Ecuador, make sure you bring Tylenol for when you arrive, it’s been a lifesaver.  Also, don’t go up the stairs or lift things too quickly because you will get very dizzy.  Trust me, I learned the hard way when I fell going up the stairs :x.  Well, I start my first day of classes tomorrow and can’t wait to tour the city!

Until then,

Amy