Spanish and Salsa Schools
Trip Start
Jan 12, 2008
1
8
21
Trip End
May 05, 2008
Quito,
Ecuador
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
I have spent the last week in Quito practicing my Espanol and learning some new salsa moves. It is important for me to learn enough Spanish to get by. In the past I have learned the standard phrases like: How much is it? Where are the bathrooms? I want something? With this length of trip in Central and South America, I have to be able to talk with the local people. I have been practicing my Spanish on Taxi drivers, restaurant owners, and people I meet.
On the Salsa front I learned twelve moves, ranging from simple to combining 3-4 movements. I am satisfied with my progress and am feeling more fluid while I am dancing. A lot of the movements start with the man stepping back with his left foot on one, and on 5 spinning his partner while changing places with her in a 180 degree switch
A courtyard at the Museum
.Local People
I am starting to meet more local people in Quito. During one breakfast I met a husband, wife and her mother. The man wanted to practice his English and I tried my Spanish on him. He is a soldier in the Ecuadorian army, and will soon be posted to Liberia for one year. He thinks that most communication there will be in English so he is learning - actually I think he speaks good English with a slight accent. He probably thought I spoke poor Spanish with a big accent. They gave me a ride to my salsa class after breakfast.
The Spanish and dance schools are conveniently located about 100 meters from each other on Calle Amazonas and Foch. This is in the new town area so I take a taxi back and forth, for about $5 a day. The classes cost about $5 per hour and my Viena International Hotel another $15 per day. Add in $15-20 per day and I spend about $60 a day when I am studying. Costs would go down without school, but then I would spend money on traveling.
Fellow Travelers
I went out drinking a couple nights with two other Spanish students
A couryard 2
. It was a real eye opener to hear these seasoned travelers talk about their travels. We got into a discussion about how light to pack and one guy announced that he had only brought two pairs of underwear and he could wear each for a week! I am feeling a bit weighted down with my 20 pairs, but I will never be caught with dirty underwear. He also had nylon pants that zipped apart at the knees, they can be cleaned easily and dry quicker than cotton. I have enough clothes to dress up, walk around town or live on the beach (that doesnīt require much). One guy is taking a year off, the other four months. Bill and Marjorie Heumann arrived in Quito on Wednesday night and I met up with them for dinner at Cafe Del Fraile. We had a nice steak dinner and then went to Teatro Sucre for a live musical performance of some Spanish love songs. It was the equivalent of a small Barry Manilow concert.
To Tour or Not to Tour
My biggest internal debate is what tours to take. I was planning on doing a jungle tour, and I would like to do a white water rafting tour. There are also various city tours, mountain climbing, biking or market tours. Cost is about $50 per day for each tour
Mime
. The big one is the Galapagos Islands, which will cost in the $2,000 to $2,500 range for 8-10 days (including air fare). Everyone raves about the unique animals and how you can walk right next to them. Local Attractions
On Saturday I saw a free music and dance show at the local arts plaza. There were four musicians who played guitar, flute, and sang. There were 10 main dancers who performed five different dances with costume changes between each. One dance was the pole dance where they wrap ribbons around the pole and then unwrap the pole again. Each man and woman couple had a different color costume than the other couples. It was done in a rapid manner with much twirling and interweaving. Unfortunately I didnīt have my camera that night, but I did buy the musicians CD. I would rate it as the best performance I have seen to date. I would like to find a coffee table book with pictures that discusses the local dances.
Basilica del Voto Nacional
Today I walked over to the Basilica del Voto Nacional. It is a Gothic church with stained glass windows
Changing Weather in Quito
. The stone architecture is interesting so I took lots of pictures. You can go up the clock towers and crawl around on various metal ladders and wood walkways to platforms in the towers.Next Week
I am going to be traveling around Ecuador for the next week. I would like to see Banos but I have heard the people were evacuated due to a live volcano nearby. In the low country Guayaquil has been flooded by high levels of rain. In Cuenca the hotels are rumored to be fully booked by tourists. I will find out the status of the areas as I travel.
Comments
Spainish
Jim,
It sounds like you are getting better at the Spainish. Keep it up and they will quit calling you 'Gringo'.
We are starting to break-up and getting more day light, spring is on the way.
Take care,
Gary