A little scare in Quito

This weekend was another a few days filled with adventure! Some good adventures and some… not so good. Before I scare you! Let me just warn you that I ended the weekend safely and was never hurt, and I learned some valuable lessons.

Friday afternoon we decided to go to La Ronda which is an old colonial street in the historic part of Quito. The street is filled with cafes and there are no cars so you mainly just walk around. The street comes alive at night with all the lights and live music! There were 7 of us there, but a friend, Sally, and I decided to leave before everyone else because we were tired and we saw basically everything there was to see. You have to climb a hill to get back to any main streets, so we went up to find a taxi. It was only 8:30 at night so the taxis should have their meters on instead of overcharging us for a ride home since we’re gringas. We asked two taxis and they said their meters were off and they were going to charge us a lot to get back. The third one we asked said he wasn’t even going to the North part of Quito, only the South. So we thought, oh, maybe we’re on the wrong street and decided to go up a block and find a taxi. As we were walking up the street and coming to the corner, I noticed a group of guys crossing the street, walking away from us, but one didn’t. Now, in hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best street for us to walk up but we were not paying attention since we were busy looking for taxis and talking to each other (Lesson #1). This guy looked at his friends and then nodded at Sally. Before I could get my arm around hers to pull her away, he grabbed her purse and tried to run with it. Thankfully, her purse was across her body instead of draped on her shoulder, so he couldn’t just take it. She struggled back and screamed really loudly to scare him so he pushed her over, cussed her out, and walked away. Needless to say we were terrified and jumped into the next empty, safe taxi despite the price.

When we got in, the driver said he knew where we lived and it would be $8. He lied. (Lesson #2, call a taxi company and have one sent to us to pick us up instead of trusting one off the streets.) He had no idea where we lived. We spent the next hour and a half in the taxi, with our map out, showing this man where to turn (it should have only taken 30minutes). We made many u-turns, stopped in the middle of streets to back up, etc. (Lesson #3, call my parents when I am lost and they will direct the clueless taxi driver.) Finally! we made it to Sally’s apartment and dropped her off. I don’t live far from her so that was nice, but once he dropped me off he told me it would now cost $18. Normally I would argue with him and not pay that, especially because it wouldn’t have even cost $8 to get home, but since I was alone in the taxi, and after our almost-robbery, I didn’t want any more problems so I just paid it and got out. He did wait until I got inside to leave. When I got home my mom and dad were waiting nervously for me and gave me huge hugs of relief. I now have no desire to go back to the Historic part of Quito at night because apparently it is really dangerous, even though we didn’t go far from La Ronda. I am still thanking God because overall it could have been worse! Like I said, we weren’t hurt, that guy didn’t succeed in robbing Sally (Lesson #4, memorize my parents’ phone number in case we are not so lucky next time!), and we both made it home safely. In fact, I am actually the robber because the guy dropped a pair of glasses (maybe out of his pocket?) when we grabbed Sally’s purse and I thought they were hers so I picked them up. But they weren’t! The robber got robbed, oops!

Saturday we decided to go to La Mitad del Mundo, aka the Equator! At first we didn’t really know how to get there, so that was another escapade of walking around (safely during the day!) trying to find the right bus. Once we got there, it was completely worth it. I saw my first cuy! I didn’t actually eat any guinea pig, I just looked at it roasting over the fire. We did get some lunch: I got some ice cream and a cheese empanada.

The park not only had the famous Equator line but it also had some traditional dancers, a few museums representing explorations from different European countries, and restaurants and small gift shops. It felt really cool to be on both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere at once! I am so worldly!

Sunday I went to church again with my family, except this time Balito and I rode bikes to church while the rest of my family took a taxi. Every Sunday, a major street in Quito has one side shut down for the majority of the afternoon to create a paseo de bicicletas. So many people go out for a bike ride or a run and just enjoy being outside on a beautiful day. Balito and I rode our bikes up and down this street for two hours after church. He showed me major parks and buildings in the Historic Downtown; we also stopped for ice cream and coconut juice! It was the perfect day to be outside and it was fun seeing Quito differently. However, the seats were less than cushioned and my butt hurt way too much afterwards.

I am now well into my second week of classes aka trying to learn in Spanish and make friends! There will be more to come about all my classes soon! Hasta pronto!

Have you seen Quito at night?

This Friday and Saturday (January 7 and 8) were days of exploration for our IES Abroad group!

Friday we spent the afternoon and evening checking out parts of the Historic Downtown area. We visited primarily churches (in Spanish, “iglesia”) and schools where students studied to be priests.

First we went to la iglesia de Santo Domingo, which is also a museum. The museum had an attempted robbery the week before, so we did not get to see much else other than what was on the walls; we did get to go into the library to see all of the old theological and philosophical books they have. The fun part of this church was that we got to see Quito from the roof and climb up one of the domes to really see all of Quito. It was absolutely beautiful! Second, we went to la Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús. This church is an important place for Catholics and their traditions. It was stunningly beautiful because everything on the inside was symmetrical and painted with a gold shimmer. My jaw was open the entire time! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures. So that is a place you will just have to come see for yourself!

The third religious building we visited was the school of Santo Augustine where someone can study to be a priest. This was probably the most fun and spectacular part of our night! We had the unique opportunity of climbing up to the highest part of the bell tower and view Quito at night. The climb was a bit on the scary side with shaky ladders and dark rooms, but it was completely worth it. I hadn’t even reached the top yet when our guide started yelling, “Vamos chicos! Apúrate!” to tell us to start coming back down because it was time to leave. However I was determined, after putting my life at risk going up so many ladders, to reach the top. Unfortunately I did not get to spend much time up there, but I could not take my eyes off the city all lit up the entire time I was at the top. In my picture you can see La Valencia behind me which looks like another magnificent church. We finished the night with a delicious dinner at the hotel I stayed in the first night.

Saturday we took a bus trip to visit some fabulous places in Ecuador. We boarded the bus at 7am and did not get home until almost 8pm, so it was a long day. We drove past the mountain Cayambe, which is actually a volcano and one of the four peaks that eternally has snow on it in Ecuador. What a contrast to be in sunny and warm weather and look up to see snow! We stopped at a Wood Workshop and watched how the workers transformed a block of wood into an amazing statue. They chisel the figurine out of wood, cover it in plaster, paint it, and then add liquid gold to give it that extra sparkle. You would never guess these statues are made of wood when you see them!

Then we got to shop in the famous Otavalo indigenous market, Imbabura. We only had an hour and half, so I’ll have to go back some time. My friend Sally and I made our way through all the maze of little booths, bargaining our way to a successful shopping day! I bought some really neat pieces of artwork made of corn and aluminum (originally two for $36, bought for $26), a pair of pants (I paid $5 instead of $8), an incense tiki for my roommate, two scarves for $5, and an alpaca sweater (I proudly brought the price down from $22 to only $10). I would say I did a good job of negotiating those prices!

After lunch we ventured to la Laguna Cuicocha, a serene lagoon. The lagoon is actually a volcanic crater with the volcano underneath it. You can see bubbles coming up from holes on the lake floor. We took a little boat ride around the islands in the lagoon and then tried a traditional cinnamon drink. It felt so nice to breathe the fresh air there instead of being on that bus!

We also hiked to la Cascada de Peguche: a waterfall. It was a fun little hike up to the waterfall, and then we also climbed up to the top of it and explored a little bit up there. The mist coming off of the waterfall was unbelievably refreshing. The waterfall just reminded me of the power and mighty within the rainforest, and now I am anxious to travel to the Amazon! We finished the day with a night of dancing at a club in Quito in the zone La Mariscal, or more commonly known as Gringolandia.

Just these little glimpses of Ecuador make me excited about planning more trips and seeing more of the wonders that this country has to offer! Buen viaje amigos!

¡Bienvenidos a Ecuador!

Welcome to Ecuador! I am going to use this blog to update everyone about my adventures in Ecuador this semester! I arrived to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, late on January 1 and I will be taking classes here at a University until May 15. However, I will be here for a few weeks after classes end to travel with my family and show them all the wonders this country has to offer. A little bit about Quito: we are at 2850m, which is about 9,350 feet above sea level, a little bit more than Denver! The city lies almost directly on the equator and is surrounded by the beautiful Andes Mountains. To the west is Pichincha Mountain – so I can still orient myself using the mountains! It rains every day here so I don’t leave the house without my umbrella; but during the day it is sure to be sunny and it feels marvelous.

Like I mentioned, I will be taking classes from la Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) this semester and the school is in the city of Cumbayá which lies in the valley. It is much warmer in the valley and my campus is beautiful! I have signed up to take: History of the Pacific, Ecuadorian Stories, Contemporary Art, Anthropology of Religion, and Anthropology of the indigenous groups in the Andes. I’m excited to start classes to see how well I handle learning in Spanish, and to meet more Ecuadorians!

This is my family, la familia de Navarrete-Vaca: The first picture is of my mamí and papí. Martha Vaca is 38 years old and the boss of the house :) She used to work as a beautician and take English classes, but now she just stays at home and takes care of everyone and the house. She is very caring and is always making sure I’m not too cold or hungry. She helped me get a cell phone, slippers for the house, an umbrella, and a map of the city. Oswaldo Navarrete is a commercial engineer and is currently managing a project to build a kind of luxurious neighborhood by the Thermal Waters. He takes such good care of me by taking the bus with me to the IES center and making sure I am safe wherever I am!

And these are my brothers, which makes me the only other girl in the house beside my mom! From left to right: Daniel, who goes by Dany, is 21 and lives in this house. He was enrolled at a University in the opposite valley as mine, but wasn’t sure what he wanted to major in so he dropped out after two years and joined the military academy. However, his time at the military academy was even shorter and he quit after 3 months. He showed me pictures and it looked very intense! Right now he has the semester off and is working as a phone person for a company, and he is trying to get back into his old University to become an environmental engineer. If you can tell, he is the tallest one in his family which is not normal for Ecuadorians! He also takes the bus with me when papí can’t. In his lap is Mateo who is 7 years old. He is the cutest thing! He has loved me since I entered into the house! He holds my hand whenever we go out shopping and waits for me at the door when I come home for the day. I help him finish his homework and then we like to play. He loves the Lego robot I gave him and we pick targets on the box to shoot at until someone hits it. Then there is Oswaldo Israel who is 11. His nickname is Balito and he is a really fun kid. He likes to ask me all about the States: how much things cost, what’s the name of this song (since they commonly listen to the same music we do), how to say words in English, and what I like to do there. He is the one who teaches me the most new words and he likes to beat me up in PlayStation games! And then on the other side of Martha is Carlos Alberto. He is 18 years old and lives with his dad. Dany and Carlos are from Martha’s first marriage, and Mateo and Balito are from her marriage with Oswaldo. Carlos graduated from high school last year and is taking this year off. He wants to go to the police academy so he is training and preparing for that. I haven’t seen too much of him, but I love spending time with my other brothers! Everyone is very loving in this family and I feel right at home!

So far I have just been spending my days in orientation from the IES Abroad program, eating, and spending time with my family. Eating is such a big part of life here! Breakfasts are normal with juice or hot chocolate, bread and either yogurt with cereal or eggs. But lunches are the main meal and I am still trying to get used to that. We usually have a big bowl of soup, followed by rice usually with potatoes or a vegetable/fruit and some kind of meat. It is a huge plate of food. And just in case that wasn’t enough, there is the option of a dessert at the end. My little brother Mateo can eat more than I can! But I have successfully eaten one entire lunch (ok, it didn’t have the soup) and I was very proud of myself. I have not tried cuy yet which is guinea pig, but my family says it is absolutely delicious. I have tried Granadilla which I think is like Passionfruit, and I’ve had Guanabana juice which is very sweet! The fruit here is fantastic. I have already eaten four slices of tomato, and today for lunch: fish. I’m trying to learn to like both of them! Wish me luck! Chao!