Day 6-10

Soo I haven't had much time to update lately. Our trip to Banos was incredible and blew Atacames off the map. We took a bus through the planes south of Quito. Before it got dark I got a great view of Cotopaxi's snowy peak. Its amazing how fast the scenery can change in these parts. It goes from Eucalyptus covered hills in the city to pine trees, to jungle in a matter of an hour's drive. We arrived in Banos after dark and we had no idea what kind of beautiful scenery we were dropping in on. In the morning, Theo and I made our way up to our Hostel's rooftop breakfast cafe and we were greeted with all the beauty of Banos. The green, towering mountains, the quilt-like patchwork of the farms which have learned to utilized the extreme slope of the mountainside, and the natural masterpiece of the town, the Veil of the Virgin waterfall. falling seemingly directly out of the side of the mountain. Beautiful.

So after breakfast, Theo and I walked around town and check out the waterfall and the hot baths that the town is famous for. They looked kinda gross, like 50 year old bathwater. After that we hung out for a bit and then went HORSEBACK RIDING through the mountains. SOOO amazingly fun and beautiful. so tranquil too. Especially because my horse was 18 years old and walked realllllll slow. I was in the back of the group the whole time. And when I would try to get to the front the other, younger horses would bite my horse. sad. After that we got a quick lunch and rushed over to this tour place where we had arranged for a canyoning trip. That´s when you hike up a mountain in a wetsuit and then rappel down the waterfalls all the way down the mountain. It was a bit scary the first time because you're supposed to lean so far back that you're essentially horizontal, and then rely on your own strength and the ropes to lead you down. It was invigorating, looking down from up top, and then looking up from down below. I felt really accomplished and brave. It was unfortunate that I couldn't bring my camera.

Amazing times in the amazon. now i´m tired just writing about all that stuff.

The next day, Courtney and I got AMAZING massages at one of the many spas around town. It was about 1.5 hours of pure bliss. Whole body massage, foot massage/reflexology, hot stone therapy, aromatherapy, a face massage and a mud facial. All that was only 25 bucks!!!!! can you believe it?! I couldn't pass it up. After that, we headed home to Quito.

Monday, Theo and I took a nice walk down to Parque La Carolina where we spent a few hours perusing the Jardin de Botanica. It was so awesome! I loved all the greenhouses and Orchids. We took about 100 pictures of flowers. That night, the whole gang headed over to Plaza Foch to  enjoy some endless tapas and vino. The tapas were great, but the wine was the main event. The meal started out mellow. That is, until, Courtney's friend Amanda ordered a straw with her wine. We eventually got louder and sloppier. The hijinx escalated until the waiter gradually stopped coming to our table with wine. I don't think we will be welcome back. Oops.

On Tuesday, Theo and I traveled 40 minutes North to visit the EQUATOR! We arrived in front of this seemingly deserted monument, and paid 2 bucks to get into this weird, rundown plaza that houses the historically calculated equator. All I can say about Mitad Del Mundo was that it was creepy. Folk music played faintly in the background as we looked for something, ANYTHING to do in that tourist trap. We consulted our Lonely Planet book and found that a much more exciting version of the Equator was just a few hundred meters away, and was the REAL equator, as calculated with a military GPS. We paid another 3 bucks to go into Museo Solar Inti Nan, which included a free tour in English! We got to see a real shrunken human head, as well as a shrunken sloth head. We also did the obligatory equator tricks, such as watching water fall straight down a drain (instead of swirling around clockwise or counterclockwise), balance an egg on a nail, and strange muscular resistance things. Apparently it's really easy to pull apart a thumb and forefinger while standing on the equator. We ended our tour with a "energy test" with guinea pigs. Apparently they are really sensitive to negative energy. But we passed without a squeak. It was a great experience. We came home and ended up walked around in the rain for about 30 minutes looking for some food. Everything that we wanted to eat was closed so we ended up getting Papa John's pizza. Safe, but tasty.

Today, Theo and I strolled down to the Parque La Carolina and finally found the Vivarium. I got to hold a huge boa constrictor. We hung out in the parque a bit, kissed like the other lovers were doing, and bought some bread. Theo bought this thing called a Papa Rellena. Imagine this: fried rice with pork wrapped in mashed potatoes and deep fried. DAMN. I got to eat it since it had pork in it.

Tonight we leave Quito for Guayaquil and then Montanita. Montanita is supposed to be a lot like the Ocean Beach of Ecuador: hippie surf town. I hope I can get some shut eye on the night bus, but even if I can't, I'm sure I can get a bit of sleep on the beach. I can't wait to surf!

Day 5

Sooo we're back from Atacames. I've decided I was not charmed by that town, despite the beautiful climate and scenery. The mosquitos are aggressive and so are the townfolk. It's more of an Ecuadorian tourist spot so we got stared at from every angle, being the only whities in town. They did have some damn good pizza tho.

Back to Quito for less than 24 hours. Tomorrow we head to Banos a mountainous town on the edge of the amazon rainforest. Hot baths, Mountain Biking, and spa treatments, Oh my!

Day 4

Today was great. We woke up around 9 and walked down the beach to the tourist area for some breakfast. We had some "desayuno Americano": a breakfast of eggs, juice, coffee and toast. We then changed into our suits, slathered on some SPFs and went for a swim. We found a boogie board in the closet and had some fun with that. We walked to the cliffs and found a cave to hang out in, as well as some rocks to sit on, little mermaid style. I bought a coconut and drank the water straight from the machete-gauged hole. Yum.

We spent the rest of the evening drinking beer and Pina Coladas on the beach.

Day 3

Today was spend mostly on a Bus. Hoorah! My first taste of South American travel. We left Courtney's apartment around 7 only to get to the bus station and find that we had about 3 hours to kill. We headed over to the Mariscal (the touristy spot) and posted up at the Magic Bean for some breakfast and jugos (juice). We hung out for a while and then headed over to the bus station and spend the next 6 hours on a hot bus. It was a beautiful drive through jungle-y forests. The towns we passed were depressing, though. Poverty is a harsh reality for most inhabitants of this country. The air quality here is absolutely abhorrent and most of the trip was spent inhaling exhaust. I wish I could have slept on the bus, but its very different than an airplane. Much more turbulent and rocky. We finally made it to Atacames around 4 or so. Fantastically beautiful. A black sand beach with a rain forest backdrop. We took a little motorized cart (essentially a two seater bench strapped on the front of a moped) from the bus station to the condo. I was so pleasantly surprised to see that our condo was literally right on the beach. I'm talkin' balcony. sand. water. We instantly changed into our bathing suits and utilized the remaining sunlight to splash around in the waves. Apparently you can still get sunburned here, even up until sunset. haha. It was gloomy, and almost dark, but the water felt great, probably about 68-70 degrees. It was surreal to see all the lights on the shore gradually turn on. Like watching stars emerge at twilight. After our swim, we got dressed and walked down the beach a bit to a hotel which had a nice restaurant. I had this really tasty grilled chicken with mushroom sauce. I tried to order a Cuba Libre, but I accidentally said "Te quiero" instead of "Quires" which came out as "I love you, Cuba Libre." Thankfully the server got my drift.

Tomorrow will be spend tanning and swimming.
Yay! It's so amazing here!

Day 2

Today was pretty mellow. We went to the this little cafe near Courtney's work. I had trouble ordering. I wanted to try a Humita and a tamale, but trouble arose and I ended up ordering a sandwich as well. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to be eating. The juice here is amazing! Jugo de Pina is my new favorite. They have this stuff called Aji, and its a lot like salsa. it's usually orange, however, and very watery and spicy.

After lunch we walked to the supermarket and got some bottled water and a BAG of eggs. haha yes, a bag. We also took a stroll through the market and picked out the strangest looking fruit we could find. I got this one spikey yellow fruit which tasted similar to a Kiwi. It had small edible seeds that give the fruit a crunch. Sensational. I also got these weird looking tubes of fruit that are filled with gooey pomagranite-like seeds, but taste like a tomato. I didn't like that one so much. Theo and I lounged around most of the day, took a siesta and acclimated ourselves to the altitude.

We went to the tourist district for some Indian food for dinner. Yummy, but DAMN was it spicy. We walked around the Plaza Foch for a bit and had a drink at this really cool bar that looked like a very colorful house. The crappy part was that, as it mainly caters to tourists, the drinks were really expensive and we ended up paying $6 for a glass of wine. bah! After that we moseied on over to a Karaoke bar that only had about 17 songs in english. We got some beers (3 pilsener grande for $4, much better deal) and sang some songs. I sang "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, Theo sang that one song by Blind Mellon. And Connor sang "Zombie" by the Cranberries. It was great fun.

Tomorrow we head to Atacames Beach where Courtney's friend owns a beach front condo. Thanks Courtney for hooking it up!

Day 1

We flew into Ecuador today! Theo and I woke up at 6 in the am to get to LAX by 8, boarded our plane at 11:45am and arrived in Quito at 11:15pm. The altitude sickness immediately got me, despite taking those altitude sickness pills. I puked the second I set foot in the airport. Public vomiting, not fun. Other than that, the trip was delightful. Theo and I watched a few episodes of Always Sunny in Philadelphia and East Bound and Down. Funny shit. We also cuddled and napped. Courtney's roommate, Ashley, picked us up at the airport because Connor and Courtney's flight got delayed and they wouldn't be coming home till later. Courtney's place is sooo niice! Its really big and it has a great view of the city and mountains. Theo and I are sharing the master bedroom that is currently empty. We have our own bathroom and shower but we have to share a twin bed that seems to be extra skinny. As of yet, neither of us have fallen off.

And So It Begins!

After two months of planning, researching and saving I will finally be boarding a plane tomorrow to begin my 10 week journey through South America! I can't imagine what the next ten weeks have to throw at me. I imagine myself going through an entire range of emotions, scenarios and situations, and hopefully reacting accordingly. I'm sure there will be tumbles, stumbles and fumbles, especially when it comes to language and cultural interface. But there will also be amazing views, hues and booze. I'm most excited for the scenery (snowy volcanoes, lush forests, rocky beaches, ruins), the animals (penguins, llamas, SLOTHS!) and the cultures (Tango, markets, musica folklorica, Pisco, ayahuasca).

I think I have everything packed. I had to downsize my clothes load and I guess I'll just have to deal with the things I can bring. Its going to be kinda strange wearing the same 3 outfits for the next 10 weeks. I need selection!

EEEEH I'm so giddy right now, I can't even write! I don't even know what to say!