Wrapping Up Rapture Week

Well after barely surviving the week of the rapture,



Andrea and I dove into our Spanish courses hard. Ending an unusually uneventful week on a local holiday/our one month mark in Ecuador.

The weather was less than perfect over the past few days. And neither our tummies. Nonetheless we enjoyed even the nastiest of weather from our balcony, and the worst of belly aches with a few afternoon naps.




Besides dodging the weather we had to dodge Ecuadorian students who flood the streets at 1PM as class ends for the day. A sea of blue school uniforms engulf us in the Perfect Dismissal Storm:

The highlight of our week was Ecuadorian cooking class in which my Spanish professor, Juilo, showed a variety of students from the US, Australia, Germany, and Netherlands how to prepare this:



I was privileged enough to do some preparatory shopping with Julio. We hit a local market and did some heavy negotiating. Or, um, Julio did.

Soon after we set up for the lesson & I dropped in on Andy to see how her class was going then got the scoop from Julio about our ingredients:

About 20 students chipped in, after our lesson in local cuisine, to prepare the Ecuadorian feast:



















To wrap up the week we caught a movie, in English! Yes, another Pirates of the Caribbean flick! Not too happy this theater did assigned seating...and where were the LAST two seats?! Front Row! Fail!

A fast week for us as we reached our 30 day mark in Ecuador. With 30 days left, we have lots to do - Galapagos Islands, The Amazon, Cuenca, Otovalo, and maybe a few other surprises along the way.

Tomorrow, not only is the Champions League Final on, but Mom, Dad, and Bryce arrive! They will be joining us in the Galapagos next week! Look out for tons of pictures over the next few weeks!

Much Love! Ciao!

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Location:Quito

El Gringo que Sabe un poco de Espanol

So we've reached the 3 week mark in Ecuador and it has flown by. We took a night tour of Old Town Quito yesterday and I found myself listening to the tour guide and understanding almost everything - IN Spanish!

While I'm still far from speaking with Andrea in Espanol, or being close to conversational, I've come a long way from the Gringo who knew no Spanish to El Gringo que Sabe un poco de Espanol.

Here's the view from the window of my classroom:




It's much better than Andrea's classroom which resembles a dungeon. Sorry didn't get a picture of it. I hate going down there. It's freezing.

Andrea got her first sample of true local cuisine when she tried pig intestines. Yum. Watch:

So Wednesday was Cocktail Class at our school so we signed up and learned how to make caipirinas, mojitos, and candelazos (an Ecuadorian drink).



After tasting all of them I was due for a nap. Here's Andrea having some problems drinking her last mojito:




Afterwards we hit up a traditional Ecuadorian restaurant called Mama Clorinda. It was pretty good. Far from our favorite - Italian, but it hit the spot.




I still couldn't get up the nerve to try Cuy (Guinea Pig). Yes, like the hamster. And Yes, they are an Ecuadorian delicacy. Maybe this weekend. We'll see.

We're off to a little town called Otovalo tomorrow to shop in the biggest outdoor market in South America. I want to buy a llama, but not sure I can park it in front of the hostel. May still try. And we're off!

Buenas Noches!

- Created, Edited, and Posted using BlogPress on iPhone ~DW&AC

Location:Quito

Moving Day

So it's moving day for Andy and I as our home-stay with Nancy & The Family came to an end this morning.

Goodbye old room :(



But we're right around the corner so we just packed up and wheeled down the road.

We're staying at a nice little hotel just East of the language school in a quiet neighborhood. Stellar mountain views. And close to shopping and restaurants as well. Here's a quick tour:

Well it's home for the next week and a half. Then we're off to the Galapagos!

Here's some shots of the room:

Old School TV



Little Kitchen



Vanity/Desk



Bed



Hasta Luego Amigos

- Created, Edited, & Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone ~DW&AC

Location:Quito

Que Haciste Esta Fin De La Semana?

Hola once again friends,

It's been awhile since the last post so there is plenty to catch up on.

Over the past two weekends we've found some exciting things to do. Around Quito one of the locals favorites is the TeleferiQo. It's a multimillion dollar lift that totes passengers 2.5km up the side of the Pinchincha volcano. At 4100 meters you have an amazing view of the city!









Now once you take the easy ride up the lift the summit looks so close. It's actually another quite steep - 4680m. The guidebook quoted a 3 hour hike, but with a combination of altitude, and lack of water/food, we ended up just shy of the summit after a grueling 3.5 hour hike up and 2 hour hike down. Watch us conquer, or um, attempt to reach the top.

Hiking Pinchicha

So as a word of advice for those who frequently hit the gym and consider themselves in "decent shape": Running on the treadmill with 0 incline is a WASTE of time!! I was running 15 miles a week before hiking, and it really whipped me bad.

Language classes have been going well. Andrea and I both have been working with a private instructor 4 hours a day. So far a total of 40 hours. So really in the past 2 weeks we've crammed in at least a college semester of Spanish.





The school we are taking classes with is well ran. We have large spacious classrooms as well as wifi, coffee, and plenty of extra activities such as lectures, futbol, cooking classes, and recently for Andrea and I, Salsa dancing lessons. Watch Andrea shakin it during our first class:

So this past weekend we took a 4 hour bus ride to a city called Banos. It's a beautiful little city perched on the side of a very active volcano called Tungurahua, which translates to 'throat of fire'.





The city is a popular destination for Ecuadorians as well as backpackers and students. The town is jammed packed with hostels, restaurants, and bars. As well as plenty of activities such as rafting, hiking, horseback riding, and bunjie jumping. Watch my buddy Alex take a leap of faith:

We skipped out on the nightlife Saturday night to rise early on Sunday morning to visit the thermal springs. So at 5:30, before sunrise, we walked over to the base of the volcano where the towns baths are fed by the natural boiling water fed into what looks like a neighborhood pool. It was already crowed when we arrived, and the locals there had to reassure us that the water was murky because the minerals, not from kids peeing.





There were 3 pools. Cold, medium, and super hot. As well as water from the waterfall routed into the complex for people to bathe. After a few minutes in the medium pool, which was in the 90s in temperature, a little cooler than a hot tub, I decided to give the super hot pool a go. Now this pool heated up to a blazing 118 degrees. I could only get one foot in, while the locals were swimming around in it and enjoying watching this gringo cringing at the thought of getting my entire body in. I was sure that my insides were going to boil. But slowly but surely one foot, both feet, legs, and 15 minutes later I'm in. I had conquered the super hot pool. And gotten a nod of acknowledgment from the locals.





The rest of the weekend was spent exploring the beautiful little town by foot and by bike. A few shots below:

























That's all for now, ciao!!!

- Created, edited, and posted using BlogPress from my iPhone ~DW&AC

Location:Ecuador

El Burro Sabe Mas Que Tu

Hola Amigos!

So we've settled in over the weekend and are quite comfortable at our host family's home. It's a nice complex with 4 levels divided in half in which 8 families reside. Nancy, our host mother, is the champion of the household managing travelers, students, her job as an accountant, and not to mention her 2 teenage daughters.



The weather has been pleasant. Usually warm in the mornings and once 2pm rolls around the clouds come in and typically there is an afternoon rain. We set up our Spanish lessons for the afternoon, so we have had a good chance to get our bearings and explore in the mornings. The Andes mountain range surrounds Quito, so throughout the town there are some beautiful views.



The meals are a much smaller portion than the fatty fat fat American style. Nancy hooks us up with fresh juices and an assortment of bread in the mornings and lunch and dinner remain basic, but delicioso. Here is dinner on our first night:



Sweet corn with cheese:


We also got a chance over the weekend to see El Mitad del Mundo (The Center of the World). An hour bus ride outside of Quito led us straight to the source of the origin of the name Ecuador. Equator! The site is commemorated with a large 4 sided block with a globe on top. Very cool. Although as the site was founded in the 18 century, it was determined later that the real center is located 240 meters off the mark.






That's all for now. We've got some exciting things planned over the next two months and we hope that friends and family will enjoy following our little blog. For those who aren't Spanish speakers, the title of this blog entry in English is The Donkey Is Smarter Than You.

Signing off! Ciao!





- Our Blog is Created, Edited, and Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone ~DW&AC

Location:Quito, Ecuador

Opening Thoughts

Not sure what to expect upon arrival to Quito, but a few thoughts during the flight...

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Location:In the Air

Packing For Ecuador

We've been waiting for 2 years now and finally we're almost off for Quito, Ecuador. Andrea and I plan to update our blog with lots of photos and travel news. So be sure to follow us on our adventure. We start packing, NOW!

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Location:Miami, FL