Buenas to all and thanks again for keeping up with my journey (especially Mrs. Poultan´s elementary class!) Everything has been great so far. I´ve eaten some very strange meals (including guinnuea pig and Chinese-Ecuadorian food), seen cool sites, and made a few friends along the way.
I spent 5 days in Quito, Ecuador (the capital) in a small hotel room for $20 per night. On the second day I met 2 travelling doctors taking breaks from their residencies from New Jersey and Colorado. They were also visiting hospital camps in the Amazon jungle after Quito. We witnessed Good Friday (catholic holiday) Ecuadorian style in which the entire town takes a holiday and participates in a 4 hour march or parade through the city.
On Saturday I traveled by bus for 4 hours to a small town called Baños, south east of Quito where I´m writing this entry. It is the gateway to the Amazon jungle and resembles it in many ways. I met a 24 year old man named Mike travelling for 7 months through all of central and south America. He was only a month from returning back to his hometown in Texas and was very helpful with travelling tips; for example, I stayed in a hostel at $5 a night yesterday (and yes mom, it was very safe and hospitable). We spent all day today (Sunday) hiking trails around the city and visiting with locals, mostly farmers. I wish I could do more adventure sports here, as the town is famous for, but I must leave for my next city Quevedo, Ec. in the mid-western part of the country. I will be learning Spanish and teaching English to 4th graders.
Again thanks for reading and I will post more next week!
Paul
