Blue Eyes Abroad

Don't Want to Be a Part of It

2006-08-21T16:04:00.000-05:00

They tried but they failed.

I was in NYC this past weekend visiting my cuz Amelia and hubby Gabe and many of friends there. Everyone was encouraging me to stay and live in NYC. Although I had a wonderful time with everyone, I know Texas is home. I've missed my family a lot this past year so I want to settle here (I'm home now).

Thanks for a great weekend in NYC, all you transplants!

Leaving Israel

2006-08-17T00:54:00.000-05:00

Today is my last day in Israel and I head to NY tomorrow morning for a few days to visit family and friends. I have mixed feelings about going, but I feel like the time is right to move on to the next stage of my life. I'm looking for jobs (preferably doing finance analysis - if you know of anything) in Houston and Austin. We'll see where fate takes me.

Close to Home...

2006-08-10T05:38:00.000-05:00

The news hit class this morning that a friend of one of the students was killed in the fighting last night. The girl was devastated, and we all are remorseful. It's hard to know how to help. I was praying that the fighting would end before I leave for home next Friday, but it's not looking good.

How is it Possible?

2006-08-08T00:22:00.000-05:00

I live with the sweetest, friendliest Israeli gal. She is very talented - she works with elders and children, does reflexiology, writes books (she's trying to get published), and plays the guitar. So what's the problem? She's in her 30s and single (ready to settle down)! My theory - she's shy and spends a lot of time at home with her dog Libbi (means "my heart" in Hebrew). Also, she doesn't cook very often. Now I'm on some sort of mission to find the perfect man for her. I figure he must be a chef hanging out in his apartment.

Taking it All In

2006-08-07T00:36:00.000-05:00

I leave in a week and a half and have been rather busy taking in all of Jerusalem (AKA learning and eating). There are so many great restaurants, and I've been enjoying the company of my fellow students. Life is great, but we are all on the edge of our seats waiting for the end of the fighting in the north. Please send your prayers and thoughts to this part of the world. We need them.

Toilet Paper: Multi-Purpose Item

2006-07-20T00:13:00.000-05:00

When I think of the use of toilet paper, I think of the bathroom. My Israeli roommate however has a roll of toilet paper in every room in our apartment - toilet room, shower and sink room (separate room from our toilet), kitchen, and living room. She uses it to clean up just about anything - dog hairs, water, food, etc. I've really learned that toilet paper is really multi-purpose.

Can you think of other uses for TP in the house (not like wrapping the outside of someone's house which I never did as a teenager :))?

Safe and Sound

2006-07-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

All the fighting and activity is in the north of Israel right now, and I'm in Tel Aviv/Jerusalem (in the middle of the country). We are watching the news carefully and taking precautions in crowded places. Everyone in Tel Aviv (where I am right now) is carrying on as normal and I'm sure it's the same way in Jerusalem (where I'll be tonight).

Please pray for the safe return of the Israeli soldiers. I do hope that no one else (on either side) is hurt or killed.

Family Time

2006-07-11T00:34:00.000-05:00

Had dinner last nite with the Shermans from California and the Rosenbergs (fam here in Jerusalem) plus Jackson party of 1 :). It was nice to see my cousins and eat some good food.

Today is the "middle" day of this session. That means almost everyone will be leaving in about 2 weeks. But so far so good...

Relaxing Weekend?

2006-07-10T00:21:00.000-05:00

Went to a small town called Arad - it's on the way to the Dead Sea. Nothing to do there but hang out in the hotel, eat, sleep, read, and swim in the indoor pool. I had a nice time there getting to know a group of executives who were studying at Pardes for the previous week. The weekend included yummy hotel food, lectures, and services. The only problem was coming home... Saturday/Shabbat is like the US Sunday. I got home at midnight and had to get ready for the upcoming week. So I started the week off a little tired (that's not what Shabbat is supposed to be about)!

Bed Bugs Part 2

2006-07-06T00:36:00.000-05:00

This really isn't bed bugs but the title just seemed appropriate for my situation (esp after my experience in Ecuador).

Instead of using A/C at night, most Israelis sleep with the windows open. This wouldn't be a problem for most people, but I don't have screens on my windows. Soooo, I am getting bites in the middle of the night (I found out this is happening to other people in my program who don't have screens on their windows.). I wake up most mornings and find new bites. Someone told me that blood type O is the sweetest blood type and guess what type I have??

I've resulted in sleeping with a bit of bug repellent on, but that doesn't seem to really help the problem entirely. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Schedule

2006-07-05T00:33:00.000-05:00

Wednesday(US) = Thursday (Israel). I'm in day 4 of studies at Pardes. So far so good but I realized that I know practically nothing about religion. Definitely a good learning experience.

Classes go from 8:45 am - 6:30 pm. Here are my classes: Beginners Talmud (didn't know what this was before studying it here); Ethics (bad teacher, interesting class); Torah Yoga (more on that later); Shabbat; and Hebrew Ulpan (intensive Hebrew study classes - I have it 3X a week for 1 1/2 hr each time).

Lots of nice Jews here, many from the US and, specifically, from the east cost. We only have 3 weeks of the session so most of them will leave soon. I'll stay for the next session.

Off to class now.

I Can See the Headlines...

2006-06-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

Texas meat-eater moved in with Israeli vegetarian, misses meat more than she ever imagined...

Ok, so maybe a little dramatic! Plan is to eat lots of meat (not pork!) outside of the house. There are plenty of shawarma stands near the apt and many veggies and fruits (well, don't think they can beat Ecuador on the $1.50 price of shawarma or the variety of fruits!).

The girl is so sweet and I'm looking forward to living with her and hopefully practicing my Hebrew. She and I signed a contract as her dog Libbi (means 'my heart' in Hebrew) licked on my hand. Then they took me for a walk to see the neighborhood grocery store and the school (which is about a 10 minute walk from the apartment).

So now I'm singing the song from Annie after she arrives at Daddy Warbuck's house and she sings: 'I think I'm gonna like it here'.

Laila tov (Good night)!

Land of Milk and Honey

2006-06-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

I've arrived! I'm here! But where is the milk and honey? Only finding yogurt so far.

Israel is wonderful, and family is even better. My family here has taken me in until I find a place. Many options have come my way but, after waiting 45 minutes for a bus back to my cousin's house, I want to live right next to the school, even on top of it if that's possible (no more 45 minute Hewitt Lincolnshire or Woodlands commutes for me!). So the plan is to sign a contract tomorrow evening with a nice Israeli girl (gives me a chance to practice my Hebrew or lack thereof). Then I'll move in on Saturday nite after Shabbat is over.

Adventures continue...

Back to Normal!

2006-06-10T16:46:00.000-05:00

All is well now. I am at the party beach Atacames trying to live up my last few days here. . Tomorrow morning I`m going back to Quito (7-hour bus ride) for my despedida (goodbye party) in the evening. Not sure if it`ll be as good as the one that my mom threw me when I left the US last August, but it`ll be a chance to say goodbye to my friends and ex-students here.

*On a side note, Ecuador won its first game in the Mundial!! SI SE PUEDE!! And, Sweden did not (I`m traveling with a Swed and she`s not too happy now).

I´m Alive but not 100%

2006-06-05T17:12:00.000-05:00

So let´s backtrack a bit....I guess in my last posting I jumped ahead. Let´s go back to the beginning of my travels to Lima.

I definitely packed light (two backpacks - one small, one large one) except on the trip to Lima. My dad graciously offered to carry a bag or two back to Texas for me so I packed up a large bag, a laptop, and an empty carry-on bag (I have too many bags in Quito to carry back myself). When I arrived in Lima, it seemed that everyone on my flight was transferring to other flights so I passed through customs and picked up my luggage in about 10 minutes. I patiently waited but the taxi drivers in the airport concluded that no one was coming to get me and they should drive me to a hotel nearby. Finally, Dad arrived to pick me up - seems there was some problems with his driver.

45 minutes later I am planted in a gorgeous burb of Lima (Miraflores) in this absolutely huge suite (with a jacuzzi tub!!). Dad´s been here already a few days doing some great work - helping sick, poor people. He even organized for boxes and boxes of medicines to be shipped to Peru. The next 3 days I watch him work in clinics, speaking excellent Spanish with patients and really getting to the heart of their problems. It was a great opportunity to see my dad work - one that I would never get to do in the US (silly privacy laws)! And props to my dad, he IS the most amazing doctor (just don´t ever tell him that your kidneys hurt)!

Dad leaves on Monday night to return to work and I stay with the rest of the doctors. Unavailable to find a flight with the group on Wednesday morning, I head to Cuzco on Tuesday morning. I take advantage of the day to visit the Sacred Valley. My flight arrived at 7:30 am and by 9 am, I´m on a tour bus. Luckily, Dad gave me altitude sickness meds so I felt ok that day (maybe a little stomach problem). I had a fabulous day hiking around and visiting Incan ruins. That night, I stayed in a dump of a hostel but it only cost me $8 and had some hot water and breakfast included.

The next morning (Wednesday) is when the sickness began. I guess I didn´t wake up on the right side of the hostel bed, and the big D came into my life (and still hasn´t left). I went to meet the group and we headed to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. The 12 of us (3 doctors, 2 residents, 1 Harvard med student, 3 Notre Dame students, 1 graduating senior, a nurse, and me) took a 2 hour train ride to AC and then headed to our hotel. Somewhere in the process we lost one of our members and spent some time searching the small town for him. He was found and we raced off to eat a late buffet lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge near MP. And this I remember as my last real meal...

Our tour guide raced us around MP because he had to catch a train back to Cuzco. This was a bit disappointing because I couldn´t follow all of his talk and there was really so much to see. And it started to rain. MP is definitely worth a visit in your lifetime! We talked about coming back the next day to climb the mountain nearby and went to buy tickets in AC.

Since there were a bunch of students in the group, Dr. M (who is their mentor, born and raised in Peru, speaks perfect Spanish) wanted to get the student rate for them. But no one had an ISIC (International Student ID Card) and the guy at the ticket booth was not accepting anything else. So the doc got on the phone with the manager but no one was gonna budge. The plan was to wait until the next morning to buy the tickets up at MP (and thank goodness we waited because it was pouring down rain and I got really sick!!).

The evening included soaking in the hot springs at AC (not recommended - dirty and only mildly hot) and eating a bit of dinner. The next morning my problems began again....the big D returned, dehydration, vomiting, fainting, the works! I laid in bed until we had to catch at 3 when I had to be wheelchaired to the train. Being with doctors, they decided to hook me up to an IV in the station. What a sight I was!

I spent the whole train ride in the back of the train with the IV, sometimes carrying it between my seat and the bathroom (you can imagine). When we finally arrived in Cuzco, they took me to the hospital. As I mentioned in the last blog, after 4 attempts by the lab doc to try to take blood, the doctor who had put the IV in me took over and got blood. I have never whimpered in pain from needles before but this really did me in!

$265 later, I was released from the hospital on Friday feeling better (no appetite though) and ready to tour Bolivia with another agency (picking me up on Saturday). Strangely, as soon as the doctors from the US left in the afternoon, I got sick again. I spent most of the PM in bed except trying to deal with the credit card payment for the tour that just ended (grr) and looking for a new med for my sickness.

Saturday was an awful day on the bus from Cuzco to Puno filled with aches and pains and of course, the big D. In the evening, I went to another pharmacy in Puno, and they gave me yet another drug (this would be the 4th one). Sunday I was picked up for the border-crossing from Peru to Bolivia. And I met a lovely honeymooning couple (both doctors) from England. Interestingly, the gal was also sick so we were both dragging a bit. We crossed the border and headed to Copacabana, Bolivia (not the one from the song) and then by boat to the gorgeous Sun Island. Although I was sick, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the island. We stayed in a beautiful lodge and I tried to recuperate (no luck - every meal was the big V instead of the big D). At night, we climbed to the top part of the island and watched one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen (pictures do no justice)!

I left the island this morning and now am in La Paz. I tried to change my flight to go back to Quito tomorrow (from Wednesday) but it would cost a lot. So I am going to lay low in LP for the next day or so. I cancelled my city tour tomorrow cause I just can’t take too much movement. And I don´t think I´ll be able to go to the beach this weekend (crap!).

Huge thanks to all the docs, nurses, family, friends, etc. who have been trying to save my life for the last week!

Discharged

2006-06-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

Spent last night in the hospital in Cuzco, Peru. What fun! I was traveling with a group of doctors who were here for a medical mission* so they started me on an IV before I even got to the hospital. It was a bad day and night but I´m feeling better today. The doctors and the hospital took really good care of me minus having to poke me 5 times to take blood because my veins were so collapsed (finally, on the 5th try, one of the US docs took over).

Tomorrow I am off on another tour to Lake Titicaca. Hope I don´t get sick again. Off to rest...

*The medical mission including my dad (who left last Monday) did some amazing work here with treatments and medicines. Great group of guys (and one gal)!

Quilotoa, Tena, Lima...

2006-05-27T07:47:00.000-05:00

I`m sorry I haven`t written in a while. I have 2 1/2 weeks left in South America and things have been a little crazy! I am in Lima right now with my dad who is here for a medical mission. He leaves on Monday nite and I continue on to Cuzco to go to Machu Pichu. Pretty excited about that!

As far as the past few weekends, I did a little more traveling (surprise, surprise!). I went to Quilotoa Lagoon which is a crater lake formed from an erupted volcano a long time ago. It`s a gorgeous greenish-blue color. We hired a guide to take us since the locals have ripped down the trail signs and it`s hard to find the way without one (they want the business, of course). It was a pretty difficult (bien dificil) hike from the lagoon to the village Chugchilan where we stayed but totally worth it! To get to Chugchilan, it`s a bumpy 3 1/2 hour bus ride from Latacunga. And the only buses leave there at 3 am and 4 am. Finally got home on Monday at 10 am....yikes!

The next weekend I went rafting in Tena (class 3 rapids). I highly recommend rafting in Tena (a town on the border of the jungle) and with Rios Ecuador. They are so well organized and really take care of you. Two adventures on the rafting trip I must share. One, the boat hit a rock in the rapids and another guy and I fell in. I think I blanked out for a minute because I didn`t realize what happened. The other guy basically saved me from the whirlpool that I was stuck in. Two, our guide Juan Pablo took us to this gorgeous cave and we covered ourselves in mud. It was like nothing I`ve ever seen before, maybe something out of a movie - a made-up place, but this was real!

Classes finished on Wednesday, May 24th. I`m done teaching!! Now, it`s vacations until I get home on June 13th.

What`s next for me? I get back to Texas on June 13th and will be home for 10 days. After which, I`m heading to Israel to study for 2 months. Then it`ll be time to find a job - anyone know of a good job in Austin or Houston (more interested in Austin - gotta get back to Jackson)?

One Reason I`m Looking Forward to Leaving....

2006-05-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

The crappy systems here!!

My mom sent me a package about 3 weeks ago...some clothes for the unborned child of my housekeeper`s daughter and some guide books for my trip to Peru and Bolivia. What we didn`t realize is that when you put a declaration value on a package to this country you have to pay taxes. You would think it would be easy to pay for this BUT, NOOOO, I`m in Ecuador (developing country that it is).

In order to get the package (which I didn`t end up getting today because the post office closes at 1 pm for lunch), I had to go to the post office with my package slip and two copies of my ID. Then, I had to pay $1.25 to get in line to look at my package. After that, they called me to the back room to open my package to see what`s inside (duh, my mom wrote it on the slip on the outside). Then they sealed it back up. At this point, since there was a declared value, I had to fill out a form and take it to the bank (5 blocks away) to deposit the money. Of course, the men in the post office insisted it would only take 10 minutes at the bank. BS!!! I was in line for an hour waiting to deposit $14 (the tax amount) into their bank account. Ok, so that`s all done now except I have to go back tomorrow to get the package.

Systems...I`m looking forward to some of the better systems in the US!!

I Have Aged

2006-05-09T11:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my 27th birthday! I had excellent celebrations with my students and friends. The day began with a sweet phone call from my parents singing and cards from my host sister and the housekeeper. I left the house and caught a bus immediately. The bus driver offered me the seat up front by him - he must have known it was my birthday. In Spanish class, some students of our teacher came to do a presentation about roses (one of the main exports of Ecuador, besides bananas). The rest of the day I walked around with red roses :).

Classes started at 2 pm. My first class (of teenagers) came to class with a chocolate cake singing `Happy Birthday` and we had a little party. Then they gave me some chocolate to enjoy. My second class (of teenagers) came to class with Viennetta cake singing `Happy Birthday` and so commenced my second party. They also gave me chocolates to enjoy. My last class (of adults) brought ham pizza. Oops, I don`t eat pork so they got to enjoy my pizza.

This turned out to be ok because I went out to dinner with my friends to a place that was all you can eat tapas and drink wine. Needless to say, I stuffed my face and got a little drunk off of white wine.

It was a great birthday and thanks to everyone who wrote me such sweet emails! Miss you all!

Much to my surprise...

2006-05-03T12:42:00.000-05:00

There are people out there actually reading my blog. Since no one was commenting, I thought I was just writing to myself. But then I got a couple of emails about the fact that I haven`t written in a while.

So what have I been up to?

Two weeks ago, I went hiking for 9 1/2 hours in Pasochoa. Two other teachers, a secretary at my school, 10 other people I didn`t know, and I camped on Saturday night under the stars and took off hiking at 6:30 AM (the original plan was to start at midnight but no one came out of their tent then). Although I had some altitude problems and my knee was killing me (probably because of my surgery two years ago and lack of exercise), I made it 95% of the way to the top. I was really proud of myself. Maybe I`m ready for Machu Picchu now (I`m going in about a month)??

Last weekend, I traveled solo down south to a small town called Vilcabamba (Monday May 1st was ¨Labor Day¨ here). Some years back it was declared the town of eternal youth because there are a bunch of people they think are over the age of 100. It`s very popular among tourists so I went to check it out. I stayed in this wonderful hostel called Izhcayluma which means something but I can`t remember what. I relaxed, got a massage, and went horseback riding all day Sunday into the Podocarpus National Park (needless to say, I was and still am in some pain). I highly recommend a visit to this town and hostel for some R&R - and I met some really nice people along the way!

What`s next....I have 3 more weeks to teach and 2 full weeks to travel in Peru and Bolivia (I will also be traveilng on weekends - one weekend for hiking and another weekend for rafting). Plus I have this weekend to relax and start to celebrate my birthday.

The New Love in my Life

2006-04-18T12:23:00.000-05:00

I am in love with a 3-month old baby. We met this past weekend and it was love at first sight (well for me)! He has the cutest face with chubby cheeks and blue eyes. We had a great time together, talking, making noises, singing, eating, sleeping (well mostly him), etc. I can`t wait to spend more time with him in two months when I leave Quito. My time here is coming to an end...unbelievable!!

Last Weeknd Hiking, This Weekend Beaching...

2006-04-06T18:08:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, some friends and I went to Otavalo to bargain and buy some Ecuadorian souvenirs (2nd visit there- went with my parents the first time). We also celebrated my friend Karen`s birthday by eating ice cream cake on a street in Cotocachi. Then, on Sunday, we went hiking around a lake called Cuicocha (Guinea Pig Lake) for 6 1/2 hours. Reminds me that I need to get in shape if I`m gonna do the Inca Trail in June!!

But for now, I`m off to the beach this weekend to relax. The hammocks are calling my name...

9 Days Til...

2006-04-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

I get to meet Jackson! My super generous parents are flying me home for 3 short days to meet my new nephew (he`ll be 3 months when we meet) and to see the family. The whole fam, including my aunt and cousins from Kansas, will be together for the holidays! I am really looking forward to seeing everyone!

And then there was the.....Galapagos

2006-04-03T12:25:00.000-05:00

I`ve been delaying this post because how do you sum up 8 amazing days in the Galapagos in just one blog posting? Well I decided to just give you some ´highlights´ of my trip (hope I don`t bore you to death):

- Convincing my seatmates to change seats so I can sit with my parents who got on the plane at Guayaquil. I was already sitting on the plane from Quito to Guayaquil and the people I was sitting next to didn`t want to move. A little convincing, I was sitting with my parents.

- Arriving in Santa Cruz Island and seeing sea lions sitting on benches next to where we took the zodiac boats to the 100-person ship

- Trying to learn the name of our group for disembarcking and boarding the boat. We were the ´Colmoranes´ (type of bird that doesn`t fly) but Dad couldn`t keep it straight so we were the `Camarones` (shrimps) most of the time.

- Meeting the Alexanders from San Antonio. Such friendly and great travel companions.

- 1st hike on Dragon Hill with only 5 in our group (unfortunately, the 10 people came later because their flight from Panama was cancelled). We saw flamingos, land iguanas (both relaxing and fighting for territory), and sea lions.

- 2nd hike on Bartholomew Island. We saw lava lizards and cacti, climbed 320 steps, and saw the famous Pinnacle Rock.

- Trying to snorkel for the first time but having difficulties with my mask.

- 3rd hike on Santiago (or James) Island - our first hike with the big group of 16 people. We saw tons of animals including sea lions, marine iguanas, a great blue heron in a tree, lava herons (with green feet), and the American oystercatcher.

- First good snorkeling experience followed by seeing a family of sea lions including a little baby on the beach.

- A dingy boat tour and the 4th hike on Fernandina Island. This is the island where we saw the most variety of animals and both types of lava (Pahoehoe and Ah-ah).

- Getting dehydrated and sick.

- A most amazing ´performance´ of approx. 80 dolphins swimming in front of the boat. When the boat would catch up with them, they would all jump out of the water at the same time. It was like Sea World X 500!!

- A dingy tour of Northern Isabel Island. First time I saw penguins!!

- Participating in a pirates skit on the boat. The Alexanders, Mom, and I (and others) got to dress up and yelled ´Errrr´. I even had a small speaking part!

- 5th tour of El Chato to see giant tortoises in the wild and then walking through a lava tunnel.

- Saying goodbye to the 5 day tour friends but the Alexanders and my family continued on for 4 more days.

- Seeing tortoises eating lunch and a baby (less than 1 year old) named Genesis.

- Swimming (snorkeling) with sea lions. They would come near our face or some of them would nibble at our fins. Drew, who was traveling with his grandma and joined our group of Colmoranes later, found a marine iguana eating underwater. Our guide said that is very unusual to see because they are usualy only in the water for 15-20 minutes.

- Visiting a beach infested with huge horseflies. Get me out of there asap!

- 6th hike on Española Island. This island also had tons of animals including the blue-footed boobies (including the mating dance), the nazca boobies, Galapagos hawk, magnificent frigate bird (with a blue eye), swallow-tail gull. We also saw marine iguanas in colors (red, green, teal) either trying to dig a nest with so much effort or fighting off other iguanas who were trying to steal their already built nests. The whole time we were on the island we were followed by a little mockingbird - the guide said the bird wanted our bottled water.

- Visiting the Charles Darwin Center. Seeing Lonesome George from far far away and then getting close to other tortoises.

- Shopping in Puerto Ayora. Dad`s watch time changed back an hour, and we were late getting back to the boat. Ooops!

- 7th short hike (my last one) on Genovesa Island. We saw red-footed and nazca boobies, frigate birds (the men blow up their red chest to attract the women), and the Galapagos dove. Afterwards, we went snorkeling and saw a white-tip reef shark on the bottom of the ocean.

- Teaching Drew `Si se puede` (yes, you can!) so that he could get a pizza for dinner when it wasn`t on the menu.

- Sitting on the deck of the boat playing Sudoku.

- Watching the sunset in the evenings and then seeing the stars. Wayne knew lots about stars and pointed out Jupiter and Saturn to us among other things. And first time I saw the Southern Cross!

- Good food and great ship crew. I even got the chance to practice my Spanish a bit.

- And most importantly, traveling and spending time with my parents. They are the best travel companions and I feel so lucky to be able to travel with them!

Thanks for a great trip, M & D!

First there was the beach....

2006-03-26T18:51:00.000-06:00

Kristin and I headed out of Quito last Wed on a 7 1/2 hour day bus ride to check out two beach towns - Same and Atacames. The car bridge had in fact collapsed so in order to get to Same, we had to take a ´taxi´ (basically, a cart attached to a motocycle). When we finally arrived, practically everything including our hotel was closed. We had to bang on the door and they finally let us in.

Our search for food was successful after walking around town for a while. In our quest for food, we made friends with a dog. This dog turned out to be our protector for the whole time we were in Same - he followed us everywhere, slept outside our cabaña, stayed with us on the beach, and barked at anyone that came near. The beach was gorgeous and quiet - only the locals were there on a Thursday. Fine by me!

Off to Atacames on Thursday evening. Now for those of you that don`t know, Atacames is the party beach in Ecuador. Every weekend, tons of people pour in and it`s suppose to be crazy. Since we were there on a Thursday night, it was a little tamer. We stayed at this gorgeous hotel with a pool, hammocks, and great food, and we each got our own room!! We ate pizza, danced salsa, and got a good night`s rest. Ah, and only one minor problem - while I was walking around town, my bathing suit broke on Friday (thankfully, I was wearing a t-shirt over it and then my parents arrived on Saturday with a new one).

We flew back to Quito on Friday afternoon so I could get back safely and prepare for my trip to the Galapagos. That posting to follow soon (later this week after classes start)...