May 2009
17 posts
2009 Win-a-Trip - Nicholas D. Kristof Blog -... →
Op-ed piece by Kristof this week
“I forgot how easy it was to break a twenty-dollar bill here.”
IM BAAAACK
Okay I’m back! But I’m definately in a little bit of culture shock.
Weird adjustments already:
1. Not having to throw my toliet paper into a trash can. I keep looking for the trash can and then remembering it can just go in the toliet
2. Having my own computer and having internet that seems SUPER CRAZY fast
3. Having a cell phone.
4.Just basically everything else too. the...
aeropuerto
I´m at the Quito airport… I actually will be here longer then my flight to Atlanta will take. The last of my friends flew out at 6 onward to Peru to finish up their 6 month volunteering stint with GVI.
I will be in the States by 6 tomorrow morning. Woot woot. Hope you are all doing well and I can´t wait to see/talk to you all as soon as I am back and reunited with my cell phone/car.
Love,
...
United States Bound
In 48 hours I will be back in the state - absolutely crazy. I can´t believe I leave tomorrow night (11pm). I pretty much can´t believe how fast these two months have gone by. BUt don´t you worry my loyal readers… I plan to blog a bit right after the trip and update it with all the pictures I haven´t yet had time to add. As of now all I know is that I will be taking a serious haitus from...
I Survived the Amazon
The title says it all pretty much. I think I will upload a few pics later today and then definately when I get back to the states where the internet connection isn´t as slow as snails.
Really enjoyed the jungle. Saw pink dolphins, SLOTHS (pretty much what I went to see) about 4 species of monkeys, lots of scary BIG spiders, anacondas, pirhanas (caught one when we went fishing)
An unoffical book review
I am wasting time here online since we don´t have much planned and we don´t have to be at the bus terminal until 11pm. So I´ve decided to give an impromptu unofficial book review on all the books I´ve read since arriving in Ecuador. I don´t remember all the authors - apologies.
*- eh. I found it hard to finish and or boring
** - Fine if you have an 8 hour bus ride and need to spend some time
...
Welcome to the Jungle...
I´m actually not in the jungle yet I leave tonight at 11:30pm. But this will be my last opportunity to blog until I return.
Not really sure what to post about, I feel to tired to recap the last 3 days of the galapagos. So I think I´ll just do a random thoughts post.
I learned that I need to get a new camera, while I was in the Galapagos, cause my zoom suuuuucks. But thats okay I still got cool...
I´ve been replaced by the Emma´s of the World →
Busy Busy Busy
Super busy traveling to the beach since I got back to the galapagos. The rest of my trip to the galapafos was good - pretty scary flight back where we had to make two attempts to land in Quito because of bad weather it was foggy and raining and Quito is notorious for having a really bad runway (short and between huge mountains and the city is literally built up around it and theres a cliff). Lots...
Galapagos Day 5
Ok so I have a chance to blooooog. Today is the 5th day and so we stop at Stanta Cruz Island and drop off those passengers that only booked a 5 day trip and pick up a few more that have booked a four day trip. This basically all means that I get a chance to fill you in on what’s been going on.I’m gonna try and do this in short little snipets because I’ll get to tired trying to...
April 2009
47 posts
GALAPAGOS
Most likely the only chance I will have to blog from the galapagos so - hi!
Still on the main island San Cristobal. AND I was upgraded to a luxury class boat- which is amazing and ridiculous.
There are 16 people on my boat ranging from about my age to 50s-60s. Seems nice so far. Fly back from this island next Monday so until then this may be it. I will be sure to take a lot of pics!
Quito (the 1 of 3 times)
I´m in Quito. It´s actually a pretty dirty city but with some small little enclaves of nice areas. Since my plans have changed since originally imagining my plans I now am in Quito for the first of three times instead of the only time. I also will be here when I first get back from the galapagos and then again when I get back from the jungle. So this time in Quito I have decided to basically...
Extended Stay
So this past week has been an absolute whirlwind. I will try to recap as best as I can.
I´m currently at my favorite internet café in Otavalo for one last inter-web shabang before my host brother drives me into Quito. I was just going to take a taxi (because while GVI says they provide transportation back to Quito for you they actually mean they´ll pay you to take the public bus for 2 bucks and...
Cumpleaños
On a happier note!
It´s my sisters birthday!!!!!!! WOOOOT. I love and miss my sister who is 32 (hope she doesnt mind me advertising that) toiday. Love you Marcie! have a great day!
Naya
Just found out that Naya is really sick and probably going to have to be put down before I get back. I´m extrememly sad but just don´t want her to be in pain. I can now include the awkward event of crying in a public internet cafe to my list of things. Sorry this is a depressing post. Just wanted to keep you informed on my liiiiife.
Get Out the Vote
Ok so I am going to finally write about this insane election that is taking place on Sunday (whilst I am in the capital of the country - innnnteresting). So Everything is being voted on from president to govenors of every territory and province. Pretty much any elected position will be elected on Sunday. Since I have been here there has been insane amounts of propoganda. I am talking not just...
A Really Random List of Thoughts
It´s been really nice here the past two days. A solid 48 hours without any rain - amazing.
I got ripped off by the corner liquor store when I bought that box of wine for the dinner we fixed for my host family. I didn´t realize this until today. Lame sauce.
I saw a dead stray dog, really it was pretty much a puppy. It was super sad and pretty gross cause I´m pretty sure it had been hit by a car....
Host Mama
This post is solely about my host mom Gladys and how in a span of one month I truely feel as though I am part of the family. Yesterday she actually teared up at breakfast when talking to Carly and me about how she would not be able to visit us and that she doesn´t want us to forget her. It was really sad but just proof of how much she has become a part of my life and vice versa. Last night Carly...
Mindo
So Saturday morning woke up at around 7:30 and was in a van by 8:am with 6 other people from GVI on my way to Mindo (which is a little town located within the cloud forest of Ecuador).
It took us about 4 hours to get there. It´s a pretty small town, basically one street of stores and bars and stuff like that. But it´s known for outdoor activities and relaxtion. Our hostal was super cute with all...
“I´m craving a steak. Or pretty much anything that is not rice or beans.”
– Me.
Outta the Loop
So I´m pretty exhuasted so my post about my Mindo trip is going to be postponed. Instead I decided that I want to discuss the fact that I am completely out of the loop of what´s going on in the world outside of a 3 hour radius of Otavalo Ecuador.
While this is partly my fault since I have not been diligently checking online news sources ( but the internet here is slow, costs money and then I´d...
Semana Santa (aka. Holy Week; The week of Easter;...
Fanesca, Click the link and I have directed you to the wikipedia page describing it. It´s pretty accurate minus the picture does it no justice at all. And there are a LOT more things added to the soup other then eggs and plantains, including tomatoes, onion, a whole quarter of an avacado, cheese, Fried bread balls, and I´m even probably forgetting some ingredients.
My house is a cooking zoo right...
Made it.
Just wanting you to know we did make it to the hot spring. Which was almost like an amusement park. Our mom then got us chinese take out - its kinda like a weirder slightly less tasty cousin of american chinese take out.
Trying to decide if I will go into Quito tonight with a bunch of people for just the night or if I will just take the night to rest and read and go to bed early. No se (I don´t...
Keep your fingers crossed...
Suposedly we are going to the hot springs tomorrow.
Also I just added lots of pics so I think it´ll span more then just one page.
