Best Western Casino Hotel Plaza Quito

... t what it was like traveling in a place like this.

They als* t**k me f*r lunch in a l*cal restaurant, v**y int**esting! I had a Fritada which c*nsisted *f M*te Pill*, m*re p*rk, p*tat*, fried banana, av*cad* and a t*mat* and *ni*n salad. It was massive! It c*st ar*und $5 am**ican, but c*uld easily feed 2 pe*ple.

Ev**y*ne h**e eats a big meal f*r lunch and a snack f*r dinn**...its actually heaps bett**, I´m finding I sleep a l*t bett** as I havent ...

... waiting. We had also heard that robberies were common, particularly pickpockets so I made sure our money was well hidden, and backpacks were somewhere where they couldn’t get slashed. The trolley bus was full before it left the bus terminal. On the bus we spoke we someone who told us we had to change to another bus before we got to Quito old town. Sure enough everyone got off at a station called Chimbacalle where most passengers walked ...

... traits with the former and coming volunteers, it’s important to emphasize how each and every volunteer, including me, has their different motives for being here, as well as we have different and changing positions and are pleased and displeased by different factors/experiences. This part however, on being different, I will in regard to myself explore further in my coming sessions of introspection. Now I want to return to the concept of participant observation.
Hanne Warming ...

... another 10 minutes to go.

We then repaired for a late luncheon in a town called Pujili where Debbie, desperately hungry, ate chicken!! She didn’t look too happy about it but it was chicken or starve.

After a long day, hard hike and 100km around the country we spent that night back in Quito. There is a restaurant under the hostal that serves adequate food and we can dine for $15 including beer and wine. From time to time a local turns up to sing. He arrives by bicycle ...

... about the place that made it feel very lived in, and I liked that. dave now has a balaclava which hopefully won't scare small children, and we can say we've visited quito.

In the new part of town there are lots of tour and travel agencies advertising tours, many to the Galapagos. We saw 8 day cruises for between 800 and 1000 usd, depending on whether you went for the tourist or luxury class boats. I suspect those prices are negotiable ...

... as it was possible we might want to stay longer and I really wanted to see if we could get a superior to overturn his decision which would have made my day!

We asked a man who appeared to be a supervisor to help us and he sort of demurred and then said ‘go upstairs’. A traveler in the queue came over and asked us in English if we needed help and then started translating our request to the supervisor in Spanish. The supervisor looked chastened by being shown up for the ...

... of steps. Only half-way up, we were already weezing like fat American tourists, owing to the fact that we were still adjusting to the fact that Quito is a massive 2850m above sea level. At this level we were able to step inside a balcony overlooking the inside of the church where mass was taking place, and some monks were enjoying a good bit of chanting. Resuming our ascent, once we got about three-quarters of the way up there was a little platform where I took ...

... view of the valley. He was really heavy and it took about 10 people to carry the cage down the hill to his new home. He wasnt sedated, so it was a bit nerve wracking sometimes and I chickened out when he growled at my side of the cage. There are about 12 volunteers at the center right now, but only 4 guys, so they get most of the hardest work. Russ has been building alot of cages and working at cutting trees for a bear cage. I´ve been feeding and cleaning alot ...

... mosquitos are attracted to the warmth radiating from your body (and DEET stings like a ***** on burned skin). So I had the added bonus of being burnt and itching like a mad ******* with mozzy bites.

Actually, I loved my time in Canoa and also my next destination, Puerto Lopez. I was also introduced to a new form of music called ´Reggae ton´ (said with an appalling Jamaican accent for maximum effect). It´s a mix of electric/bass raggae and ...

... and popcorn. Some other strange cornlike thing seemed to be under the meat - this turned out to be popcorn made soggy by the meat juices - weird! I have decided that this hotel is noisy. I chose a room at the back to avoid street noise(I am warned this is substantial on Fridays because of the disco). There is a dog in the neighborhood at the back and it barks - a lot. Has woken me early ...