Adventures in Quito

Hey everyone!

So Amy and I made it safely and happily to Quito! One of Amy's bags didn't get here until this morning, but all things considered it was a successful trip. We were picked up at the airport by a driver for our program, who took us to our homestay, speeding through streets with lots of cars but few pedestrians. Our home stay, it was very plain and small from the street, but this was an illusion since the moment we stepped inside it was large and beautiful. Our host "family" consists of a couple in their late fifties or so, Elsa and Jose. They call each other "Mami" and "Pepe," which I find very endearing. They are so welcoming, and we ate wonderful food while conversing (with much effort) in Spanish. Amy and I have our own adorable rooms (an unexpected luxury) with a shared bathroom - I think the hammocks and bugspray come when we get to the mountains...

The mountains! After a yummy breakfast and tea this morning (decaf! I'm going to have find myself some good South American coffee after this), we ventured out to walk around the city a bit and find an internet cafe. And the first thing we see when we turn the corner out of our neighborhood is mountains - tall and craggy ones, smaller and rolling ones, the lower portion studded with houses and the higher altitudes a deep evergreen color. It is beautiful. And against this backdrop, a colorful city, each building different than the next. The plants and trees are unfamiliar to this northerner, and Amy was very patient with me while I inspected leaves and blossoms, but I will have to come back out on my own soon to really take some time to look at them without driving her crazy :-)

I had the immediate urge to take pictures of everything I am seeing, but have limited myself to a couple of irresistible shots of the mountains, as I want to take things in first. And it makes us seem all the more like gringos, not that anyone is fooled; it seems like nearly every car that drives by honks at us, especially the taxis, who must see us a prime targets. There are dogs everywhere, and I can't tell whether they are strays or pets; many of them seem to be following people around or laying possessively in front of houses, but the people aren't paying too much attention to them. The dogs all seem friendly, well-fed, and not a bit skittish, and I wonder how long it will be before I throw out the travel clinic's recommendations not to pet them...

So those are my first impressions of the city on a quiet Sunday. Almost everything is closed, except in the tourist-y parts, which is where we are headed next - to the "ciudad antigua," the oldest part of the city, to explore a bit and probably find a cafe to relax in and watch the World Cup. Which is on everywhere, including over breakfast with our host family, and you can hear cheers in the street when a goal is scored.

Finally, I wanted to apologize to those of you who were in town and at Mary's house on Thursday - I'm sorry I missed out but both Amy and I appreciated the bon voyage wishes!

cheers,
Jess