Ecuador Day 11 and 12

¨¨You can´t predict the flow.¨

Pat and I were on 3 buses for 11 hours today - only scant minutes between one and the next. It was awful and long and frustrating. After many detours and changing of plans we ended up 2.5 hours south of where we originally planned to be,...and traveled 4 hours longer than necessary. If it was not for the EXTRAORDINARY kindness of a complete stranger on teh bus, Pat and I may STILL have been traveling from bus to bus, town to town. This older Ecuadorian gentlemansat across from me on the bus...he yelled at a food vendor for trying to rip me off and made small conversation while on the bus. When we arrived in Guayaquil...2 hours late...all of the buses for Montañita had left for the day. Basically, we were fucked. BUT, this guy talked to bus drivers, policemen and vendors...finally finding us a bus to a town along the shore where we could catch a cab 2 hours away to Montañita. Did I mention that it was now 830 at night? He told us over and over and OVER again to BE CAREFUL! He told us that the taxi drivers have no heart and to trust no one. When we walked us to the bus he talked to the bus driver who he told multiple times to look out for us, and to help us find a safe taxi upon our arrival. If I have not yet mentioned this...it is ESSENTIAL to speak spanish in Ecuador, it´s not like Costa Rica where everyone speaks some english. SO, a little over 2 hours later we arrive in Santa Elena. Pat and I both decided that arriving in Montañita past midnight would not be safe and that nothing would probably be open, so we opted to take a taxi 20minutes away to Salinas, the ¨Miami Beach¨ of Ecuador. We were SO lucky to have stumbled into COCO´s Hotel and Restaurant. Everything is very expensive in Salinas, but we lucked out with a double room for under 40 bucks. Andrea, at the front desk, was amazingly helpful and assured us that she would help us get situated the following morning for a taxi. Pat and I grabbed some local seafood down the street and then passed out. I went to bed exhausted and pissed and upset....a full day of traveling, all the time and money wasted, and I was definitely missing Baños---BUT, as a fellow traveler said in Latacunga, YOU CANT PREDICT THE FLOW. Little did I know that everything happened for a reason. This morning, day 12, we woke up only somewhat defeated and decided that coffee was the first thing to do. Andrea was already at the front desk and when we asked for coffee she obliged....with FRENCH PRESS COFFEE...beans from the GALAPAGOS islands...with steamed milk, a bar of dark cocoa, and a biscotti. This cup of coffee alone was worth the 11 hours of bus rides. Definitely the BEST cup of coffee in south america. Just FYI: Andrea is the owners daughter....probably in her late 20s. She is beautiful and funny and eccentric...fluent in English, lived and studied in Switzerland, and was now back in Salinas to help run her families business. She told us to return in an hour...she was going to call a bunch of taxis and negotiate a good deal for us. Well, she delivered. Besite was our driver, an older Ecuadorian man who spoke a fair bit of English. He would drive us the 2 hours for 50 bucks...and would act as a tour guide. Our ride with Bisete took 5 hours. He stopped when Pat asked to take photos, he took us into every little fishing village between Salinas and Montañita, and took us to an AMAZING little gem where we had lunch of fresh oysters on the half shell, oyster ceviche, fresh grilled lobster, a shrimp tortilla, patacones, rice and BEER. BAH. You couldn´t wipe the smile off my face. Bisete was such an interesting man. We talked about his life, his family, Ecuador, the government, the people, the poverty and his dreams. We went to a little aquarium in a poor town, visited HUGE beautiful rich cathedrals that were in towns so poor that people cannot afford food. We passed shrimpfarms and statues and visited a museum of artifacts from the first indigenous cultures. Such a rich day. We talked about the culture in Ecuador...most girls marry at age 13 or 14...17 or 18 if they are educated. Bisete said he will let his daughter do whatever she wants...ONCE she is a PROFESSIONAL. We talked about the people in these towns, who only make enough to eat, barely able to put food on their back. Some people recieve money from the government, about $35 dollars a month, which is basically a drop in the bucket. There is oil everywhere here, which is great for the country of Ecuador, but is only benefiting the corrupt government. Bisete is a BUSCADOR TE SOROS...a treasure hunter. His dream is to go to Spain and study old manuscripts and logs of treasure ships. He is bright and kind and unfortunately will never have enough money to do all that he deams. SO - our shitty shitty shitty day turned out to be quite wonderful, and now I am sitting in the internet cafe in Montañita. Montañita is not quite what I imagined it to be...and its rainy and muddy with no sun in sight. BUT, Im holding onto the notion of going with the flow, because in the end...it all works out.

Ecuador Day 10

I biked 45 kilometers.

Holy Shit.

And I didn´t die.

Wow.


SO....yesterday (which was day 10....couldn´t blog about it yesterday cause there was no electricity in Banos) I woke up, did yoga, had breakfast with Lou, Pat, Bar, Kathryn & Duncan. Bar met the Australian couple while traveling earlier in the month, and they met up with us. Duncan has mountain climbing fever, so he departed after breakfast to summit the tallest mountain in Ecuador. Anyways, breakfast at the same fabulous place as the day before, and then we were off to pick up our bikes. The night before when we were at the baths, we fell into a conversation with a local Ecuadorian guy. He owns a place in town that organizes tours, canyoning, climbing etc., He told us that the bikes were 6 bucks...Bar refused, bargained and then just said ´Well, I am paying 5 dollars, and so are my friends. So have 5 bikes ready tomorrow for 5 dollars apiece¨ and that was the end of the conversation. You must understand my friend Bar, she picks a price that she´ll pay and she refuses to pay a dollar more...even if it means bargaining for hours!! hahaha. The next morning after breakfast we headed to Paulo´s place and there were 5 bikes sitting out front. We handed him 25 bucks, put on our helmets and we were off. He offered to ride part of the way with us, which was very nice...after all, I haven´t been on a mountain bike in a very, very, very long time....I only tried to STOP the bike about 10 times by peddaling BACKWARDS like I do on my grandma-bike at home! The beauty of the 60 km bike to Puyo is that a good majority of it is downhill, BUT there is also some not-so-inviting uphill inclines that are just unfriendly. I would be cussing up a storm, sweating to death, moving about an inch a minute, and then after 3 minutes of agony, I would coast for about 6minutes. We stopped once and climbed down to an epic waterfall, and several other short stops to just take a breather. Once or twice we had to get off and walk our bike, and once we had to peddle through a very dark, very scary tunnel. Bar´s bike broke half way through so she hitched a ride home, Lou´s chain popped off about three quarters of the way there, so we coasted a bit further and then called it quits. Afterall, we had been biking for 6 hours. We walked to the opposite side of the road and waited for a bus. Buses here will take anything...you will see live sheep standing on top of a bus...somehow tied down. Big cotton candy machines are loaded atop, and they certainly take bikes. We were picked up by a pickup truck though, and for about 30 minutes the 4 of us (kathryn, lou, pat and i) and our 4 bikes were crammed into the bed of the truck. Bar and I had decided earlier in the ride that we were going to make a big dinner that night...so when we got back she had already gone to the market. We set the table beautifully and made homemade salsa and guacamole, I roasted garlic in olive oil for dipping our delicious bread in, Bar made a huge huge delicious salad and I made some dressing...and of course, we made sangria. We also found some delicious whole wheat bread with walnuts which we ate with some dutch cheese and gouda. LIFE IS GOOD. Ben, a frenchman who was lucky enough to be placed in our dorm, was invited to dinner as our guest....and he couldn´t believe his eyes!! hahaha. We put some music on and their was a ton of candlelight (no electricity!) and we sat by our fire to enjoy our delightful meal. Afterwards, sore and full and exhausted, we all stumbled down to the hot baths to soak our sores away. Bah. I love it. I could spend hours at the hot baths just going from hot, to cold, to hot hot to hot to cold. hahaha. Now, at 6:30am, I am being bad and skipping yoga...trying to catch up on some internet time before Pat and I take our 10 hour journey to MONTANITA. I do NOT want to leave Banos, but I think that we have to...otherwise our 10 hour journey would be for one day at the beach, which seems quite ridiculous...and in another 4 days we will be flying to the GALAPAGOS. I´m pretty bummed to be leaving Bar...we´ve become incredibly close this past week, but shes one of those that I will remain friends with for years to come. Onward and upward to the BEACH!

Ecuador Day 8 and 9

Every day is better than the day before.

Yesterday, Day 8, we arrived in Banos. We were lucky to catch a direct bus to Banos, not having to transfer in Amabato! Bar and I grabbed seats next to eachother and exchanged ipods for the ride. We bought some sweet empanadas on the bus for 50 cents, and cuddled with a mans puppy for some of the ride. The bus ride to Banos was the most beautiful ride yet. Huge mountains topped with snow, smoking volcanoes, blue skies and beauty beyond belief. Once in Banos we checked out a few hostals and opted for Hostal Santa Cruz...what a gem! Cute, small, with a fire place in the center of our kitchen. Free internet, a full kitchen, hammocks and clean comfortable rooms with a private bathroom and shower (HOT WATER, and good pressure!!!!). Lou, Bar, Pat and I are sharing the dorm which is nice. We walked through the whole town which is cute and homey and friendly. While walking up to the waterfall, amazing waterfall, we ran into New York John, whom we met at Secret Garden in Quito. He told us that we MUST go to the hot baths at 6pm, so we hurried to Cafe Hood for some delicious grub, and then to the baths. Wow. You pay 2 dollars to get in, and I SWEAR that every single person who lives in Banos was there. You go in, shower, and then there are 3 pools: freezing cold, hot and extremely extremely hot. All have natural minerals in the water that are said to heal the body. We went from cold, to extremely scorching hot, to cold, to hot, back to scorching, then to cold, then to hot...then shower and home. We chatted for awhile but then retired to bed. Now, starting day 9....the most epic day yet.

Day 9: I wake up at 6am and do an hour of yoga outside in our beautiful garden. Following that we go to breakfast in town at Cafe Rico and had the most amazing breakfast ever, and it was only 3 dollars. REAL coffee with milk...and it was GOOD coffee...freshly blended pineapple juice, big whole wheat buns and buttery croissants, and yogurt with granola and fruit, drizzled with honey. THEN, Bar Lou Pat and I headed to Maria´s for horseback riding. We got 4 amazing horses and went riding with Marias husband, Jamie. It was the 4 most spectacular hours of my life. WAIT till you see the photos. There was a huge waterfall, giant canyons, we drank water straight from the stream and soaked our feet in the cold water running down the mountain. I´ve never seenPat so happy...and shes ALWAYS happy. Bar too had the most amazing time...all of us, smiling so wide that our cheeks hurt. Lou, who is 62, hadn´t been on a horse since boyscouts...but he had a great time as well, just a bit sore..... After the horseback riding we went and scheduled MASSAGES. And now, you are going to think that I´m exaggerating, but it was the BEST massage that I´ve ever had...and Pat, who has had many massages, agrees with me. When Bar walked out she looked like she was ready to just float up to heaven hahaha. It was a dreamy walk home. FUCK. Just amazing. I love Banos. I decided this afternoon, perched atop one of the highest mountains on a horse, looking out over this beautiful town, that NEXT year I am cutting one month off of Costa Rica and I´m going to spend it here in Ecuador, in BANOS. I was talking with Jamie about living with a local family, and he said I could rent a room from his sisterinlaw for 30-month. Everyone here speaks spanish...very very little english, so I think it would be a great learning experience. ANyways...gotta jet now, heading to the hot springs to soak soak soak. Later we are coming back to the house for some sangria I made this afternoon...and tomorrow, we bike to PUYO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VIVA ECUADOR! VIVA BANOS!

Ecuador Day 7 LA MAMA NEGRA

The most amazing day. AMAZING.

To begin, we are staying at a packed hostal, Hostal Tiana, in Latacunga. There was sleeping room only left on the floor and in bean bags, and people were taking it! Pat and I were definitely lucky to get a bed. We had that wonderful Chugchucara that I was telling you about, and then after bopping and SHOPPING, we got back to the hostal for the BEST hot chocolate that Pat and I have ever had in our whole lives. I´m 100 percent serious. The BEST. We went to bed pretty early, and I woke up really early the next morning...the morning of LA MAMA NEGRA. I have been really good about doing yoga every morning, and I feel amazing. Pat joined me downstairs for some real coffee and we made quick friends with the girls at our table: Emily from Canada along with her traveling partner, also named Emily..also from Canada, and Bar from Israel. Pat and Lou went off early to take photos of the festival, and though we promised to meet up, it was impossible with such crowded streets. I enjoyed the festival with the 2 Emilys, Bar and Jose as our guardian-guide. He is ecuadorian and part owner of the hostal. All of us girls did big ´no nos´ for ecuador...emily wore shorts, the other emily wore a skirt, and i wore a dress. three things that you will NEVER ever ever see in ecuador. so not only were we getting looks for being gringas, but that didnt help us. oh well. we drank beers, walked the street of the festival and then posted up on a cement wall to watch the parade go by. the parade is something that you must participate in, and as my new friend Merick said ¨Mama Negra is not afraid of the swine flu¨ hahaha. People from the parade run up to you with glasses or bottles or huge spoonfuls of this sugarcane liqour..and everyone is drinking it. everyone. there was dancing and singing and dancing and singing. tons of music. it was just amazing. towards the end of the parade, the girls and i decided to join in...dancing along with the parade. I danced with some old ecuadorian men, drank some more sugarcane liqour, and was drenched in sugarcane liqour by the ´witches of la mama negra´. hahaha. all of this was photo documented, so dont worry if you arent quite following what im saying. it took us about an hour to walk 3 blocks through the crowd, but eventually we got back to the resturant pat and i visited yesterday and the 4 of us girls split 2 chugchucaras and two beers. amazing enough, when we were walking home we ran into PAT. she said that she had lost lou HOURS ago, but that she was having a blast. we ALL were having a blast. our group cruised back to the hostal for some rest, which was absolutely necessary. we all exchanged our mama negra stories and laughed and laughed and laughed some more. around 6oclock bar, me, lou and pat headed back out onto the town and stumbled upon this AMAZING group of indian performers in the square...Pat had seen them earlier in the day and had bought two of their cds. wild. when we got there, there was no one in square...afterall, these guys had literally been playing all day. well, bar and i started to dance our asses off and within minutes the square was packed. i smiled so hard that my face hurt and laughed until i almost cried. bar and i were having a blast, and soon patricia joined in too. we bid our farewell to some very drunk ecuadorian spectators, walked around looking for something else fun...only to find barrachos, so we headed back to listen to some more music. this time, i got up and sang. FEVER. within seconds, the square was filled again. i felt like madonna or something...every male and female ecuadorian asking for a photo with me. hahaha. we also got a group shot of the band, pat, bar and i. amazing. heading home, bar couldnt stop talking about how much she enjoyed my music. as soon as we walked into the crowded hostal she told everyone about our experience in the square, and after some games (an israeli card game, CABU and a swedish hand clapping game) i played some music on the guitar. the hostal has amazing acoustics and i had a great audience. all the music made us hungry, so our huge group made our way for some pizza. definitely the most entertaining dinner ive had in a long time...pat swore that she could hear me laughing from blocks and blocks away. ha. bar and i opted out of the nighttime party scene and were in bed by 9. this is where the night went sour. in the bunk next to mine there is a very, very drunk, very very heavy, pretty gross dutch man. and he snores. well, after two hours, i finally got up...shook his bed, tapped his arm...trying to get him to just ROLL OVER. once he had woken up everyone in our dorm, i got out of bed and was poking him with a waterbottle. but he was so stinking drunk, and didnt quite mind that HIS snoring was keeping all of US awake...that he would just snort and then fall back to sleep...and return to his earth shaking snore session. some people had moved downstairs into the courtyard...sleeping on beanbags and hammocks in the freezing cold. i was about to sleep on teh street when lou came to get me and told me to sleep in the internet room on the couch. thank god. atleast i got about 4 hours of sleep. the belgium couple and pat weren´t so lucky...only clocking in about an hour. and guess what....8 am, and that motherfucker is still snoring up a storm. christ almighty. he´s lucky no one smothered him in his sleep. anyways....today we leave for BANOS. Bar is joining our traveling group for a bit, so the 4 of us will be headed for our next great adventure. Bar is a very special person, and I´m glad to have her in our group. With that said, I have yogaed, drank some real coffee....catching up on the internet now and then Bar and I will visit the market for some fruit and granola before heading out of town.

VIVA LATACUNGA. VIVA LA MAMA NEGRA.

Ecuador Day 6

morning: well, we almost had chicken for breakfast. a little after 3am the rooster started up. it was just one...but it was loud and consistent. another joined in around 4-430am and by 5 am the idea of sleep was completely lost. so...hopefully illbe able to get a bit of shut eye on our 6 hour bus ride to ambato (en route to latacunga). only just started my medicine but i feel like im better already! currently pat and i are sitting on the deck @ limoncocha waiting on our REAL coffee and breakfast before we jet off to catch the 830am bus. the adventure continues....

afternoon: after a 5 hour ride to amabato (which cost a whopping 5 bucks), we boarded another bus for latacunga...which was only a 45 minute ride away. through our bus rides have been long, i dont really mind at all. the buses are nice, my body gets a rest, and my eyes are treated with some of the most beautiful, desolate landscape ive seen. its cheap too, working out to be a little less than a dollar for every hour it takes. i think that the buses move so quickly and smoothly because the driver just DRIVES and he has an assitant who collects money and helps people on and off the bus. usually its the old people and little kids he helps. there a lot of small, VERY small children take the bus completely by themselves...some for hours at a time. its pretty amazing. all of this driving throughout the country, putting bags under the bus and trusting they will be there when i return, has left me with the assumption that there isnt much theft in ecuador. when you drive through towns, there are no bars on windows like there are in costa rica. ive also found that the people of ecuador have a lot of pride, which is another reason for little theft. they have pride in their country, their work and their family. i dig the vibe here. everyone is friendly for the most part, and though guys might hoot and holler every once and awhile at a pretty lady walking by they arent aggressive like they are in other countries. multiple times people in ecuador have gone way way OUT of their way to help me...whether its with some confusion on the bus, finding and communicating with a doctor, or just in general conversation.


side note: jesus christ, people in ecuador eat a TON of yogurt. all day long. its amazing.

SO...pat and i finally arrive in LATACUNGA!!!! hooooray!!! the town is bustling with activity, everyone is preparing for tomorrows LA MAMA NEGRA celebration. luckily there were a few spots left @ HOSTAL TIANA...lonely planets number one recommendation. I can understand why....its a huge old colonial house with an open courtyard, huge wooden doors, beanbags everywhere, gorgeous beds and gorgeous bathrooms...flowers everywhere - and for 8 bucks a night. usually the 8 dollars includes a huge breakfast but since its the festival it wont be included. big whoopdiedoo. first on my list of things to do in latacunga was to eat CHUGCHUCARAS. Chugchucara is the classic dish of Latacunga...basically a heart attack on a plate...but its sooooooooooo f*ing delicious it would make your head spin. we tracked down the ¨best` chugchucara place in town CHUGCHUCARAS LA MAMA NEGRA. The only thing on the menu is...you guessed it, chugchucara!!! the restaurant itself was GORGEOUS, one of the nicest restaurants that I have ever been in, anywhere. pat and I split the plate because we were warned that it is a lot of food. well, both of us couldnt finish all of the pork goodness that our plate had to offer. a chugchucara is a plate of:

-fritada (fried chunks of delicious pork)
-mote (maize that is steamed and then topped with chicharron, which is fried bits of pork skin)
-fried potatoes
-fried plantains
-popcorn (perfectly salted and seasoned)
-toasted corn
-and last, but certainly not least, were the SWEET CORN empanadas stuffed with cheese. oh, my, god, perfect!

this plate is then crowned with a GINORMOUS pork rind. holy christ.

The sauce that they serve with most meals here in ecuador, and which is ESSENTIAL for your pork plate, is AJILLO. It´s somewhat creamy, definitely spicy, with herbs and onions. bahhhhh. outta this world.

DAD...is your mouth watering yet??? pat and i washed down this plate with a beer and enjoyed some flaminco musci from 3 guitarist who strolled in once we sat down.

now we are at the internet cafe, 70cents for every hour, and all i can think about is when i will ever be hungry again...cause when i am, i am going straight back to mama negras´for a big plate of chugchucaras. thank god i dont live in latacunga, i would be 500 pounds.

for the rest of the day pat and i are going to make our way back through town to the hostal, then relax in the courtyard in hammocks or beanbags...just resting up for the big fiesta tomorrow. hopefully lou made it safely outta the jungle and is en route to meet up with us.

Ecuador Day 4 and 5

Our last night at Limoncocha Hostal I went to sleep at 730pm. I woke up at 6am the next morning, totally rested...did some yoga, and had a breakfast of fresh fruit with yogurt, bread with butter and jam, juice and hot tea. then we were on our merry way into the jungle. we got boots from Cesar and we were off. our trek into the jungle was a freaking adventure. First, we took a taxi for about an hour, then a long ride in a very thin, very long motorized boat that dropped us on the side of the Rio Napo, then we hiked through the amazon jungle for several hours before arriving to our destination. It was intense and I realized that Im not as in shape as Id like to be. By the way, did I mention that our guide for the village and this trip doesnt speak any english? acutally, there isnt really anyone in ecuador who speaks english. its been a smidge difficult, but we are managing.ányways, todo en espanol we are in this so called village. it is definitely for tourists, but still...there is no electricity and this place IS a few hours away from any sort of town. they did some ceremonies and little demonstrations that were all kinda cheesey, but it was cool to learn what we did. the highlight was swimming in the rio blanco which was just chilly enough to be comfortable and refreshing. 3 sqaure meals a day left me fat and happy, and the only real painful part was their cultural demonstration later that evening which was all sorts of awful...violin, grassskirts, drunken men, and lots of really awful dancing. ill just leave it at that. i slept under a mosquito net and prayed to god that i wouldnt have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night...because even though i had my headlamp there was no f¨ing way that i was going to walk downstairs in the pitch black without some lights on. well dontcha friggin know it, at 5 am i wake up and i gotta go...i mean i really GOTTA GO. so, headlamp strapped on, i cruise through our hut, downstairs to the very dark bathrooms, and use the potty. in complete blackness. holy christ. it was the scariest poo id ever taken. anyways, when i ran back upstairs to crawl under my mosquito net, i started to think about all of the things my dad would be proud of that id done so far...i ate chicken that was ON the bone, i swam in a river and wasnt super paranoid about getting eaten alive by the lochness monster, i hiked for hours through thick terrain without complaining, and i walked around, in the dark, in the jungle. wow. these arent baby steps people...these are huge steps. huge. anyways, when i woke up this morning, day 5, i still wasnt any better and pat took a stand and said that we needed to get out of the jungle and back to a doctor, ASAP. i was bummed to miss out on the shaman and the waterfalls, but i agreed that leaving and getting some medicial attention was pretty essential. there was only one other group that was at the Quichia village with us, a group of 4 very serious people from France, and we were to leave with them right after lunch. So, on their agenda for the morning was to go into the village to the school. I didnt think that i would care that much, but the kids were ammmmmmmaaazing, and we had the best time. i laughed harder than i have in a long time. actually, despite the many roadbumps we have hit thus far, i have laughed more each day than i have in a long time .. and let me tell you, i laugh alot on a regular basis. anyways...the kids sang some songs for us and stuff like that, then we had to get up and sing...pat and i san row row row your boat and the itsy bitsy spider. hahaha. i got up solo and sang a song in english that they sing in spanish. we played games simliar to duck duck goose and some other funny ones. the kids were just awesome. there were two who took a liking to me and held my hand throughout the morning. it was definitely very special for all of us there...lou, the serious frenchmen, and pat. after we were forced to say our goodbyes we quickly had lunch, left lou all alone at the village, and then were off. well goddamn...these frenchmen were no joke. we hiked the intense trail in half the time it took us to come in...literally HALF the time. i almost died. DIED. twice. and the whole reason that i was LEAVING the jungle was so that i WOULDNT die. i sweat out about 15 pounds and then we hopped a ride in the back of a truck to Tena, and the guy drove so fast that my clothes air dried in seconds. back in tena, we checked back into the fabulous limoncocha hostal, which is 6 bucks a night and serves up a fab breakfast, and then met up with cesar at the tour place to return our boots. he was surprised to see us back early, and when i told him about my awful ear infection, he insisted to take me to the local clinic. he said that it was the best, but a little expensive. cesar was a godsend. my spanish is not so great, and his english is nonexistent, but the 20 minute walk to the clinic gave us time to go over what all my ailments were...how i treated them and what was getting worse. so, once i got to the doctor we stayed for over an hour, at my side. he talked to the nurse, the receptionist and the doctor...making my visit MUCH easier. turns out that i have an infection in my jaw, which would explain why the ear drops were not fixing me. hahaha. anyways, i got a shot in my butt, which pat documented with her camera, and then 2 perscriptions to take for the next week. all in all...38 bucks. afterwards, pat and i celebrated at cafe tortuga...i had their house speciality...a beer floated with vanilla ice cream and fresh pinepple...it sounds crazy, but hit the spot. i also had a crepe stuffed with shredded chicken, pineapple, tomatoes, onions adn curry. mmm. all for 5 bucks. i love ecuador.
´


off early tomorrow am for some more long busrides, en route to latacunga for LA MAMA NEGRA festival. will report with all the goods later this week....

Ecuador Day 3

Day 2 Morning decided that drive to airport to book flight is essential. talked lou and pat into walking to local coffee shop first. took right instead of left, long detour, .50 cent mora and strawberry drink on street, delicious. walked more. finally found el cafeto. mmm double espresso. put hair on my chest. love it.

day 2 Noon flying over the andes, just crossed over a snowcapped mountain peaking through the clouds. beautiful. en route to coca...taking 60dollar 30minute plane ride as opposed to 8dollar 8hr bus ride. by the way 30 minute plane ride serves delicious snack pack makes me hate american airlines. had a lovely day cruising quito with newfound friend lou and tried and true patricia. booked flight, visited jardin botanico and saw 1000species of orchids , ate lunch, ate ice cream. heladeria de saint augusten...been making ice cream since 1858. got half coconut half cafe. seventy five cents. cruised around, arrive at airport, fly to coca. going to stay in a hostel tonight and ten try to book a tour. woohooo amazon. here we come. side note...ear infection still raising hell.

day 3 wow. and not a WOW WOW WOW a FUCK WHAT THE FUCK HAVE WE GOTTEN INTO kinda wow. the flight to coca was the single most amazing flight ive ever experienced. the town of coca is the single most unappealing, smelly, loathsome place ive ever been. for all of my costa rican friends...as a reference...coca makes LIMON on the caribbean coast look fancy. so, this shouldnt matter because coca will only be a starting and ending point, afterall we will be touring the amazon. but the tours we found just didnt seem like a good fit, not one of us got the OH MAN WE GOTTA DO THIS and since staying in coca for more than one night, though a deal at 5 bucks, was not an option, we opted to formulate a new plan. we all decided on TENA. its still the amazon, though not nearly as dense as where we are, but the opening sentence for this town in lonely planet is TENA IS A CHEERFUL, WELCOMING VORTEX, THE KIND OF PLACE VISITORS FORGET TO LEAVE. works for me. with our new plan in action, we opted to make the most of coca. our cheap, beat down hostel oasis had a nice deck overlooking the RIO NAPO river, so we posted up, drank a bunch of beer, and had a dinner of bread...and not just ANY bread...CHEESEY BREAD to my delight. the 3 of us chtted away, laughed, and had an amazing night in coca. my bed was slightly infested with ants and when i went to finally take my first shower of the trip i discovered that teh shower head was merely a slow and steady drip of water. in the night i experienced the most AMAZING thunderstorm of my life. lightening lit up the sky as if it were daytime, and the thunder literally shook the whole building, my bed, and sent chills up my spine. after a rought night of sleep, pat lou and i are at the bus station, ready to bid farewell to coca, sipping some cafe con leche...which in ecuador is actually just steamed milk with a side of nescafe instant coffee. ew. it was fifty cents so i cant complain, but i certainly didnt drink it...though i tried. in an hour we will be boarding the bus for our 5 to 6 hours ride to tena...where we will post up for several days before setting off for la mama negra festival in LATACUNGA. to sum things up...pat and i love lou, and are glad to have him aboard. we will be traveling partners for most of the trip...which i love because he has great stories, hes always a gentlemen, extremely wise and really i just feel much more safe traveling with a man.

day 3 continues... well the bus trip wasnt god awful. instead of the 5 to 6 hour estimated time, we arrived in just 4 hours...thank god because the little kid standing in the aisle next to where i was seated kept vomiting into a plastic bag throughout the trip. anyways...tena. here we are. we post up at hostal limoncocha, and for 6 bucks a night they have big, clean rooms and a gorgeous view of the whole town from their rooftop. also, free internet and hammocks woohoooo. we booked a trip into RIO BLANCO where lou pat and i will be staying with an indigenous village, living the way that they do and participating in their culture. hopefully the shaman and some amazonian tricks can help me get rid of this awful fucking ear infection that has now begun to take over my whole body. anyways... we will be in the jungle for 3 days before rushing back to catch a 6 hour bus to amabuta to then go another hour to latacunga... arriving JUST in time for LA MAMA NEGRA festival. i do believe that we will also be meeting up with new york john, whom we met at secret garden in quito. cruised around tena, ate some delicious fried fish overlooking the gorgeous river and now back to the house around 4pm, ready to crash or cut my ear off. hopefully the amazon holds some secret medicina for me....

Ecuador Day 2

Day 1 Cntd: Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Phenomenal- and its only just begun! We are truly staying in a great place - Secret Garden is wonderful...attracting open-minded, adventure-seeking people with a passion for travel. Within the house we arrived I hopped on their internet - Pat took a nap, and then I hung out on our terrace with an EPIC view of the whole city. Met lifelong friend number 1: LOU. Lou is 62, from Seattle, XRay technician 20 hrs a week, avid gardener, and a WORLD traveler. He cherishes the magical land of INDIA and has traveled places high and far and unheard of. Loves food, and lucky for pat and I, CONVERSATION! The 3 of us went out for dinner and had an amazing time. I had an Ecuadorian classic...a big bowl for potato based coup with garlic and avocado. Delicious. Walked to the restaurant, but took a taxi home - still thrown off by this cold weather. Hostel 5th floor terrace was jam packed with people - had a glass of wine, sat by the wheelbarrow fire, soaked up some warmth and indulged in some more conversation, and at 845pm I´m now calling it a night. Tomorrow is Coca - no more Cuyabeno. We will see the Amazon, just wont be spending 2 days to travel there and back. Lou was the one who mentioned Coca, and I actually think we´ll be traveling together! I love it. Goodnight.

Day 2: Slept so-so...still having some serious ear infection problems. Oh well. Woke up...ice ice ice ice cold showers so I opted to stay greazy. It´s way too cold up here in Quito to take a cold shower. Later today we are catching a flight to Coca...bought a half hour flight for 50 bucks. Not bad...saving ourselves from an 8 hour busride. Looking forward to being in some warmer weather, and seeing the amazon! Had breakfast at the hostel this morning for 3.50. Not bad...juice, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, and french toast with chocolate syrup. Oh yes, and rolls with butter and jam! MMM. I´ve made quick friends with Lou from Seattle, John from New York, and Rafael from India. All are life long travelers who I´m sure I will cross paths with atleast one more time before I leave ECuador. Pat and I are going to cruise around town today...get a REAL CUP of coffee (everything around here is instant!! ewww), grab some fresh juice, and then visit the bontanical gardens (over 1000 species of orchids!) as well as a BUG museuM! woohooo.

Hopefully we can get some internet in the amazon, and after the amazon I hope to finally be able to post some photos!!

Ecuador Day 1

Went to Halloween party - felt lame because i didnt have a costume - played music to compensate. drank one beer - ate more food - vowed to be on a diet the following day. went home early, straight to bed, up at 330am - shower and coffee. one poo - shoulda taken 2. mikey took pat and me to bus in jaco, en route to san jose. an hour into the ride - wishing id taken 2nd trip to el bano before leaving. 2 hrs into the ride, ready to vomit, really regretting solo poo @ 4am. enough about poo. arrive @ san jose intl airport - straight to the bathroom - pay departure fee, get boarding pass. pat and i head straight to cinnabon. devour very large cinnabon, consumed with guilt, opt to start diet tomorrow. good thing i´m wearing stretch pants. buy 10 dollar calling card - call family. ear is still infected - treating it with antibiotics - hoping it clears up cause this shits getting old. boarding time. ecuador...here we come.


note to self: always fly TACA. flight is one hour, 45 minutes: we get a beverage, a movie, complimentary headphones, and lunch: ham and cheese empanada, salad and a brownie!!!! woohoooo. arrive in san jose, grab a taxi to head to ´safari tours´to square up our galapagos trip, make sure that they are legit, and taxi driver cant find the place. note to readers: addresses in ecuador are completely fucked. they make zero sense. literally. im lost. as was our driver. they have old addresses, new addresses, letters, numbers and mass confusion. anyways...we head to lonely planet recommended SECRET GARDEN hostel. its cute. like a fort. lots of young europeans. they have internet here which is nice. we have to pay but its cheap. free coffee and tea too!! woohooo. pat is lying down getting some rest and im blogging away, trying to hold my eyes open and craving some coffee. miss mom, dad, shawn, and dogs. miss esterillos already. looking forward to amazon, banos, tena, and galapagos. looking forward to dinner tonight. stoked stoked stoked. by the way - its cold in the capital of ecuador. like hat and long pants and jacket and scarf cold. check out is @ 10am tomorrow but they let you store your backpacks here if youd like. very nice. thats all for now. hasta luego.

Oh, Sweet Oeste.

Oct. 30th 2009 8:48 pm

No sleep but that’s okay. Ended up making friends with the two people sharing the row with me on the airplane and talked talked talked. It just amazes me at how small the world is. Anyways, I managed to get about 20 minutes of shut eye before the flight attendant announced that our 4 hour flight was now arriving in San Jose. Go figure. Breezed through immigration, grabbed my bags, and then through customs. My several heavy bags and I were on our way out of the airport, with some much-appreciate-assistance from my new friend Leo, and as soon as we cleared the mass of Tico’s yelling TAXI TAXI TAXI, I saw Mike’s white-surf mobile approaching! RIGHT on time!! He almost got us killed within minutes of entering the car, and after the huge mack truck missed us by the inch he just looked at me and said “ha, welcome back to costa rica”. Jesus mary and joesph. Took us a while to get back to town, but we pulled into Esterillos Oeste a little before 5. The waves were looking super fun and the beers were cold. I opted to take it easy and save the surf session for tomorrow. I had some chili @ Soda Mary, compliments of mr BRETT, had some beers with the esterillos crew @ the wonderful EL VAGO, was serenaded with a few songs by Channon and then headed back for some shut eye. I’m posted up at Adam’s place until Pat and I leave for Ecuador, and he will be storing my board and such for me while I’m gone. Hooray for all the good friends and family I have here in Oeste. As Brett said when I stepped into Soda Mary “Welcome Home”. It’s going to be a good winter.

October 31st 2009 9:41 am

HAPPY HALLOWEEN. It’s friggin hot out!! Woohooo, so glad that I am able to say that. Anyways…went to bed by 9pm last night . Woke up at 5:30 this morning to the sun shining bright, tried to sleep for about another hour – and then got up to have breakfast at the house with Maria, Adam and Pat. We made French toast with some bananas on top, scrambled eggs, and fresh pineapple. Down @ Soda Mary now hanging with Brett, blogging away and getting ready for my first surf this year!!!! Can’t wait. The water is beautiful and the waves are perfect, about chest high and clean. Pura Vida.

LIVE from Charlotte International Airport!

The journey begins…

Friday, October 30^th, 2009 4:45am

Yesterday Shawn and I drove up to North Jersey in the Ford Fuckus…which is barely holding on. It rattled and shaked, but got us and my 9 foot-double-board-bag to Greek Delights all in one piece. We inhaled a basket of warm pita bread and hummus as we waited for Raksha, Kim and Gina. Shawn treated all of us ladies to a seriously delicious, seriously huge Greek feast and then stuffed-beyond-belief, we all cruised back to Raksha & Kim’s apartment. We unloaded my heavy bags, said goodbye to my man, and then us ladies opened a bottle of wine and started on the chitchat. We ranted and raved and laughed…it has been too long since I’ve hung out with my good north jersian-friends. Rocky and I were deep in conversation about Hinduism, praying, Yoga, chai tea, the Ramayan and more…so she hooked me up with some fabulous incense and an incense holder that her mom had brought back for her from India…MORE stuff to add to my luggage, but obviously something that I absolutely cannot be without! We finally laid down to sleep around 12 midnight, with my alarm set for 3am. I always share the bed with Raksha when I visit and when I went to hop into bed this time I literally slid right off…silk sheets! Holy mackeral – of the two hours I spent “sleeping”, I feel like 80% of that time was really spent on holding on for dear life, afraid I’d fall off the bed again! By 2am I knew that there was no sleep to be had. I was excited and anxious and sad and overwhelmed. Did I pack everything I needed? Did I pack stuff that I didn’t need? I hope that I set my alarm…Did I set my alarm…I better check! And it finally really hit me that I was going. It wasn’t until that moment at 2am that reality began to sink in and I felt a million emotions all at once. I missed my parents already, and Shawn and Maude and my home. I got sad for the reality that I would be spending Thanksgiving and Christmas and my birthday without them. Now, sitting at the airport, I’ve cut the cry-baby crap and I’m back on the adventure horse, but there’s still a twinge of sadness for months spent without my parents. But life goes on, and lucky me, or should I say lucky YOU, I’m traveling with my LAPTOP so I can start rambling on whenever the urge hits, and I won’t have to worry that my pen can’t keep up with my thoughts! Blog Blog Blog…here I come Costa Rica! Rambling and ready as ever.

Friday, October 30^th, 2009 8:38 AM – Charlotte International Airport

Yeppers…I’m on the internet, at the airport, and it’s not costing me $5 a minute! I was pretty bent after getting off my flight, finding out that there is a 3hour period between my connecting and the flight to Costa, and then spending $14 @ Starbucks on a water, an Odwalla juice, and a latte. But as I looked around I noticed everyone in the airport on laptops…and I noticed that they were on the INTERNET! It had to be too good to be true, but it’s not…Charlotte’s airport offers “complimentary” wireless. Not only that, but they also have rocking chairs! Hoooray hooooray hoooooray, what better way to kill three hours than on the internet, while rocking back and forth! The flight here was pretty rough and I didn’t get much shut eye. I think that I spent the whole flight here just being baffled at how rude and ignorant people are…and it made me wonder, does traveling bring these qualities out of people, or is this just the attitude of the general population? Anyways…fighting off my wicked ear infection {go figure!} with this $4 packet of Tylenol, and washing it down with my $5 latte…am I in Costa yet?

Ecuador Itinerary.

No - I don't plan to stick to a stick itinerary...BUT I do believe that it is very important to have somewhat of a game-plan. Pat and I came up with what was important for us to see and experience in Ecuador and came up with this {flexible} "schedule of events":

Sun Nov 1: Arrive in Quito @ 1:45pm

Mon Nov 2: "Dia de los Difuntos"...festivities in Quito.

Tue Nov 3: AMAZON: Cuyabeno Jungle Lodge
Wed Nov 4: AMAZON: Cuyabeno Jungle Lodge
Thr Nov 5: AMAZON: Cuyabeno Jungle Lodge
Fri Nov 6: AMAZON: Leave Cuyabeno in afternoon, arrive in Latacunga in evening.

Sat Nov 7: LATACUNGA: La Mama Negra Festival.

Sun Nov 8: TENA: white water rafting!!

Mon Nov 9: Tena to BANOS...spend the day cruising around, soaking in outdoor thermal baths, and maybe hitting up one of their glorious and cheap SPAS.

Tue Nov 10: BANOS: Horse riding in AM. Bike ride Banos to Puyo. Avenue of Volcanoes.

Wed Nov 11: Beach Town: Montanita.

Thr Nov 12: Beach Town: Salinas

Fri Nov 13: Beach town. Arrive in Guayaquil by nightfall.

Sat Nov 14: Leave from GUAYAQUIL in AM for Galapagos.
************Galapagos Galapagos Galapagos
Sat Nov 21: Arrive in Quito from Galapagos.
*Saturday is the best day for the market in OTAVALO. Take bus from Quito to Otavalo and spend day in the town. Also visit El Lechero, a "magical tree" thats 4km from the market.

Sun Nov 22: Return to Quito via bus in the AM in time to ride bikes {9am to 3pm} when the town streets are blocked off...maybe even hit up the cloud forests in Mindo.

Mon Nov 23: Last day in Ecuador: our flight departs Quito @ 2:30pm

Again, a very loose itinerary - but a fun one none-the-less. My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...15 hours til I'm at Newark Airport!

Malaria-Schmalaria!

I told the doctor that I was going to Ecuador for 3.5 weeks. I left with three shots in my right arm, one in my left, and two prescriptions for 2 different types of malaria {one for ecuador, one for costa}. The right arm received typhoid fever, influenza, and yellow fever {yellow fever being the only one that is MANDATORY}. The left arm received hepatitis A. Well, a day later and 500$ short, I have sore arms and an empty wallet. I went to the pharmacy to pick up birth control, a general antibiotic, and my 2 types of oral malaria medicine...and also a razor and some deodorant. The woman said $800. I laughed. She surely was joking...$800 is more than enough for me to LIVE in costa rica for a whole month!! That's rent, food and fun - for ONE full month! Holy christ. Turns out that the pharmacist was NOT joking, my bill was literally $800. SO, I said fuck that. I've been in Costa Rica many times and never have I taken malaria medicine. Cutting that out cut my bill down to $500...still wayyyyyyy more than I wanted to spend but shit, what are you gonna do. Bah.

SO Ecuador...here I come.
Fully vaccinated, and slightly broke...
and ready to have the best time of my life!

AUSTRALIA...

NO...I'm not going to Australia, I'm talking about the movie Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. My dad loves this movie - and as with all movies that he loves, he has no problem watching them over, and over and over again. And you know what, despite it's pretty rotten reviews - I love it too. It has action, adventure, romance and Hugh Jackman... and I love the way that it was filmed. Well, we were watching it again yesterday and one of Drovers' {aka Jackman} quotes stuck out:

Most people like to own things, land, luggage... it makes them feel secure. But all that can be taken away and in the end, the only thing you really own is your story. I'm just trying to live a good one.

CHEERS to living a GOOD STORY!

Cuyabeno River Lodge

The Cuyabeno River Lodge. Pat and I will be here for 4 days, 3 nights within the next two weeks! It's hard for me to wrap my head around...I'm leaving in one week! I've been trying to figure out what I'm packing, as well as trying to come up with some kind of loose "itinerary" with Pat as to what we want to do. We're both trying to just be free birds and not be a slave to a strict schedule, but it's definitely good to have some kind of route and game plan. We decided to each come up with our TOP 5: Places/Things that we MUST do while in Ecuador. We both are dead set on the Galapagos...we've already booked our boat, the Sulidae, to occupy our third and final week in Ecuador. We also are set on the Cuyabeno River Lodge, pictured above, to travel the amazing Amazon. Aside from that, these are Pat's top five:

1 - Otavalo {world famous market}

2 - From Latacunga - the Quilotoa Loop

3 - Banos - a horseback ride plus the bike ride from Banos to Puyo

4 - Tena - whitewater rafting

5 - The coast - Manta fish market and wooden boat yard all the way down to Salinas

I am 100% excited about Pat's top 5...I really can't wait to go to la Mama Negra festival in Latacunga!

The Exuberant Festival of La Mama

Festival of La Mama Negra, which takes place in the town of Latacunga in Ecuadorevent that embraces the widely divergent traditions and cultures of the local inhabitants’ origins – Spanish, Aymaran, Incan, Mayan and African. at the end of September and again during the week of 11 November, is a fascinating and colorful cultural

Latacunga was colonized for its rich mineral resources by the Spanish and the native inhabitants were “encouraged” to convert to Catholicism. This mass conversion was not entirely pure and indigenous elements were blended into the Catholic religion. The Spanish conquerors brought along with them slaves from Bolivia, Guatemala and Africa and these slaves added their own traditions and beliefs to the melting pot of religion in the area.

The origins of the festival of La Mama Negra are a little obscure, but the general consensus is that the festival was established when the Cotopaxi volcano erupted in 1742 and it seemed that Latacunga would be destroyed. The locals of the region petitioned the Virgin of Mercy, the patron of Cotopaxi, to spare Latacunga. When the town escaped the wrath of the volcano, an annual celebration was set in place in her honor. At around the time of this volcanic eruption, African slaves were brought into the area to work in the mines. These black slaves made a huge impression on the local inhabitants, who incorporated their arrival into the festival of La Mama Negra – the Black Mother.

The Festival of La Mama Negra includes a noisy, exuberant parade of characters such as the Moorish King, the Angel of the Stars and Los Huacos who represents the area’s pre-Colombian heritage. More recent additions to the festivities are the Camisonas – colorful transvestites. Dancers, musicians and marching bands all join in the parade, which culminates in the arrival, on horseback, of La Mama Negra - a representation of the Virgin combined with African deities. La Mama Negra, in an elaborate costume and bearing dolls to represent her children, happily sprays milk and water on the spectators, supposedly for their well-being. Candy and wine containers are also tossed into the crowds, keeping the party atmosphere going into the night.

If you have plans to travel to the beautiful country of Ecuador, try and incorporate a visit to the interesting town of Latacunga at the time of the festival of La Mama Negra. You will be in for an experience you are unlikely to forget.

I'm so excited that I could BURST.