Atacames.

Here I am again, exhausted lying in my bed, ready to update the world on my amazing weekend.  Thursday night, 16 of us got onto a bus at 11:15pm, headed towards Atacames, a beachside town on the Pacific Ocean!  Night buses are not my favorite but I was ready and the night went by pretty quickly.  I was freezing in Quito but as soon as we began descending the mountain, the humidity sank in and the bus became hot and muggy.  We arrived in Atacames at around 5:30am and a handful of taxi-motos were waiting for us at the station (and by station I mean street corner.)  Taxi-motos are motorcycles with benches attached on the back and they are ubiquitous in that town.  With 16 half-asleep gringoes, they drove us to our hostel, which thankfully let us to our rooms and we got to actually sleep for a few hours.

At around 9:30, everyone started stirring.  We walked to the beautiful beach and took a few quick pictures.  These were my first steps in the Pacific Ocean!

Some of us went to breakfast - a little cute place where they served a "desayuno americano" (American breakfast) for $2.00 - eggs, bread, jam, fruit juice and coffee.  Delicious.  Of course, then we headed out to the beach to settle for the day.  It was a bit cloudy but we immediately ran into the water and luckily, the water was actually fairly warm.  I spent several hours jumping waves with some people, while some others only lied on the beach, reading or tanning.  The sun came out eventually and it was HOT.  Not much to say about this - we hung out all afternoon, mostly in the water or making sandcastles.  When the sun was setting, I went walking along the beach with my boys - Joe, Stephen B, and Stephen H and walked all the way to the deserted end of the beach.  It was beautiful except there was a lot of trash on that end, floating around in the water.  We ran into a group of younger kids poking a giant beached fish - it was CRAZY-looking - white with some sort of a blue beak thing.  So weird.  Anyway, when we get back, I found out that 4 of my friends were walking, all girls, with one of them in the middle holding her camera.  Apparently some guy had been walking along with them for a while, just behind them, when suddenly he runs up behind her, holds her back as he grabs her camera and starts running away.  Of course all the girls freaked out, and the police immediately came and tried to find him.  Unfortunately they couldn't and the cops started hitting on the girls instead.  Welcome to Ecuador - this is so typical you can't even understand.  What sucks is that Juliana had had her camera stolen at the fútbol game and her parents has just spent a ton sending her a new one.  She'd received it in the meal 4 days earlier :/  Anyway, there was nothing to be done.

Unfortunately around this time I started feeling really sick.  We went to dinner and after eating my meal I had to have someone walk me home because I felt so horrible :(  I spent the rest of my night in bed, running to the bathroom.  Luckily another friend didn't feel like going out, so she kept me company and we talked a lot.  Finally started feeling a little better by the time I went to bed.

I felt a lot better in the morning and we went back out to the beach, a little later this time.  This day happened pretty much the same way.  We had pizza (which I had the night before) and yet again it was some of the best pizza I've had in Ecuador.  The waves were a lot crazier on Saturday... as in, much more fun.

Throughout the weekend, there were always people walking the beaches, selling things - for example, there were always kids selling sliced mangoes for a dollar, which is officially my favorite treat in the world.  There were also woman walking around offering to braid hair or put in string extensions.  I forgot to mention that everyone did this on Friday, except me and a few others.  There are also men walking around, trying to get people to take boat tours or go out on the tubes on the ocean, etc.  So on Saturday, a friend of mine set up a half our boat tour for us (for $3 each!), to take a tour of the rocks in the distance, where there are cool formations, caves, and blue-footed boobys (the birds!)  It was pretty awesome... the driver thought it was hilarious to make the boat rock nearly completely sideways so I was sitting there absolutely freaking out.  But anyway, we did a tour, then they stopped the boat in the middle of the ocean and we jumped out and swam for a bit.  It was really cool!

After this, we took a bunch of pictures as the sun was setting.  Here are a few that are already on facebook;

After this, we returned to shower and get ready, then set out to find food again.  We ended up eating at this large outdoor communal market food area, where grills were set up all along the side and merchants selling their street food.  Everything was great and cheap.

We hung out at the hostel for a bit after that, then headed out to the beach again to explore the nightlife.  Atacames is full of tiki-hut style bars, all open-air and all blasting music 10 feet from each other.  There were SO many people out!  We headed to a place to dance but no one really felt like dancing, so we ended up just sitting on the beach hanging out.  A few of my friends who'd be drinking all night kind of felt asleep so of course we started covering them in sand.  I didn't drink anything because I had been so sick, so I was just hanging out there when this young cute kid comes up and says something.  I felt like being silly so I invited him and all of his friends over.  He does and I find out he's 13 (if he's not lying, which he may have been) and I laugh and laugh because that kid had GUTS - he asked me to go dance and told me I was the prettiest girl among all my friends (to which I thought, haaa I need to keep this kid around!)  We talked for a while, then a few of my new guy friends came to sit down with us and started egging this kid on.  Finally, he asked if I could have one of my bracelets that I bought in Otavalo to remember me by.  It was so cute; I had to say yes.  Then my guy friends were like, "Ohhh ella quiere besarte!"  to the kid, meaning "ohhh she wants to kiss you!". Of course, I was like NO but after being told repeatedly how it will absolutely make that kid's life, I let him kiss me on the cheek.  He looked so smug; it was the cutest thing ever.... so now I have a 13-year old novio in Atacames, who has a bracelet and a kiss to prove it.

Lots of other cute and cool stuff happened.  Stephen B. made a friend - this adorable puppy came over and they just sat together forever.  Unfortunately he went to grab a stick to play fetch with the dog and he got scared and ran off!  We were told at orientation that to pick anything up and pretend to throw it is a great way to fend off errant dogs, because so many of them have been abused.  Also, at any given moment, if you looked out to the sea, you saw about 6 men at a time, standing the surf, peeing.  It's legal to pee outside :) and hilarious. Also, a friend of mine and I were sitting and talking (I think any witnesses would have called this flirting) for a while, and ending up covering each other in sand and throwing it at each other the entire night :)  He was really cute so this was a rather enjoyable part of my night...

I went to bed at around 2 but didn't sleep until maybe 6 which sucks and explains why I can't keep my eyes open.  Besides, our hostel was so close to the beach, you could hear all the music blasting the entire night, and then early in the morning as well.  Where we stayed was cheap and clean though, so I couldn't really complain.  No hot water, but it was so hot and sticky that this didn't matter at all either.

We had about 2 hours left on the beach in the morning, I was the only one who went  in the water, and everyone else just lied there on the sand.  Finally, we got our stuff together, checked out ($7 night! booyaa), had lunch, I bought a few things from the market and then we took the taxi-motos to the station and we were on our way.  It took closer to 7 hours.  We watched two movies, one about a killer crocodile in Australia and was Blue Streak with Martin Lawrence.  The movies were dubbed in Spanish but I could understand most of both of them :)  After that, they turned off the TVs and started playing this god-awful Spanish music that is pretty common here.  It was basically 5 hours of the same melody and bassline... my own personal hell.  Finally got back to Quito at around 9, talked with my host family and got back on the computer!

I'm not sunburned too badly; just a little bit on my back.  I'm so tired from not sleeping too much last night and unfortunately have class again tomorrow.  Am happy though because on Thursday I bought myself a cheap little guitar which I'll be playing tomorrow!  I love it!  I've also been teaching myself German to keep busy as having a project keeps me from feeling homesick.

Anyway, that's what's new with me!  I can't wait to go to the beach again... spring break!!  So in exactly a month.  Also, did you know I have less than a month and a half until I come home?  It's going to be so bittersweet.....

Buenas! Cyn

St. Patrick's Day & a lovely week in Quito

I've had a wonderful week here in the city.  It started off more or less normally, then on Wednesday we had a teacher workday, so NO CLASS :)  I went to Julie's apartment for the day - we walked down to Mega Maxi (the Ecuadorian version of Wal-Mart), bought some Kraft macaroni and cheese, fresh bread, and ice cream.  I've been craving mac-n-cheese and also the fact of making my own food so I was pretty excited!  We indulged while watching Glee and after, Moulin Rouge.  Julie and I have been hanging out a lot lately - she goes to UNC and we are so similar, in tastes and humor and nostalgia about home...  so I had a great time.  I was invited by my boy to hang out at his house and watch movies - tempting offer but I told him maybe tomorrow.  I was also invited by my friends Lauren and Brein to take some salsa classes but I had an essay to write and exam to study for so I headed home for the night.

On Thursday, after a ridiculous partner exam in my conversation class and a typical boring Ecuadorian culture class, I had lunch with everybody and then headed with my friend Juliana to the market in downtown Quito (she needed to buy some ecua-pants - those awesome fast-drying cotton pants I wore when I went to the rainforest - she's going this weekend).  In Cumbaya, the valley where our school is, it was SUNNY and warm and beautiful.  Back up in Quito, as if on cue, at 3:30pm it started pouring down rain so we hopped puddles on the way to the market.  On our way back, I called everyone back on campus and heard they were all chilling in the same restaurant where we ate for lunch, having a beer for St. Patrick's day.  Although it would take me another 50 minutes on the bus, I decided to go back an join them.   Had a great time - met a few new awesome Ecuadorian friends and felt pretty cool indeed, drinking beer at 5:00pm - still daylight! - on St. Patty's day!

We hung out for a bit then decided to head back up to Quito.  I followed Lauren to her house, where I left my stuff, fixed my makeup, then met up with Joe and Julie at an Indian restaurant for dinner.  The Indian place was cute, but packed with people watching the Liga game - Quito's team was playing a huge rival.  Futbol here is so exciting!  Anyway, we won 5-0 so the restaurant was abuzz with energy and excitement.  Afterwards, we headed to Mulligan's, one of two Irish-themed pubs I know of here.  We bought a ridiculously overpriced green beer and listened to the live music, while Lauren tried to hunt down a green balloon-shaped hat for herself that everyone else seemed to be wearing.  From this point on, we bar-hopped a little and went to the Boot and then Chupito's, which only plays Ecuadorian music so we decided to settle on Bungalow, which plays American music, reggaeton, and salsa, and was giving out green Jell-O shots!  Ran into Powers and her friends, and also my friend Amanda and her crew, who actually went to the Liga game.  It was great, hanging out in this dance club and knowing half the people on the dance floor!  Danced with my boy for a bit, then had to run make sure one of my friends was feeling okay after drinking a littlee bit too much.  As we were sitting, getting ready to go, this Ecuadorian guy sits down, introduces himself as Christian we start talking.  He speaks a bit of French and is a biologist - really interesting guy!  He was actually genuinely nice and not creepy - he told me where I could buy a good guitar in Quito and then we talked about oil companies invasion of the rain forest and politics.  Found out he was actually 28 - which would be creepy but he admitted that he thought we looked around 25.  It was getting late so we said goodbye and headed home.

We grabbed a cab (Julie and I) and agreed on a price - $5 for the both of us.  She gets dropped off first and then when we stop at my house, the cab driver asks for $3 more, because apparently the $5 was only up to her place.  I got angry and firmly was like - no!  we agreed on that price!  But he was adamant, so pissed off I paid him and slammed the door.  It's the second time this week that happens!  Seems like every week brings different taxi drama.

Today, I stumbled out of bed and made it on time to my 11am weaving class.  It was nice, though, I was tired because I have a friend in the class from Ecuador and we always speak Spanish together.  She's so nice and funny and it's always a great to start the day.  My second class was canceled!  I curled up and read for a little bit on a couch in a lobby and waited about an hour for Julie to get out of class.  We had lunch together and then (listen to how amazingly nerdy we both are...) went to the library for like a half an hour just ogling the books and pouring over our favorites.  I checked out a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover and we went to the amazing frozen yogurt place across the street that we just discovered and talked for another couple of hours.  Such a nice afternoon!

Finally, we went home and I settled in with my book for a bit.  Tonight, after dinner I went with my host mom to pick up my host sis and enjoyed the ride around the city and talking about everything.  It's raining still, which is beautiful because I'm currently back in my bed.  I don't think I could handle this climate all the time... I like my rain very periodic, like in the South ;)  Also happy to stay in tonight because my digestive system is being mean to me again so I'm feeling the whole under-the-covers, night-in thing because my stomach hurts and that's no fun.  My host mom brought over a copy of The Tourist so I'll be watching that tonight too.

I tried to write this entry in a way that really captures what my daily life is like, with all of its little perks and downfalls.  I'm realizing this week what awesome friends (and more than friends?) I've made here and how it's helped me so much at having the great time I'm having.  I love that I have enough spare time to do things I really enjoy, like reading, but also that I'm really going out and making the most of nights on the town.  And I'm trying not to worry too much about taxi drivers or my aching stomach or the rain because these are all pretty normal at this point.  Anyway, this weekend we might be exploring the town again - looking for this bookstore the nice couple in Cuenca recommended and doing more touristy things.  And finishing my books, of course :)

That's it for me.  Have a nice weekend everybody!

Cynnnnnn

Big list of little things.

In the two months I've lived in Ecuador, I've noticed plenty of little peculiarities that this country holds that I'll want to remember someday, or that you all might find interesting.  It's usually never enough to make a whole blog about, so I'm going to make a list and add to it as I think of more.

• Change shortage - They warned us about Ecuador not having change but this is interesting when put into practice.  First of all - I never use my debit card here which is weird in itself.  But $20 are sometimes not even accepted so you have to get in the practice of breaking big bills when you can, usually with the cashier making a face or groaning at you.  We use American currency here, but they've added gold dollars and large 50 cent pieces.  It's like a private joke between exchange students about how excited we get when we get all of our change in coins, sometimes $10 worth.  Makes everything so much easier.
• Lack of animal control - There are homeless dogs everywherrrre.  They roam the streets, ribs visible and usually just having had puppies.  It's so sad, and watching them avoid the crazy cars here is especially harrowing.  I've not really encountered a dog that was particularly violent yet, they mostly just walk by.  Especially sad is if you need one to get away from you, you can raise your arm like you're going to throw something and they'll back right off, proof they've all been abused as well. :/
• Buses - Buses here are an experience in themselves.  You ride them to get everywhere.  Some are owned by the government, others just by some people trying to make a living.  These last ones may be adorned with religious figures and posters, or just about anything else.  Every bus costs a quarter and bus stops exist but you can get on and off anywhere, if the driver feels like stopping.  For girls they mostly stop completely but sometimes you have to jump on or off of it while it's moving.  Tripping or being thrown across the bus is extremely normal and there's no point being embarrassed.  On government-run buses like the Ecovia or Trole at rush hour - seriously I can't tell you how crowded these buses get.  It's more crowded than being crushed again the front row of a concert, against the gate.  You have a human touching every side of your body - your legs could give out and you go nowhere.  Of course, this is why it can be so dangerous - very easy for people to slash your bag if you can't move.  
• Crime - You can't really avoid it here.  The idea of getting robbed scared the crap out of me when I came here - it's not like I'm not a little freaked out by now still but a little time here helped.  People in the US commit violent crimes - in a bad neighborhood at night, you're afraid for your life and less for your iPod.  Here, people are just poor and that's what motivates their larcenous behavior.  I never take my iPod out of my house or carry more than $30 with me (unless I'm traveling).  I only take out my debit card if I need to get money from the ATM.  In general, they tell you to not wear too much expensive jewelry or take out your electronics because it makes you an easy target.  Since I've been here, I've known a handful of people whose purses have been slashed in buses (while holding them or while on long trips with the bag on the ground), scammed in the historic area, pickpocketed in crowds (such as the fútbol game the other day) or actually been cornered at night and robbed.  Unfortunately, escopolamina (commonly known in the US as a date rape drug) is also sometimes used to rob people - in powder form, it can be absorbed through the skin and the effects are the same.  I've heard of people accepting flyers from strangers, then drugged, willingly went with the robbers to his house and helped them remove all the valuables from it.  Scary stuff!  Apart from that last one, it's fairly easy to avoid sad losses - don't carry expensive stuff or appear rich.  But also don't be surprised because the people here do it for a living and they know what they are doing.
• Machista culture - As a young, foreign woman in this country, it's completely normal to expect men to whistle, make comments, or holler at you while out in public.  Younger guys of university age are usually more respectful but older men, not so much.  This one guy leaned out of his truck window to holler at me while I was waiting at the bus stop.  Hair and skin color makes a giant difference - if you are blonde, pale, and skinny you get it the worst (my poor friend Julie is an example of this).  I've actually noticed more comments as my dark hair dye has slowly faded out (and also on days I wear more shapely clothing).  Just in general though, it's interesting being in a society where my appearance is the minority - definitely an experience.
• Almuerzos - I love little almuerzo places!  Almuerzo means lunch, and if you go to a cute little lunch place, you sit down and the meal is ready and brought to you - soup, main dish, fresh juice, and sometimes dessert.  It's never more than $2.50, but sometimes only $1.50.  It's always typical Ecuadorian food, and hot, and delicious.
• Taxis - Another thing I was terrified of before I got here.  I had never ridden one in the states so I can't very well compare them.  I do know they are fairly cheap and that you can haggle like crazy.  To go to the bar/dancing part of town at around 7 or 8pm, I can haggle to around $3 to get there; later at night to come home, it's around $4-5.  The other night, we went from one end of the city to the other, something that could cost an upwards or $10-12 if you don't know to haggle, and we got it for $5.  Being better at Spanish now helps a lot.  Taxi drivers will sometimes talk and sometimes not - I always try to talk because it's great practice.  Of course, this week was terrible because both cabs I've taken have ended with the cab drivers trying to get with me or at least get my number, and once even being a little afraid he wouldn't actually bring me home.  I was ready to jump out - kind of scary.  But it was fine and it makes me wonder if in the future I should just shut up ;)
• Hot water - Everyone has a different experience with bathing here - most people complain about how sporadic the hot water can be.  We definitely have it but depending what anyone is doing the hot water may disappear, or the pressure.  Or become scalding.  Makes showering an experience, for sure.
• Toilet paper - Small detail: can't flush it.  Just kind of a curious thing - apparently because the water pressure is too low for the plumbing to really work correctly if you flush things.  Pretty easy to get used to for me but I had some friends who were horrified by the concept...
• Getting sick - I won't go in too much detail for this except by saying that it's the most normal thing in the world here to have digestive issues if you're a traveler and to have conversations about it, without being too embarrassed.  It's usually impossible trying to figure out what made you sick in the first place, though you can usually guess it's water/juice/fresh veggies, but apparently stress can play into as well.  Luckily, Cipro (the medication they prescribed before I came here) is a serious miracle worker.  The first time I was really sick, I pretty much spent my night in the bathroom, stubbornly refusing to take it.  Next time, the issue was resolved in an afternoon and I couldn't believe I could have prevented hourrrs of misery.
• Living with a maid - Very cool at first, but I have to say, after 2 months I'm done with it.  Ours is very sweet so it's not about that - it's just awkward as hell and I prefer doing everything myself.  She cleans everything, does dishes, laundry, cooks 2 meals a day (soups made from scratch, freshly-squeezed fruit juice), takes care of the pets, WILL COME IF SUMMONED BY HER BELL (for breakfast in bed for my host family, for example), how ridiculous is that!?!?!  She makes my bed and if my stuff is too messy she organizes it.  It's too much - you think it'd be nice to be waited upon like this, but it makes for a weird kind of tension.  And I like making my own food, eating when I want, cleaning my clothes when they are dirty, keeping my room how I want it, etc.  But I am living here and I'm very grateful so for while I am here, it's fine.  Maids here are fairly cheap and I think the culture reflects the need to have one - not like the rich people are lazy - but.... kinda yea, that's exactly it.  On weekends, when ours doesn't come, we eat takeout.  

I might add to this later.... we shall see!

Cyn

Cultural Adaptation.

I'm writing today because I remembered this chart they showed us at the study abroad meeting.  Let's see how I compare:

1.) Predeparture ups and downs - To be honest, I had no giant illusions about the semester.  I knew it would be very difficult so my excitement was always tempered by my nervousness about living in a 3rd world country in a language I sort of speak.
2.) Honeymoon phase - Pretty sure I skipped this and went straight into Culture Shock and Acute Homesickness.
3.) Culture Shock and Acute Homesickness - The first week was rough.  I definitely wasn't the only one who thought this - before I got into the swing of school and taking buses, I questioned why I was even here!  Didn't seem worth it but I also knew going home wasn't an option.  Lots of things made me cry.  Not a fun time but inevitable.
4.) Adaptation - Wheeeeeee!  That's where I am now.  Am used to everything - living with another family, getting around the city, balancing work with fun - it's like I've always been here.  Except that there's a lot I miss, and I realized that this week marks the halfway point for me!  Which also means I'm feeling these Pre-return Ups and Downs coming.  I'm already missing a lot of things, excited to come back but knowing it's going to be weird leaving this place I'm coming to love.
Will update about the remaining steps later :)


 
So that was my cute entry about Cultural Adaptation.  Have done nothing of interest this weekend - just relaxing and going out, and today I need to do some homework.  Big surprise - don't feel like it at all :)  I also have a blog I wrote a few days ago that I'm going to publish because I can't think of anything to add to it.

Chau amigos!

Cynthia

Cuenca.

It happens to be Wednesday afternoon, but my weekend ended this morning at 6am.  Long story...where shall I begin?

Well, Carnaval was this weekend, which meant there were no classes on Monday and Tuesday.  In Ecuador, Carnaval is kind of like Thanksgiving, in the sense that everyone does something or goes somewhere.  Typically, people go to the beach, but many just spend the weekend with family, relaxing.  Every city has a different tradition, variations of the same.  In Quito, people throw water; in Ambato, they spray silly string.  In Cuenca, where I ended up spending my weekend, they throw waters balloons and buckets of water from cars and windows!

We were warned to plan our trip for Carnaval early because hostels and buses fill up, but between most of us going to the rain forest last weekend and our friends not taking initiative while we were away, we settled on Cuenca and had to take a bus on Saturday night - not really ideal but fine for what it was worth.  The other option was paying $20 a night at the beach, and so I definitely wasn't feeling that one.

Anyway, so 10pm Saturday night we all meet at the Panamerica Internacional bus station and settle in for the 10 hour bus ride.  We were 9 of us again.  I got to see Iron Man 2 in Spanish and managed to sleep a little bit in the night.  We arrived at 8am and took a cab to the hostel, where we put down our stuff and then set out to explore and find some breakfast.  We did a pretty quick round of the main part of the city and realized nothingggg was open because it was. a) Sunday b.) Carnaval. c.) 8:30am.  Luckily there was a cute French crepe place across the street so I had some quiche and coffee and was ready to go.

We walked around some more in the afternoon, visiting churches and the market.  My friend Milijana and I bought some toy water guns and as we walked, we were all on our guard because at any given moment, water balloons would fly from cars or rooftops, or kids would come running out of houses with their silly string.  It was pretty sunny, which was great because we got soaked several times.  It got to where the sound of a car or children laughing would send us all running!!! But it was so fun - these kids got us this one time and the sound of their laughter absolutely made my day.  I would have loved to be a kid in Cuenca during Carnaval - pelting unsuspecting Gringos for 3 days straight sounds like the best time ever! :)

Anyway, we walked and walked.  Sat by the river, played in the park.  We came back and relaxed for a bit, then searched for somewhere to eat.  Not exactly a lot to choose from, but we settled on this Mexican restaurant.  We were a party of 10 by that point so they seated us in this back room with couches and a large coffee table in the middle - it felt like we should have been smoking hookah or something in there, not having dinner.  It ended up being delicious - best guacamole I've had in Ecuador (which is saying a lot since I eat avocados with everything) and I annoyed everyone by playing question games, like going around the room and asking everywhere what their favorite thing in Ecuador has been so far, etc.  They were picking on me but I know everyone secretly was happy at what a great group we have :)  After leaving, we performed what became a ritual for the next night as well: stopping at a little store to buy some beer and we hanging out on the hostel patio until we went to bed.  Because we arrived so early, all of our meals were a little off, so it was literally only 7:30pm and some of my friends were veryyy tipsy.  We had a great time though, and were all in bed by 10 (:

The next morning, we got up early went to the bus terminal.  After a 2-hour bus ride (can you believe I'm not sick of buses yet?!) we arrived in El Tambo, where we dodged more water balloons and hailed a truck/cab to bring us to Ingapirca, the oldest Incan ruins in Ecuador (part of the Incan trail).  We spent a few hours here; the ruins were awesome and we took lots of pictures.  Didn't pay for a tour guide so I know very little about the ruins, just that they are ruins and I went there.  We had a $1.50 almuerzo (lunch) and took a short hike to see this rock along the mountain that looks like a face and then I called back our cab/truck driver, Ricardo, who picked us up and brought us back to town.  Ricardo was so sweet - I sat up front with him and we talked the whole way about languages and his crazy experiences when he hopped the border in Texas, trying to get work in the US.  It ended up being great that I befriended him because when we got back to town, we realized there were no buses going back to Cuenca.  We negotiated and he drove us back for $30... such a typically Ecuadorian experience as I'm coming to realize - sitting in the back of a truck with 8 other people ("like a bunch of immigrants" as Ricardo said) for an hour and a half, trying to get back to a hostel, 10 hours from where I'm actually living in this country.  We were back before we knew and found another restaurant for dinner, more beer for dessert ;) and played card games in the hostel until midnight.

Oh!  When we were walking back from the trip to Ingapirca, we saw that a store 2 doors down from the hostel was actually open - it was called Carolina Bookstore and it had used books, so of course I was like, "VAMOS!"  Come to find - the owners are a retired couple from Hickory, North Carolina!!!  They couldn't believe 80% of our group was from NC so we spent a good hour there, talking to them, browsing books, getting recommendations for things to do/eat.  What a small world!!!  They were so sweet - one minute we're discussing classic literature and the next we're discussing the scores of the Duke/Carolina game.  Love itttt.

Anyway - we had such high hopes for Tuesday but they mostly all fell through.  We had a good breakfast at Coffee Tree then checked out of the hostel, then walked around the city pretty much all day.  We wanted to go to the museum and discovered - surprise - it was closed!  And so was everything else.  We had a late lunch, took lots of pictures of the beautiful buildings here (which really can't be under-emphasized - this city is AMAZING - the buildings are ancient and beautiful, and with the blue sky in the background, absolutely jaw-dropping.)  Of course - suddenly the sky turned grey, rain started falling, and rain turned into hail!  We made it back to the hostel just in time.  Though we had checked out, we were allowed to chill there for a while, so we hung out in the giant living room and met all these other people staying there - a guy from Vancouver, London, New Zealand, Louisiana, and Barcelona - all there for various reasons and all super friendly.  Some of them left and we got cozy watching TV.  I felt like I was back at home - we watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory and Friends as the rain poured and people in the background played cards.  Typical hostel, right!?  

We finally got hungry and went to the same restaurant as the night before, and hung out there until around 9.  We went back to the hostel to get our bags then hailed some cabs to bring us to the bus station.  The bus again left at 10pm, but we arrived in Quito at 6am, so it was shorter and gave me time to sleep a little at home and make it to class (almost) on time.  I slept a lot on the bus though, so the time pretty much flew by.  

Class was normal and easy, and now I'm in my bed, in pajamas, very sleepy and happy to be home.  It was an awesome weekend - different again from any of the others before it and exactly what I needed - a very chill and relaxing couple of days with my good friends.  We were kind of disappointed that everything was closed but we still got to enjoy the beauty of the city and some greaaat food.  And it was cheap since there were no crazy stunts or activities to do ;)  

So that was my weekend!  This weekend I'm happy to say I'm doing NOTHING.  Maybe little things around Quito, who knows.  I feel like reading and watching movies so that's my plan.  Hope to talk to everyone soon!

Love, Cyn

Tiputini (the Amazon)

Amazing weekend!

I realize it's Thursday - things have been pretty busy all week so I'm gonna try to update the best I can about my weekend in the Amazon rain forest!!!

I skipped classes Friday and my host mom dropped me off at the airport at around 7:10am.  Immediately spotted the group I'd be going with - we were about 16 and so we went through security (which is significantly less harrowing than in the US, especially with this being a domestic flight) and waited around for about an hour, sleepy and trying to find breakfast.  The flight was so short - barely 30 minutes and we landed in Coca.  Here we waited for those who checked bags and then got on a little bit, which drove through town to a little riverside hostel.  From here we got on a boat which had lawn chairs and sat for 2 hours.  The river looked more like a lake - veryyy big but this is where we got our first glimpse of the forest.  Beautiful.  They passed out a good bagged lunch and we bundled up because the wind made it chilly.

After 2 hours, we got out at this little oil company place, where we had to present ID and scan our bags, and here we got on a chiva, which we rode for maybe an hour and a half.  (A chiva is an open-air bus, if you don't remember.)  Around this oil place we weren't allowed to even take out our cameras because apparently nearby there is one of the largest illegal animal markets around (apparently totally sad and cruel) and in the past they've had some issues with tourists taking pictures.  Anyway, we got off the chiva, climbed down the side of this river and jumped on another giant boat.  2 hours later, we come into site of the Tiputini Biodiversity Station.  By this time, you can imagine, you're seriously in the middle of NOWHERE.  There is no way to get back except by boat.

We climb up the pier and they give us a quick tour.  There is large open air "comedor" which is the dining hall, then you walk through the forest using these makeshift steps, made by wood they bolt down to the ground (otherwise you'd be traipsing through mud all the time) which leads to the lab/library (the only air conditioned building) and the you continue and reach the cabins where we stayed.  Instead of walls, we had screens so it really felt like we were sleeping outside.  We only had electricity from 10-2 and 6-9:30.  There was no hot water and we were expected to be quiet at 9:30.  Also, breakfast was at 6:30am every day so you pretty much wanted to sleep that early.

The first night we just ate, got a presentation about current projects then we went to bed.  They have what they call "camera trap" put up everywhere (sponsored by National Geographic) which snaps pictures when motion is detected.  They've gotten thousands of pictures so far, sometimes of animals never before photographed.  This way they can keep track of the wildlife, including jaguars!!!!  Also giant anteaters, deer, tapirs, monkeys, etc.  It's an amazing project.

Next morning, we had our delicious breakfast and split into two groups.  They gave us rubber boots (heaven-sent seriously) and we set out.  Oh also, we soaked ourselves in bug spray.... very important.  Our group took a boat upriver, disembarked then just followed the guide as he searched for things to show us.  If I can for a second reiterate - WE WERE IN THE RAIN FOREST.  That fact alone made the walk just incredible.  Of course it was hot and humid, and there were so many species of plants and bugs I'd never seen.  And birds.  And MONKEYS!  We were always running around trying to spot monkeys in the canopy - ended up spotting 5 of the 10 kinds that live there.

You'd think the rain forest would be super dangerous but as far as I can tell, the worst is these giant black ants that are pretty common - they bite you and apparently you experience the worst pain for nearly 15 hours.  If more than one bites you, you get a fever and shivers, and more than that you could just die.  They were pretty easy to avoid though.  There are jaguars, anacondas, crocodiles, manta rays, and tarantulas but of these I only saw one tarantula (story later).  Sort of disappointing.

In the afternoon, we climbed a giant tower and stood basically above the canopy.  We saw lots of birds (like macaws!) and saw some monkeys pretty close up.  What a view though - it was so high up and a seriously incredible feeling to see everything from such a private view.  You also truly realize how you are in the middle of NOWHERE.

On Sunday, we climbed up another tower, but this time we had to harness ourselves in and we got to walk on these bridges from platform to platform.  This was the same kind of canopy-excitement effect, which lottts of ants.  From here you actually got to climb up a ladder and sit on a platform EVEN higher, which was terrifying and awesome.  The harness didn't reassure me too much here.

Anyway, we came back, had another great meal and commented on how ridiculously hot it got.  Of course, within 2 hours it was pourrringggg down rain and we gather for the next event completely soaked.  Luckily, we were just going to go swimming in the Tiputini river, which is a tributary of the Amazon.  We waited until the rain stop and jumped out.  It was colddd, maybe because we were cold from the wind in the boat.  The water was pretty swift so we got carried downstream for around an hour, the boat close behind.  So while we were floating and making noise and generally being obnoxious, 2 of my friends start screaming because 3 feet from them was a tarantula, floating on water!!! It was squirming and kind of moving.  So apparently they can swim, didn't know that.

At one point, it got dark, windy, and rainy again so we got back in and returned.  I was so happy to put on real clothes and eat some more delicious food.  Another quiet early night.  We got up early again the next morning, had breakfast, and resumed the longggg voyage home.  Seemed even longer - we left at 7:30am and I walked in my front door at 6pm.  In Coca this time, we chilled for a bit at the resort, got to see peacocks, I gave food to a cute monkey and a bird, and there was a giant turtle too.  Pretty exciting.

Anyway, of course I got home and passed out after doing a little work.  Didn't do too much this week except go on a date last night (that was fun!) and TONIGHT was crazy too.

I went with Julie to el Centro at around 7 to support her art teacher's art exhibit.  He was legit - he stayed with us and explained his art while we sipped wine.  Felt so sophisticated.  A little later, we argued with a cab and went to the other end of the city and get to watch LIGA play someone Independencia in fútbol.  That's Quito's team and of course everyone gets crazy here.  It was an exciting game - we won - but unfortunately 2 of my friends didn't enjoy it too much because were robbed!  Someone stole Juliana's phone and camera from her jacket pocket (outside - which is sad because it's kind of a 'duh' thing - never put them in a jacket pocket!)  But then my friend Stephen had his wallet and camera on an inside pocket of his jacket, with a zipper!! And someone jacked that as well.  They were so upset but what are you gonna do!?

So that was my week - I'm exhausted.  We're going to Cuenca for Carnaval, but the buses only leave on Saturday night so we'll be coming back probably Wednesday.  We get Monday an Tuesday off and the bus to Cuenca lasts around 10 hours.  But we're going on a night bus so I can sleep I guess.  I'm pretty excited - Cuenca looks beautiful and fun.  I'm happy to have Saturday off too - I just need to chill, seriously.

Anyway, I am SO tired.  I love you all and miss you!

Cynthia