Hello, Saturn Return.
In and around United States
Apparently, the time period between your 28th and 30th birthdays where Saturn returns to the point it was when you were born. This is important and explains why I quit my job and moved to South America apparently... but I'm not really sure why.
Anyway, it will be an adventure. I'll be hanging out, learning Spanish and exploring - leaving the city and all of its comforts for the wilds of Ecuador, Argentina, and who knows where else.
I'll be back in NYC in about 3 months and this blog will explore my travels and experiences while abroad for the summer. Write me at jillianfeldman@hotmail.com if you need to reach me - I'll be on Blackberry!
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler jillrocks ecuador
-
1
Jazzfest: It's not about looking cute
I left for Jazzfest on Friday afternoon and after several hours of flight delays, I made it to New Orleans where I met my dad and Ally at... Continue reading »
-
2
One week left
With one week left, I'm getting everything ready to go... packing, mom-proofing the apartment and saying my goodbyes. My last day of work is on... Continue reading » -
3
Bienvenidos a Ecuador
I made it!! My flight from Philadelphia was fine, but long. With a stopover in Houston, I arrived in Guayaquil at about 1:00am on Saturday... Continue reading » -
4
Mama Mia - it's hot in herre
It's Sunday now - Mother's Day - a national holiday in Ecuador. The kids had school off on Friday for it. Today is a day of dancing fes... Continue reading »
-
5
SPF 45
Did I mention that Ecuador is right on the equator and that it´s really hot here? Being on the equator also means: sun set and sun rise at ab... Continue reading »
-
6
Hot Ecuadorian Men
Sorry ladies (and some gents) - it´s not what you think.
The men of Ecuador have something to say, it´s a statment they can make without say... Continue reading »
-
7
FAQ
Since many of you have asked some of the same questions, I´m going to answer many of them now in this handy FAQ:
Q: Are you really taking... Continue reading »
-
8
Finally some photos!!
Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure... I was able to upload a ew of them today. por fin! Continue reading » -
9
Decisiones
I´d like to take a moment to talk about Decisiones. This is a show that comes on every night at 7:00pm and the Ecuadorians are OBSESSED with... Continue reading »
-
10
Ceviche Mixto
We are having ceviche mixto for lunch today and Mari-Helena showed us how to make it... so I took down the recipe. It´s really delicious and... Continue reading »
-
11
Journey of Journeys
So, it took me 11 hours to get to Cuenca yesterday.
I left Canoa at 7 in the morning saying goodbye to the beach and took a t... Continue reading »
-
12
Cuenca... first impressions
I just wrote an entire blog entry and of course it was deleted somehow (grrrrr!) so I will try to recreate it, but much more quickly!
S... Continue reading »
-
13
The Cleansing
So, yesterday my new profesora Martha took me to the open air market during our spanish class. It was so cool... so beautiful just with all o... Continue reading »
-
14
Señora Robinson
So yesterday, I had my first salsa dance lesson. You all know how uncoordinated I am, but if you have a good teacher it´s easy and *so much fun!! W... Continue reading »
-
15
Photo Update
Here are some photos! For the story about the shaman, read The Cleansing post. xoxoxo Continue reading » -
16
I´m a star!
So, I bought El Commercio today, the paper from Quito, and I´m in it!! But my back is to the camera so only I know it´s me. :) Still, it´s... Continue reading » -
17
Not for the faint of heart
So, on Friday we had cuy... it´s guinea pig, which is the national dish of Ecuador. I know this seems totally horrendous to most of you, but it is... Continue reading »
-
18
OVNIs and other unidentified objects
It's hard to believe that I have been without a job for an entire month. Now I know what those people without jobs mean when they say that th... Continue reading »
-
19
¿Como se dice 'stalker' en español?
So, Xavier has turned into a full blown stalker. While at home for lunch today, he came by my house (after several calls and emails that he s... Continue reading »
-
20
Safety Standards
I have been meaning to discuss the safety standards here in Ecuador and how they are so *vastly* different from those in the U.S. You'll see toddle... Continue reading »
-
21
Fire and Bees
With Corpus Cristi there are a couple of distinct threats - I discussed the fireworks in a previous post and it just keeps getting crazier. L... Continue reading »
-
22
Vaya, Cuenca, vaya!!
So, yesterday we went to the futbol (that's soccer, people) game here in Cuenca. It was Cuenca v. Quito and both teams were pretty bad (so I'... Continue reading »
-
23
It's been real
So, I'm leaving Cuenca on Saturday at the crack of dawn... since I procrastinated on my planning until yesterday (oops!), the only flight I could g... Continue reading »
-
24
Gringolandia
Last Saturday morning, I left Cuenca after a very fun going away party for me on Friday night that ended about 3 hours before my flight departed.&n... Continue reading »
-
25
Welcome to the Jungle
NB - now that I am back on the grid, I'm going to update the blog with stories from the jungle in order. I will add photos later today (hopef... Continue reading »
-
26
Tubing, monkeys and whistling at hot chicks!
I think I mentioned that I would have my own private tours the whole time I was in the jungle, which was really interesting. Herdson, my 23-y... Continue reading »
-
27
Rainy Forest
By Tuesday, I was kind of over the rain forest. Monday was a beautiful and sunny (but not too hot) the entire day. Tuesday, i... Continue reading »
-
28
Baños: Final Destination Ecuador
Before I get into my Baños experience, I would like to say a few words about the word HOSTAL. Because this was pointed out to me by someone n... Continue reading »
-
29
Photo Update
Here is a photo update from my last pics in Cuenca to the Otavalo market to the jungle! Lots has happened, but I will have to fill you in later on eve... Continue reading » -
30
Quilotoa Crater: Unspeakable Beauty
Steve and I had decided to go to see the Quilotoa Crater lake, which would be about a 5 hour bus trip from Ambato, once we finally arrived there.&n... Continue reading »
-
31
The Middle of the World
Mom and George arrived in Quito late on Sunday night, so I didn't see them until Monday morning. It was great to see them after being away fo... Continue reading »
-
32
Sealions, Turtles, and Boobies - Oh My!
So, I'm in The Galapagos Islands!! It is so incredibly brilliant and amazingly unique here, I can hardly describe it. Obvs I had not done enough re... Continue reading »
-
33
Mars
The more time I spend in the Galapagos, the more I think that this place reminds me of what Mars might look like -- especially if there was actuall... Continue reading »
-
34
Hasta la vista, Ecuador
I am back in Quito and today was our last day in Ecuador... very early tomorrow morning I leave for Argentina -- I'll be spending the month of July... Continue reading »
-
35
Condog: Waxing philosophical on Boobietown
Here's a perspective from my first guest blogger, Mom (aka Condog), who will tell you about some of her own experiences in the Galapagos:
Continue reading » -
36
Remainders and Beginnings
I made it to Buenos Aires yesterday without a hitch. I flew through Lima and the whole ordeal took about 10 hours with layovers and travel ti... Continue reading »
-
37
Buenos Aires
I just had lunch at a restaurant called El Desnivel in San Telmo, the neighborhood of Buenos Aires known as the birthplace of tango. (In... Continue reading »
-
38
I'm sorry you stepped on my foot
It's cold in Buenos Aires... and I mean really cold, like I may have to buy another, warmer coat. It's winter here, obviously, and while it was rea... Continue reading »
-
39
Snowmania
Yesterday it snowed in Buenos Aires for the first time in 89 years! I told you guys it was freezing cold! People were goi... Continue reading »
-
40
On Traveling Alone
I thought I would write briefly about my experiences traveling alone, because a lot of people have asked me what that has been like. It hasn'... Continue reading »
-
41
Gettin the hizzy out of dodge
So, I've now been in BsAs (Buenos Aires) for exactly two weeks and while it has been great fun, I'm getting out of dodge tomorrow to travel for the... Continue reading »
-
42
Bicycle Diaries
So, I left for Mendoza late on Tuesday night.... but not before going to school and convincing a fellow student, Laura from San Francisco, to quit... Continue reading »
-
43
The Chilean Pass
So, I left early yesterday morning and it was another epic bus journey to Valparaiso. It should have only been 7 hours, but the trip took 10. We we... Continue reading »
-
44
Photo update on a rainy day
It's been raining all day today in Valparaiso, which makes for a great day to try to upload photos since I have nothing better to do and I know I h... Continue reading »
-
45
More Valparaiso Photos
It's of course extremely sunny and beautiful again today so I was out taking photos this morning. Here are some last shots of Valparaiso... Continue reading » -
46
And on the 8th day...
...God created Las Cataratas de Iguazu.
Wow! I have to say that Iguazu is amazing. There are a million tourists here – from all over the worl... Continue reading »
-
47
Tourist Traps
Yesterday, Laura and I had a relatively quiet day exploring some other things here in Iguazu in a really weird and touristy way that I haven't done... Continue reading »
-
48
Home on the range
On Sunday, I decided to take a day trip to San Antonio de Areco, a town about 2 hours from Buenos Aires by bus and it's at the epicenter of the "ga... Continue reading »
-
49
Nothing but a number
Yes, it was my birthday yesterday! And, little known fact, I've been compulsively lying about my age now for about 2.5 months. It all s... Continue reading »
-
50
All-American Weekend
I returned to the United States in the middle of last week... arrived in Philadelphia and when the immigration officer said "welcome home" to me, I... Continue reading »
-
51
Real World: Winnipesaukee
This is the true story of seven people and three dogs living together in a lake house, who agree to have their lives taped to find out what happens... Continue reading »
Would you like to comment or ask a question?