Various Updates

Hurricane Update: My family and friends are safe and sound in Houston. Rita made its way a little east of Houston. The worst of it seemed to be many people in Houston (including my parents and grandparents) losing power over the weekend.

Weekend Update: This was my first weekend in a while to stay in Quito. I went dancing with my students on Friday, caught up on sleep, and visited downtown to see the amazing World Press 2005 exhibit (might be coming to a city near you if you are lucky) and some of the churches.

Bed/Mattress Update: I think I have forgotten to mention in previous blogs that I have a new bedframe and mattress since one of my flatmates moved out (and we moved her nice bed into my room). So I slept extremely well this weekend :)!

Spanish Update: My Spanish is un poco (a little) better since I arrived. In addition to my daily Spanish class (11-12 every weekday), I am taking private lessons. I think I need more opportunities to speak, and I am not getting that with my living and working situation. Hopefully, after this cycle ends in 2!!!! weeks, I will have more chances to practice.

Vacation Update: I am off to Argentina in less than two weeks for the break between cycles. My cousin David in Israel has been so extremely helpful in finding me someone to stay with and the folks in Argentina are so welcoming! I really am looking forward to meeting them!

Me Update: Life is going well! At times, I feel overwhelmed with work, life, etc but I am trying to learn from all my experiences. There might be a few things I would change but at the moment I am pretty content!

Hurricane Rita

At this moment, the hurricane (now a category 5) is on its way to my hometown (Houston, Texas). I hear they have already evacuated Galveston Island and many people are talking about leaving Houston. My grandparents are heading to Dallas to stay with my aunt and cousins and my mom is discussing the option of going to Austin to stay with my sister. During this time, it´s really hard to be away from my family. I sometimes feel helpless; there is nothing I can do but just hope and wait. If you are in or near Houston or the coast, please take the appropriate precautions and evacuate if necessary. My thoughts are with you all!

Off on another weekend adventure...

So I told myself I would take a weekend off from traveling BUT there was a great trip planned to Cayambe (only volcano on the equator) and the hot springs in Oyacachi. Wow, what a weekend...here´s my best effort at a summary.

Leaving on Saturday morning and traveling by bus, the 9 of us (8 CEC teachers and my flatmate Sarah) arrived in Cayambe late morning. Annie and Geoff (a British couple teaching at CEC) led the pack. Everyone was hungry so we headed to a restaurant we could find open. We all enjoyed a nice breakfast of bread, bizcochi (popular local food), cheese, jam, eggs, etc. The treat was the large selection of postres (desserts). But, looks are deceiving...it definitely wasn't the best tasting cake.

Breakfast was followed by a quick walk around town, a visit to the City Museum, and hanging out in a cemetary. The majority of the graves are above ground and are put in holes (the size of the casket) above each other. The holes are sealed once a person is placed inside. That way, families can be 'together' for all eternity (ok, maybe creepy thought).

Nearby Cayambe are some pre-Incan ruins and hot springs. The troops rallied and we found a camioneta (truck) to take us. This did not come without some negotiating on the gringos´part. With the help of Sarah´s excellent Spanish and others going to compare rates with other camionetas, we were able to get the rate from $60 down to $45. As Sarah said to the driver (translated from Spanish), 'Better idea to take us because you won´t make anything just sitting here.'

The ruins (remains of pyramids from pre-Incan times) are spectacular. We have a Spanish guide and learn some more history on Ecuador. Queen Quilago ordered that all the pyramids be covered in preparation for invading armies. One pyramid that deserves mentioning is the fertility pyramid. Supposedly, 3 couples have gotten married on the pyramid in the last year.

Now comes the fun part. Not really believing our truck driver, we hopped into the back of the camioneta for what turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour ride to the small town of Oyacachi, a small town nestled in between the mountains. Cold from the ride in the back of the camioneta and hungry, we didn´t arrive until after dark. We were able to arrange sleeping arrangement - we stayed in two different houses. Ours was the newly but not completely built house at the top of the hill. Dinner was a fabulous trout meal.

4 of us had an early morning wake-up (5:45 am) to go to the hot springs. Oh boy, fun, fun, fun! ¡Que bueno! The water was fabulous and relaxing. The jump into the freezing lake didn´t seem so appealing to me so I stayed in the hot pools. After the hot springs, we headed to breakfast and a guided tour of the town's ruins (the town moved because of avalanche scares). Our guide was a young local with so much enthusiam - it was only his 3rd tour of the town and ruins. He took us around the town and back to his home.

Two buses leave Oyacachi a day - 4 am and 2 pm. So we made a run to catch the second and last bus of the day. There were a few bus adventures getting back to Quito because of a football game, but we made it back safely.

What a short but fabulous trip! I enjoyed visiting a less touristy town (most of my students hadn´t ever heard of Oyacachi). But now, I think it´s time I take a weekend off from traveling because I am heading to Argentina for the long break in October. Besides, I still haven´t seen much of Quito :).

Chivalry is almost dead in Quito

I must comment on the men in Quito.

First, my disclaimer: this is not true for ALL men but for the majority of the men that I have encountered.

Men here are so disrespectful of everyone, especially women. When a woman walks down the street in Quito, more likely than not, a male will whistle, hiss, or make some comment to her. The best option is to ignore them because anything you say or do encourages them even more.

Not only are the majority of the men on the street disrespectful, but I have also found many men on the buses to be rude. On the buses, trains, etc, men tend to take up more space than they necessarily need and the ons I have seen sitting typically don´t stand up for older women. Perfect example: this past weekend, my flatmate Sarah and I were standing on either side of a man whose legs were spread apart in a 3 foot stride. It wouldn´t have been such a big deal if there was so much room on the bus but we were tightly packed in like sardines. When someone vacated a seat near us, the man made a bee-line for it without politely asking if anyone else would like to sit. Ok, not that big of a deal, but it´s an example of something that has happened to me.

Finally, something I find unbelievable is the acceptance of men cheating on their wives. I may be totally ignorant to this in the States but here it happens a lot and women are just supposed to accept the situation.

Did I mention the plumbing?

More on life in Ecuador... we cannot flush ANYTHING down the toilet, including toilet paper. The custom here is to throw your toilet paper in the trash can. So, after a few days, you end up with a huge amount of smelly waste. It took some getting used to (both the rule to not flush toilet paper and the smelly waste), but I now follow suit.

My friends from the States tell me that when you go back, you have to remember that you CAN put waste down the toilet. I have one friend who said she was confused when she was back home and the trash can was on the other side of the bathroom from the toilet. Go figure!

Team Platanos

The title of this blog is dedicated to my flatmate Karen who organized a fabulous vacation for us on the coast (the beach!!). Karen, one of her old students Diego (who speaks amazing English), Kristin, and I spent this past weekend in Puerto Lopez - the gateway city to the Machalilla National Park including Isla de La Plata where whale watching is popular this time of year.

It´s quite a long trip to Puerto Lopez - an 11-hour overnight bus one way. I felt really safe on the bus because they wouldn´t allow us to bring any bags (except small grocery ones) and we were all body searched by the receptionist woman. Now that was an experience! Arriving early Saturday morning (6:30), we were welcomed by the whale watching tour company (a special welcome sign for Karen), and they helped us find a hostel. We walked down to the beach for breakfast.

After breakfast, it was time for our tour. We were pre-warned about the rockiness of the ship but boy, nothing can prepare you. I brought Dramamine and shared it with Kristin and another girl who both really needed it. I was able to do without it! Thank goodness for that because it made Kristin extremely drowsy. Near to our arrival at Isla de La Plata, the guides stopped the boat and we whale-watched. They didn´t seem to be very active at that time so we moved on.

At the island, we had a three hour hike which included bird watching. These were such interesting looking birds with BLUE feet (check out my pictures). It was a gorgeous island with beautiful waves crashing all around it. And now, Karen calls us - Team Platanos (from the name of the island, Isla de La Plata).

After the visit to the island, we got to eat watermelon and pineapple on the boat (my mom´s two favorite fruits - note the sarcasm; Mom - I was thinking of you). It tasted so fresh! Then we had the chance to go snorkeling around the island. How gorgeous!

Time to head back before it gets dark. Our 1 1/2 ride home was paused when we saw the whales jumping out of the water. It was spectacular - they just kept jumping and slapping against the water. I think that is their way of calling each other (something I learned at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago with the dolphins).

Safely back in Puerto Lopez (with a few folks sick from motion sickness), we made plans for dinner with others from the boat. Kristin planned to leave on Saturday night (22 hours on buses to be in P.L. for 15 hours - wow!) so we saw her off. A nice Italian dinner recommended by Let´s Go - and wow, it was amazing!

Sunday was a sleep-in day and then a visit to some gorgeous secluded beaches called Los Frailes (the monks). 6 of us from the boat went and had a fabulous time hiking, playing in the water, and relaxing on the beach. But oops, I forgot to put enough sunscreen on the back of my legs so I am burned there!

Overall, it was a fabulous trip. Karen was a great organizer, easy going, and fun to be with. Diego was so helpful with his ability to speak both English and Spanish. He was funny, using English sarcasm and I didn´t even know it. You know someone really has learned a language when they can be sarcastic in the language :).

Primera Visitor

My first visitor (my boyfriend Ilan) came for the 3-day long weekend (Labor Day on Monday in the US). Besides his getting sick (so I say) on the first day (most likely from the altitude), we had a fabulous time spending time together and doing ¨touristy¨things. Along the way we had some interesting adventures.

Saturday was a relaxing day of eating, sleeping, and visiting a nice quiet cafe with a view of the valley in Quito. What a beautiful city Quito is!

On Sunday, a visit to Mitad Del Mundo (aka the only place you can actually stand on the equator because everywhere else is mountains, water, etc.) I was told that there is a bus you must take to get there. We spent almost two hours walking and climbing uphill in a city at almost 3000 meters trying to find the bus. Finally, we learned we needed to take two buses. An hour later we arrived and went to the ¨non-tourist¨museum (Inti-San, aka Path of the Sun) next door where GPS has calculated the real center of the world. With a fabulous tour guide, we learned about the history of the people who first found the equator. We also watched some demonstrations with water (northern hemisphere, it drains counterclockwise; southern hemisphere, clockwise; and on the equator, straight down) and participated in exercises related to weight (lighter on the equator and easier to balance an egg on a nail). We both received certificates for our excellent ability to balance an egg on a nail - what talent! Of course, afterwards, a quick visit to the City of Mitad del Mundo (the tourist destination) was necessary to take pictures.

The visit to Mitad was followed by a visit to the Plaza Grande in Old Town. But not without getting lost in the process. We ended up in some interesting neighborhoods on a hill in Quito having the opportunity to see how the people live. No worries, several Quiteños were helpful and we found our way to our destination. Enough of the plaza, we are hungry - tapas in the Mariscal (aka Gringolandia and the part of town I work in)! Yummy!!

Monday, I arranged with other teachers to take my classes for the day (more about that in a later blog). Off to the Teleferico (cable car) for a spectacular view of the city on a mountain about 5000 meters high. After much waiting (note to self: Teleferico opens at 11 am on Mondays), we headed up the cable line. Little did we know that it would be so freaking cold at the top. And we weren´t really dressed appropriately (more layers needed). Oops! But the views and hikes around the area were wonderful.

Time for a little shopping (a Panama hat, dice, groceries, etc) and eating (yummy chicken shwaramas) and then relaxing at home!

What an amazing weekend together! And now someone back home has seen a little glimpse of my life here! One of my favorite quotes made by the boy in reference to my flatmates and me: ¨You guys are so nice to each other.¨ Gosh, I hope so :)!

Thanks for visiting - come again soon!

Cotopaxi - The Adventure

Since the pictures are posted and the trip has been mentioned, I believe the adventure to, at, and from Cotopaxi deserves a posting. With 9 other teachers from CEC, I took a day trip last Sunday to Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi is a volcano that, on a clear day, you can see from Quito. Similar to the Riobamba trip, we sat on top of a train, but this time only for 2 or so hours (my body thanked me later).

The trip began early Sunday morning (ugh, 6 am wake-up) so that we could catch a trolley train to a bus (40 minutes long) to the ¨tourist¨ train that drops off near the volcano. I say ¨tourist¨ because the train´s main purpose is to deliver tourists to/from Cotopaxi. My flatmates Karen and Bryn and I were making good time on the trolley but then had major trouble finding the bus. Without much information as to where to go (typical Ecuador style), we ended up walking around in confusion (up and down hills) trying to find the bus we needed for the train. After walking some time, Karen stopped a bus driver and asked him how to get to the train. Ah ha, we found the bus we needed and jumped abroad.

40 minutes or so later, the bus driver yelled at us to get off. As we got off the bus, we heard a train horn and saw the train tracks. Without tickets, we made a run for it and jumped atop the train. We found the others and were on our way (paid a little extra on the train but what can you do?). The nice ¨short¨ train ride (in comparison to Riobamba) to the station near Cotopaxi Park included conversations with kids who were curious about the gringa (me!).

Upon arriving, the 10 of us discovered it would take another ride in a truck to get to the park. So we jumped in the back and off we went. Riding in the open bed of the truck, we had a windy and cool ride to the park. After some negotiating about park entrance fees (didn´t have my national ID card yet), we all were able to pay the $2 national entrance fee (instead of $10). Finally, we arrived at about 5000 meters on Cotopaxi, and the driver said we had about 45 minutes to climb to the refuge. Oh boy, was it windy and difficult but a great challenge! We only made it about halfway to the refuge and had to turn back so we could make the train back.

The ride back to the train station felt faster but not fast enough. As we were pulling up, the train was honking and starting to move. The 10 of us made a run for it and one teacher jumped aboard an empty car. Others began to jump on and then pulled others on. The train wasn´t moving very fast but it was a hilarous process to watch. We all made it aboard safely and decided to sit in the shady car rather than on top of the train in the heat.

What an amazing day - I need a nap!