Unlikely Mini-Vacations

Last weekend was definitely one for the books. Saturday, I went to a 10th anniversary drag show here in Quito, which starred one of our friends that we´ve met since being here. Let me tell you, I´ve never been to one before, but I´ll bet a Latin American one tops all others. It was definitely an experience, bright red glitter lipstick and eyeshadow and a little number by Shakira. Also, probably one of five places in Latin America where it is openly accepted to hold such a show and they have been open for ten years.

Sunday, I went to the zoo with the niños and we got to see condors, jaguars and Galapagos turtles-- pretty sweet, it was definitely not your typical zoo. They were all Andean animals, which was cool for me, but David was a little upset to find the zoo had no elephants and no giraffes, like the ones on TV. But he was hilarious too, because we´d be waiting in line to see something and he´d see a butterfly flying by and be enthralled by that. Cool, but not quite part of the zoo, my little friend.

This past weekend, plans with a number of people (volunteers and friends from home) got moved around back and forth and I had ended up with a ticket to Guayaquil and a three day weekend, so I figured why not. The last time I had been there, it was super rainy so Andrew, a more experienced Guayaquil visitor, took me to a few spots that are must sees and that was that. This weekend was incredible. The weather was perfect, a nice 85 degrees the entire time, with a rain shower here and there. I was able to talk a walk up and down the Malecon and up Las Peñas. I also sat and read for a while in the famous iguana-filled park. Then I met up with Sarah for a bite to eat and this hippie-ish fruit restaurant, where I had an amazing sandwich with peaches, pineapples and chicken. We were able to meet up with Shelby for some drinks at a local bar that night. Then Sunday, we spent some time in the Parque Historico, that had three different sections: a zoo, a historical Williamsburg-esque section and a garden. Finally, we ended our girls´weekend with the Oscars in Spanglish (they were dubbed, but dubbed poorly so only some of Jon Stewart´s jokes were understood).

And today...dun dun dun... is David´s 4th Bday! :) ...who made sure to remind me last night at 11PM.

Ode to Quito

Salsa, Merengue and the latest Reggaeton craze
Fiestas de Quito, how I loved those days

Young kids missing school to sell knick knacks
A non-corrupt legal system is what this city lacks

Buses so crowded, I choose to walk
Nice old ladies always willing to talk

$1.50 for the newest pirated flicks
Pickpockets and thieves up to their latest tricks

Cheap almuerzos are a way of life
15 year olds that hope to make a good wife

Cleaning up the city with murals on the wall
Even down here you can hear the rooster call

Men breathing fire at a busy intersection
Parents who give their kids nothing but affection

Visit to the Vivarium

Running like a gallina with its head cut off...

This past week, I was invited to join two students (mid 50s, Marco and Dominga) and their family for a vacation. Knowing that they weren´t planning on taking no for an answer and not having too much better to do, I joined along. The plan was to head up North, about two hours from Ibarra, in a town called Lita, where Marco grew up. The trip was a five hour drive from Quito with brief stops in Otavalo and Ibarra. We left their house at the wee hour of 7AM and from there headed to meet up with their friend Martin, a German born Otavaleño, who prepared us breakfast and had an impressively extensive garden that separated his home from the others on the block. From there, we were back on the road and headed to Ibarra. On the way, we bought some fruit that is native to that area: chirimoya. It looks like a monster fruit, green with large wart-like bumps all over, but is quite possibly the sweetest fruit you´ll ever have. Definitely a treat! From there we visited San Antonio de Ibarra, an outskirt town of Ibarra that is famous for its woodcarvings. After a quick vuelta, we were back on the road and headed to our destination of Lita. The winding roads through the mountains left some gorgeous landscape views and were interrupted only by the 1,000 fritada and choclo restaurants that lined the streets.

When we finally arrived in Lita, it was everything you can imagine a small town in Ecuador being. Marco was like a star in the town as we walked through and went for a walk to get me acquainted to the town. Being with Marco was an added perk, because its Carnaval time and the water balloons were shielded by his fame that we didn´t get the typical showering of eggs, flour, water balloons and soap foam. After meeting some of the locals, we headed out for a hike. Along the hike, we stopped at one of the many rivers that pass through the town and stopped at the spot where you were technically in three provinces: Esmeraldas, Imbaburra, and Carchi. After sweating up a storm, (which was better than the rainstorms we´ve been having in Quito), we headed to the water for a quick swim that was amazingly freezing when we first arrived and by the end of our hour there was juuust right.

From there, Dominga said we should cook something special for dinner. I agreed but had no idea what I was agreeing to exactly. As we headed back to the house we were staying at, we stopped along the street and bought a chicken. A live chicken. Thinking nothing of it, I assumed it was for the grandfather and his farm or something like that. Never did it cross my mind that there was no great big grocery store around and that I would be in fact eating this little fellow in less than 4 hours. With a single meal, I may have been turned vegetarian. After the meal, we sat around with the abuelo and they told funny stories about the past and watched a movie. The next morning, I headed to catch my bus back to Quito and made a few stops along the way. With three bus transfers, I myself felt like a chicken with its head cut off.