Radisson Quito

... whilst I polished off an episode of Flight Of The Conchords and 4 episodes of 30 Rock! Pretty happy with myself.<br><br>Then 4 hours in the transit lounge at Auckland blah blah blah it was boring and uneventful blah blah blah...<br><br>Then the big one! The flight from Auckland to Santiago.<br>Again, I was blown away by the entertainment options. Soooo many movies.<br><br>I watched 500 Days Of Summer, Julie And Julia, Die Hard 4.0 and The ...

... riches and with little regard for the indigenous population, invading my emotional brain chemicals screaming at me about the unrightiousness done to the Indio race. <br><br>Misguided martyrs in the name of Christ who symbolised their sacred faith with shaven heads, brown cloaks and countless crucifixes, eager to prove their zeal to their equally devout masters in Holy Rome, they travelled with ...

... us underwater, it was great fun.<br><br>By the time we got back on the boat and cleaned ourselves up it was time for dinner. The meals that the chef cooked on the boat were very good and it astounded us that he could cook such a variety of things in that small kitchen. The meals mostly consisted of soup, meat, lots of interesting salads and veggies and fruit for dessert. It was Melissa&#8217;s birthday so the cooks even made a delicious marble cake with chocolate icing &#8211; amazing ...

... on our little monkey as he climbed trees and burned off some energy. We got back to the condo in the afternoon after lunch and shopping, and the kids played all day with the other kids in the complex. It´s really good to hear the kids talk about going out to play with their friends. As you may imagine, my big concern with all this adventure is the impact it would have on the kids socially. Will it isolate them, or ...

... m learning something through these patience-testing situations. This weekend, I have begun praying and asking God to change my heart, and give me vision. This Monday, I think I&#8217;m beginning to see more about my purpose for being here. It&#8217;s not about me and how I feel. It&#8217;s about the people, the kids, and their needs. Okay, okay, yes, at times I wonder, how can I do this for 4 more weeks, but I think it is good to go ...

... After the knife incident, I again see myself as a weary traveler. Unable to trust the people who inhabit the places I am seeing. I hate feeling like this, but deem it necessary. I will not let little incidents like this interrupt the feelings I have for Peruvians, or South Americans as a whole. The people from this great slice of our world have been more than gracious in receiving me into their land. I hope we Americans treat travelers, with a very ...

... culture by way of a tribal dance, and a description of cultures, such as the shrinking of decapitated enemy's heads so that they could be easily carried and used as decoration! Next, we went to the official equator monument, which was more majestic - but less fun. I'd been here 10 years ago, and it hadn't changed much. Some amusing photos later playing with latitude and longitude lines and that wrapped things up. <br><br>Finally - our reward for month's of hard graft at ...

... english was actually pokito (tiny) so I got to practice my tiny knowledge of Spanish. Those 8 lessons back home weren´t enough! In Palacio Arzobispal, they had some Ecuadorian dancers with their traditional dress. We watched them for awhile. The costumes were so colourful. Next to the Plaza de la Independencia where there is a monument for the independence of Ecuador from Spain. Onto Plaza San Francisco and a lazy walk down a lovely street La Ronda. I ...

... amongst mangrove coastline and muddy sea estuaries. It seemed very incongruous to see tall shiny buildings in such a verdantly tropical setting. As we circled to land we could see an entire flotilla of ships either awaiting entry to the Canal or else sailing away from it. Free trade as seen from the air: the theoretical encroaching upon the physical.<br><br>The next leg took us all the way down to Quito, although cloud obscured the view most of the way. Neither of us had set foot on ...