Traveller'S Inn Hostel Quito

... couple of hundred metres down the road and then headed back to Quito.

Getting to Mitad del Mundo was easy enough - get a trolleybus from the centre and then a connecting bus north of town. Getting back was a bit more tricky. The bus I arrived on was crowded so I couldn´t really see much out the window and was unsure what direction I needed to head back. I eventually saw a bus with the place I needed to go displayed in the window. I asked the driver ...

... on gas and candles whilst the city waited for power to return. Definitely the best meal of our few days in South America (also the most expensive at US$10 each).

Jet-lag has been a *****! Our body clocks hate us right now. We have failed to get a good nights sleep yet, and get pretty drowsy by late afternoon. Getting stuck into the cheap long-necks that our hostel sells from its balcony doesnt seem to help either ;)

Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador tramps_like_us

... is dat het ongelofelijk sterk vervuild is en arm.

De komende dagen zullen we op een georganiseerde jungle-tour gaan in Cuyabeno. Morgen hebben we een binnenlandse vlucht naar Lago Agrio en van daar gaan we het Amazonewoud verkennen, gewapend met deet en anti-malariapillen :). Na onze terugkeer blijven we nog 2 nachtjes in Quito, om de Cotopaxi-vulkaan te kunnen bezoeken...

Hasta luego!

Astrid en Ellen

English ...

... fall straight down, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and counterclockwise in Canada. I wouldnt have really believed it if I hadnt seen it, The Simpsons were right. Next was the balancing of raw eggs on the head of a nail, supposidly easier because of the reduced magnetic pull on the line. I managed to balance the egg on both nails one facing east and the other facing west. Kristen on the other ...

... dogs that have inadvertently been introduced to some of the islands. The research centre is also home to Lava lizards with their red throats, cacti, and different species of iguanas. Afterwards the group of us walked back to Puerto Ayora in dribs and drabs, having a quick look in the shops as it was the only opportunity to buy anything for the next four days. I bought a handmade T-shirt with a tortoise on it and a disposable underwater camera to take snorkelling.

We passed the ...

... with a forklift, mostly by pushing it along the ground after they had dropped it. Funny to watch unless it is your ´fragile´ delivery!

Bilbo got lifted by forklift as customs were having problems locating the engine no, and we thought the bike was really heavy until seeing how easy it was to pick up with a forklift (luckily the driver was obviously more experienced than the above!).

... an endangered boa constrictor. It felt amazing and warm, surprisingly. We thought they were just going to talk about snakes because it was in spanish, were going to skip the class, but a lady spoke english and translated and told us they were bring out a boa, lucky stuff.

Secondly we went to a traditional music dance down the road which was interesting, and then after went walking down the old part of quito ...

... cleansing rituals on Ger and Fraser.. which to our delight included the Shaman spitting this alcohol like substance all over them - lovely! During one of the rituals I was attacked by this flying antwasp and it bit me three times and stung like all hell! The Shaman wasn't too happy when I yelped, ok, screamed, and started jumping about trying to get the bugger out of my top! I'm concerned he has cursed me, but not sure cursing is in his job description, so I'm not too worried just now. The ...

Arriving in Quito is an experience as the city lies in a valley that itself is 3000m above sea level. Quito is flanked by huge mountains, leaving us in no doubt that we were in the Andes! In each direction the surrounding mountains loom over the city. Quito has a beautiful old colonial town which is dominated by La Basilica that overlooks the entire city. Dividing the north and south of the city is the statue of the Virgen de Quito perched high on a hill in between ...

... both currently working in d.c. the girls are amazing, they showed me all the ins and outs of the ER. which is amazing because it took them weeks to figure out what they taught me today! isla came to the house today. she is originally from holland, a fourth year med student (they have a total of six years, the last three are clinical). she is staying in marcelo´s room. she will be here for three months! wow!