¡Hola Chicos! I have arrived safely in Ecuador and although I have only stayed in Quito for one night, I already have a feeling that this will be the best semester I’ve ever had.
After 24 hours of traveling, I walked off the plane in Quito into 75 degree weather – much different from the 2 feet of snow I left in Buffalo. I little nervous to be in a new place I was pumped to see the familiar faces of my professors, but unfortunately that didn’t last long. The only greeting I got was “Hi, glad you made it safe. Your family is over there. See you tomorrow.” And sure enough I’m rushed over to meet my sister, Majo and my dad, Miguel. I barely got out an hola before I was informed that speaking English was prohibited which made for an interesting night of trying to tell them about myself. Thankfully I had photos and I was able to have somewhat of a conversation about how Sarah and I look identical - yet another time when the twin card comes in handy. Mostly, however, it was a lot of awkwardly staring at each other until we realized that we didn’t understand each other, but nonetheless they seem like a very nice family. My host sister is even 21 so hopefully she’ll be fun to hang with, but somehow I don’t think she’ll be able to keep up with this Hobart crew that plans invade and conquer the entire city of Quito. Also, the best thing about this family is that they also have a really fat dog, Mocha, who grunts exactly like Sarge – what a calming noise.
The next day we began our bus trip to the Amazon rainforest. Our first stop was Baños where we decided to begin our adventures my renting dune buggys and riding them across the city. Somehow we ended up on the highway, playing live Mario Kart through tunnels and curves that had 200 yard drops without guardrails, literally almost killing each other. After going to Tabaq Part 2, a three floor restaurant/dance club with no one dancing but us on the third floor, my life was yet again threatened by what the bartenders called Bob Marleys, a red, yellow and green flaming shot that is apparently given to free all Americans who come in. Unfortunately no one told me you were supposed to blow it out before you took it, and I really think that I inhaled flames through my straw. On a thrill-seeking high, I wouldn’t let the adventures stop there – the next day I went “puenting,” basically bungee jumping off a bridge. This is where I learned there are absolutely not safety standards in Ecuador. After driving 25 minutes from our hotel and passing numerous legitimate places with signs on the way, our bus stops in the middle of a road next to two guys sitting on a bridge next to two orange construction cones. Obviously really safe - we didn’t have to fill out any papers, probably because these guys would just book it if anything happened, and cars were racing on both sides of the road as we jumped – but I’m here writing this so that means I survived.
Earlier that day though we hiked up Tungurahua Mountain and it gave us a gorgeous view of Quito. On the way up, some natives heard us talking and called us over to their house, telling us they wanted us to see their orchid farm. Huge understatement. We walked in and not only was it filled with tons of gorgeous flowers but also tons of fresh fruit, and even a guinea pig farm, which was actually kind of disturbing because they were so cute. They let us try all the fruit they had – que delicioso! Then later that night, we rented a party bus and drove up the mountain again and were able to see the city lit up at night. The party bus was fun, but it wasn’t til Kei$ha came on that things got crazy – they really shouldn’t make party buses with danceable roofs.
The next day we went on a bunch of little hikes to different waterfalls and the last one we were able to swim in. The scenery was surreal and it was indescribable how beautiful it was. At lunch, I discovered my favorite Ecuadorian dish, I think I may like it as much as Adam loved fafella, but don’t worry I won’t talk about it nearly as much. Later we found out the reservations at the hostel we planned to stay at cancelled, so we had to continue you on to our next hotel, which turned out to be more like a 5 star resort on its own island that we had to canoe to get to.
Here we were able to take a hike through the rainforest. Pushing through the 87 degree and 92% humidity weather was worth it, but unfortunately, the closest thing to a cool animal that we saw was a poisonous spider. It was kind of a disappointment. After the hike, we went swimming in the Napo River and then we built our own rafts from basal wood and used them to raft back to our hotel. Now, if I ever get stuck in the middle of the rainforest without a canoe, I will be able to save myself. My jungle skills were further improved when we were taken to the Quichan village and taught how to shoot blow guns. It took me three tries, but I was able to hit the fake bird, proving again, that I am the next Bear Grylls. On the way to the village, we were attacked by little children trying to sell us pieces of grass they picked up by the sides of the road. I ended up buying one because the girl was so adorable, but that turned out to be a dumb idea because then I became the main target. Good thing I only had 25 cents on me at the time, otherwise I would have had to pull out my alter ego, the bitchy twin.
The same night I went with a couple kids to go play basketball with some of the local people. I was expecting a good game, based on how some of my friends got hustled out of 30 dollars the previous day play Ecu-ball, Ecuadorian volleyball, but when we showed up there it was a bunch of old men. Needless to say, the boys I played with were like Shaq compared to these 5 foot 5 men, and we alienated them. Should have told Ecuador not to mess with a New York State Champ!
The next day we woke up to a huge thunder and lightning storm and immediately I thought that our white water rafting trip was cancelled. Yet, our tour guide, Gustavo informed us that apparently in Ecuador lightning won’t strike you, however he was not able to give a reason why, and told us the trip was still on. Fortunately, by the time we got there, the storm had stopped, so we did not have to test the reliability of Gustavo and his story. The rapids were amazing and pretty rough, tossing me out a couple times, and there were no rules so we were able to throw each other out of the rafts and pirate each other rafts which made for some good fun. But, the absolute best party of it was the rafting guide – I think I’m in love.
The next day we woke up to a huge thunder and lightning storm and immediately I thought that our white water rafting trip was cancelled. Yet, our tour guide, Gustavo informed us that apparently in Ecuador lightning won’t strike you, however he was not able to give a reason why, and told us the trip was still on. Fortunately, by the time we got there, the storm had stopped, so we did not have to test the reliability of Gustavo and his story. The rapids were amazing and pretty rough, tossing me out a couple times, and there were no rules so we were able to throw each other out of the rafts and pirate each other rafts which made for some good fun. But, the absolute best party of it was the rafting guide – I think I’m in love.
Our last day at la Casa del Suizo we went to an animal rescue center where I was finally able to see the animals I wanted to see the entire time….the monkeys! They had tons of other animals, like caymen, anaconda, ocelot, these huge guinea pigs like things, but the monkeys were definitely the coolest because there were some that were loose so I was able to get 1 inch away from one and see the just strolling about the place like they owned the place.
After la Casa del Suizo we downgraded to a little hostel in a small town that had only 300 families in it. Although the dormitorios were a downgrade, the service definitely wasn’t. Continuously throughout dinner, we were called upon to take shots of some type of moonshine that the hostel owners made. Then, as we were sitting out in the living room playing cards, and guitar, and singing, he brought out more bottles, and got chants going. Apparently no one in our group can stand up to peer pressure. Our entire group was hammered by 11, and the night ended up with our beds all pushed together and a spooning chain containing a good portion of our group.
But, all good things must come to an end, but at least it ended on a high note. The last day we went to Papallacta, which is right near another volcano, and we went to a hot springs that is naturally heated by the volcano. It was basically a spa where you just sit in really hot water while the bubbles massage your back. Perfect cure for a hangover. After hanging out there for a couple of hours, I had to return back to reality with my family back in Quito, and classes start tomorrow. It sucks that it’s over but an entire week of amazing adventures during the day and wild parties at night was more than enough to welcome me to Quito! Here’s hoping the rest of the semester turns out like this!
