On Friday, we took a guided tour to four different ruins. Allow me to explain what I mean by ¨guided¨ and ¨four different ruins.¨ Our guide immediately disappeared and we were put in a cab with two guys, a korean-mexican woman from Tennessee who didn´t speak English, and us. Then, we ended up at some sketchy farm and were told we were riding horses. Okay, sweet.
After saddling up we ended up visiting only one ruin. haha. oh well. We still had a really fabulous time and the views along the trail were stunning. It was a fabulous experience, albeit a little expensive for what we thought we were getting.
On Saturday, we actually did take a guided tour to a few ruins very far away (two hours by bus), which were incredible. Maybe it wasn´t Maccu Picchu, but at least we were seeing some sweet Incan Ruins; and of course, meeting interesting people.
I always thought I would never be able to travel alone, but after this experience, I think maybe I can. Because every trip we take and every time we turn a corner we start a conversation with some really nice people. For instance, we met a woman from San Fransico with dual citizenship in Egypt, and of course started up a conversation about that...
Good times all around, although maybe a little too much sol too close to the Equator.
¡Choa!
CM
Sunday, January 31, 2010
La Ciudad de Escaleras
After departing Quito and flying through Lima, I arrived in Cuzco to a beautiful sunny day. Where was all the water I wondered? But immediately I began seeing over flowing rivers and and places where the water had clearly been much higher than I was now seeing it. The city is in a valley, and thus all the water runs to the middle. Everywhere I look there are stairs, and I am constantly out of breath even after being in Quito for so long.
My hostel is located high on a side of the valley in a neighborhood called San Blas. Although it is a bit of a trek, the views are definitely worth the hike. After arriving here I was able to meet up with Sam, a guy from St. Olaf I went on Global with last year, which has been nice. My first day here I explored the central Plaza del Armas and the surrounding area; I was also able to get a full refund from PeruRail for my train ticket to Aguas Calientes which was a bonus. We have tried to volunteer but the Cruzo Rojo only needs food, water, and doctors, so we ended up donating a ton of rice and water instead. Contantly there are helicopters flying over the city transporting stranded victims from Maccu Picchu to here and other areas.
I have talked with many people who had been stranded there and evacuated out, seen pictures, and heard horrible stories about what people saw that don´t need to be repeated. And yet, although I am not envious of what these people have seen, I am envious of their experiences; and at times wish I too could have been stranded. (Sorry, Mom.)
¡Choa!
CM
My hostel is located high on a side of the valley in a neighborhood called San Blas. Although it is a bit of a trek, the views are definitely worth the hike. After arriving here I was able to meet up with Sam, a guy from St. Olaf I went on Global with last year, which has been nice. My first day here I explored the central Plaza del Armas and the surrounding area; I was also able to get a full refund from PeruRail for my train ticket to Aguas Calientes which was a bonus. We have tried to volunteer but the Cruzo Rojo only needs food, water, and doctors, so we ended up donating a ton of rice and water instead. Contantly there are helicopters flying over the city transporting stranded victims from Maccu Picchu to here and other areas.
I have talked with many people who had been stranded there and evacuated out, seen pictures, and heard horrible stories about what people saw that don´t need to be repeated. And yet, although I am not envious of what these people have seen, I am envious of their experiences; and at times wish I too could have been stranded. (Sorry, Mom.)
¡Choa!
CM
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Ciclopaseo
On friday we visited the Equator, or ¨El Mitad del Mundo¨. There was a very big monument which was pretty cool. It was built there to commemorate the finding of the Equator in the early 18th century by some really smart dudes. Unfortunately, there were off by about 100 meters (which is pretty incredible when you think about it). Alas, the monument is only a tourist attraction, and you must travel elsewhere to get the real deal... Here, they do a few expierements to prove it´s the Equator. Notably, water spins counter clockwise down a drain in one hemisphere, the opposite in the other, and not at all on the Equator. It was pretty cool, althought I think they may have had magnets somewhere considering the phenomenum existed even just five feet off the Equator.
In the evening we ventured down to ¨La Ronda¨, a closed off street with live music, dancing, good food, and adult beverages. Then we headed to a club and danced the night away.
Yesterday I spent time in Historic Quito, visisting the Bascillica again and enjoying the Old Town. It was great to walk around down there, it really is my favorite part of Quito I think. In the evening we met up for a night of salsa dancing at a local bar with live music. It was great to be the only gringos in the place, and we had a lot of fun.
Today we took part in the Ciclopaseo. Twice a month, Quito shuts down one of its busiest streets that runs from Old Town (south) to the Airport (North), about 25 km, to all cars, taxis, and buses. Thousands of people take to the street on bikes, skateboards, roller blades, and jogging; many of whom sport signs reading ¨un auto menos¨ (¨one less car¨). It was a lot of fun, except that the bikes we rented broke numerous times. Oh well, nothing like getting your bike fixed in some small tienda on a sketch street in Quito - ¡toda parte la experiencía!
Tomorrow we have an oral final, and on Tuesday we head to the hot springs in the mountains. Then it´s off to Peru!
As my time here ends, and my next post probably coming from Cuzco, I can say with definitey that Quito is one of my favorite cities in the entire world (and I feel I can say that with a little authority behind it). haha. I love how busy and laid back it is at the same time, I love the feel of the different barrios (suberbs), and the people are (generally) authentic. I will truly miss it.
¡Choa!
-CM
In the evening we ventured down to ¨La Ronda¨, a closed off street with live music, dancing, good food, and adult beverages. Then we headed to a club and danced the night away.
Yesterday I spent time in Historic Quito, visisting the Bascillica again and enjoying the Old Town. It was great to walk around down there, it really is my favorite part of Quito I think. In the evening we met up for a night of salsa dancing at a local bar with live music. It was great to be the only gringos in the place, and we had a lot of fun.
Today we took part in the Ciclopaseo. Twice a month, Quito shuts down one of its busiest streets that runs from Old Town (south) to the Airport (North), about 25 km, to all cars, taxis, and buses. Thousands of people take to the street on bikes, skateboards, roller blades, and jogging; many of whom sport signs reading ¨un auto menos¨ (¨one less car¨). It was a lot of fun, except that the bikes we rented broke numerous times. Oh well, nothing like getting your bike fixed in some small tienda on a sketch street in Quito - ¡toda parte la experiencía!
Tomorrow we have an oral final, and on Tuesday we head to the hot springs in the mountains. Then it´s off to Peru!
As my time here ends, and my next post probably coming from Cuzco, I can say with definitey that Quito is one of my favorite cities in the entire world (and I feel I can say that with a little authority behind it). haha. I love how busy and laid back it is at the same time, I love the feel of the different barrios (suberbs), and the people are (generally) authentic. I will truly miss it.
¡Choa!
-CM
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Desarrollo Sostenible en la Amazonia.
This past weekend we visited the Amazon Rain Forest and stayed along the Nano River, which is one of the main tribuataires. We began our journey with a short flight (30 min) to Coca and then a 2.5 hour motorized canoe ride up river to the Yuchana Lodge, offering incredible accomadations with beautiful views.
We hiked through the Amazon, seeing spiders, birds, monkeys, toucans, and parots; and tried delicious food such as piranahs, talapia, and I even ate a live larvae...which I most say was quite large. Pictures will certainly need to be shared.
There are so many problems facing indigenious communities in the Amazon, and the most important one is the poverty due to lack of education and public services. The Yuchana Lodge has started it´s own school which focus and teaches only practical applications - farming in the jungle, how to repair outboard motors (which nearly all canoes use) and how to build only relative objects. In a region with a 15% graduation rate, Yuchana boasts one of 64% - clearly something is working.
They also focus a lot on sustainable development in the rainforest. The natives here are encouraged by Yuchana to purchase a $15 solar rechargable LED light, which over the course of 10 years (its average suspected life time) can save a family between $1500 and $2000. In a community whose average annual income is $400, that´s nothing to ignore. Yuchana also focuses on how to purifer water in an energy eficient manner. The brains behind this operation was a bankrupt businessman from Kentucky, Douglas, who moved to Ecuador in the early 1980s, and has since changed the lives of thousands. He was quite the character and I am very glad I got to meet him and talk to him about so many things - he truly inspires change in others.
The Amazon also consisted of playing a huge futbol (that´s soccer for you gringos) game which students from both Yuchana and St. Olaf participated. It POURED for 45 minutes...so much fun! We also did a lot of swimming, hiking, eating, sleeping, and more hiking. The bugs were surprisingly not that bad, but I also wore long pants and sleeves the whole time.
Upcoming adventures include the Equator, Cloud Forests, and natural hot springs at 14,000 ft.
Much Love!
CM
We hiked through the Amazon, seeing spiders, birds, monkeys, toucans, and parots; and tried delicious food such as piranahs, talapia, and I even ate a live larvae...which I most say was quite large. Pictures will certainly need to be shared.
There are so many problems facing indigenious communities in the Amazon, and the most important one is the poverty due to lack of education and public services. The Yuchana Lodge has started it´s own school which focus and teaches only practical applications - farming in the jungle, how to repair outboard motors (which nearly all canoes use) and how to build only relative objects. In a region with a 15% graduation rate, Yuchana boasts one of 64% - clearly something is working.
They also focus a lot on sustainable development in the rainforest. The natives here are encouraged by Yuchana to purchase a $15 solar rechargable LED light, which over the course of 10 years (its average suspected life time) can save a family between $1500 and $2000. In a community whose average annual income is $400, that´s nothing to ignore. Yuchana also focuses on how to purifer water in an energy eficient manner. The brains behind this operation was a bankrupt businessman from Kentucky, Douglas, who moved to Ecuador in the early 1980s, and has since changed the lives of thousands. He was quite the character and I am very glad I got to meet him and talk to him about so many things - he truly inspires change in others.
The Amazon also consisted of playing a huge futbol (that´s soccer for you gringos) game which students from both Yuchana and St. Olaf participated. It POURED for 45 minutes...so much fun! We also did a lot of swimming, hiking, eating, sleeping, and more hiking. The bugs were surprisingly not that bad, but I also wore long pants and sleeves the whole time.
Upcoming adventures include the Equator, Cloud Forests, and natural hot springs at 14,000 ft.
Much Love!
CM
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
¿Te gusta cuy?
To my avid fans, I apologize for not updating sooner, but alas I am only here for a month and do not have time to waste at a computer! :-)
Two weekends ago we traveled two hours north to Otavalo, a small indígenous village where we stayed for two nights with an indígenous family. They spoke absolutely no English, only Spanish and their native tounge of Chequcha. No electricity, no running water, and no refridegerator in the kitchen. Families here make roughly US $300 per year, and anywhere from $100 - $150 of that is spent on candles...want to solve poverty? But them solar recharable lights, an interesting theory -- but we regress. The homes were completely open air, built of sturdy concrete anywhere from one to two levels with an open access roof. The family I stayed with (with one other person on the trip) consisted of a stay at home mom, a dad who worked in tourism (surprise) and five children (one son). The first night we helped to cook dinner by candlelight. They did have a propane stove which made the already hot kitchen unbearable, but away we continued. Soup was a main dish of theirs, consisting often of various vegetables and potatoes. While eating dinner around a single candle, we were asked the question, ¿te gusta cuy? (pronounced koo-ee). Cuy is guinea pig, and sells for anywhere between $10 and $15 in the local market - to call it a delicacy would be an understatment. This would be like offering a complete stranger a brand new car in our society. Of course, we said that althought we never had it we would love to try it...
The next day was spent at the Otavalo Market, which attracts up to 20,000 people on a crowded saturday during the high season. There were great items ranging from alpaca anything to paintings, delicious foods, and jewlery (all authentic, of course). Needless to say, I spent a hefty amount here (now the hard part will be getting it all home). The next morning we helped our host family help another family with various chores - moving wood and cinder blocks and helping plan the foundation of a new building they are adding to the community. To thank us, this other family cooked us a delicious meal of fish, potatoes, rice, cheese, and other ¨interesting tasting¨ foods...but a community that thanks you with food?? Yea, I could live here... Later that day we were able to try cuy, which I really enjoyed - and no, it didn´t taste like chicken. We also swam in the local river and bathed, it was a really cool experience.
On the way home we stopped at Cotapaxi, a beautiful Volcano which has been dormant for some time now and is now filled with water and is a lake. Gorgeous views of both the volcano and city of Otavalo are sure to come...
The last night we spent at a nice hacienda before returning to Quito, where I was welcomed by a hot shower and my own bed.
Two weekends ago we traveled two hours north to Otavalo, a small indígenous village where we stayed for two nights with an indígenous family. They spoke absolutely no English, only Spanish and their native tounge of Chequcha. No electricity, no running water, and no refridegerator in the kitchen. Families here make roughly US $300 per year, and anywhere from $100 - $150 of that is spent on candles...want to solve poverty? But them solar recharable lights, an interesting theory -- but we regress. The homes were completely open air, built of sturdy concrete anywhere from one to two levels with an open access roof. The family I stayed with (with one other person on the trip) consisted of a stay at home mom, a dad who worked in tourism (surprise) and five children (one son). The first night we helped to cook dinner by candlelight. They did have a propane stove which made the already hot kitchen unbearable, but away we continued. Soup was a main dish of theirs, consisting often of various vegetables and potatoes. While eating dinner around a single candle, we were asked the question, ¿te gusta cuy? (pronounced koo-ee). Cuy is guinea pig, and sells for anywhere between $10 and $15 in the local market - to call it a delicacy would be an understatment. This would be like offering a complete stranger a brand new car in our society. Of course, we said that althought we never had it we would love to try it...
The next day was spent at the Otavalo Market, which attracts up to 20,000 people on a crowded saturday during the high season. There were great items ranging from alpaca anything to paintings, delicious foods, and jewlery (all authentic, of course). Needless to say, I spent a hefty amount here (now the hard part will be getting it all home). The next morning we helped our host family help another family with various chores - moving wood and cinder blocks and helping plan the foundation of a new building they are adding to the community. To thank us, this other family cooked us a delicious meal of fish, potatoes, rice, cheese, and other ¨interesting tasting¨ foods...but a community that thanks you with food?? Yea, I could live here... Later that day we were able to try cuy, which I really enjoyed - and no, it didn´t taste like chicken. We also swam in the local river and bathed, it was a really cool experience.
On the way home we stopped at Cotapaxi, a beautiful Volcano which has been dormant for some time now and is now filled with water and is a lake. Gorgeous views of both the volcano and city of Otavalo are sure to come...
The last night we spent at a nice hacienda before returning to Quito, where I was welcomed by a hot shower and my own bed.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Su casa es tu casa.
Having been delayed many hours in Atlanta, our flight finally left and we arrived in Quito at 2:00 am, much to the delight of our host families. My family consists of a mom (Maria), dad (Arturo), and three boys (plus a dog). They are wonderful and my accomadations are superb. I got so lucky, I could not have asked for a better family.
Their hospitality is incredible -- one of the first things they told me was ¨Our house is your house¨ and I have felt completely at home. They speak very little English, if any at all, and refuse to speak even that with me.
In the morning I take the bus to school, which was interesting the first day -- I toke the wrong bus and ended up in some remote part of Quito in the slums in a very poor part of town. But alas I am alive and none worse for the wear.
I am excited to begin exploring the city, and have many ideas of what to see.
So far the only big mix up with the language was telling my Ecuadorian mom ¨Estoy excitado¨ (I´m horny) instead of ¨Estoy emocionado¨...she is still making fun of me for it. :-)
Until next time...
- CM
Their hospitality is incredible -- one of the first things they told me was ¨Our house is your house¨ and I have felt completely at home. They speak very little English, if any at all, and refuse to speak even that with me.
In the morning I take the bus to school, which was interesting the first day -- I toke the wrong bus and ended up in some remote part of Quito in the slums in a very poor part of town. But alas I am alive and none worse for the wear.
I am excited to begin exploring the city, and have many ideas of what to see.
So far the only big mix up with the language was telling my Ecuadorian mom ¨Estoy excitado¨ (I´m horny) instead of ¨Estoy emocionado¨...she is still making fun of me for it. :-)
Until next time...
- CM
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