¡Bienvenidos a Quito!

Playa Grande outside of Muntezuma, Costa Rica

Well, one of the most exciting parts of using a computer in a Latin American country is it´s capacity for allowing the following punctuation marks ¿ ¡ ç ú ü € etc.

We are finally here are are having a great time on our fourth day in the city!  We arrived in the middle of the day and jumped into a can ride through the hectic city into the colder temperatures of the Ecuadorian andes...much appreciated!  Dave and I took out our long-sleeved shirts and jeans to put them on and realized that we weren´t really wearing anything except for our bathing suits and sunscreen for the last two weeks in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

(Waterfalls outside Montezuma)

After explaining to our cab driver where our place is, writing down the address so that we could see it, and having him read the map while throwing the car into reverse on the roadway...we arrived!  Our hostel that we stayed in for the past few days has been fantastic!  ...Minus the incessant dog barking at all hours of the night, we are truly comfortable and have lots of space.  The hostal where we are now, Casa Bambú has a huge terrace with a view of the city.  The uphill hike to get there was a bit taxing for me at first while acclimating to the new altitude (between 7,500-9,000 ft at any given time).  Unfortunately and fortunately, we are leaving to try and rent a room in a big compound from a Colombian woman not too far away from our Spanish school.  It will be nice to have some peace and quiet from all the hustle and bustle of people leaving and arriving at the hostel.  We are still waiting to hear back from the woman who has the room for rent...very impatiently :)

(This is Dave´s "in transit" face on the ferry from The Nicoya Penensula to he Costa Rican mainland...heheh!)




It was unbelievable the wave of nostalgia that I felt as soon as I was back in Quito.  I LOVE it here and I think that Dave likes it too.  You´ll have to ask him personally :)  Dave and I wasted no time and headed straight for the old town.  We wandered around and briefly visited all the major plazas and took a look at the outside of the big churches.  I always forget how narrow the streets are here and how the busses BLAST exhaust in your face at the blink of an eye.  We had some massive downpours our first day and some impressive lightning.  Right now it is the rainy season in Quito, but the last few days have been partly sunny and comfortable. 

Saturday was our day to get our lives together.  We finally tracked down a Spanish school and were excited that today was our first day.  We looked and looked and wandered the streets of Quito trying to find an apartament for rent, but alas...either places were booked up or apartaments unfurnished.  We got this place a steal at 10$ a night with a really nice Colombian host-mom!  http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/137788  Welcome to our mansion.

We have been walking everywhere for the past few days and it has been great.  Yesterday, we climbed all the way to the top of the clock towers and rang the church bells in the Basilica while enjoying an amazing view of the city!  The ladders were sketchy and totally made our stomachs turn upside town, but worth it nonetheless.

Lunches are key here in Eucador.  Everybody eats a sizable breakfast, HUGE lunch, and light dinner.  After a fantastic lunch, we just people watched in the Plaza San Francisco for a while.  Love the Ecuo fashion sense.  I think that the only way that Dave will fit in is if he finds a tight pair of acid washed skinny jeans and a muscle shirt with some sort of rhinestones or silver glittery writing.  This would be truly fascinating to see.  For me, well...it´s just hopeless.  Even when I dyed my hair black last time I was in the country, I don´t fit in because I´m taller than the rest of the continent.  I guess it will be fun at some point when Dave and I start making the big bucks and can travel to Switzerland, Sweeden, Germany, and Austria and not stick out like a sore thumb :)


Dave and I had a great first day of Spanish school here.  Learning a lot that I will need come January as I chase around my bilingual class of first graders....
Off to find an almuerzo. Still trying to find some time to meet up with my host family.  I was able to talk to my host sister on the phone.  Can´t wait to see them again and have Dave meet them and practice his budding Spanish skills. 

Hasta Pronto, Liz and Dave