Ecuador: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Let the recollections begin...

On Thursday I drove down to Minneapolis to stay with my aunt and uncle, but not before stopping in to play some tennis with my friend, Mike, at his lakeside suburban residence. I enjoyed a beautiful turkey dinner with his family and dog, then set off for my aunt and uncle's house.

Friday morning, my aunt drove me to the airport and said farewell. This marked the first time I had ever step foot in an airport alone, with intent to literally fly solo. I was a little anxious but got through the TSA security just fine, purchased some much needed Caribou coffee, and waited patiently to board.

I landed in Atlanta a few hours later. Apparently Atlanta has the busiest airport in the world, and it certainly lived up to that reputation. I had to hop on a mini-subway to be shuttled to my next gate. Super classy.

My international flight to Quito was unexpectedly pleasant. A small touch screen sat embedded into the seat in front of me, offering me (FREE) access to dozens of movies, TV shows, radio stations, and musical albums. I happily watched The Impossible, a film that tells the compelling and emotional story of a family that survived the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia. Naomi Watts was brilliant, as was Ewan McGregor. I felt like laughing after that, so I selected Guilt Trip next. Terrible decision. Seth Rogan and Barbara Streisand had no chemistry, and the weak directing and predictable script left me altogether unsatisfied. But at least the airline fed me my first-ever in-flight meal (a pretty good one at that).

I arrived in Quito late and took a seat on a shuttle to my hotel. Quito's city proper lies about an hour away from the airport, so I sat quietly and tried to enjoy what views I could. Sporadic yet ordered street lamps and house lights decorated the hilly landscape, like lights on a Christmas tree. The stubborn clouds prevented any moon or starlight from illuminating the earth below, turning those few lights into floating islands of light amidst a sea of unsettling darkness.

The shuttle let me out at my incredibly fancy hotel, and I briefly debated venturing out to explore the night life, but thought better of it for I was exhausted (and scared). I retreated up to my classy room and slept.

I was awed by the bathroom. Five Star. Upper left
is a classy Jacuzzi, lower left is a classy vanity/
shower, and above is the toilet room.

The next morning I woke up groggy. I found Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II on HBO and I endeavored to brush up on my Spanish by reading the fleeting, foreign subtitles while listening to the English. It didn't work the greatest, but I picked up a few things I had forgotten. I watched this for about an hour, then tried to do some calisthenics/push-ups in my room. Quito sits at about 2600 meters (~8500 feet) above sea level, and my body had clearly failed to acclimate at that point -- I nearly passed out.

I showered and went downstairs to eat. The restaurant (one of three in the hotel) continued the trend of class. I ate chicken flautas with fresh tomato and avocado -- foods I usually dislike, but their Ecuadorian quality catapulted them to an entirely different level than the kind America offers -- and drank coffee that mimicked espresso in strength as I read my book -- The Dark Tower VII, one of Stephen King's finest.

After lunch, I checked out, hailed a taxi, and set off once more to the Quito airport. I miserably tried to converse with my taxi driver, only managing to understand some of what he said about Quito, the mountains surrounding it, the people, and the infrastructure.

The surrounding sights proved much easier to understand. Elaborate, vibrant graffiti saturated the cement walls along either side of the pock-marked and narrow streets. The aroma of grilling chicken (pollo) made sweet harmony with the smell of succulent fruit (las frutas) of various kinds. This fragrant resonance was only interrupted by the gagging scent of thick car exhaust, like snorting a line of pure ash.

The architecture was simple. Establishments clumped together indistinguishably in rectangular buildings with perfectly flat facades. I spotted people dining in garage-like cafes and bars, each with their own distinct scent floating from it. Most buildings appeared in passable shape, some even looking very modern (muy moderno) stylistically. Others seem utterly neglected. Bits of rubble -- cement, brick, steel, wood, iron, and other materials -- heaped around structures that look as if they couldn't possibly house a functional business but did. Still other buildings sat half-finished, just walls with steel support rods jutting from them, like pens sticking out of a coffee mug. It looked as if some giant had pulled the roofs right off them.

Green mountains (montañas verdes) enclosed the sprawl, their formidable beauty complementing the vivacious city. Gray clouds draped across their tips, like the curtains of an open window being blown about the back of a couch. The presence of the clouds also affected the city, giving it an ever-so-slight haze -- an almost imperceptible layer of moisture that's only evidenced by frizzy hair.

I took some pictures.

 

 

Eventually, we arrived at the airport. I got a table at a T.G.I. Fridays there, ordered more coffee, and read my book for nearly 4 hours straight, all the while keeping my eyes peeled for other potential Medlifers. I ordered dinner at about 6:00, and as I ate, I saw a girl sit down across from me. She looked a likely Medlife candidate, so I finished eating and approached her. Indeed, she (Lauren was her name) was with Medlife, and from Harvard (scary). Soon enough, another girl introduced herself to us, identifying us as Medlife. The newer girl (Tiffany) hailed from Binghamton University in NY. We talked for a while as we waited for a leader from Medlife to take us to the bus. 

At about 7, we spotted one of the Medlife higher-ups (Luis) and he took us to a nearby parking lot, where a tacky bus awaited us. We boarded, and before long other Medlife kids joined us - kids from UConn, Canada, Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Howard University, U of Virginia, and U of Georgia. The lot of us engaged in typical introductory conversation -- "Where are you from?" "What's your major?" "What are your views on Ryan Gosling's abs?" etc. 

Another larger group from USC (CA) arrived at about 9:30. They filed into a bus adjacent to ours, denying us any chance to meet them yet. We finally set off for Riobamba (a four hour bus ride) around 10:30, and, despite my fatigue, I stayed up for most of it, enjoying scenery where I could, swooning to Vampire Weekend and Beirut, jarred by occasional bump or swerve. The roads, being amidst the mountains, were very windy and hilly. I would have been hard-pressed to sleep even if I wanted to.

These guys had no trouble, though. Tiffany from Binghamton lay curled up on the left, and Lauren from Harvard somehow found a way to rest against the bus seats. 

The arduous, restless drive ended, and I exited the bus in a hazy stupor. Our accommodations proved much nicer than I had anticipated -- a clean and quaint hotel in the heart of Riobamba. Pete from UConn, Eddie from Hopkins, and I were assigned a 3-bed room together, so we trudged up the stairs, plopped on our beds and fell asleep after a short discussion of some kind.

Breakfast was either at 7 or 7:30, I can't really remember, but regardless it was a sluggish morning. The icy shower water chilled me to the bone, but it woke me up at least. We sat for breakfast, introduced ourselves to some of the USC kids, and ate a delicious spread that consisted of a roll of baked bread, scrambled eggs,  thin slices of ham, white (but not goat) cheese, a tangy and smooth strawberry purée, some sort of marmalade or jelly, and a cup of the strongest, most flavorful instant coffee I've ever had, which finished what the glacial shower had started -- I was ready for the day.

We were supposed to leave at 8 (8:30?) to go on our tour of the city of Guano, but didn't get on the road until an hour later. After another roller coaster bus ride, we unloaded at Guano. The Medlife staff directed our attention to a hill that we could hike up to get a nice sweeping view of the city. We did, and the 8,000 ft elevation left us panting at the top. I snapped some cool pictures, though.

The city of Guano. That sign that says "PENDULO" hangs on one of the arms of a swing (pendulo). One could pay $1.50 to go for a swing on this machine. No one did. It looked incredibly sketchy.

Some goats started grazing behind us. Their shepherd can be seen on the far left.

After enjoying the view for a few minutes, we descended back to the city proper and visited some shops, a park, and a church. Honestly, it was kind of boring. I mean, it was interesting to see the Ecuadorian culture and admire their business and way of life, but the tour was directionless, and there wasn't a whole lot to do. 

We circled through the city and actually came across something interesting -- the remains of 300-year-old monastery. 

One section of said monastery. Beautiful.

After all of this, we still had time to kill, so we all assumed various positions in the confines of an expansive playground. I grabbed a swing on one of the sets, and Pete and Eddie did likewise. We delved into each others' lives as I soaked up the sporadic sunshine. 

We left after about an hour, heading for a nearby mall, complete with food court. It took some meticulous deliberation, but Pete, Eddie, and I decided on a place and dined like kings. My dish cost $5 and offered more than any footlong ever had. For dessert, we ordered some silky-smooth ice cream. Satisfied, we toured the mall a bit. It was surprisingly modern, with many chic clothes, furniture, and electronic shops within. Our tour lasted only a few minutes before we were once again herded onto the bus. 

Back at the hotel, I lay on my bed and realized how exhausted I was, promptly taking a much-needed, hour-long nap. When I woke, Pete was studying the Calculus book he had brought along. This sparked a discussion between he, Eddie, and I about the nature of derivatives, integrals, how much Calc 3 sucks, and summer education. Riveting stuff. 

For dinner, we went to a local pizzeria. Famished and lethargic, we impatiently waited two hours for our pizza to come. The establishment only had one oven, and our group had 40 people, so the wait was understandable...but we were sooo hungry...

It was fine, though. I met some lively USC kids who sat at our table, and when the pizza finally came, it made up for the wait. Pete, Eddie, Lauren from Howard, and I shared two pizzas, one being the most delicious Hawaiian pizza I've ever had (it had PEACHES on it!). 

Post-meal pic. Left to Right: Pete, Eddie, Me, Juan (USC), Matteen (USC), Jack (USC), Jasmine (USC), Lauren, Avery (Harvard), Melody (USC), and Lauren (Howard).

Some of the kids hadn't been wholly satisfied by their meal, so I set out with them to find a place that could meet the satiation requirements. We found this place called TropiBurger, where the kids ordered primarily french fries. I got the equivalent of an Oreo McFlurry. It was solid.

Finally happy, we walked back to the hotel, where Pete, Eddie, and I talked the short night away. We had to wake up at 5:30 the next morning, since breakfast was at 6. Thus, the first four days of my trip ended. But the real meat of my adventure hadn't even begun. Stay tuned for more posts!

Sorry for the delay, but thanks for bearing with my grossly irresponsible behavior and being so patient.

Teaser Pic!