We got a lot of questions this summer about where we currently live. Here are the top six questions (and our answers) lots of people asked us:
1. Is it super hot?
No, Quito is in the mountains so it stays spring-like all year. The temps range from 60 to 75 degrees F. There's a rainy season and a dry season, which is what we've got right now, but that's about the biggest change all year.
Oh, and the sun sets every night at 6:30-7 pm and is up at 6:30-7 am every morning. That makes for a very weird time when you see people posting on Facebook about snow, winter, and the holidays.
2. What kind of money do they use down there?
They actually use US dollars down here. The one difference is that dollar coins are HUGE here. We use all the dollar coins down here that no one wants to touch back in the US. They're a lot more durable than paper money.
And speaking of paper money, it's difficult to get change for $20 bills here, yet that's all that you get out of the ATM. If you want to buy something at a smaller store or take a taxi, but only have $20, sorry bud - you better go split that first.
Also, you can't use credit cards for everything down here like you can in the US. We just use our credit card at big restaurants and grocery chains.
3. Are the roads paved?
Yes. The sidewalks are in worse condition than the roads. You really have to watch where you put your feet here or you could end up with a sprained ankle or in a hole somewhere.
4. Do people speak English?
Uh, no. They speak Spanish and you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who speaks English here.
5. Do they celebrate Fourth of July/Thanksgiving/Memorial day, etc.?
No, those are US holidays. However, there's a good chance that fireworks will be shot off during those holidays because they shoot off fireworks about 3 times a week here on average. They love themselves some fireworks!
6. How do you like it down there?
To keep it uncomplicated, we say "yeah, it's nice" when we get asked about Quito. Quito is complicated - there's a lot of pluses and a lot of minuses to this city. We try to be realistic about it when we talk to people so they don't think it's some heavenly paradise or some hell hole in South America. It just is what it is - Quito doesn't fit neatly into either of those categories.
September 18, 2012
September 6, 2012
Howdy from Texas!
We're not really in Texas right now - I'm sitting here back in Quito. Over lunch today, we were talking about what blog posts we wanted to write about our US trip this summer and I decided to write about what a culture shock it is to go to Texas.
First, the people. How nice are they?! So nice. After 5 days in New York City, Dallas was a breath of fresh, Southern air. Not only were my sister-in-law's friends super helpful and sweet, but that sweetness was infectious.
"What can I get you today darlin'?" "Honey, isn't it a hot one out there?"
I felt if we stayed another two weeks, I would have developed a pretty realistic Southern drawl.
We were the part of the daycare, cleaning service and chefs for the two weeks we were there, and it was a blast. Greg and Priscilla would manage the kids in the morning while I worked. They had fun times at the library and the splash park (Greg may have enjoyed that more than the kids).
In the afternoons, we'd take them to the pool, play games, throw basketballs with our nephew Jake, make up songs, play with toys, take our niece Abby to her soccer practice, and more. We even got out for a night of fireworks while we were there!
It was a gift to have the time to spend with our niece and nephew while they're growing up. Pretty soon, they'll be learning how to drive and going off to college.
First, the people. How nice are they?! So nice. After 5 days in New York City, Dallas was a breath of fresh, Southern air. Not only were my sister-in-law's friends super helpful and sweet, but that sweetness was infectious.
"What can I get you today darlin'?" "Honey, isn't it a hot one out there?"
I felt if we stayed another two weeks, I would have developed a pretty realistic Southern drawl.
We were the part of the daycare, cleaning service and chefs for the two weeks we were there, and it was a blast. Greg and Priscilla would manage the kids in the morning while I worked. They had fun times at the library and the splash park (Greg may have enjoyed that more than the kids).In the afternoons, we'd take them to the pool, play games, throw basketballs with our nephew Jake, make up songs, play with toys, take our niece Abby to her soccer practice, and more. We even got out for a night of fireworks while we were there!
It was a gift to have the time to spend with our niece and nephew while they're growing up. Pretty soon, they'll be learning how to drive and going off to college.
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| Jake and Priscilla |
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| This soccer game took place at their church's gym so yes, prayer was involved. |
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| Abby and Jake loving the wading pool in the backyard. |
August 26, 2012
Intrepid is Impressive
Hey readers,
We have been gone for a while. Away from home and the blog. But after a long vacation to see family in the United States, we are back and full of stories. Aside from seeing family, I (Greg) was most excited to visit New York City. As I have told many people, I had visited NYC once as a kid 20 years ago. I came from a small town in central Wisconsin were the tallest building was about 5 stories high. On that trip, we arrived to Grand Central Station on the Amtrak. The instant my family walked out of the station I was overwhelmed by the tall buildings, a mugging of a handicapped person right in front of me, police on horses, and what seemed like my parents disappeared in all of this big city chaos.
That city of chaos image was in the back of my head as we flew in to NYC, however, we have lived in enough big cities now for 10 years so that I had a good feeling the city would feel very normal to me. In fact, Ayelet and I had to do one of our new travel approaches of divide and conquer since we admit to having a variety of interests to satisfy. That allowed me to really take in the city that scared me as a child and experience it from a whole different perspective.
My main stop was to go to the Intrepid Museum and see the new display of the Enterprise Space Shuttle.
Like everything in NYC, this display was impressive and over the top. The Intrepid Museum is one of a kind. It is a museum dedicated to aircraft and is housed on and in a retired Navy aircraft carrier.
Not only does this museum showcase a wide range of flying things, but you can get great city views from this angular piece of floating crafted metal.
We have been gone for a while. Away from home and the blog. But after a long vacation to see family in the United States, we are back and full of stories. Aside from seeing family, I (Greg) was most excited to visit New York City. As I have told many people, I had visited NYC once as a kid 20 years ago. I came from a small town in central Wisconsin were the tallest building was about 5 stories high. On that trip, we arrived to Grand Central Station on the Amtrak. The instant my family walked out of the station I was overwhelmed by the tall buildings, a mugging of a handicapped person right in front of me, police on horses, and what seemed like my parents disappeared in all of this big city chaos.
That city of chaos image was in the back of my head as we flew in to NYC, however, we have lived in enough big cities now for 10 years so that I had a good feeling the city would feel very normal to me. In fact, Ayelet and I had to do one of our new travel approaches of divide and conquer since we admit to having a variety of interests to satisfy. That allowed me to really take in the city that scared me as a child and experience it from a whole different perspective.
My main stop was to go to the Intrepid Museum and see the new display of the Enterprise Space Shuttle.
Like everything in NYC, this display was impressive and over the top. The Intrepid Museum is one of a kind. It is a museum dedicated to aircraft and is housed on and in a retired Navy aircraft carrier.
Not only does this museum showcase a wide range of flying things, but you can get great city views from this angular piece of floating crafted metal.
August 2, 2012
Yoga Retreat in Mindo
I've been lucky to get in with a group of yogis at the local international school called Academia Cotopaxi. They meet every Thursday after school and it's only a 30 minute walk from our apartment.
When one of the ladies suggested a yoga retreat in Mindo at the end of the year, I was all for it. You may remember Mindo was one of our first trips last year and it was great to be back.
The yoga instructor is a teacher from Alaska and she taught 2 2-hour classes during the weekend. The rest of the time we hiked, read, played games, and basically chilled out. Quito can be hectic, noisy and crowded so getting to this eco lodge (El Monte) was wonderful. I'm looking forward to next year's retreat already!
When one of the ladies suggested a yoga retreat in Mindo at the end of the year, I was all for it. You may remember Mindo was one of our first trips last year and it was great to be back.
The yoga instructor is a teacher from Alaska and she taught 2 2-hour classes during the weekend. The rest of the time we hiked, read, played games, and basically chilled out. Quito can be hectic, noisy and crowded so getting to this eco lodge (El Monte) was wonderful. I'm looking forward to next year's retreat already!
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| Cool wood table and stump chairs with native fabric padding. |
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| Yes, that is a tree growing out of the floor. |
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| We took over this space for our yoga classes and we just barely fit! |
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| Breakfast, lunch and dinner was included - and it was delicious! |
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| This little guy fell in love with my shoes on the last day. Sorry bud - Scoots would eat you if you came home with me! |
July 25, 2012
Quito's Beautiful Botanical Gardens
Wow, has it been a long time since we posted or what?! Anyway, I'm here now and have a little time to write and schedule some posts to go out while when we're in the US on vacation.
There was a long weekend in May in which we didn't go out of town so we got to see parts of Quito that we hadn't visited yet. One was the Botanical Gardens with friends of ours.
It was one of those places that I hope we can get back to next year because it really is a beautiful, peaceful place. They have an amazing collection of orchids and exotic flowers so we had a very good time. Here are some pics that Greg and I took (lots of our favorite, macro photos!):
There was a long weekend in May in which we didn't go out of town so we got to see parts of Quito that we hadn't visited yet. One was the Botanical Gardens with friends of ours.
It was one of those places that I hope we can get back to next year because it really is a beautiful, peaceful place. They have an amazing collection of orchids and exotic flowers so we had a very good time. Here are some pics that Greg and I took (lots of our favorite, macro photos!):
June 10, 2012
The Long Journey to Papallacta II
We have been to Papallacta before, but never like this.
The road was long, rainy, and being swept with strong winds. The hiking conditions were so bad that two of those three hikers in the picture above would not arrive to Papallacta on foot, but by bus. And frankly, I do not blame them.
We started with a group of nine people on Saturday morning on what we hoped to be a 5-7 hour hike through a beautiful lake district in the Cayambe-Coca National Park. After walking two miles up a service road to a mountain pass, our group decided to split up. Half of the group went back because of the gusty wind and driving rain.
As four of us journeyed on, I soon began to regret my choice. I could barely see. Our small group walked at different paces so I was soon on my own, ankle deep in mud and water, and slipping down the trail. Soon a hard fall in the mud instantly followed by another made me frustrated and shaky. My feet were still dry, but not for long.
As I pushed on from one trail marker to the next, I was glad that the clouds were not so thick and that the rain was letting up. However, the trail turned from an endless mud pit into a shin-deep bog. The occasional hop over a puddle would forcefully drive my feet deep into the deceiving marsh. Words from my dad were now stuck in my head, "Don't let your feet get wet or you will be cold."
What I did not know at the time was that I was about halfway through the hike at that point. I stopped to gather my thoughts and take a rest as I entered the lakes region of the reserve.
From there on out, the hike was mostly flat, but the muddy patches kept reappearing. I was fed up, but knew I had to push on. I needed to get my brain off how bad the conditions were and onto something else.
So, I decided to do some math. Everything here is metric and the trail signs let me figure out that I was hiking at over 10,000 feet and that my journey would end up to be around 9 miles. I had finished the hard part and was excited to meet up with Ayelet and the group who were comfortably sitting in the thermal baths in Papallacta.
We had a refreshing overnight stay with friends and roasted s'mores over the campfire in our cabin. You can be assured that a Papallacta III will take place, just maybe on a different path.
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| Tamara, Meghan, and Ayelet keeping their backs to the wind |
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| Greg before the trail gets rough |
As four of us journeyed on, I soon began to regret my choice. I could barely see. Our small group walked at different paces so I was soon on my own, ankle deep in mud and water, and slipping down the trail. Soon a hard fall in the mud instantly followed by another made me frustrated and shaky. My feet were still dry, but not for long.
As I pushed on from one trail marker to the next, I was glad that the clouds were not so thick and that the rain was letting up. However, the trail turned from an endless mud pit into a shin-deep bog. The occasional hop over a puddle would forcefully drive my feet deep into the deceiving marsh. Words from my dad were now stuck in my head, "Don't let your feet get wet or you will be cold."
What I did not know at the time was that I was about halfway through the hike at that point. I stopped to gather my thoughts and take a rest as I entered the lakes region of the reserve.
From there on out, the hike was mostly flat, but the muddy patches kept reappearing. I was fed up, but knew I had to push on. I needed to get my brain off how bad the conditions were and onto something else.
So, I decided to do some math. Everything here is metric and the trail signs let me figure out that I was hiking at over 10,000 feet and that my journey would end up to be around 9 miles. I had finished the hard part and was excited to meet up with Ayelet and the group who were comfortably sitting in the thermal baths in Papallacta.
We had a refreshing overnight stay with friends and roasted s'mores over the campfire in our cabin. You can be assured that a Papallacta III will take place, just maybe on a different path.
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| A hummingbird to point us home |
May 26, 2012
Chiva!
What is a chiva you may be asking yourself? Well, I can't say that it is a Spanish word, because I have never looked it up. However, if I did I think the definition would probably read:
Chiva - an open air bus that has had all of it seats removed to create a dance floor space; hand rails have been added for those unexpected starts and stops so no clients fall out; drinking a warm alcoholic beverage called canelazo is optional; bus must be driven very slowly through the city with loud music and dance club lights flashing.
However, if you look up "chiva" online, you will see a whole range of pictures - many with a band on top.
Chiva - an open air bus that has had all of it seats removed to create a dance floor space; hand rails have been added for those unexpected starts and stops so no clients fall out; drinking a warm alcoholic beverage called canelazo is optional; bus must be driven very slowly through the city with loud music and dance club lights flashing.
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| (Source: Wikipedia - this one's in Queens, NYC!) |
Surprisingly, the slow ride was a great way to see the city at night. Quito really gets quiet in most neighborhoods after 10pm and this let us see all of those twinkling streets lights that we stare at each night from our apartment.
Ayelet and I had a great night dancing while celebrating a friend's birthday. I'm glad we hopped on the bus for the chiva party.
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