Apr 2007

Hello all;

Well I summited my first mountain today, the active volcano Guagua Pinchincha. At almost 5000 m above sea level, it was by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But I didn't quit... just kept putting one foot in front of the other, and taking breaks whenever I could no longer move. At that altitude, you feel as if you are suffocating and can't get enough air. I felt dizzy, lightheaded, nauseated, and completely out of breath in turn or all at once.

At the top, we were amongst the clouds and above all forms of plant life except for some random lichens clinging to the rocks. Snow still existed in sheltered areas, and the peak was whipped with cold winds, making the hat, gloves, scarf, and coat a necessity, even though it was 20 C at the base. A foot behind the concrete pillar marking the summit, was a 700 m drop into the crater that was filled with lava and hot gases. It was kind of nerve wracking, knowing one slip would undoubtably send you to your fiery death. However, since the crater was filled with clouds, you could not see the lava, only smell the sulfur rising from the murky white depths.

The one downside... I left my trekking poles in the guide's truck. He was, however, a super nice guy and since I have his business card I have emailed him tonight and will call him tomorrow. I was planning on heading to Puyo tomorrow morning, but if I have to wait to get my poles I will. They were not cheap and I'll need them for other mountains.

bye for now

Sarah

Today we went to Otavalo, a city three hours north of Quito by bus, for the famous Saturday market. Rows upon rows of crafts, weavings, carvings, paintings, jewlery, clothing and a whole bunch of stuff no one really needs. Except for an Alpaca sweater, mitts, hat and scarf. Everyone needs those, and now I have them. Super warm and soft, Alpaca wool is a from a species of llama and all the softest textiles are made from it.

I could write every day, all day, fill a thousand journals and still not finish what I had to say; not be able to do justice to the things I have seen here. Shiny black pigs who sleep on front lawns. Elderly ecuadorian women, shriveled with the sun and hard work, carrying heavy loads to the market without shoes, feet no longer resembling human apendages. Cows that seem to graze wherever they want. The fact that I saw four different soccer games in three minutes. The number of empty, gutted structures near Otavalo. A patchwork of multicoloured fields that extend so far up the mountainous peaks as to make one wonder how they are possibly farmable. Dogs everywhere, eating what they please, and dying by the side of the road. Corn growing in every concievable space on the property, between buildings and on lawns. One type of Quito police who wear brown uniforms with shiny spurs and a long sword. The spongy, porous, dry hard soil that forms the roadside cliffs and seems to be able to be carved at will. The fact that the ecuadorian buses are more comfortable than those at home. The way that the bus assistants/fare collectors call out the destination repeatedly "Quito, Quito, Quito!" and try to usher you towards their bus.

The flora is no exception as well. I could draw, imagine, a new plant every day for the rest of my life and not be able to create such incredible diversity, the sheer number of insanely weird plants that exist here. Even the plants growing out of the roadside cliff baffle me with their complexity and uniqueness. An attempt to draw some of the plants ended up looking like something from a Dr. Seuss book; I did not think such things were possible on planet Earth.

I don´t know who told me that there´s no dusk near the equator, but they were wrong. The clouds are lit up with glorious hues of golds, pinks and baby blues, and the light reflects on the ochre cliffs.

I envy these rural people. A family digging together in their field, an old farmer leading a dairy cow across the road, a truck full of bananas, a small girl wrestling with a puppy on the dusty front steps of her house. Life seems simple here, fraught with hard work yet full of family and leisure.

Tomorrow I am climbing the volcano Guagua Pinchincha, at 4784 m, it will be my first real ascent. It´s organized by the hostal here, costs $40 for the day, including breakfast, lunch, transportation, and the guide. It erupted last in 1999, sending a gigantic plume of white ash into the air. My alpaca gear will be very useful as it is cold on the summit.

Well, plenty more to write about but that will have to come later. Its 1108 pm here right now, and I barely got any sleep last night. I decided to have one club night out here in Quito and it was a TON of fun.

Night, all!

Sarah

ps-- I am leaving the hostal Mon morning on my way to the Amazon. After that, once a week is going to be the maximum I´ll be able to post, as the tribe does not have internet! Only if I do a day trip to the closest town will I be able to write.

Thursday, April 26, 2007
8:30 pm

Today we (Sarah, Martin and I) went to the Mitudad del Mundo, the equator, the center of the earth, lat 0 0 0 as denoted by a giant monument and a red line. Other than some annoying, pushy french tourists who didn't stay long, the place was deserted. So, since it was mostly sunny at the time, we decided to take a nap, lying right down along the equator. Right side northern hemisphere, left side southern hemisphere, there I slept. Though dark clouds loomed in the mountains beyond, the sun was hot and it was truly relaxing.

Breakfast at this cafeteria this morning was lots of fun. A big glass of some sort of juice (mango?), coffee, two eggs, and a toasty bun smothered with sesame seeds and filled with some sort of white, spongy, salty cheese spread inside. All for $1.50. When I left a tip of 25 c, she was so pleased. It was quite amusing.

Everyone here seems to be selling something. Little children, barely old enough to walk, hold out gum or candies and beseech you with giant, brown eyes, the mother watching nearby. Boys and men climb aboard the buses and try to sell you candy or trinkets. One lady, selling small paintings, followed us for a block, even after we said no.

Yesterday I finally found a grocery store (a surprising feat in this place) so I could find a few things to stash in my room. I bought two bottles of water, two cucumbers, toast crisps, blackberry jam, a bottle of wine, and a glass to drink it with. All for $5.35. I love this country! And things will only get cheaper the further away from Quito I get.

After the grocery store, I hopped in a cab (65 c) on my way back to the hostal. Suddenly, as we were cresting a bit of a hill and about to turn right onto another narrow one way street, a convoy of motorcycles proclaiming "el presidente", followed by a sleek black car appeared. And, waving out the rear window of the car, was the president of Ecuador! He looked like any middle-aged ecuadorian man, albeit very well dressed and waving like the Queen!
I excitedly asked the taxi driver: "¿el presidente? ¿el presidente?"
"Si, Si!", was his elated response.
I was completely thrilled.

I´ve been super busy since I got here, and in good health which I´m sure Mom will be happy to hear. Tomorrow I think I´m going to take it easy, do some writing, and just lie about. I have so much to write, swirling around my brain, but not enough time in a day to write it. This hostal is amazing. Everyone speaks English, and most of the people I meet seem to be either from Austrailia or the UK. Structurally, everything is pretty open, part of the hostal doesn´t have a roof, and rain patters down three stories. But "The Secret Garden" it is. Plants are everywhere, and the plethora of unsealed windows and an open roof gives the plants the light they need. There are tomatoes, calla lilies, and countless other plants everywhere. Stairs, each step a different height, lead between the three floors, and a curved iron staircase leads to the terrace upstairs. The bathroom nearest our dorm has green windows that open out over the plant-y, rain soaked courtyard, a nice view while you´re brushing your teeth. There´s murals and painting everywhere, and all the walls are painted crazy, lively colours. There really are no words to explain this place. Maybe some photos will do the trick. I´ll try to upload them tomorrow. Perhaps the most disconcerting thing about the whole place is the dorm room. As I was lying in bed reading last night (that headlamp is so useful!) the sexy, sexy aussie boy comes in and strips down to his boxers right there. Wipe drool, now! Yeah.. watching them wander around is pure torture. he hee

It´s only nine but I´m exhausted. Sarah and Martin want me to go out for food, but I think sleep sounds better.

Bye for now.

I arrived at the Quito airport late because we had an almost two hour delay out of Houston. Who would have thought that severe storms would delay air traffic in Texas in April? The planes got stacked up on the runway as we waited our turn.

So I arrived in Quito late, in the middle of rain and fog, with no place to stay and no way to get there. And the airport was in the process of closing; we were the last plane.

I avoided the one guy who kept going up to me saying: "`Taxi? Taxi?" I instead headed for a taxi, with a sign and well marked (and therefore hopefully licenced) that had just pullled in. I figured if he hadn t been waiting there, he probably wasn t one of those guys who prey on the gringos.

He was super sweet to me, taking a look at the map in my travel book, and trying to make small talk even though I really didn t understand much beyond the talk about the weather, and is this my first time in Quito?

He charged me $10 to get to the hotel, more expensive than some cabs, not as bad as the $40 cabs at the airport I d been warned against. We headed south through the mist and fog, finally down a series of extremely narrow one way streets. "Secret Garden" was well marked, and the proprieter was friendly if not a bit sleepy. No single rooms left, so I got a dorm. $7 a night, not bad. And someone just left so I snagged his locker.

I crawled up the top bunk, trying not to wake the slumbering travellers. Even though I was tired, I couldn t fall asleep. My mind continued to race and I put on my Ipod, grateful for the familiar tunes. Finally, after many songs, I put it away and let the slow fingers of sleep claim me.

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Now its morning and Ive met my roomies. Shortly, this girl from Vancouver- also named Sarah- and her friend from Holland- his name escapes me- and I are going out for breakfast in New Town. Apparently to one of those places where you can see the whole city on the balcony. Now that s breakfast! The altitude doesn t seem to be affecting me but we ll see I suppose.

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ps- this keyboard is weird! There is a z where the y is supposed to be, and tons of funny characters. Its taken me forever to type this. Next... I ll write about where I m staying. Its pretty cool.

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I'm all packed up after a few days with the cousins here. It's been fabulous.

I fly 7:09 am from Vancouver. Here's to my last night in Canada! Now where's my Yorkshire pudding, maple syrup, and poutine?

Sarah