Republica Hotel Quito

... br>Like ia said early, when I'm not working, there's always something to do. I am truly enjoying mytime here. There are days wehre I would love to see the faces of those back int he US, or have some hummus, chicago style pizza, or cookie dough icecream, but I know these htings will be there when I return. So for now I am trying to take everything in and be thankful for this wonderful opportunitiy!

la paz
Lorena.

... would have been the same either way. After the game the party cranked up with dancing to Ecuadorian music and salsa. So basically from the moment I got to Cayambe I was in constant party mode for 2 days straight. Sunday I spent recovering with Marco`s family which looking back was a good bonding experience. Once all the family had left, Marco showed me and another traveling friend from France, Nicolas, around Cayambe. Being realively small ...

... the 17th century! So there is a new museum on the proper equator line and you can do lots of experiments and things there. We tried walking on the equator with our eyes closed and arms out but you can't walk straight - the magnetic poles are pulling you in each direction. You can also balance an egg on a nail head on the equator because the yoke sinks to the bottom of the egg. I was first up and couldn't manage it - I was taking ...

... trees, flowers, and old men in suits, filling the benches, reading the paper, and arguing about the current state of the economy. Doesn't seem like too bad a way to pass your retirement.

Our breakfast, however, is perpetually interrupted by shoeshine boys. Ecuadorian men all seem to wear very nice shoes, and here is where they keep them looking spick and span. We have just come out of the mountains and G's steel-toed boots (yes, my boyfriend travels in steel-toed boots ...

... I went dancing with her host sister and her friends. The club played a lot of old, classic rock music, which was a refreshing change to the normal reggaeton and salsa music they play.

On Friday I went to a preschool where Felipe’s mom works. It was Family Day and 3 classes of 4 year-olds put on a dance performance. It was probably the cutest thing I’ve seen in years. They danced through the decades, beginning with the 50s and sang in ...

... wander around the old town one day looking at the beautiful squares and little churches but when I stopped once at a public map an old man came up straight away. Luckily he was helpful and spoke English well and when he asked for money I was happy to give some to him. One girl at the hostel called Greta had the theory that being mugged is kind of like giving a charity donation as generally everyone is poor so those driven to muggings are the really needy. They don't look to attack ...

... around the equator line. There was also trying to balance an egg on the equator line. I know that thse are a ************, but what I canīt explain is walking along the line, you feel a pull to one side and when you are away from the equator pulling arms down, you canīt do it, but you can do this easily when standing on the line. This didnīt impress the manly blokes. Maxine and I went for a walk along the street and it started to rain, so we ...

... showed up slightly bleary eyed and sluggish. That was quickly excused when I found out he had gone to the Iron Maiden concert the night before! He and I were going to get along just fine. I was a bit upset that I had missed it though! We loaded up the truck and began the drive out to Iliniza. We were originally planning to stay at the refugio, a hut at about 4600m but apparently it was closed. So instead we ...

... to be very easy on the eyes after dark, so we wanted to see that without having the long walk back to our hostel.

We found a nice hotel in a good location, just off one of the minor squares. The rooms were ...

... the journey is of seeing dozens of dead dogs by the sides of the roads. Whenever I think of rural Andean Ecuador now I see an image of a beautiful and large lustily-furred dog tossed onto a pile of garbage with its dead tongue lolling out from between handsome rows of white teeth.

Our next stop was Ecuador's third largest city Cuenca. Guidebooks describe this city as a 'charming step back in time' and I almost totally agree with them. We stayed here for a few days and savoured its ...