This past week my mom and my brother Pete came to visit me in Ecuador. They arrived Saturday the 28th at night. I met them at the airport, we took the shuttle to their hotel together, and I took a taxi home. On Sunday, we went to the Brasil v. Ecuador fútbol game. It was crazy. We got there two and a half hours before the game started and there were no seats, so we stood the whole time; we also got rained on for part of the time. But the game was awesome!
On Monday, we attempted to go the Museo del Banco Central, but it was closed. So, Pete and Mom wound up coming to campus with me for a meeting I had for my Tiputini trip. We ate on campus, and they wandered around while I was at my meeting. After that, we went to Museo Mindalae (Ecuadorian artisan crafts) and the artisan market.
On Tuesday, we had lunch with my host family, Mom took a walk with Juli around my neighborhood, they came with me to the travel agent, and Pete and I went bowling with Deanna, Lacy, and a bunch of my Ecuadorian friends.
On Wednesday, I went to class while Mom and Pete took a tour of the city and went to Mitad del Mundo. After that, we grabbed dinner and went to the Ballet Folclórico Jacchigua. It was basically a blend of traditional dances with choreography meant to tell the story of the indigenous people of Ecuador. It was set, of course, to a live band. It was pretty much awesome.
On Thursday, the three of us went to Cotopaxi. It was super clear out, and we could see a whole bunch of volcanoes while we were driving to Cotopaxi. Pete and I climbed up to the first refuge (just shy of the snow line) and played in the snow. It was pretty sweet. When we got back to the hotel, I had to say good bye because I was leaving for Tiputini Friday morning and couldn’t come with them to the airport.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Tumbaco y Guachalá
This weekend I had two field trips. First, I went to Tumbaco with my ecology class. It's just the next town over from Cumbayá, where my university is. We went to this commune type thing based on sustainability. They grow organic fruits and vegetables, raise free range chickens, make their own soap, use solar energy to heat their water, and trade among themselves and local artisans for anything else they need. It was pretty sweet. It really made me think about the way we see our resources.
Then I went to Guachalá with my program and two students from Georgetown. It's the oldest hacienda in Ecuador. It was gorgeous. It had massive gardens that made me feel like I was in "The Secret Garden." I spent some time wandering around the gardens, napping in a hammock in the green house/pool area, and riding a horse through the property. It was awesome.
Then I went to Guachalá with my program and two students from Georgetown. It's the oldest hacienda in Ecuador. It was gorgeous. It had massive gardens that made me feel like I was in "The Secret Garden." I spent some time wandering around the gardens, napping in a hammock in the green house/pool area, and riding a horse through the property. It was awesome.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Dad's Visit
Like I wrote in my birthday post, my dad came to visit me this week. On Monday, we went to the Teleférico and to a Liga soccer game. On Tuesday, we went to Mitad del Mundo and had lunch with my host family. Yesterday (Wednesday) we went on a tour of Cotopaxi, which was awesome! My dad got to the highest altitude in his life. We also had a nice lunch together in a little restaurant in the middle of nowhere. I think that was my favorite part because we talked about a lot of things. He left very early this morning. It was a short visit, but I enjoyed it, and I think he did too!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Big Two-Oh in Ecuador
My birthday has been super fantastic here. On Thursday, Andrés, Carlos, Jero, Juan Andrés, Deanna, Lacy, and I went bowling and then had dinner at CCI (a mall). It was the first time Deanna and Lacy met my Ecuadorian friends and the first time we all met Juan Andrés (Andy’s best friend). On Friday, we went to CEA (Católicos en Acción—the group of Catholic university students that Kelsey and I go to on Fridays), and they gave me a birthday card and a welcome to the group bookmark.
Saturday was the best. First, Kelsey and I tried and failed to find a book we need for our lit class. Then we made our way to Mall el Jardín and met up with Deanna and Andrés. Carlos and Jero met us there shortly thereafter. The six of us then headed to karaoke. We sang “Livin la vida loca,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Everybody” (yes, by the Backstreet Boys), “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” and “Barbie Girl,” along with some latina songs I don’t know. From there, we went for dinner in Quicentro (a different mall). They surprised me with birthday cake—complete with candles. They also proceeded to try to get frosting all over me. Lacy had a field trip for her geology class but met us at Quicentro, as did Pablo from CEA. After dinner, Kelsey, Pablo, Andy, and I went to the airport to pick up my dad. Eventually, my dad showed up and met my friends. They left, and he and I took the shuttle to his hotel. From there, I took a taxi home. When I got home, I found a really sweet card that (I found out) Kelsey had bought, snuck around the group throughout the day so that they could all sign it, and put in my bag while I was in the bathroom. I was so happy/touched that I cried.
Today (my actual birthday), Dad, Meche, Gonzalo, and I went out for lunch in centro histórico. Some of the roads were closed because apparently Prince Charles is visiting Ecuador. We stopped to watch his limo drive by. The restaurant where we ate lunch was kind of funny because their logo is someone in the traditional semana santa parade garb, which looks a lot like the KKK outfit. For dessert, someone dressed as such came out with a torta de maiz with a candle in it for me. My dad found it quite entertaining.
Overall, I had a fantastic birthday. I love my friends so much, and I’m very glad to have my dad here for the occasion.
Saturday was the best. First, Kelsey and I tried and failed to find a book we need for our lit class. Then we made our way to Mall el Jardín and met up with Deanna and Andrés. Carlos and Jero met us there shortly thereafter. The six of us then headed to karaoke. We sang “Livin la vida loca,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Everybody” (yes, by the Backstreet Boys), “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” and “Barbie Girl,” along with some latina songs I don’t know. From there, we went for dinner in Quicentro (a different mall). They surprised me with birthday cake—complete with candles. They also proceeded to try to get frosting all over me. Lacy had a field trip for her geology class but met us at Quicentro, as did Pablo from CEA. After dinner, Kelsey, Pablo, Andy, and I went to the airport to pick up my dad. Eventually, my dad showed up and met my friends. They left, and he and I took the shuttle to his hotel. From there, I took a taxi home. When I got home, I found a really sweet card that (I found out) Kelsey had bought, snuck around the group throughout the day so that they could all sign it, and put in my bag while I was in the bathroom. I was so happy/touched that I cried.
Today (my actual birthday), Dad, Meche, Gonzalo, and I went out for lunch in centro histórico. Some of the roads were closed because apparently Prince Charles is visiting Ecuador. We stopped to watch his limo drive by. The restaurant where we ate lunch was kind of funny because their logo is someone in the traditional semana santa parade garb, which looks a lot like the KKK outfit. For dessert, someone dressed as such came out with a torta de maiz with a candle in it for me. My dad found it quite entertaining.
Overall, I had a fantastic birthday. I love my friends so much, and I’m very glad to have my dad here for the occasion.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Cotopaxi y Baños
This weekend I went on a field trip with my friend Deanna’s volcanology class. We left Saturday morning and went first to Cotopaxi, a 5897 meter high volcano in the province of the same name. It was gorgeous. The weather was almost perfect: way clearer than it usually is. We first ran down this hill-type-thing to look at some solidified lava and what it did to the earth. Climbing back up the hill sucked, so much so that I wound up not being able to climb to the snowline of the volcano, but it was still pretty sweet. I got some amazing pictures. After Cotopaxi, we took a bus to Baños, a popular tourist city at the base of the volcano Tungurahua and about 3 hours from Quito. We were all pretty beat by the time we got there, so we just got food and went to bed.
We woke up around 5am on Sunday to go to the Pailón del Diablo (Devil’s Hollow). It was super sweet. We hiked around for a while and saw a really sweet waterfall and some more evidence of ancient volcanic activity. After that excursion, we returned to the hostal, had breakfast, explored the city a little bit, and headed to the bus back to Quito. We really didn’t get a chance to see that much of Baños, so we’re planning on coming back for another weekend. After an hour on the bus, we stopped to check out an area that was taken out by pyroclastic flow and talk about the logistics/politics of living in an area that’s in danger should an eruption occur.
Overall, I really enjoyed the trip. There were some girls who were really whiny. I don’t mean to over-generalize, but so far USFQ kids have given me the impression of being spoiled and snotty. As it was described to me in orientation, USFQ is the Laguna Beach of Quito. The girls on this trip did nothing at all to change that opinion. They wore fashionable clothes (not appropriate for hiking and climbing), checked their makeup and hair all the time, smoked while hiking or when they were specifically told not to, and constantly whined about everything. It really got on my nerves. For example, the Pailón del Diablo excursion was optional, and these girls decided to come and then complain about it the whole time: how early it was, how hard the hike was, how long we dilly dallied to look at the volcanic sites (which was the whole point). Also, we had to wait in line to get onto the bridge to see the waterfall b/c there could only be five (we did seven) people on the bridge at once. My two friends and I had been patiently waiting for the seven people on the bridge to take their pictures and whatnot, when a group of these girls cuts in front of us. Luckily, there were four of them, so we still got on the bridge next, but I don’t know where they got off feeling entitled to get in line in front of us. I was not happy with them at all. I’m super glad that I hang out with Ecuadorians that I met outside of school. The people I’ve met who go to different universities in Quito have been super nice: not at all like the people at USFQ. They're actually normal people.
We woke up around 5am on Sunday to go to the Pailón del Diablo (Devil’s Hollow). It was super sweet. We hiked around for a while and saw a really sweet waterfall and some more evidence of ancient volcanic activity. After that excursion, we returned to the hostal, had breakfast, explored the city a little bit, and headed to the bus back to Quito. We really didn’t get a chance to see that much of Baños, so we’re planning on coming back for another weekend. After an hour on the bus, we stopped to check out an area that was taken out by pyroclastic flow and talk about the logistics/politics of living in an area that’s in danger should an eruption occur.
Overall, I really enjoyed the trip. There were some girls who were really whiny. I don’t mean to over-generalize, but so far USFQ kids have given me the impression of being spoiled and snotty. As it was described to me in orientation, USFQ is the Laguna Beach of Quito. The girls on this trip did nothing at all to change that opinion. They wore fashionable clothes (not appropriate for hiking and climbing), checked their makeup and hair all the time, smoked while hiking or when they were specifically told not to, and constantly whined about everything. It really got on my nerves. For example, the Pailón del Diablo excursion was optional, and these girls decided to come and then complain about it the whole time: how early it was, how hard the hike was, how long we dilly dallied to look at the volcanic sites (which was the whole point). Also, we had to wait in line to get onto the bridge to see the waterfall b/c there could only be five (we did seven) people on the bridge at once. My two friends and I had been patiently waiting for the seven people on the bridge to take their pictures and whatnot, when a group of these girls cuts in front of us. Luckily, there were four of them, so we still got on the bridge next, but I don’t know where they got off feeling entitled to get in line in front of us. I was not happy with them at all. I’m super glad that I hang out with Ecuadorians that I met outside of school. The people I’ve met who go to different universities in Quito have been super nice: not at all like the people at USFQ. They're actually normal people.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Carnaval--Parte 2
I'm back from Carnaval, and it was a blast...for the most part.
On Saturday we took a five hour bus ride to Guaranda. There was a parade going on, so we wandered around the city looking for our hostal, while getting sprayed with carioca, foam spray a bit like silly string, and squirt guns. That's carnaval for you. It really wasn't that big of a deal. We got to our hostal, had lunch in the restaurant down stairs and went to explore the city, during which we got foamed and sprayed a lot of course. Then, we took a taxi up to a monument, enjoyed the view of the city, and pet a donkey. After that, we took a taxi back to our hostal, napped, and ate dinner. After dinner, we went to a parade, met some gringos there, and went with them to a dance, which was super fun.
On Sunday, we went to Guaranda's big Carnaval parade. Little did we know it would run on Ecuadorian time, so we were standing around waiting for the parade to start and there was nothing better for the locals to do than to have carioca fights. So, we all got completely covered in foam, including in my eyes. To top it all off, it started to rain, and we all got really cold. So, after the parade, we headed back to the hostal, grabbed some lunch, and tried to find the bus to Ambato, which was quite the adventure. The buses couldn't get to the terminal because of all the festival traffic, so we just and to stand on the street that went out of town and hope the right bus would pass us. While we were wandering around looking for the bus, a bunch of guys sprayed us with a hose, completely soaking us. By that point we were all more than ready to get the you-know-what out of Guaranda. Once we got to Ambato, we basically hung out in our over priced hotel because we were all cold, wet, and tired.
On Monday, we went to a market in Ambato, up to another monument to see views of the city and the surrounding volcanoes, to a fair/expo, and then back to our hotel. During that time we did not get sprayed at all. Afterward, we went to Ambato's big Carnaval parade, which was very pretty and civilized. At the end of the parade, people started busting out the carioca, but it was definitely not as bad as Guaranda. After the parade, we headed back to our hotel and conked out.
Today, we took a bus back to Quito. And that's how my first Carnaval in Latin America went.
On Saturday we took a five hour bus ride to Guaranda. There was a parade going on, so we wandered around the city looking for our hostal, while getting sprayed with carioca, foam spray a bit like silly string, and squirt guns. That's carnaval for you. It really wasn't that big of a deal. We got to our hostal, had lunch in the restaurant down stairs and went to explore the city, during which we got foamed and sprayed a lot of course. Then, we took a taxi up to a monument, enjoyed the view of the city, and pet a donkey. After that, we took a taxi back to our hostal, napped, and ate dinner. After dinner, we went to a parade, met some gringos there, and went with them to a dance, which was super fun.
On Sunday, we went to Guaranda's big Carnaval parade. Little did we know it would run on Ecuadorian time, so we were standing around waiting for the parade to start and there was nothing better for the locals to do than to have carioca fights. So, we all got completely covered in foam, including in my eyes. To top it all off, it started to rain, and we all got really cold. So, after the parade, we headed back to the hostal, grabbed some lunch, and tried to find the bus to Ambato, which was quite the adventure. The buses couldn't get to the terminal because of all the festival traffic, so we just and to stand on the street that went out of town and hope the right bus would pass us. While we were wandering around looking for the bus, a bunch of guys sprayed us with a hose, completely soaking us. By that point we were all more than ready to get the you-know-what out of Guaranda. Once we got to Ambato, we basically hung out in our over priced hotel because we were all cold, wet, and tired.
On Monday, we went to a market in Ambato, up to another monument to see views of the city and the surrounding volcanoes, to a fair/expo, and then back to our hotel. During that time we did not get sprayed at all. Afterward, we went to Ambato's big Carnaval parade, which was very pretty and civilized. At the end of the parade, people started busting out the carioca, but it was definitely not as bad as Guaranda. After the parade, we headed back to our hotel and conked out.
Today, we took a bus back to Quito. And that's how my first Carnaval in Latin America went.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Carnaval--Parte 1
Carnaval has been quite the experience so far. Even though the famed pre-Lent festival is technically just this weekend (through Tuesday), there have been plenty of shenanigans the whole month. For example, someone threw a water balloon at me from a bus when I was walking home. Nico, my five-year-old host nephew, threatened to shoot me with his water gun until Meche told him, "No hagas carnaval a la Patricia." And today, I was riding in a taxi with the window down, and someone in a passing car sprayed this pink foam stuff at me. Such actions are supposed to be illegal and thus have calmed down in recent years, but they definitely still go on. Apparently they target gringos, and I can't really blend in, so this weekend might be an adventure. I'm going to two cities famous for their Carnaval celebrations: Guaranda and Ambato. I've been told that people get eggs thrown at them in Guaranda, so I'll try to be careful. More on that when I get back...
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