Hola todos!
So I survived the 3 flights to get here with no dramas. Other than having to eat some ham on flight number 2 nothing particularly bad happened, though landing in Quito was very bumpy and it felt like the plane was falling out of the sky for quite some time. I did some deep breathing and tried to rationalise that it was because we were in the mountains and it was a bit cloudy. I'd been reading a good book about meditation and trusting your intuition, so I used my new mind strengthening techniques to get me through it. Getting through eating the ham had been far easier, that involved feeling just a little bit of guilt that I'd ideally not be eating meat, but I balanced this out with the fact that I was really really hungry and it was all fine.
I got massively overexcited to be back in South America as soon as I landed in Colombia - I had 2 hours in Bogota airport - does this count as having visited Colombia, I'm not sure? I had a coffee and looked at some South American things in a gift shop which really got me going, as did having my first conversations (transactionals ones but they still count) in Spanish. Restrained myself from buying anything as I have zero space in my bags. Did an analysis of whether I've brought too many things. I have my bike helmet, which really isn't compact (gap in the market for inventing foldaway bike helmets I think), but will be so useful if me and Kim do go cycling, which is the plan when I get to hers.
The hostel I'm staying at is lovely, really clean, and just what I want from a hostel as a 35 year old. Everyone is super friendly - Omar met me at the airport to bring me back here, and we had some chat about Ecuador en route. The roads were pretty amazing, he said they were the best roads in South America - apparently the president here (whose name I have forgotten) has done some amazing things for the country in the last 12 years, one of which is improving the roads. It has not gone unnoticed Mr President. My Spanish is still there enough to be able to chat about most things to a pretty basic level - as usual lots of nodding and saying 'si, claro' helps. It is definitely frustrating but there's no point being frustrated, I'm actually just really glad I have enough to get by as it really enhances an experience of a country if you can talk to the people.
Omar stopped to get me a bottle of water, telling me to wait in the car and he'd be back with a surprise soon - how amazingly kind of him I thought, and said. Or at least I think I said that, what I actually said was probably 'you very nice man, thank you'. He asked if I was single, and how old I am. They don't waste any time finding out the important facts, these Ecuadoreans, but I didn't mind as it was all good Spanish practise for me. Plus using my newly strengthened intuition skills, I could tell he was a good person.
Quito is pretty big, it reminded me a bit of La Paz in Bolivia (I think that one's way bigger though). It's kind of a bowl surrounded by the mountains which I believe are the Andes, but won't ask anyone just yet. Quito is at some kind of altitude which meant climbing 3 flights of stairs to the hostel was more tiring than normal - I think it's 2800 metres. The city not the hostel that is. Though really they both are.
Omar helped me buy a SIM card from Don Pato's shop over the road from the hostel, so I can contact Kim easily. Pato means duck, but is also a shortened form of a Spanish name - again I can't remember what the name is. He's definitely not a duck, but there was a dog there helping out behind the counter. I'm glad Omar was there to help as it was all very fast and furious in the tiny little phone shop, and I had no idea what was going on. Omar had to give some weird ID number in order to register the SIM card which turned out not to work, but I'm going to go back later today and try to figure it out. I then went for a walk with Danny who also works here, I found an ATM and my magical visa card worked, it's a new one I got for travelling that you put money on online then can use with no charges from banks. The fortune I save in bank charges will be spent on Andean gifts for myself such as llama keyrings and Inca cross necklaces. Amazing.
Today I've woken up at 6am, having slept really well in the comfiest and quietest hostel bed I've probably ever slept in. I'm going on a walking tour of the city this morning (in English - hooray), so will be full of facts to update you all with later. So far I'm trying not to do lots of planning, but I'm here til Sunday and then I think will go to the jungle for a few days, then come back here and do some Spanish lessons for a few days. That actually feels like a lot of planning now I've written it down. I think it's fair enough however, as I'll end up sleeping on a park bench if I don't do a bit of planning.
So far so good amigos, I'm absolutely loving being back in South America. Have yet to hear any panpipe music but I wouldn't want to get all the best things done with too early on, so I'm happy to wait.
Adios xx
So I survived the 3 flights to get here with no dramas. Other than having to eat some ham on flight number 2 nothing particularly bad happened, though landing in Quito was very bumpy and it felt like the plane was falling out of the sky for quite some time. I did some deep breathing and tried to rationalise that it was because we were in the mountains and it was a bit cloudy. I'd been reading a good book about meditation and trusting your intuition, so I used my new mind strengthening techniques to get me through it. Getting through eating the ham had been far easier, that involved feeling just a little bit of guilt that I'd ideally not be eating meat, but I balanced this out with the fact that I was really really hungry and it was all fine.
I got massively overexcited to be back in South America as soon as I landed in Colombia - I had 2 hours in Bogota airport - does this count as having visited Colombia, I'm not sure? I had a coffee and looked at some South American things in a gift shop which really got me going, as did having my first conversations (transactionals ones but they still count) in Spanish. Restrained myself from buying anything as I have zero space in my bags. Did an analysis of whether I've brought too many things. I have my bike helmet, which really isn't compact (gap in the market for inventing foldaway bike helmets I think), but will be so useful if me and Kim do go cycling, which is the plan when I get to hers.
The hostel I'm staying at is lovely, really clean, and just what I want from a hostel as a 35 year old. Everyone is super friendly - Omar met me at the airport to bring me back here, and we had some chat about Ecuador en route. The roads were pretty amazing, he said they were the best roads in South America - apparently the president here (whose name I have forgotten) has done some amazing things for the country in the last 12 years, one of which is improving the roads. It has not gone unnoticed Mr President. My Spanish is still there enough to be able to chat about most things to a pretty basic level - as usual lots of nodding and saying 'si, claro' helps. It is definitely frustrating but there's no point being frustrated, I'm actually just really glad I have enough to get by as it really enhances an experience of a country if you can talk to the people.
Omar stopped to get me a bottle of water, telling me to wait in the car and he'd be back with a surprise soon - how amazingly kind of him I thought, and said. Or at least I think I said that, what I actually said was probably 'you very nice man, thank you'. He asked if I was single, and how old I am. They don't waste any time finding out the important facts, these Ecuadoreans, but I didn't mind as it was all good Spanish practise for me. Plus using my newly strengthened intuition skills, I could tell he was a good person.
Quito is pretty big, it reminded me a bit of La Paz in Bolivia (I think that one's way bigger though). It's kind of a bowl surrounded by the mountains which I believe are the Andes, but won't ask anyone just yet. Quito is at some kind of altitude which meant climbing 3 flights of stairs to the hostel was more tiring than normal - I think it's 2800 metres. The city not the hostel that is. Though really they both are.
Omar helped me buy a SIM card from Don Pato's shop over the road from the hostel, so I can contact Kim easily. Pato means duck, but is also a shortened form of a Spanish name - again I can't remember what the name is. He's definitely not a duck, but there was a dog there helping out behind the counter. I'm glad Omar was there to help as it was all very fast and furious in the tiny little phone shop, and I had no idea what was going on. Omar had to give some weird ID number in order to register the SIM card which turned out not to work, but I'm going to go back later today and try to figure it out. I then went for a walk with Danny who also works here, I found an ATM and my magical visa card worked, it's a new one I got for travelling that you put money on online then can use with no charges from banks. The fortune I save in bank charges will be spent on Andean gifts for myself such as llama keyrings and Inca cross necklaces. Amazing.
Today I've woken up at 6am, having slept really well in the comfiest and quietest hostel bed I've probably ever slept in. I'm going on a walking tour of the city this morning (in English - hooray), so will be full of facts to update you all with later. So far I'm trying not to do lots of planning, but I'm here til Sunday and then I think will go to the jungle for a few days, then come back here and do some Spanish lessons for a few days. That actually feels like a lot of planning now I've written it down. I think it's fair enough however, as I'll end up sleeping on a park bench if I don't do a bit of planning.
So far so good amigos, I'm absolutely loving being back in South America. Have yet to hear any panpipe music but I wouldn't want to get all the best things done with too early on, so I'm happy to wait.
Adios xx
Hi Pickles - here's some Spanish for you. "Luisa necesita un otorinolaringologo"
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