Salsa in Mariscal, Quito

Trip Start Jun 02, 2008
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Trip End May 01, 2010


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Flag of Ecuador  ,
Thursday, August 28, 2008

Quito is a great place to catch up on stuff, hang out,dance and drink cappuccino... Mariscal area around Calle Reina Victoriain the new town is lively and a fun place to be...its reported to be unsafe at night but i left everything in the hostel and felt fine wandering the streets in the day and after dark,...I stayed five days  in the Galapagos hostel on Joaquin Pinto y Deciembre.. run by Rodrigo and his mother ... they gave me such a warm welcome.. and i was so moved by how much they looked after me that at the end of my stay i bought his mum a huge bunch of flowers....."Quel Lindo" she kept saying and we both hugged ..

i tried out Son Latino dance school for a lesson....I danced with Tito who dances in a Columbian style  which is very gentle but also very showy and we gelled immediately, our styles matching...i danced also with Danny who was critical initially...i have a tendency to jump a bit and go off balance as i sometimes dance too fast ..he corrected my faults and by the end of the hour i was exhausted. We have fun dancing the La Rueda --- a Cuban wheel with a Dutch guy and another Ecuadorian teacher...she calls the moves like "Da me" or "Enshouffle"..."Siete" and the guys do a specific move which may or may not involve passing you on like a Scottish wheel... Son Latino dance school quito
Son Latino dance school quito
 . Later I go dancing in town with Danny, Gustavo..a local guide who took my mother birdwatching 3 years ago and another Ecuadorian girl to a local dance place which plays a mix of salsa, meringue and reggae-ton....

The Kumuka tour starts from Quito...there are just 6 of us in a 24 seater  German army truck with Billy and Anton our south African driver and guide..interesting  characters who have been doin this route over n over....we are in good hands.

Quito is a place i could spend a lot more time in.  There's loads of opportunities to learn Spanish band dance, its cheap..you can eat a good lunch in the student area around octubre and deciembre for about $1.50...prices hoik up in the tourist area but you can still eat well for about $5. You Can get a cheap pedicure, salsa lessons cost $6 per hour 1:1, and from Quito bus station you can get cheap and safe express buses to Tena and Banos for $6 but unless you are sitting next to the driver and can ask like i did  be prepared to hang on for 5 hours without a  loo stop or pay more for the slower tourist buses (amazones)

Contact Danee Ramon ..Salsa teacher Quito daneeramon@hotmail.com - also band singer
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