Settling in...updated!

Greetings! I (Heather) am finally in Quito and LOVIN´it. After a week in the car driving from KY to AZ, stopping to see the White Sands National Park in New Mexico and the Grand Canyon, and hopping from one plane to the next, I feel more at ease than I have in a while. The nerves are settled and the feasting has begun! I haven´t tried guinea pig yet, but I´ve been scowering the street vendors carts. I´ll let you know when it happens.
Katie and Hallye were waiting at the airport, along with TV cameras, flowers and balloons. I only got the girls, the rest was for the minor league Ecuadorian national soccer team with whom I shared a flight. Apparently they lost but you´d never guess it by the air guitar jam session they had on the plane...a very lively bunch!
My companions have had only a week to get to know the city but they learn FAST. I´ve been trailing them along the streets of Quito the past two days, from one plaza to the next park. (Before long I will have to venture out, map in tote, and suffer the stares that all tourists draw. Some sort of rite of passage is in order I think.) The first plaza we visited is the busiest, as it is surrounded by government buidings and armed policia. Before I´d snapped 5 photos the streets began to rumble with the shouts and drums of protestors. The gov cut education funding and so professors and students from all over the country have been marching in protest. I would approximate 500 or so people were there, and it certainly made an impression on me. I hope the government listens too.
Our first run in with the breathtaking altitude in Quito was, beleive it or not, in the basilica. It´s listed as the most deadly view of the city, and upon climbing what we thought would be the highest point, we continued exploring and eventually climbed higher than the clocks we use as a reference point every day. AMAZING views, and most definitely deadly. We scaled many a slippery medal ladder, with the thinnest of rungs supporting our pastry filled bodies. You probably would have heard our sighs of relief upon arriving at the ground floor if we hadn´t been greeted by dark hallways and locked gates. Apparently the basilica closes at 5, which we were not informed of. Luckily, after waving at church goers in the distance, a kind soul carrying keys set us free.
We´d worked up an appetite after climbing stairs and staring, mesmerized by symmetry and craftmanship, and so stopped for a snack at the plaza san blas, around the corner from our newest home, Hostal Belmont. Mauricio and Lucia run the hostal and do a superb job of accomdating everyone and making us feel welcome. We all chatted for a couple of hours, before relaxing on the terrace with a 76 cent 40oz pilsner, aptly named `Pilsener´ and found all over the city. We retired early in preparation for the big second day.
¨Second¨ only for me, but ¨big¨ for all of us, as Mauricio set us up with a part time teaching gig at a small elementary school in the valley. A 40 minute bus ride away, the trip was well worth it as we stepped of the bus and noted immediately how much more tranquil, warm, green and clear it is 2,000 feet below the mountains of Quito. There was some resistance from the director of the school, strangely, about how we could help. Apparently she has been requesting English teachers from the government to no avail, and if they find she has volunteers there, they are far less likely to send anyone. Since we are not permanent teachers, and cannot commit to becoming so, she was hesitant to accept us. Eventually though, after negotiating with Mauricio, they agreed on our coming Tuesdays and Thursdays for as long as we are here. Katie will teach educacion fisica, and Hallye and I will teach inglés. Despite the cool welcome, we were provided with lunch, bus money, and a plethora of hugs and kisses from the sweetest little niñitos. It was exhausting and invigorating all at once. This is what we´re here for, so bring on the discomfort. It´s always worth it in the end.

you live and you learn...

We bought some apples the other day and realized about two seconds after we bought them that we were taken advantage of. We should have responded with a phrase that one of Marie´s friends taught us: ¿Es que tengo la cara gringa? (Is it that I have an American face?) We did not use our newly learned phrase but next time we know to bargain for a better deal.
We have developed this kind of attitude...you live and you learn.
Heather arrives today and Katie and I are both very happy about it. It will be nice to be able to take pictures in two´s! We have been waiting to visit several different museums until she arrives and our anxious to show her areas of town that we have grown to love. Also we now know our way around old town Quito which allows us to blend in a little easier since we do not always have maps out. It doesn´t hurt that our skin is darkening either.
Last night we sat in Plaza San Blas while and watched the city start to quiet down. It was so beautiful. I was thinking to myself that someone could tell me I was in Paris and I would believe them. The gothic Basillica church in the background looks amazing at night with the dark clouds surrounding it and its lit up clocks. The area is also very safe because police officers seem to patrol the area 24/7.
We grabbed some wheat rolls from the bread shop on the corner this morning and ate them on the terrace. It is definitly something I could get used to every morning. We also did some laundry and hung up our clothes on the clotheslines...which was first for me. We are hoping they will dry before an afternoon rainstorm.
I am personally looking forward to Heather´s arrival because she also speak spanish very well. I told Katie that we will only speak in spanish once she arrives. Hopefully this will improve my own spanish skills since they are not so wonderful.
I hope everyone is safe at home. We heard about the ice storm and kentucky´s loss to Ole Miss last night but keep us updated. We like to hear comments on our blog posts. -Hallye

A Few Thoughts

Hallye and I were able to enjoy the better part of today outdoors in the peace that nature brings. We escaped the bustling city and climbed up to Parque Itchimbia which is one of the highest rising hills surrounding metropolitan Quito. Itchimbia is a wonderful example of a well-kept city park. Besides its generous size, it has so much to offer as a public park. Not only is there an entire grade school campus, the park also contains a full sized soccer field, a practice field, volleyball and basketball courts, playgrounds, a lagoon, a bike path, a walking path, plenty of open green space, an ampitheater, and a welcome center where concerts are held. And this is right outside the city, completely open to the public!! After our breakfast this morning of fresh baked croissant from the corner bakery and cafe con leche, we began our hike up the 200 or so stairs and spent the morning in the park. Afterwards, we treated ourself to icecream and enjoyed it in Parque la Alameda which is a smaller park within the city. It was at this time, as we were resting in the grass beneath the trees that we began to reflect and comment on a few things.

1. Public bathrooms in Ecuador are clutch. You may be thinking...public bathrooms? ewwww! But who knew what 10 cents could do for a public bathroom. Here, you pay ten cents to the employed lady sitting by the bathroom. She hands you a few sheets of toilet paper and you enter. Since there is a lady always by the potty, and she is employed by the city, it is also her job to clean. Therefore, 10 cents = clean bathroom whenever and wherever you want it.

2. Hostals are breeding grounds for interesting people. Last night, we decided to spend the evening in the hostal hanging out in the common room reading books we bought yesterday. We didn´t get very far reading, however, when our hostal friend Derivol from Haiti came in to entertain us. He began playing guitar and then played music from the cd player of songs that helped him learn english..hits from Toni Braxton and Phil Collins. Then he started teaching us Karate..because not only is he going back to school for civic engineering and is an avid soccer fan, he is also a Karate master. Soon, an interloper from Cali came in and interrupted the lesson and his friend Carson from Texas joined in on a conversation about the places to go and not to go in Ecuador. After those two guys left to grab dinner, a Portuguese hostal patron came in and started watching Bionic Woman in spanish subtitles. This morning we ran into Daniel, our friend from France who is bicycling around South America working on a project for his job which requires him to photograph gardens.

3. We are lucky. After speaking with people who have been travelling all over this country for months, we conclude that our hostal is a paradise among hostals. Not only are we only paying six bucks a night, but that includes internet, laundry service, kitchen, terrace view, close proximity to downtown, hot water and CLEAN rooms. Not to mention, the family that owns the place es muy buena gente. Lucia is soo nice and works her tail off to keep his place clean and her husband will help us out with anything. Jonathan appears to be about six and is adorable. With more luck, we will have it this nice wherever we go. Ecuador is making us feel right at home, though.

It is a beautiful day in Quito. The sun is out and there is a slight breeze making it a wonderful day to stroll around the city. We grabbed some pan y queso and cafe con leche(which cost a total of $2.30) this morning and then headed over to Plaza San Francisco. The plaza sits just below San Francisco Church which is magnificent on both the inside and outside. I cannot decide which plaza I like the most because they are all so beautiful however this one is definitely in the running for my favorite.

We have decided to buy some marmalade, bread and milk so we can save money. The kitchen in our hostal is located on the terrace. So we plan on enjoying some meals up there instead of eating in the restaurants. I hung out on the terrace for a few hours yesterday when Katie was not feeling well. It was incredibly relaxing as I worked on the puzzle book (thanks allison!) and wrote in my journal . However, I was so relaxed I did not realize that I was getting a little too much sun. Today, when we were in Plaza San Francisco we both made sure to wear some sunblock. We also experimented with some lotion that Katie purchased at a monastary´s gift shop and later we might try the agua de las rosas that I purchased (It is supposed to be good for one´s complexion).

Okay, I better run. Katie just informed me that a huge storm cloud is approaching and we would like to hang out the terrace for a while.

Hallye

Thank you, Cipro.

So it happened, quicker than either of us thought. Today I fell victim to the inevitable, as they call it in Mexico, Montezuma´s Revenge. I feel that I know you all well enough to share this miserable detail with you, and for those of you who happened to stumble across this blog, I´m sorry for your luck. This is probably not what you are wanting to hear. But thanks to the revolutionary drug known in short form as Cipro, I am back on my feet again and ready to tackle another plate of down home Ecuadorian cuisine. Needless to say, Hallye and I took the day pretty easy. I stuck to the bed and she lounged on the rooftop terrace. We later took a trip to the cyber cafe to skype friends and family then returned to the hostal to read up on what we will do next and spend some more time on the computer. Sundays around Quito, at least the Old town, are fairly quiet. There aren´t many people out on the streets, which is both a plus and a minus. An Australian guy we met at the hostal today warned us to be careful if we were heading out today, because Sunday is the day everyone gets mugged. We thanked him for the advice and headed out with as little cash as we needed. The streets were, in fact virtually empty with the exception of drunks and tourists for the most part. Tomorrow we plan on doing a little sightseeing. Probably to the Capilla del hombre that Brittany suggested and other sights close-by. There is also a park called Itchimbia which overlooks the city and will be great tomorrow if the weather is nice. Well, there is a line for the computer so I must go!! please comment and let us know what you would like to hear more about!-Katie

A long 24 hours

Hello everyone!

Yesterday we met Marie for lunch. She picked us up from the airport and has been extremely welcoming to us the past few days. (This was after walking around old town for 2 and half hours). We walked to new town from our hostal in old town. A little over half way there we realized we would never be at the meeting spot on time and grabbed a cab. Marie and her friend took us to a nice restaurant and the food was delicious. Marie invited us to go to her hacienda (farm). We thought, why not? So we gathered a few necessities from our hostal (because we would be staying overnight) and headed outside of Quito to a town called Pifo. Her friends met us at her hacienda where they cooked empenadas and mini pizzas. Katie and I were not able to get to bed until late even though we were already exhausted.

The next morning her parents and brother joined us at the hacienda (they have a nice apartment in Quito that they stay at during the week). Her father teaches riding lessons and we were able to watch part of it. This is also when I realized how beautiful the hacienda and the surrounding area was. They had a barn, riding ring, a few paddocks, their house, and a house for the family that cared for the hacienda when they were not there. The mountains in the distance were partly hidden behind the clouds as well as Cotopaxi, a huge volocano. They took us to a horse show which was more like a parade of different groups of people on their horses. Each group wore a different costume and the horses were a little wild.
Later her family drove us around to some surrounding towns. It was very busy on the streets since its saturday. Marie drove us back to new town in Quito where we caught the bus back to our hostal. We are exhausted...its has been a long 24 hours.
-hallye

Life on Latin time

Hello all, We are absolutely loving our first couple days in Quito. The weather is fantastic and so is the city. Yesterday after wearing ourselves out hiking around hilly Old Town with 40 pounds on our backs and having a small lunch of empenadas, Hallye and I decided it was time to take advantage of the wonderful Latin tradition of siesta. By the time we returned to our room, it was clouding up outside, which is a beautiful sight as the clouds cover the mountain tops that surround the city. We slept soundly and our window was open so we could hear the rain and the light thunder which lulled us to sleep more than kept us awake. We woke up to light rain and a man playing guitar right outside our window. It sounds like a scene from a movie, I know, but that is our life right now. It is sure to get more difficult, but for now we feel very lucky to be doing this. Yesterday we spent a total of 17 dollars each. Breakfast $2, Hostal $6, Lunch $1.3, Coffee $1.5, Water $0.30, Dinner $5.5. Today, we are meeting Maria for lunch and tomorrow she is taking us to her hacienda outside of Quito. We are safe and having a great time. We can´t wait for Heather to get here!! Hallye and I miss you all and love you. -Katie

First Day in Quito!

We are here safe and sound! Maria picked us up from the airport (Hallye´s friend and Ann Marie´s niece) along with her father. Our first hostal was located in New Town which is more developed and modern. It was loud and many people were out and about enjoying the nightlife. However we took a shower and got a good nights rest. We woke up this morning and had no idea what time it was. Neither one of us brought watches so we meandered our way down to breakfast where we enjoyed huevos (eggs), montaditos de queso (grilled cheese), batido de guayava (guava milkshake), and cafe con leche (coffee with milk). The meal was two dollars each! At about 8:30 we headed towards Old Town which was a hike! Old Town is the historic part of Quito and proved to be much more enjoyable than New Town. We have found a new hostal called Hostal Belmont and we love it. It is extremely cute and cozy. It is also located in a scenic area. We are not sure what time it is since we still do not have watches. We will spend the rest of the day exploring this section of town. Love, Hallye and Katie