Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Writer
I am a writer now, I don't know if you knew that about me. I get assigned articles, have to research them and produce content decent enough to represent a huge company. It's the kind of thing I have always wanted to try on, to see how it fits, with the convenient option to send it back to the rack if it doesn't quite accentuate me. No risk please, travel requires money, and I need travel, and therefore can only invest in something with a definite pay-off. In the US, I don't think I could just try writing... for money. I would have to invest in a degree first right? -- Potential internet adds aside. only to possibly find out that I am not a writer at all and had better find somewhere else to stash those eggs of mine. Here in Ecuador, I feel free - to be whatever I am and to try on all the hats I am attracted to. I speak, and write in English. These are my qualifications. If I listen to grammar podcasts (I do) to test out how well I can perform, that's my business.
Canoa and the Coast
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how the hotel garden grows...
The hammock-laden, bungalow encircled courtyard of our ocean-front hotel is brimming with life. Chickens claw into the dirt among the fumbling chicks that surround them; dogs run laps as lizards rustle the bush and a kitten tries to eat rocks.
My hair whips in the wind along the first leg of our nine-hour bus ride back to Quito. Cacti grow here; the air is dry and hot, and the windows are necessarily open. We'll be passing through alluvial flood lands and steamy rainforest as we ascend the western face of the Andes to our home in its narrow valley. In Quito, the weather is generally so comfortable, that it becomes quickly taken for granted, It is like a perfect spring day, with air neither moist nor dry. Lately, we are in the quadrant of the year when the rains come. For several hours a day, the sky cracks with lightning while the booming thunder reverberates in our bodies and compels me to note that I am as alive as the world I inhabit.
The hammock-laden, bungalow encircled courtyard of our ocean-front hotel is brimming with life. Chickens claw into the dirt among the fumbling chicks that surround them; dogs run laps as lizards rustle the bush and a kitten tries to eat rocks.
My hair whips in the wind along the first leg of our nine-hour bus ride back to Quito. Cacti grow here; the air is dry and hot, and the windows are necessarily open. We'll be passing through alluvial flood lands and steamy rainforest as we ascend the western face of the Andes to our home in its narrow valley. In Quito, the weather is generally so comfortable, that it becomes quickly taken for granted, It is like a perfect spring day, with air neither moist nor dry. Lately, we are in the quadrant of the year when the rains come. For several hours a day, the sky cracks with lightning while the booming thunder reverberates in our bodies and compels me to note that I am as alive as the world I inhabit.
The Cable Car (TelefériQo)
Early in the morning, we headed out to the city's tram with a group of our friends. Foreigners have to pay $8.50 to ride, while locals only pay $4. A lot of tourist sites in Ecuador have a local discount (or foreigner surcharge). Several Ecuadorians have talked about this with me from the standpoint of it being wrong, racist even. I don't see this; I figure, people coming from better economies can afford to pay a little extra. Whats more, foreigners who have more than just a tourist visa can by an I.D. card ($4.00) which entitles them to these discounts.
So we paid our fare and rode up the eastern slopes of the Pichincha Volcano. It was a really cool view of the city and of the changing flora as we gained altitude. At the top, the lower oxygen levels made everything sparkle, at least in my eyes. There was an oxygen bar at the top, but we skipped it and went straight to the hiking trail.
After walking up the trail for a bit, we came across some locals selling fresh, delicious Ecuadorian food: meat, plantains, potatoes...the usual. It really hit the spot, as we hadn't eaten breakfast.
Some of our crew headed to the lodge for coffee and beer (and oxygen), while four of us headed up the mountainside. Bert turned back early, apparently to rent a horse and go galloping through the mountains on his own. He said it was awesome. As for me and the other two hikers, we continued on until we were atop a steep peak, taking in the sights and laughing profusely at how poorly our speech facilities were working at such heights.
Eventually, we all met up and made our way back down to the amusement park which sits at the base of the tram. It's pretty surreal to see people being entertained by clowns and roller-coasters at the base of these breathtaking mountains. Our buddies were into the rides, and the beer.... and Bert decided to show the locals how to play the sledgehammer game. He was the only guy to get the top prize in all the time we were watching, and the attendant looked shocked at his score. I was proud to be the chica with the biggest stuffed animal. Now we have a lovely stuffed vulture (or condor??) whom we named Condorito, after my favourite Spanish comic strip.
So we paid our fare and rode up the eastern slopes of the Pichincha Volcano. It was a really cool view of the city and of the changing flora as we gained altitude. At the top, the lower oxygen levels made everything sparkle, at least in my eyes. There was an oxygen bar at the top, but we skipped it and went straight to the hiking trail.
After walking up the trail for a bit, we came across some locals selling fresh, delicious Ecuadorian food: meat, plantains, potatoes...the usual. It really hit the spot, as we hadn't eaten breakfast.
Some of our crew headed to the lodge for coffee and beer (and oxygen), while four of us headed up the mountainside. Bert turned back early, apparently to rent a horse and go galloping through the mountains on his own. He said it was awesome. As for me and the other two hikers, we continued on until we were atop a steep peak, taking in the sights and laughing profusely at how poorly our speech facilities were working at such heights.
Eventually, we all met up and made our way back down to the amusement park which sits at the base of the tram. It's pretty surreal to see people being entertained by clowns and roller-coasters at the base of these breathtaking mountains. Our buddies were into the rides, and the beer.... and Bert decided to show the locals how to play the sledgehammer game. He was the only guy to get the top prize in all the time we were watching, and the attendant looked shocked at his score. I was proud to be the chica with the biggest stuffed animal. Now we have a lovely stuffed vulture (or condor??) whom we named Condorito, after my favourite Spanish comic strip.
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