Bussin' It

So, I just arrived in Bogota, Columbia after a rather interesting 30 hour bus ride from Quito. After some long goodbyes to my friends in Ecuador who I will surely miss, I headed to the depot to await my bus. But, after arriving there, I found out that the bus was going to be almost two hours late because of a small accident. Wonderful, this was the bus that I would be trapped on for more than a day. Finally, the bus arrived. But, because I was stuck arguing with the clerk about the weight of my backpack, I was the last one on board, and the only seat left was the one five feet from the bathroom with the broken door that kept flying open the entire trip, revealing the overpowering mix of that nasty blue stuff and urine. This, by the way, wouldn't have been an issue if the clerk would have just gotten off the scale while my backpack was being weighed. I kept telling him I was quite certain my backpack didn't weigh 210 pounds, and I wasn't going to pay a $34 surcharge! Eventually, the bus left the depot and we were on our way to Bogota. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that every person on the bus made it a point to pee at least once an hour just to be spiteful to the poor Gringo. At least you weren't allowed to crap in the toilet. They pulled over the bus for that. Well, moving on, our first stop along the way was a small little village where we had a chance to eat lunch, and relieve our bowels. The funny thing was my friend Julian mistook a small family hut for the bathroom. He just walked into their house and into the family bathroom and took a nasty dump! then proceeded to ask the father where the wash area was. The entire family just looked at him as if an alien had just invaded thier home. After that, it was back on the bus, where I had the wonderful privelage of listening to Columbian folk music for the next 28 hours, and discovering that our bus driver was smoking pot the whole trip, where the smell competed with the bathroom for the rest of the way. I think it was the closest I've ever been to becoming legally insane. Then, halfway to our destination, we were boarded by the Columbian control police who wanted to check everyone's bags for drugs and weapons. (They never checked the driver's..hmmmm, possible bribe maybe)This is when my very bright friend Julian(remember him?) kept on asking the officer closest to us if he could check out his very large machine gun. After the third request, the officer findly just looked at us and asked if we were together. I hated to be rude, but I happily said that I had never met him before. After all the excitement, we finally arrived in Bogota in one piece. What a country!

Lake Titicaca

Well, as I am writing this, I am actially back in Quito, Ecuador but I wanted to blog some of the interesting things we saw at Lake Titicaca in Puno, Peru. After arriving in Puno, we stayed the night at a nice hostel called La Manzana. From there, we booked a two day trek to the Lake and visited 3 islands, plus 2 handmade floating islands. These are made by the local people by using floating reeds and adding more and more until the island is several feet thick and able to support dozens of people. We had a good time talking with the local folks and exploring the islands. That night we stayed with a local family who fed us food that was basically unidentifiable. I think my bowl had a pair of eyes in it, but I tried not to focus to much on that. The next day we took a boat ride to two more islands, and hiked to the top of the island of Uros, and got to see a nice sunset over the lake. There were even more Inca ruins here as well. After our two days in Puno, I headed back to Cusco for a little rest, then it was off to Lima again for two days, then finally a 40 hour bus back to Guayaquil and eventually Quito. Time for a siesta!

Machu Piccu

Well, finally I made it back from four days of mountain biking and hiking through the Inca trail and up to the famous ruins of Machu Piccu. Although the actual trip was amazing, it did not come without a few bumps and bruises along the way. The first day started with our guide picking us up at the hostel at 7:30 in the morning to take us on a 3 hour bus ride to the beginning of the trail where we would continue on with mountain bikes for the next 5 hours. The bike ride was amazing and a little on the dangerous side as well. There were a total of 15 people in our trek, and 3 of us took some pretty bad spills along the way, including me. With only about 20 minutes left of the bike ride, I hit a bad spot in the road and flew over the top of my handle bars at about 20 mph. Fortunately, I had a helmet or I might of had a craked coconut. However, my arm and leg took some pretty bad scrapes and bruises, which would make the subsequent 3 days a little daunting walking to the ruins. We slept that night in a small little village, and had a nice home cooked meal. The following day we woke up at 6:00am to start our foot hike. This would be a total of 8 hours walking through the rain forrest jungle, up and down hills that pushed us all to the limit. Along the way, we saw some amazing views and animals that made it all worth it...at least most of it. My little problem with heights was also tested along the way when we had to walk about a half mile along the edge of one of the mountains on a very thin trail..one wrong step and... Finally, we arrived at our destination for that night, which was a small town where we had a nice dinner, and spent the night dancing at a local club that was filled mostly with locals of all ages. The funniest thing that night was the fact that our tour guide got more than a little drunk, and had to lead us through more jungle hiking the next day on 4 hours of sleep and a whopping hangover. Somehow, he managed to do it, and got us to our next destination on the third day, which was the town of Aguas Caliente. Here we had another good meal, and explored the town a bit before heading to bed early to prepare for the fourth day where we had to wake up at 4:00 in the morning to begin our short hike to Machu Piccu. When we arrived at Machu Piccu, it was about 6:00 am, and I had more blisters on my feet than I was able to count, but I tried to just grin and bear it for one more day. Soon we began our tour of an amazing culture that mysteriously vanished before it´s time. First, we walked with our guide for about 3 hours, and got some great information on the history of the Incan Empire and the stories behind the ruins. After that, we were free to roam the ruins for a few hours and get some great photos. I was amazed at how much we were able to see and learn from the various temples and altars that were still in great condition, and they really gave you a glimpse of what it must have been like to walk among the Quetchuan people and Inca kings from so many years ago. Next, it´s off to Puno on Lake Titicaca for a few days of fun and sun. I´ll keep you posted once I get back. Don´t forget, you can check out my photos on Facebook, and I will also be posting to Flickr once I get back to Quito. Caio´

Traveling Peru

I know, Ive been neglecting my blog, but finding internet in Peru is not as easy as it may seem. Not to mention finding one with speeds that arent as slow as a snail. I arrived in Lima, Peru on Feb. 2 after 36 hours on the bus through winding and bumpy roads and checked into a very cool hostel called Kusillo. I stayed in Lima for 4 days and had a great time just exploring the city and making some friends at the hostel. From there, I went on to Ica/Huacachina which is basically in the middle of one of the dryest deserts on earth. But fortunately, I found a little hideaway with a huge swimming pool and tropical drinks all day. That evening me and some friends went on a two hour sandboarding tour where they take you out in the middle of the dunes by way of a dunebuggy. Our driver was clinically insane and made sure to drive in such a way, that we all thought we would surely die before ever getting to sandboard. Luckily, we made it, and sandboarding was a blast. After a couple days in Ica Me and 3 travelers I met there headed on to Cusco, the second largest city in Peru. Ive been here 2 days at a hostel called Loki, and we are having a great time checking out the sights of the city. Tomorrow, we head out on our 5 day tour through Maccu Pichu, which includes one day of biking, and 4 days of hiking. The tour takes us through Volcanic thermal baths, ancient Inca ruins, rope bridges, ancient Inca temples, and the heart of the Perubian jungle. Ill try to post after the tour with some more photos. Caio for now

Tattoo Me

So, I am really trying to keep up with this blog thing, but geez, it´s so hard with hardly any time to spare...ok, that´s just my excuse. Anyway, as you can probably tell from the title, I just got a new tattoo here in Quito. I´m telling you, there is something in the air here. I came here such a good boy(yeah, right), and now I have fallin´into the world of tattoos and piercings. I am leaving for Lima, Peru in 5 days and in just enough time for my tats to heal, so I can properly show them off..lol. There is a tremendous artist here, the one who did my new one, who has agreed to do some add-on work to enhance one of my other tattoos from earlier on. So, maybe when I return from Bolivia, I will take him up on it. I sure will miss Quito, when I have to come back to the U.S., but if everything goes well with my visa, I will be returning to Ecuador for work in September 2009. So, that´s about it. See ya again soon :)

Music Nights

There isn´t a whole to update since the last blog entry, just finishing up three more weeks here in Quito, then it´s off to Peru and Bolivia for a month before returning back to Ecuador to tour the country for a month. As of now, the current plan is to head back to the U.S. around the first of April, where I have to wait until my permanent work visa is approved around September, then it´s back to Ecuador where I will be working here for a year to two years on the coast in a city called Canoa. In some ways I hate to even have to leave here to head back to the U.S. because the restaurant is doing well, and it´s a lot of fun here. We just started having music nights up on the terrace here at the hotel, and every night is a different theme. Sundays are 80´s night, and everyone hadf a great time eating , drinking, and listening to music from the past. But, after I leave in April, they have to close the restaurant, until I return in September, because they don´t have anyone to take it over. Anyway, it will still be nice to visit family and friends back home for a bit, but Ecuador and the people and culture here sure grow on you. Caio´for now!

Happy New Years!

I realize this post is a little late, but celebrating New Years in Quito will do that to you. This was my first New Years away from home, but everyone had a great time. The traditions here are so much different, and it was great to experience all the new things that New Years here had to offer. The party usually starts off around 6pm New Years Eve, and it's filled with everyone telling stories from the past year. Of the interesting customs here is to make paper stuffed, life sized dummies that are displayed around the city, and then set on fire at midnight creating small fires around the city. The idea is that it represents all the bad from the previous year, and setting them on fire destroys that, and prepares the new year ahead. We played music through the night, and danced, danced, danced! Just after midnight, everyone sits down for a huge home cooked meal. This year I cooked, and I made chicken parm, mashed potatoes, grilled green beans with tomatoes, rice and corn, and brandy apples. Everyone enjoyed the gringo style food, and some never even had chicken parm before...imagine..lol. Finally, most of us went to bed around 3:00 am, and when we woke up the next day, there were still people singing and dancing around all the small fires burning in the streets of Quito...what a NEW YEAR!!

What the Smell Is Goin´On?

No doubt, this is one of those rather random blogs that may just leave you shaking your head after you read it...for such as life are those moments that don´t necessarily leave us affected in any other way, only in the occasional moment that hindsight comes again to remind us of why we took the time to write about it in the first place, or in this case for the reader, well, maybe I´ll let you choose the appropiate word. Yesterday, as we were preparing to ready the kitchen for another night of dishing out burgers, booze, and music to the plethra of tourists that would soon make their way through the doors, Jacob, Joel, Xavi, and I noticed a rather odd, and somewhat disconcerting smell making it´s way through the entire hostel. Now, moments earlier, our resident Spanish teacher, Maribel, had commented that she noticed what she thought was the smell of marajuana lurking about, but when we investigated, we all decided there was something else definately a´foot´making itself known. Then we realized that her Belgian student was conviently around every time we noticed the odor. After some more investigating, we finally all figured out that it was him....more specifically, his socks! Apparently, he´d been wearing the same pair underneath a pair of sandals(another no-no), for more than a week, and no intention of changing them any time soon. Eventually, we may have to start fining him daily if things don´t change. Now, because I am writing this in my blog, I had to give him an alias, just in case he tries to add me on facebook, in which case he will certainly find this entry. So, if a Belgian guy with sunburn, and a bad case of style and sock odor asks...My name is Paco Van Sustran, and I come from Iceland on a scientific mission to study the problem of Volcano water evaporation. I´m hoping this is enough to through him off my cybertrail. Thankfully, he hasnt asked what my name is yet!

Salsa Is To It

So, last night, the gang from our hostel where I am working all got together and went to a local salsa club to have a little fun, and teach the local girls a thing or two about salsa dancing. We all had a great time, but it turned out none of us actually knew HOW to salsa dance. No one was more shocked than I was. But we still had a great time dancing with the locals and just enjoying ourselves. Many of the girls tried to teach Jacob, Joel, and myself how to learn some moves, but it was not going so well, and in the end there were three injuries. Nothing serious ;-). One girl, Carla, was very sweet, and danced with me for a good 20 minutes or so, and I managed to learn some basics. Maybe I´ll try them out next week, we´ll see. Anyway, by the time we left, it was 3am, and most of us were exhausted. But we couldn´t go back until we all had a shwarma from the local place next to the club that stayed open until 5am. Sleep sure felt good that night!

A Helping Hand

Today was an interesting day in that even the unusual can sometimes be usual, depending on where you are at. As I was walking back from the internet cafe, a place where the internet speeds are so slow, that checking your email can cost about $2.00, which by the way, I find extremely convienent for the folks running them, I entered into a strange course of events. While crossing a small square near our hostel, I noticed a man laying on the grass unconscious surrounded by two uniformed police officers. At first, I thought he was dead, but then soon realized after listening to the police that he was merely the victim of too many cocktails. Just as I was about to continue on, one of the officers glanced my way and seemed to motion for me to come over. As I approached, I asked him if there was something he needed, and he nonchalantly asked me if I would be willing to help carry our annebriated amigo to the police station. I nodded my approval and began to hoist him up with the help of both cops onto his feet. We then proceeded to carry him about 50 yards uphill to this small doorway that lead into a strangely lit, and cramped room, where we laid him on the floor. The officers then thanked me for my help by offering me a strange, and somewhat awkward 'high five'...something they apparently learned from their years of dealing with American tourists. I left not quite sure of the future fate of our drunken friend, but decided that he was probably better off with two cops then on the ground sleeping the day away. I could be wrong.

Canoa the feelin´

Well, today I take the night bus back to Quito after 4 days in the sun in a town called Canoa. Leaving this place is a little bit of a downer, because it may be the nicest place I´ve been to in quite a while. It was a little like taking a vacation on Gilligans Island, except that they actually had telephones, eliminating the need to talk to my friends through a coconut. The people were very friendly, and they´re were not a lot of tourists. It was a great place to relax and just enjoy the weather. The water was amazing and my friends and I spent much time bodysurfing and boogie boarding. Jacob even tried surfing but that didn´t go so well, but it was fun to watch...sorry Jacob. Another interesting thing about Canoa, is the fact that there are more dogs than people..especially at night when they roam the streets lookin for trouble and a possible one night stand with the mutts from across the way. Jacob, Joel, and I stayed in a hostel called Bambu...and it was great. Hammocks all over the place, and great views of the ocean. Happy hour was from 5-6, and they had some really great food at the restaurant. Who would of thought you could get a great pasta dish in a remote resort beach in Ecuador:) Anyway, not much more to write now, but it´s back to Quito where the journey and adventure continues until we head off to the much delayed trip to the jungle, hopefully within a few weeks. You haven´t lived Ecuador until you can stare a 20 foot Anaconda in the face, and live to tell about it! lol
Caio´for now :)

Behind Bars

Well, today was one of the more difficult days in my life as far as experiences go. My friends Jacob, Joel, and I visited a womens prison here in Quito. Things are much different here than in the US. We arrived at the prison with a bag of clothes to give to the prisoners there. We had no idea how bad things were, and I guess we were slightly unprepared for what we saw. The clothes were accepted with more gratitude than we could have imagined, but we sonn started to hear the stories of the women staying there. In Ecuadors prison system, you must pay for everything you have in the jail. If you have no money or no family to give you money, you have no bed, covers, soap, etc. NOTHING...the only thing you get for free is three bowls of rice a day, with a tiny portion of chicken. We talked to one girl who was from Estonia and was in there for 7 years, because her boyfriend planted a small amount of marijuana in her bag. Most of the women in there were in there because of drugs or prostitution, and were serving multiple years. If you have money, things are much easier, but those without money are left to basically fend for themselves. It´s a terrible balance that exists, but justice is a much different word here. The other problem is the massive corruption among the prison guards..Its even so bad that the poorer inmates often serve lengthier sententces just because they lack the funds to bribe the proper offiicials. We are taking a collection of money, clothes, and bathroom supplies at the hostel here, and are making a return trip next week to bring them some more items, hopefully to brighten there day if only a little. We are also planning a trip to the mens prison in the near future, and from what we here the conditions there are even worse. I just wish there was more that we could do. It really makes you appreciate the freedom you have, and the simple things in life that they may never get to experience again.

Hail Yes!

OK...so as I am writing this, I am witnessing the biggest hail storm I have ever seen! Hail pellets the size of marbles, and I fear that if I go outside I may be killed or maimed. That said, I shall regress to earlier yesterday to tell you about a very cool trip to one of the larger parks in Quito called Parque Carolinas. It was huge, and it took us a good 30 minute walk to get to our intended destination...a reptile house full of all the creatures we love to hate. Nothing but snakes, turtles, frogs, lizards, etc. It was really neat, and I got to learn all the Spanish names of all my favorite snakes. Something else that was a little humorous was that at the time we were there, a local upper elementary school was having a class trip, and the place was loaded with about 30 students, alll in perfectly pressed uniforms. Here´s the humorous part. Everyone of them was more interested in us than in the displays. The teacher was obviously frustrated, and tried numerous times to get their attention, but all they wanted to know was why there were 3 gringos hanging out in a local reptile house in the middle of a park. And for some unknown reason, they were convinced that I was an American police officer, and my friend Jacob was a famous Reggae singer..(he has dreadlocks)...anyway, we had a good time and got some nice photos of the park, which I will post later. Oh, and also, along the way there we encountered 3 girls from a school nearby who were doing a class project and wanted to interview us..not sure why, they just wanted to know what we were doing in the park...(again with the strange Gringos hanging out of place) it was funny though..I told them I was thinking of buying the park and turning it into the largest McDonalds in Ecuador...they weren´t sure if I was joking or not..what a fun day we had! Caio´for now!

Sick in Quito!

OK, so one thing is for sure. Getting sick in a foreign country is not something I would recommend. Actually, it comes right after getting mugged by a gang of angry girlscouts on the list of things one should never have to experience. To make things worse, it may have been one of the most incapacitating colds I have ever had. By the second day, things were starting to spiral downwards. If you can imagine a sore throat so bad, that every attempt to swallow was first prepared for by bracing myself against the bed as if I were in a Boeing 747, and the pilot had just announced to prepare for a crash landing. If that weren't bad enough, I was so severely congested that those two little portholes to respitory freedom, might has well of been for asthetic purposes only. Of course, this just forced me to breath through my mouth, which caused it to dry out even faster, and thus, making the countdown to the eventual swallow come even excruciatingly quicker. Throw in a headache that even makes an entire bottle of Tylenol look appatizing, and three nights of sleep totaling about 17 minutes, and hopefully you can get a little bit of an idea how this going. By the third day, it was time to make a trip to Quito's Military Hospital emergency room. Surprisingly, this was one of the bright spots in my little adventure. I walked up to the window, gave them my passport, paid $12.00, and waited about 30 minutes to see the doctor. He was a very kind man, who took the time to really look me over, take some tests, and make sure it wasn't anything more than a cold. He gave me a prescription for a combination of 5 different drugs, that I took to the pharmacy on the way home. The total cost for all the medication...$26.00 dollars. This all happened yesterday, and today I am feeling much better, just as the doctor promised. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll be as good as new. Now, I just hope that this is the last time I have to go through that again. The lesson learned here is that when I am in America, and I get really sick, I 'm going to fly to Quito, and save a couple hundred dollars or more!

Last night was the 'official' grand opening of the new restaurant here in Quito. I served burritos con carne with rice, beans, and guacamole. Tonight we are having Vodka ala Penne with marinated chicken breast. For dessert, homemade brownies and ice cream.

My New Job

Wow...I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post. Things have been so crazy here, just adjusting to all the new surroundings. I am starting to get used to and enjoy the local foods and quisine. One of my favorites is the local lunch cafe that serves a nice portion of chicken and rice with beans for only $2. After one week, the surroundings are becoming more familiar, and I am able to cruise around town without getting lost..Yeah! The local buses are great, and they will get you to just about anywhere in Quito for about 25 cents. The funny thing is, that during certain hours, the bus becomes so crowded that people are literally pressed up against each other like sardines. What a way to emerse yourself in the culture. So, anyway, I start my new job officially tonight as the cook in the new kitchen at the hostel where I am staying. It works out good, because the room and board are free, and all I really need money for is basic transportation, and extra curricular activitities. I've met a couple of nice guys from Sweden who I plan to go to a salsa bar with tonight. The local women love to dance with the Gringos, and try to persuade them to buy drinks for them all night. How can you pass up on that offer. Spanish classes are going very well, but 4 hours a day, and a couple hours of homework each night can be a little daunting, but fluent Spanish is just around the corner! Yo espero estoy listo in un poco semanas! OK..time to sign off...see ya soon!

Otavalo Market

Yesterday we went to the largest market in South America..It was an awesome experience. Mostly indiginous people selling their goods and milling about. It took 2 hours to get there by bus, but it was well worth the trip. I went with my friends Jacob, Joel, and Maggie, and we spent the entire day there, and I cooked an Italian dinner at the hostel when we returned. Tonight, we are having a Reggae party on the roof of the hostel, and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes until after midnight.

Time For Spanish

If you happened to read my last entry, you saw that I was planning to go to the city Banos. Well, I am still going, but I have rearranged my schedule. The current plan now is to stay in Quito for one month while I take advanced Spanish classes. My class starts tomorrow, and I will be attending for 20 hours per week for 4 weeks. The goal is to be perfectly fluent by the end of the classes. Communicating at this point isn't too bad. I am much better at speaking than comprehending. Even though I am comfortable in conversations, my vocabulary is somewhat limited, so I find myself missing a lot when I speak with the locals. At the end of the month, I'll head to Banos for at least 2 weeks. I'm finding out there is even more there than I thought. You can rent a bike for 5 dollars for the day, and just cruise around the mountains, and explore in complete safety. And because of the altitude, and relatively small size of the city, it's nearly impossible to get lost, but I plan on testing that assumption. They also have this bungy jump thing that flings you across the lake and into the thermal HOT springs. These springs are heated by the volcanic activity around the city, and remain at a constant 95 degrees. You can pretty much soak the day away. They even have a cable car that goes between the two mountains..not so sure about that though..ugh! Oh, I forgot to mention, today I climbed to the top of this clocktower in the heart of Old Town. It's one of the oldest churches in Quito, and offers incredible views from the top. It was only 2 dollars, and I hung out for a couple of hours, and had a little lunch there. It was really cool. The photos on this post are the ones I took there. Bye for now :)

Banos

Well, after a couple of days of unwinding in the capital city, I am planning to head out tomorrow to a city called Banos. It's probably the most beautiful, and safest city in Ecuador. There are plenty of trails available for hiking, and the thermal springs offer a place to just soak in hot water while waterfalls cascade over you. Not so bad. I've been told it takes a couple of weeks to really explore everything there, so after this week, I may book a week stay there and just relax and take my time and enjoy it. You can take a 3 hour bus ride there for about 3.50. I'll make sure to get some pictures. Bye for now :)

Starting Out In Quito

Well, even though there are 2 other posts on this blog, this is my first post from Quito, Ecuador itself. When my plane landed and I got into the airport terminal, I really thought that I had arrived at the craziest, most chaotic terminal I had ever been to in my life. You would of thought that people were evacuating a major catastrophe. Maybe they were and I just haven't found out what it is yet. After about an hour of terminal torture, I finally made it to the taxi line, and took a thirty five minute ride to my hotel for only 8 dollars. The same ride in the states would have cost about 25 or more. By the time I got to my hotel, it was almost midnight. (My plane landed at 11:00pm.) It was a little disconcerting when the reception didn't answer right away, and I was left standing in the middle of a strange city with three bags and no bed, but thankfully after another buzz on the door, she finally came to my rescue. The room was really nice and quaint, and very comfortable. The downside is; one channel in English, undrinkable tap water, and the very infamous inability to flush toilet paper in any toilet in South America. They just stick a wastebasket by the comode..I'm sure you can do without any additional commentary on that subject. But the good news is I get to watch "The Simpsons" in Spanish. The voice overs are hilarious. Anyway, tomorrow I will probably head to the BIG market and stock up on food. They have a nice kitchen here where you can keep your food and cook whenever you want. It's really convienent. Well, I have to sleep now, and they shut off internet at 11:00pm anyway. Bye for now :)