Ah you can't believe how rad it is to be in the bars and even now, in the cafe I'm in right now, to hear Cafe Tacuba and Julieta Venegas! I LOVE CAFE TACUBA AND JULIETA VENEGAS!! And they play it everywhere! I know this isn't exciting to anyone but me but it's just too cool to hear some of the music I listened to home playing on the radios here :)
Sooo the day before yesterday started off with 4 hours of Spanish lessons from 8am-noon, which I love. My teacher (it's one-to-one classes) only speaks Spanish, so it's forcing me to learn faster, and she's really really sweet. We go on little field trips around the neighborhood, to bakeries and la universidad. I got a lot more confident in my Spanish today and yesterday and used it to buy a shirt (asking what colors she had, other sizes, and other such interesting things), a watch, computer and phone time, plus food a few times a day.
I got back from my first lessons, and immediately ran into a guy from my hostel I'd talked with the night before, so we went out for lunch. Then within 2 minutes of finishing, we ran into ANOTHER guy (60 years old, the grooviest guy ever, ex-hippie, current activist, looking to buy a hostel in S America) who was on his way to Old Town, the historical part of Quito, and wanting to know if we would join him. I did, and we wandered for hours through ancient churches (the most ornate things I've ever seen, built in the 1500s, with thousands upon thousands of hours of carvings and gold leafing covering the ceilings) and political places. I never thought an old church to be interesting, but it literally took my breath away.
On the walk "home" we ran into a group of college girls from Toronto, visiting here on a volunteer program. There were like 10 of them, all the sweetest people ever, and TA DA! I ran into them today in a totally different part of town, in a restaurant! They called me over, somehow managing to remember my name, and we talked for a bit and ended up with plans for Saturday. They know where the hostal I'm at is, and they're gonna swing by Saturday night so we can all go out to the bars!
So maybe the social aspect of this trip will be easier than I had expected :)
Everyone here has something to sell, even if they're shoes off the hood of a car or single batteries! Beautiful Otavalan and native women dressed in traditional blouses, gold necklaces, and bright shawls walk the city streets everywhere, as well as uniformed military men. Politics are stable right now but outside of every atm, bank, department store and just on the street corners stand tall, uniformed military guys holding guns that are half as tall as I am. It doesn't feel abnormal though, and I know as long as I'm not the one robbing the store or attacking anyone, I won't be the one they're shooting at! There's also a sense of security knowing that the government has got my back should anything happen in the street...I assume the chance of being mugged when there's a cop with a rifle 10 feet away decreases somewhat.
Architecture centuries old mixed with cafes, bars, or restaurants named "G'Spot Hamberguesas" and "Strawberry Fields Forever." Quite the place. I have pictures for y'all but need to figure out how to upload them. Some time this week I will try to get on that!
I'm still getting used to how inexpensive things are for a traveler here. Some prices? Beer is $1, breakfast is $1.50, dinner is $5 or less, and a cab across town is $3. An alpaca sweater at the market is $10, an hour on the internet at the cafe is $1...I guess a dollar can go a long way here.
Love you all back in Canadia, and can't wait to show you my pictures! It's paradise here, I promise you. My last Spanish lesson is on Wednesday so after that I am off to Mindo, the cloudforest village, for a couple of days (a cloudforest is like a rainforest, but it's misty and magical all the time).
BTW, Quiteños (people who live in Quito) are very nice people, and this city is gorgeous. I'm tempted to stay, but I know I'll just use up all my travel time here if I don't at least make an attempt to go see more. And if you're wondering why I type with so many of these things { it's because the keyboards here are set up different and if I backspace in the middle of a sentance I have to retype everything in front of it...can't find the "insert" button!
Pero hasta luego, my personas bonitas! I am off to adventure a bit (or be lazy in a hammock on the terrace of the hostal, I haven't decided yet) :D Paz y amor!
