jillrocks ecuadors Blog on RealTravel

Wolfeboro journal: Real World: Winnipesaukee

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:57:05 GMT

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 when people stop being polite, and start getting real.

Except… it wasn’t being taped. :) I have been having a great time at the lake – it is so beautiful here and the weather has been just great. The president of France was here, but apparently is leaving today, and we stalked the security people stationed in boats outside of his palatial (but not distasteful) lake house. Being New Hampshire, where apparently there is always campaigning going ...

New York City journal: All-American Weekend

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:30:59 GMT

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 felt pretty excited for the first time. It's kind of strange to be back. Everyone was speaking English! I knew exactly how everything was going to work! And everything looked so new and nice and clean and... well, normal. :) I think I missed the familiarity of things more than anything else really, and it also helps not to have to think so hard just to communicate with people. I think I will be ok being back; I was a little afraid that I would ...

Colonia del Sacramento journal: Nothing but a number

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:13:26 GMT

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 started in Cuenca and it just sort of happened. I haven't lied so much about this since I was in college and using Audra's fake ID. In Ecuador, I told a lot of people that I was 27. Feeling emboldened by their belief in this, I went down to 26 in Buenos Aires. Who wants to be 29 when you're hanging around with a bunch of college kids and recent graduates? Plus, in Spanish you say "I have X years" so if I say I have 26, that is true. 26 and then some! :) ...

San Antonio de Areco journal: Home on the range

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:40:38 GMT

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 "gaucho lore" - aka where the cowboys live. They make a big deal about it here and you can go and stay at an "estancia" where they show you what it was like to live on the ranch, etc... it's like the Argentine equivalent of a dude ranch.

Anyway, I didn't stay at a ranch as I was just going for the day. San Antonio de Areco is such a nice little town. Quiet and calm and the buildings are all low to the ground and there are cobbled streets, etc. ...

Iguazu Falls journal: Tourist Traps

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 05:11:12 GMT

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 anywhere else on this trip. We went through a travel agent and this (I guess) is a typical tourist day.

First we went to La Aripuca, which is basically the weirdest tourist trap I've ever seen, ironic since it is actually a gigantic, 2 story tall replica of a trap the indigenous people used to trap birds. The normal size Aripuca is only about 1 foot high. La Aripuca is gigantic and it's made with humongous tree trunks. When you first walk ...

Iguazu Falls journal: And on the 8th day...

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 19:52:09 GMT

...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 world – but it is one tourist attraction that's worth all the hype. I’ve pretty much uploaded all of my photos because I couldn’t choose which to include. I also have a video which I will try to upload at a later date.

After coming back from Chile (for one short night) on Tuesday, I made it to Aeroparque, the airport in Buenos Aires on Wednesday morning that makes national flights, and arrived to a total mob scene. People everywhere! It is the ...

Valparaiso journal: More Valparaiso Photos

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:08:22 GMT

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...

Valparaiso journal: Photo update on a rainy day

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:24:36 GMT

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 have been infinitely lazy about this for the last three weeks. Sorry!

Anyway, I will start with this latest venture and then work my way back to Buenos Aires. These pictures begin when I was at the cafe last Monday plotting out where I could go, through Mendoza and now in Valparaiso.

So, yesterday I went to dinner again with Herman and we then went and sat at an outdoor cafe overlooking the city and drank some tea (yes, tea!). It was ...

Valparaiso journal: The Chilean Pass

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:58:02 GMT

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 went over the Andes to get to Chile and since it is the winter here, there was a lot of snow and what they call "white wind" which I think is just settled snow blowing through the air... but so much that it makes it difficult to see. I started remembering that History Channel special I saw on the Donner Pass... and then of course my mind went to the movie Alive and started wondering who would eat me or who I would eat if we all crashed down into the ...

Mendoza journal: Bicycle Diaries

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:06:51 GMT

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 school and come with me. In her normal life, she is a middle school principal, so the irony was not lost on either of us that she was going to be a bonafide truant. I'm such a good influence! We took the overnight bus 13 hours from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, arriving at about 8:30am.

The bus was aiiight... it is more like the business class section of an international flight than you would think of a "bus trip" which makes a big difference ...

Buenos Aires journal: Gettin the hizzy out of dodge

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:25:48 GMT

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 next however many days. I live in a city normally (you know), so this is really not all *that exciting and different for me. As of tomorrow at around 1pm will be a spanish school dropout! Mom and Dad, aren't you proud?

I just bought my bus ticket for Mendoza, which is the wine country (check out any bottle of Argentinian Malbec and it most likely comes from Mendoza), and I will leave tomorrow night on a 13-hour overnight journey. Mendoza ...

Buenos Aires journal: On Traveling Alone

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:38:14 GMT

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't been nearly as sad and lonely as I thought it might be because it seems like everywhere I go, I meet people -- randomly or whatever. But I also enjoy my own company (probably too much!), so I don't really mind the occasional quiet night at home or whatever. There are so many people traveling all the time, and while not all of them are doing it by themselves, they are still really open to meeting people. There's completely a travel culture and when ...

Buenos Aires journal: Snowmania

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:40:12 GMT

Yesterday it snowed in Buenos Aires for the first time in 89 years! I told you guys it was freezing cold! People were going crazy, building snowmen, playing in the snow, gawking at the flurries and getting into car accidents -- it was a veritable snowmania yesterday in BsAs. Check out these links to see pics from the papers:

http://www.infobae.com /contenidos/325920-100799 -0-El-mundo-reflej%C3%B3 -la-hist%C3%B3rica-nieve -Buenos-Aires

http://www.clarin.com /diario/2007/07/10 /sociedad/s-01454335.htm

http://www.informativos .telecinco.es/nieve _buenos_aires/argentina ...

Buenos Aires journal: I'm sorry you stepped on my foot

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 08:37:00 GMT

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 really really nice for a few days last week, it has now turned extremely chilly and cold. Which I'm sure is strange for all of you, being in the dead heat of summer. But alas, I am in the Southern Hemisphere.

So on Friday night, I went to my first Tango class. I have never said "I'm sorry" so many times... for someone else stepping on my feet. I went to a tangueria called "Tangueria El Beso" (Tango the Kiss). The class started at 8:30 and would ...

Buenos Aires journal: Buenos Aires

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:10:43 GMT

I just had lunch at a restaurant called El Desnivel in San Telmo, the neighborhood of Buenos Aires known as the birthplace of tango. (Incidentally, I tried to go to a tango class last night, but found out it was only for intermediate and advanced people, of which clearly I am not, so I will return on Friday for the beginngers class).

There is apparently a big market and festival here in San Telmo every Sunday with tango demonstrations and free classes and whatnot. which I will probably go to this weekend. Anyway, I walked over here from the subway (subte) and was ready to have my first ...

Buenos Aires journal: Remainders and Beginnings

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:40:40 GMT

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 time. Buenos Aires is really far away!! So far, things are great and I am settling into my new apartment and neighborhood and trying to remember how to cook for myself again (since three meals a day for the last 2 months have either been provided or were eaten at a restaurant)... but so far, this city is great... a lot like New York, or as I read somewhere "a crumbling Paris."

I'm sure to have more interesting things to relay about it soon, but ...

Quito journal: Condog: Waxing philosophical on Boobietown

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:22:59 GMT

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:

Seymour Norte---one of the Galapagos Islands--is an amazing little world all itsown.

As soon as we stepped off the boat, we were hit with a heavy, sultry-feeling air. There was not much of a breeze to cool us.

The blue-footed boobies were my personal favorites among the birds there. Even in their nesting habitat, they were so fearless that they seemed completely unconcerned with our presence. Regardless, this is clearly their ...

O ...

Quito journal: Hasta la vista, Ecuador

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 17:06:39 GMT

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 in Buenos Aires, where I have an apartment in the neighborhood of Palermo Viejo. I have no idea what to expect of this new adventure in a new, different country, but I leave here with optimism and a little sadness. I've really grown to like Ecuador... and I've definitely melted into its customs and culture and just how everything works and how it is to be here. So, onto Argentina... but before I go, some random thoughts and memories about the ...

Galapagos Islands journal: Mars

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:08:25 GMT

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 actually water on Mars. It is rugged and jagged and the plants are red and there are lots of cactus and strange birds and it is just fascinating. I can't imagine what Charles Darwin must have thought when he happened upon this archipelago in the 1830's...

By the way, Darwin was only like 24 years old when he came here. He left England at the age of 22 on what would end up being a five year expedition to explore the vegetation in South America... ...

Galapagos Islands journal: Sealions, Turtles, and Boobies - Oh My!

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:56:44 GMT

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 research on the islands, as I was surprised to find that these are actually like desert islands... I took a picture from the window of the airplane so that you can see how they appear from above. There is a lot of vegetation, but because of their location - right on the equator about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador - the islands have many different micro climates, but mostly it's desert.

We arrived on Wednesday around noon on a flight from ...

Quito journal: The Middle of the World

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:32:42 GMT

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 for 6 weeks... so strange to think I have been away for so long. The time has gone extremely fast and extremely slowly at the same time. I can hardly believe I'm half-way through with this amazing adventure...

Anyway, we took a city tour of Quito on Monday, and went to the Teleferico - which is an incredibly large cable car that goes up about 4,000 meters above the city. I got some amazing views of Quito. Also, we went to the "Mitad del Mundo," ...

Quilotoa journal: Quilotoa Crater: Unspeakable Beauty

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:17:58 GMT

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. The Quilotoa lake is something that I had read about when I first starting researching this South America trip and it was really my only MUST for the entire trip. It is a lake that has sprung up (literally) in the crater of a collapsed volcano. The water comes from deep inside the earth's core, so there are no fish or anything living in it, but it is potable (for animals, not humans!) and very very cold.

We ended up in Quilotoa at about 9pm ...

Misahualli journal: Photo Update

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 06:52:48 GMT

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 everything that's gone down over the last few days. xoxo

Banos journal: Baños: Final Destination Ecuador

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 06:37:06 GMT

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 near and dear, I thought I'd clear this up for anyone else curious about it: in Spanish, you spell hostal with an "a" not an "e." Mom's always looking out for my spelling mistakes, and I appreciate it, but this time, I was just using the Spanish word. ;) Also, hostal is not exactly what you may be thinking. They are actually hotels with private rooms, etc, etc, they just call them hostals for some reason. I have not been staying in a dormish room with ...

Misahualli journal: Rainy Forest

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:14:47 GMT

By Tuesday, I was kind of over the rain forest. Monday was a beautiful and sunny (but not too hot) the entire day. Tuesday, it rained the entire day and doing all sorts of hiking and whatever was starting to take its toll on me, plus as much as I tried to be over the bugs, they were everywhere... and soooo gross.

I went on a hike with Jerdson's dad (whose name I can't remember). We went on a motorized canoe about 40 minutes down the Rio Napo and ended up in the primary rainforest reserve. We hiked through lots of mud and dirt and grime --- but itsince it rains all the time, ...

Misahualli journal: Tubing, monkeys and whistling at hot chicks!

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:50:49 GMT

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-year old ecuatorian guide on the first day, took me for a hike through the secondary jungle close to our hotel, and we saw lots of bugs and plants and creeks and whatever. I ate an ant that tasted like a lemon. (I told you I was getting over the bug thing for the duration of my stay there!) The whole hike only took us 1 hour, a hike that normally takes larger groups about 3 hours to do, so after hanging out on the beach of the River Misahualli that was ...

Misahualli journal: Welcome to the Jungle

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 05:53:58 GMT

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 (hopefully!).

On Sunday morning, I hopped an early morning bus to Tena - the largest town in the rainforest. On my 6-7 hour bus ride, I saw some beautiful landscapes... cloud forests and going over the mountains and down down down back to sea level there was a strange mix of vistas that looked like they should have belonged in the scottish moors... and they slowly changed into the rainy forest that is the jungle -- velvety green plants and trees ...

Quito journal: Gringolandia

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 05:36:58 GMT

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. Exausted, I hopped on the plane to Quito for what would be a 45 minute flight (versus 10 hours on the bus, this seemed like a good use of funds). By 8:00am, I was in Quito and settled at my hostel which was in the heart of "Gringolandia," the place where all of the hostels and restaurants and bars for tourists are. Totally unimpressed with my surroundings within the first few moments there, I decided to leave my stuff in the room and jumped on a ...

Cuenca journal: It's been real

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:48:47 GMT

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 get on this weekend was at 6:40am on Saturday morning. I'm off to Quito for one day/night and then on Sunday will leave for the jungle. That's the rainforest and it's going to take me forever to get there and be hot and sticky and full of bugs, but I am so excited for this, can't even wait! I probably won't have access to email/blog for the four days I'm going to be there, so will be able to give a full update upon my return to the civilzed world.

United States journal: Hello, Saturn Return.

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:56:46 GMT

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@h ...

Cuenca journal: Vaya, Cuenca, vaya!!

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:48:13 GMT

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'm told by soccer fans), but Cuenca won 2 - 0! It was definitely a crazy experience.

We all met up at like 10 in the morning so that we could get tickets as they sometimes sell out. We bought "general entry" tickets for 4 dollars, which meant we had bleacher seats not under the overhang (overhang important for protection against ecuadorian sun and the often fleeting rain showers, but we were fine without it), and hung out for 2 hours until the ...

Cuenca journal: Fire and Bees

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:25:34 GMT

With Corpus Cristi there are a couple of distinct threats - I discussed the fireworks in a previous post and it just keeps getting crazier. Last night, we were all going out and there was literally fire falling from the sky. I never thought something like that could look so cool, and be so strange and disturbing at the same time. This morning, I was walking through the park and there were swarms of bees buzzing around all of the hundreds of tables of sweets. They're attracted to the sugar, you know which makes sense, but it is a strange sight especially since no one seems to care about it ...

Cuenca journal: Safety Standards

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 06:26:43 GMT

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 toddlers here riding on the backs of motorcycles or 20 kids riding standing up in the back of a truck, or the crazy buses that drive like diablos through the countryside, or any other number of things that I know mothers and fathers in the U.S. would completely cringe at. For a country of people without insurance of any kind, you'd think they might take more care about these things... but no. And last night was another example of this.

Last night ...

Cuenca journal: ¿Como se dice 'stalker' en español?

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:21:55 GMT

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 sent and I didn't respond to). I made the housekeeper tell him I was in the shower (such a cliche, but it works!). Then, I composed an email saying that I just wanted to be friends... so here is 'the talk' in Espanol. You know, I am not good at this in English and may be even worse at it in Spanish, but at least it was proofread by the family before being sent! :)

Hola Xavier,Que tal? Lo siento que yo estaba ocupada cuando tu llegaste. Esta ...

Cuenca journal: OVNIs and other unidentified objects

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:23:27 GMT

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 they find things to do to completely fill their days without working. Of course, it's a bit different here because I do have four hours of class every day, but it's also just easy to fill my time.

I had a good time this past weekend. I went to a movie on Saturday night - saw a movie from Brussells (Mannekin Pis - in whatever language they speak in Brussells with Spanish subtitles) - which was good and luckily avante guarde because it was a little ...

Cuenca journal: Not for the faint of heart

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 15:48:11 GMT

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 a big deal here – and considered a privledge to eat it… so, yes, Ally, when in Cuenca, do as the Cuencans do.

I went with some kids and professors from my school to a restaurant known for preparing cuy. We first went to the back and saw both the raw cuy and then saw it impaled and being BBQd. I have to say that I generally have a pretty strong stomache, but seeing these little guys twirling around over the fire made me queasy. But we ate it ...

Cuenca journal: I´m a star!

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:20:49 GMT

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 pretty cool to be there at all. Here are pics of today´s paper.... I´m the one with my back to the camera in jeans and a black top.

Cuenca journal: Señora Robinson

Thu, 31 May 2007 11:23:30 GMT

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!! We had class and our teacher (Francisco) convinced a bunch of us to go out to a salsateca last night afterwards. I had to buy a pair of shoes with heels first because... well, you really can´t dance salsa in flipflops or sneakers. Francisco came with me to the shoe store and he looked at the shoes I ended up buying and was like “are you sure you can walk in those shoes because the heels are so high?” I was like – please, I live in NY… these are ...

Cuenca journal: The Cleansing

Wed, 30 May 2007 06:28:21 GMT

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 of the fruits and vegetables and everything - very colorful. She also had me meet with a shaman... an indigenious woman there every Tuesday to cleanse people (mostly little kids) of bad spirits, bad energy or whatever. I thought, why not! She took a bunch of herbs and flowers (the one big red flower, if you eat it, is like a drug... good to know for future reference... just kidding!) and hit them all over me... my head, my chest, my arms, my legs, my ...

Cuenca journal: Cuenca... first impressions

Mon, 28 May 2007 14:46:57 GMT

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!

So, here I am in Cuenca. I met the family yesterday and they are seriously sooooooo nice. The father is Victor, an economist who also imports and exports some sort of machine (a mystery to me), the mother is Eulalia (Lala) and they have three kids - Rebeca and Monica are in college and Estafania is still in highschool. They have a cat (Siamese called Bambalu) and a dog (a crazy mut called Musollini). They also have a woman who lives with them to cook ...

Cuenca journal: Journey of Journeys

Sun, 27 May 2007 09:04:44 GMT

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 taxi to a bus station in San Vicente. The taxi driver convinced me not to schlep all of my stuff on the ferry and that it would be faster to take the bus from the north side of the bay to Porto Viejo and then transfer to Guayaquil. I didn´t really think that would be true, but my stuff is extremely heavy, so I decided to go with less hassle. I boarded the bus and quickly made friends with the bus driver´s helper -- this is the person who takes the money and ...

Canoa journal: Ceviche Mixto

Fri, 25 May 2007 10:34:43 GMT

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 so simple:

CEVICHE MIXTO

(serves 4-5)

1 pound of shrimp

1 pound of fish (firm)

2 tomatoes

1 Red onion

3 limes

3 oranges

2 cubes of chicken boillon

1 small spoon of pepper

1 small spoon of sabor (I think goya makes this, it´s a spice)

2 small spoonfuls of cumin

1 big spoon of yellow mustard

1. Put shrimp and fish in separate pots. Put one stock cube in each pot and add ...

Canoa journal: Decisiones

Wed, 23 May 2007 12:44:42 GMT

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 it. I don´t blame them. It´s a telenovela, but not truly a soap opera because every night there is a different cast of characters (sort of how Law & Order is to actors in the US, I think most latin american actors have played a role or two in Decisiones --- it´s apparently shot in Miami but uses actors from all across latin america). Anyway, every night is a different story that centers on some protagonist having to make... a decision. Usually, the ...

Canoa journal: FAQ

Sun, 20 May 2007 12:21:01 GMT

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 Spanish classes? What is that like? What does it involve? Who is your teacher?

Yes! I´m really taking spanish classes. I have two hours in the morning for grammar and two hours in the afternoon for conversation and exercises. My teach is Jaime and he teaches everything in Spanish… it´s going well so far. I think it´s a good refresher, as the school in Cuenca will be a bit more difficult. It´s just so frustrating to me that I have to learn all of ...

Canoa journal: Finally some photos!!

Sun, 20 May 2007 12:06:17 GMT

Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure... I was able to upload a ew of them today. por fin!

Canoa journal: Hot Ecuadorian Men

Sat, 19 May 2007 08:42:14 GMT

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 saying a word. They´re hot and they´re sick of being that way. All the women can dress however scantily they wish, but the men - they must wear long pants and button down shirts and they´re staging a massive country-wide protest. They are lifting their shirts above their cerveza bellies in protest and they´re going to walk around like that everywhere - bare middrifts out for the world to see.

Honestly, I wish that I had not been foiled again by ...

Canoa journal: SPF 45

Wed, 16 May 2007 11:01:04 GMT

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 about 6:30 pm and am everyday of the year. It also means that at night, the stars actually look closer and brighter than I have ever seen them in my life. And obviously, but maybe not obviously enough ---

It means that the sun is extremely strong.... so after a 40 minute walk on the beach the other day (wearing spf 45) I got a really nasty sunburn. I know that I should have known better, but it´s not that hot when you´re walking on the beach, so ...

Canoa journal: Mama Mia - it's hot in herre

Sun, 13 May 2007 09:38:28 GMT

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 festivals around the country and last night they had the annual Mother's Day competition in town. Picture a beauty pageant, but flipped around. Mothers are there with one chosen child who speaks to the crowd about why their mother is the best - and then the mothers are asked questions to somehow determine who is the best mother of the year. And then they are judged. I of course could understand none of this, but this is what I am told is going on. Happy ...

Guayaquil journal: Bienvenidos a Ecuador

Sun, 13 May 2007 09:01:24 GMT

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 morning. I had contacted the hotel - The Hampton Inn Guayquil Hotel and Casino - and they were there waiting for me at the airport, which I was thankful for since I was very tired and happy to have my hand held for a little while longer. I got to the hotel and settled in for what would be about a 5 hour rest... later today I must contend with the bus station and getting to my real destination - Canoa.

New Orleans journal: Jazzfest: It's not about looking cute

Thu, 03 May 2007 07:49:42 GMT

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 the airport. Ally came to meet me from DC and of course she was on time so it gave her and my dad a chance to catch up sans moi.

I had always wanted to go to Jazzfest but had never been, so this was the year. It also worked out with the plans since it let me see everyone and say goodbye to the southern contingent before my big trip! I won't recount every second of this trip, but a few things to point out and then I'll get to the pics:

- ...

New York journal: One week left

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:33:01 GMT

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 Thursday and then on to Philly for the grand farewell to Ecuador. Hard to believe it's already time to leave almost... and just when the NY weather is starting to cooperate with Spring. :)