BIG BUSES & BANNED DANCING

Yesterday, I took a tour out of Quito to Otavalo and surrounding areas. Otavalo is a small town in the north, very famous for its indigenous market.  I had to go.. any excuse to spend money… claro?

I wish I had some old stories to share about Otavalo... or even some photos- but I don't.  I think by the time our AFS group actually made it that far (near the end of our trip), I was through with the writing part for the year.  

Meeting the tour bus was a bit of an ordeal.  When I arrived at the Tourist Information bus waiting location, there were 2 other older couples.  I must have looked confused, because they came to my rescue and confirmed that I was in the right spot.

Then along came our tour guide and informed us that the bus was very, very big.  

Huge.  

Her exact words were, “very huge” bus. 

She explained that due to its enormity, it was actually having a lot of trouble tackling the tight corners of Historical Quito, so we were asked to walk a few blocks up to board at a more convenient location.

Not a problem.

It was raining… lightly… but not enough to scare us off.

Back to the very huge bus though... 

I'm envisioning some sort of enormous double decker 747 to come barreling towards us, mach2 with its hair on fire...

Then I saw it.

It was a bus. 

A Bus.

Envision a bus and that is exactly what it was.

Same as all the other buses in town.  Everywhere.

I boarded and almost immediately fell asleep (sporadically, of course.)  I can’t kick this jet lag.  When I do eventually fall asleep at night, it’s only for about 15 minutes, and then I’m up until 3 or 4am.  Cursed.

The girl with the bloated face, red nose, thick ankles who can't sleep at night!  Definitely cursed...

We drove through the streets of Quito to do a pick up at 2 other locations… and as we made our way through the new town and into the outskirts, things started to look really familiar. 

Gusburger!... like an old friend I don't want to reconnect with.  That was a greasy, fast food joint that we used to frequent on more than a few occasions.
Usually a little 'borracha' when I arrived.

Your typical burger and papas fritas menu...

Noticed some new fast food chains have arisen… OkiDokee, Willys, Pollo Campero… and just when I thought that McDonald's had left the country- there it was!  In all it’s glory… almost taking up an entire city block.  'Very huge' McDonald's.

Ok- here is my big question of the day.

WHY are there so many unfinished buildings?

They are seriously everywhere.

It’s like the construction workers came, laid the foundation… started on the walls… laid a few bricks… went to the pub and never came back.

“You want to finish this one up?” 

“Nah”

I know that Ecuador is a developing country- but I had to google it to see if it was third world.  Now I know that it has its share of poverty and middle class/richness… but from driving around, it appears that there are more on the lower class of the scale than the latter.

But regardless of where it stands on an international scale, it really does feel so good to be back here.

The curb side stalls selling cigarettes, chocolate bars, gum balls, chewy candy… etc…. 

The people walking around yelling "Loteria!"  

The magazine stands.
The shoe polish stations.

Then you see things that I wouldn’t consider quite normal.

Like a man sweeping grass.

A man riding a motorcycle with a toddler strapped to his back with some cloth.

I've also observed that the selfie stick is making a huge comeback in Ecuador… or maybe it just never went away once it was introduced. 

Winding our way over the hills of Quito's outer countryside was very dramatic, as the clouds were low enough to hide the peaks of the mountains.  

First stop was the "REAL" equator.

This is actually up for debate.  La Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) is a huge monument north of Quito and it one of the biggest tourist attractions in Ecuador.  In fact, here I am 26 years ago! (Don't even ask what I was doing... acting like a goof...)

BUT this time, the tour took us to the "real" Equator, Quitsato Sundial, the one that is actually a large sundial.

It was erected in 2007 and they claim is actually the real, true equator.  I looked it up online to get a bit more information and apparently, according to Google Maps, the central pillar is 4 metres below the true equator.  


I think there are about 3-4 "real" equators here in Ecuador... seems like a bit of a business venture to me.

Then me made a stop at Waterfall Peguche.  

After parking, we had to do a short walk in to the where the waterfall was located.  On the way, there was a tree named “Centennial Tree.” 

Apparently it is 300 years old and legend has it that it has magical positive powers.

I hugged it.  What have I got to lose?  If a tree is handing out magical positive powers, I’m not one to turn it down. Not at this moment in my life.

I guess that the surrounding pools are considered "purification baths" and a very important ceremonial site held  a couple days prior to the Into Raymi celebrations (June 21st).  Legend has it that the Devil sits inside at the foot of the waterfall and takes the soul of anyone that enters at that point.  I didn't risk it.

The waterfall was impressive.  The tour guide kept yelling, “Can you feel the energy???”

If by “energy” she meant the water spray that soaked me, then yes… I felt it.

Next stop - Otavalo...

I globbed myself on to a girl named Tracy from LA. She made me laugh at the beginning of the tour, so I decided that she was stuck with me for the remainder of the trip.  

I literally spent all my money at the Otavalo Market.  Cheap? I've encountered cheaper.  Some things were a steal of a deal... others not so much. See, Ecuador switched from the Ecuadorian sucre to the American dollar in 2000, after their currency nosedived.  Comparing costs to North America though, not a lot of difference.  Every time I asked how much something was, and they replied, the back of my mind screamed out 'American exchange rate.'

Bought the usual trinkets- necklaces, bracelets, beaded wonders, stuffed dolls, multicoloured scarves, lacy doilies, woven hats… 

Once again, stray dogs everywhere. 
Everywhere.

People begging for money.
The usual.

Of course, a day would not be complete without a little pain and embarrassment for myself.  I walked right in to a plank in the market, holding blankets and smashed my knee.  You know that feeling when you can literally taste the pain. I had to sit down and rock back & forth for about 10 minutes, until it subsided... and then stumbled away...

It's funny how much the locals at the market try to appeal to your wallet...  It's fun to barter for things that you actually want... but it doesn't matter how much they try to pull me in, harass me, follow me, or how low they go... nothing is going to take away the fact that I don't need a large wool blanket, nor do I need a hammock.  No to knives, woven bracelets, fridge magnets, Virgin Mary statues, ponchos, paintings, tile work...

Stopped in at a local restaurant with 3 others from the tour and made the quick decision that a beef, rice, cheese & jalapeno burrito would be the best option for me to eat that day.   As much as I talk tough, I am not an expert in choosing food wisely and I’ve had 45 years of proving that.

I also have to just accept the fact that 90% of my diet for the next few weeks is going to be made up of deep fried foods… fries (papas fritas), encanadas, fried plantains, frittatas, and even the occasional burrito...

It's inevitable.  
If you can't beat it, join it.
Grow Jo... grow.

There are a couple good things that I have already come to notice about dining out in Ecuador.  One- everything is usually translated in to English, directly beside the Spanish description.  As funny a translation as it may be sometimes, it gives you a fair idea of what you might or might not be getting.  Also most places have their entire menu photographed and plastered - whether it be on the awning, poster, pictures, board… it’s there. 

Pick, point and pay…

I found it funny that we all had to write our names on this list… but then that was it.  I don’t think I saw the tour guides once do a count or call names. On the bus and off we go!

And I have to mention, the bus was TOO big actually.  It had the capacity of seating 45 people.  I think we had 18 on our tour.  Maybe have a smaller bus on standby. Probably would have been more 'what is the word I'm looking for' - cozy...

Next stop - Cuicocha!

This is a beautiful lagoon (crater lake) at the foot of the Cotacachi Volcano.  The name means 'Guinea Pig Lake.'

Ricketiest and smallest boat ever!
Honestly - 18 of us... and 3 tour guides.

Tracy and I had to goto the bathroom, so unfortunately we missed the 'adult' life jackets. Trying to squeeze in to a child size lifejacket and breath normally in public is challenging. To add insult to injury, I found out that I wasn't allowed to dance on the boot.

What is this?
Footloose?... 
#notimpressed

It was interesting.

Wet again… but interesting.

We did end up breaking down in the middle of the lake… but, thanks be to Dios, the boat guy got us back up and running again.

As much as I wasn't looking forward to swimming to shore, I did briefly consider it a good way to clean my clothes...

When I got back to the hostel last night, I decided that I needed a nice little place to write, catch up on my daily dose of social media and have something to eat... and perhaps a lovey glass or two of vino tinto.

There is a restaurant door, just moments down the street from the hostel,.. and it didn’t look like more than just a small  dive, but tonight I stuck my head in the door to have a look.  Love at first site.  


It was the most adorable little hovel I have ever been in.  Something out of a romantic fairytale of restaurants.

There were HEARTS on the walls as you made your way up the narrow steep staircase. 3 floors of delight!
  

Granted, I quickly discovered that the reason it seemed so romantic was because it WAS so romantic.  The place had 3 loving couples dining in there, swooning over the candlelight, sipping on red wine... enjoying their meals, while being in love on holiday.

I sat there like a lump, alone, on facebook… albeit with wine.  

Never without!  That's my motto...

Nothing makes you feel more alone than a restaurant who's main decoration is hearts... and sharing a 1/2 litre of wine with me, myself and I.

I have to say that I have been walking UP a storm.  Walking everywhere.  Streets, narrow lanes, stairs, lagoons, markets, waterfalls… all over… and that feeling in my bum that I’ve sat WAY TOO long will NOT go away.   It started on the plane.  You know that feeling that you have just been sitting  for too long & you have to keep adjusting your ass to remain comfortable.  I get it in the movies sometimes. 

It’s like invisible bum sores that just won’t heal. 

Too much information?
Too bad. I am without pride now.

Well, I have been wearing the same outfit since Saturday afternoon. It’s Wednesday.  
Not kidding.

• I have been on a plane in it. 
• I have walked in it. 
• I have sweated in it. 
• I’ve done steps in it. 
• I have even slept in it.

I am literally dying for warmer temperatures... 

ACTIVITIES

I have to make this a separate posting... it deserves a page all unto its own.

Henri, who I already introduced everyone to yesterday, is the 'Activities' director here at the Friends Hostel...  and he was hosting an 'Activities' night at the Hostel last night... 

As promised, at exactly 7pm, I came downstairs in the lobby to join in.  There were 2 other guys there, plus myself... and Henri.  He welcomed everyone, very enthusiastically, to Activities Night, and told us that we were just waiting for a couple more people.  He kept clapping his hands and rubbing them together, almost as if the fun was just about to begin... or he was planning something quite devious.  One or the other.

The other couple showed up about 5 minutes later.

So... what WAS happening for activities night?  

I think that I was the only one that actually had an inkling because we had discussed some of the possibilities, as I moaned & groaned my way up 864 steps of stupid steepness.  

"We are going to make a very famous Ecuadorian feast"

... but first, Henri needed $2.00 from each of us in order to go shopping and buy the food. 

"Back in 15..."

We all sat there in the lobby waiting... awkwardly.  
Funny how Henri had to be at work for 5pm to 'prepare' for activities night... but then run off at 7pm to get the food.  

He did return about 10 minutes later with a bag full of surprises, and upstairs to the kitchen we went... the whole group of us.
Me, from Canada.  A couple from Buenos Aires (names forgotten), Alex from Paris, and Mert from Turquía...

Me: "Excuse me... from where? 

Mert:  "Turquía"

Absolutely undisguisably bewildered look on my face, as I realize that I have NO IDEA where this country is and perhaps it's somewhere in South America and I've have never heard of it...

Suddenly the entire group is silent, shocked and staring right at me, all with equally confused looks on their faces.

Mert questioned me immediately.

"Where are you from?" 

"Canada" 

"And you don't know Turquía?"

Now I'm horrified.
No.
Nightmare... and I honestly start contemplating whether I should just fudge my way through this, "OOOH....Turquía... yes! Sorry... I thought you said "Tooorquía"... just to try and save face.

I'm a fool.

It's fucking TURKEY!

TURKEY!!!!

I honestly covered my face with embarrassment.

For the rest of my life, I will refer to Turkey as Turquía.
No exceptions.

Anyway - on to the activities/meal... and might I add, that the entire time that Henri was preparing the meal, he kept reminding all of us that every girl in the world wants a man that is amazing in the kitchen. AND... not only is he a rock star in the kitchen, but he is also great at football, and at math, and at music... and he's amazing with children.

Seems like a self-proclaimed online dating dream.

So... back to our meal...

Henri returned to the hostel with:

• A bag of 10 eggs. 
• A BAG of cooking oil. 
• An entire CROP of plantains (which are like hard bananas). 
• A whole round of soft, white, Ecuadorian cheese.

I think that he forgot there were only 6 of us altogether...

I was trying to figure out what kind of a dish were were having with the above ingredients, but for the life of me, I could not configure any such concoction in my head.  Of course, I have had plantains before, but never mixed with eggs and cheese.

This should be interesting...

So... Henri got us to slice the cheese.

"¿Fácil o difícil?" (translation: "Easy or difficult?")

Of course... "Fácil"
He needed constant validation that Activities night was both fun AND easy...

Henri got us to slice the plantains.

"¿Fácil o difícil?"

Once again... "Fácil"

Maybe a little crazy?

Then he fried up the plantains in a pot of boiling oil and once they were soft enough, he gave them back to us to smash with a glass. Then he threw them back in to the oil.

"¿Fácil o difícil?"

Same answer.



Then he fried up some eggs.
Fácil...

Guess what our meal was?

Smashed, deep fried plantains on one plate.
Fried eggs on another.
Sliced cheese on another.

A culinary masterpiece. I love my vacation.

Thumbs right up

864 STAIRS & WILD DOGS

Last night, before I went to sleep, I took some time and I looked up interesting facts about both Quito and Ecuador.  Now, in saying that, I feel obligated to be clear that "before I went to sleep" can be construed as anytime before 5am... because that is when I think I finally dozed off.   Jet lag sucks...

FOUND IN WIKIPEDIA!!!
See? I'm not making this up!

Onwards and upwards... Quito is the highest capital in the world and it sits at 2850m above sea level (no wonder I'm so bloated)...  Honestly- my face and my fingers (and my ankles) are double the size right now.  I'm the walking, talking blimp... drinking loads of water and being quite active, as I conquer this city in the rain, without proper attire. 

This altitude can suck it.  I worked out before I came, I drank that putrid coffee and inundated myself with water... and now I'm at the top of the world, living off deep fried mystery pockets, soaked to the bone, bloated, and trying to squeeze my way in to a bunch of old, tight summer clothes... FML lol ... but I'm loving every minute of it :-)

In Ecuador, the dry season is June-September and is considered winter.  The wet season is October to May, and is slightly warmer with more rainfall, and considered summer.  That is EIGHT months of rain.

So, I have decided that they definitely NEED rain jacket shops.
I actually had an epiphany... if anyone found themselves without work here, a rain gear shop is a brilliant idea.  It could cater to tourists, locals, rich, poor (of all ages!)... offering a literal buffet of fun rain apparel like; rain outfits, pants, jackets, hats, umbrellas... etc.  Plastic ponchos... repellent gear... waterproof jackets and vests and bags... boots... all sizes, all colours... the possibilities are endless.

Right around the corner from my hostel is a Plástico Shop... specializing in all things 'plastic.'  Not kidding.  If you actually zoom in on the picture, you can see that inside the door is a presentation of assorted plástico items they offer.  Spoons, plates, containers, cups...

Hey- maybe it's a gold mine.  I have no idea.

Today I wanted to visit El Panecillo. This is an enormous Virgin Mary mosaic statue that overlooks the north side of the city of Quito.  It didn't really look too far away- just a lot of climbing... and hey, I've been at the gym every day for over a week... so I should be fine, right?

Then I start reading horrible reviews on line about the terrifying excursion to the moment.  Muggings, wild dogs...

No biggie for me, of course.  I'm a fierce, brave, independent, warrior woman with low income clothing, not carrying a lot of money... I should be fine.  Plus... I really like dogs.

Then it dawns on me... 

I opted out of having the tetanus shot. 

Suddenly, a taxi is starting to seem like not quite a bad idea.  Or am I just being lazy... cuz I'm not really afraid, am I?

I venture downstairs to speak to the girl at the front desk. Her name is Johana, by the way.  She told me that we are destined to be friends now because of our names... 

"Is it safe for me to walk up to El Panecillo alone?"

Reasonable question.  

Then, out of nowhere, Henri, the hostel activities organizer, who I have never met & also didn't notice sitting in the corner of the room, jumps right up!  

"We will go to El Panecillo together."  

Sounds good.  Be ready and in the lobby by 10:30am.  Done!  Right away, I had my own personal tour guide and buffer for muggings and wild dog attacks.

Ok... it was 864 steps UP UP UP... not kidding.  I usually pride myself on the strength of my legs, but for the love of Dios... I thought I was going to collapse.  I want to be honest and say that it's a 200 metre hill, but saying that, to me it maybe doesn't seem as tough as it should... but it was real steep.  Real, real steep.  3016m above sea level.

Mari, my host sister in Guayaquil, told me that she would take me to Las Penas when I visit (because I found a picture of it and it's so beautiful!).  She warned me that we might not make it because it is 400 steps.  Oh my hell, I'll be running that backwards in my sleep now! 

I kept stopping on the journey up, and saying to Henri, "cuéntame otra historia sobre la historia de la ciudad" (translation - "tell me another story about the history of the city")... he saw through my antics and trickery quickly though and made me get going!

Henri was a super nice guy- and really interesting... but absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, an absolute stereotypical Ecuadorian man.  Don't get me wrong, he was not creepy at all.  I felt absolutely comfortable on the hike with him, but he had all the lines, he used them and then he used them again. 

And he sang "Step by Step" by the New Kids on the Block, almost the entire way up... 

I didn't get mugged... at least, as far as I know, nothing is missing.  BUT- the dogs... WOW!  Everywhere, feral dogs.  

It's actually overwhelming and I heard that it's become a serious problem in the city.  At one point, when we were almost at the top, I heard a bunch of barking behind us and turned to see about seven of them bolting towards us.  It was unnerving, to say the least... and they kept advancing.  These aren't cute little puppies either, these are hungry, wild, dirty, disease ridden animals of the street.  Henri shoed the off finally, but I don't know what I would have done if I had been alone.  He told me that they were probably just hungry.

Were they going to... eat us?

So up to the mosaic monument of the Virgin Madonna with wings, who is standing on a globe and stepping on a snake, and who's name means 'small piece of bread.'  You can't make this stuff up...

Then Henri tells me that it was nice to meet me and he must leave now because his part of the tour is over and he has to go back to the hostel now.  My first thought?  

I'm being thrown to the dogs!  How the hell am I going to get out of here alive?

But then I remember that I'm a fierce, brave, independent, warrior woman, who just conquered 864 steps...

So I grabbed a taxi.

Off to the Basilica del Voto Nacional.  Another super exciting and fascinating church.. 

PS - Done with churches for the remainder of the trip... I hope.

Walked a lot today actually... feel I'm really connecting with the ins and outs of the country again.  I'm crossing the street willy nilly when I want to, I'm dodging traffic, I'm flipping people the bird and yelling PUTA when drivers piss me off... 

Different scenes from around Historical Quito

No... I'm actually not doing any of that... except for crossing the streets when I want... as long as there are no cars coming. 

Tonight, Henri is doing 'activities' night at the hostel, so I think I will join in, if he'll let me.  After 864 steps today, I told him that he's not very good at his job and his activities are quite shit. 

Apparently he wants to (and I quote) "cook food from all of the places of the world of the people that stay in this wonderful hostel of his country"... I'm in.  

Can't wait.