Quito: more robbed tourists and my jacket crisis

a girl asked me if i speak spanish. think she was german with very good english. she told me she had had her passport and loads of other stuff robbed out of her bag and needed me to ask the guy behind the counter for directions to the police station.
they had been on the bus in quito, bag wash slashed, surprise surprise.


all the people who have been robebd have said something to the effect of "and we are fairly savvy travellers but...."
i guess it happens the one time you let your guard down.
the ecuadorian guy behind the counte didnt know where the police station was as it goes hehe..
we found it in the guide book.








jacket crisis
i love my jacket, its one of those hiking jackets, its perfect for every weather, it doesnt look it but due to some amasing technology its actually more water proof than a raincoat. i find that when i wear a normal raincoat i sweat so much that i end up more wet on the inside than on the outside. not with this baby.. but there is one real down side to it, as is the case with all north face products! and thats the big fat north face logo screaming out at everyone saying "look at me , im expensive" "i was just baught for this trip"


i hate the logo on my jacket. so i decided to do something about it.

i found a pink floyd patch.. i like pink floyd, so what the hell.. it fits


¡ took it over to the guy down the street with the sewing machine.



look what he did to it the fool !!
"o, no se veia bien... blabla....."
he figured it wasnt going to look good that way so he decided to do this...grrrrrr
now i know why ecuador is falling behind ..


he made a mes of it... i got rid of the pinkfloyd patch ..

what can i do to put this right? im open to suggestions, anything bar an iron maiden or metallica patch hehehe... somethig subtle...

Quito: Pub quiz Champions

forgive me if i stop half way and throw this unmercifully slow piece of junk computer out the window...



Ecuador uncovered hehe
australin girl, me , london girl, london girl. "Team Chicha" pub quiz champions!

went for dinner last night. there was another table quiz.. this time i took part.. my team (team chicha) won! hehe... two rounds of free shots and a free bottle of rum, and a free tour to otavalo as blow in the poster... this it perfect as otavalo is my next destination anyway... though this means i have to wait an extra day..

met more people last night, amongst whom was yet another irish couple....i have met more irish here in a week than in ireland in the past year, this is getting ridiculous, they were nice though.

amused at how many ecuadorians i meet in every day life have never heard of ireland ... and when i mention the we are beside united kingdom (and even england! ) this bewilders them even more.

but then, do many irish and english know where ecuador is? despite the clue in the name

my spanish is improving, and as a bonus im also learning how to speak it in several gringo accents hehehe

Ecuador: andean folk music & wine by the fire

my faith has been somewhat restored in the music of Ecuador.
i booked dinner in the secret garden hostel last night and it was what they call "Ecuadorian night". a group of musicians from Otavalo came to play traditional music of the Andes against that unforgettable rooftop view of Quito. i baught their cd.. hmmm now , how to get it onto my mp3 payer......

i really want to show you ecuadorian pop music which had me in stitches but im having no luck with videos... seems no computer this side of the globe had enough bandwith to take an upload.. and if its not too slow, to play you tube video, then its missing the plugins..




afterwards, as every night, the wheelbarrow fireplace was lit and a few gathered round for cups of tea & red wine. i think i have seen each of these newfound friends for the last time as they and i are leaving quito soon. its a strange way to be, meeting new people continuously and simultaneously saying farewell to someone you have already shared quite a bit with, when i say good bye sometimes words like "see you again" or "will be in touch" slip out and then i feel silly. because the truth is i will not see them again, i will no be in touch.im no good at those types of goodbyes. i just have to wish them the best in their travels and that they achieve what they set out for and thats it. now when i meet a person , sometimes i skip the shy introduction and just launch into whatever topic comes into my head, as if i already know them, its a fun way to meet someone. hehe


San Blas Hostel in Quito, no social atmosphere but nice place all the same. think its family run, theres a dog and a child around. typing on a 400mhz pc here arrgh...



Quichua woman makes impressive sales pitch to two tourists in Mariscal Sucre neighbourhood.
guy pulls out one note he makes out thats all he has...a few minutes and several notes later they have a deal. small boy waits in background to follow up with some cigarettes.

Quito: sneaky fotos

trigger happy with the camera, im the pick pocket of photography today hehee

Man making suits. there are a lot of small business around, like bakeries, taylors, shoe repair shops. this fellow recommended his friend accross the road to fix up my pants, and my friends bag. the shop across the road doesnt make for a good foto though as you cant see anything from outside.



jesus, is it yourself?



shoe shine boys, these guys would shine your feet if you let them!



one type of soldier, outside a government building. yesterday i stumbled upon a street with about 10 shops selling police and soldier uniforms. strange.i reckon even i could buy one if i wanted. there was also another sodier beside him in the normal green soldier gear, and a machine gun.


old man playing what i now recognize to be ecuadorian melodies on the accorion,
i recognise it because i have a tv in my room with ecuadorian music channels.
ecuadorian pop music is hilarious.

.
Woman in traditional dress, selling cloth things.


These little stalls are all over the town, you never have to go thirsty.



This woman (and her baby) are selling strawberries.

Quito: im sick & fotos of the notorious bus

i am sick. (ok not quite as bad as the guy in the picture) but i have not recovered in 4 days, went to doctor today. it was ok. cost $5 and seemed professional ..spoke no english.
strangely they were bruning insence.. in fact insence is everywhere, electrical shops, restaurants, you name it. they are burning it in the hostel here too.



dog in the pharmacy- he started barking at me when i took his picture. even though i didnt put the camera to my face.



The "trole" bus, this is the bus where the pickpockets do their thing. im hearing too many stories about this now.yesterday two girls had their cameras taken out of their bags and one had her wallet lifted with credit card in it, it was their first day in quito. you cant take any chances on this bus. (updated) i just spoke to these girls, i feel so sorry them as they apparently had nice slr style cameras, and wanted them for their trip to galapagos islands in two days time.
when i asked about it, they said they had their bags held on the front of them but still didnt notice someone making large slits down the side of the bag and taking stuff out. . also they spoke of a woman who kept pushing against them all the time hmmm...


also,for reasons unknown, the trole bus plays "rudolph the red nose reindeer"???? on a musical hooter as it approeaches the stop. think i heard "tis the season to be jolly " too.

Quito: pants fixed

Pilsener

on the bottom of the label it says
"Ecuatorianamente refrescante"
"Ecuatorianally refreshing"




Shoe shine boy in Quito old town.





Went to a museum today, normally your not allowed to take fotos, but the girl (who was far more pleasant than any of the paintings), let me take some i was the only one in there.
she explained all about them to me in spanish, i have to admit i didnt get it all but the pictures speak volumes. these guys were non believers. painted according to how they met their end.



i decided i can still use these pants as they are quick drying and good for outdoor activities
so decided to splash out $1 for a repair job.

Quito: Candle lit dinner for 40

there was 40 people eating in the hostel last night, along one big table on the rooftop. its like being in the sky. as this city is 2800 metres above sea level,you can see clouds hugging the surrounding hills that should normally be very far away type of clouds. we actualy are in the sky.
some hippies (if i may) has set up a little shop selling bracelets and stuff at the end of the table , and some guy was showing guitar tricks to a few interested onlookers by the fire.(a useful popularity tool).
its pretty impressive that they can so efficiently serve everyone a 3 course meal from such a small kitchen. all the staff are volunteers ..apart from the chef.. the cleaning ladies..and the security guard.. but well the rest of them are. they get free food, accomodation and spanish lessons in exchange for running the hostel. i was a bit ooverwhelmed by just how many different stories were buzzing around the table. everybody having something to say or even brag about whatever there is do be done areound here. "oh i thaught that was easy" or "oh that was the highlight of the trip" "just get a bus from.. blahblah
there is a real mix of people, with different accents , different ways of dressing. some, i fear have travelled just a bit too long to be normal anymore ,and some are the quiet, just got off the plane 3 hours ago type. there is another kind of traveller here too, americans on a short holiday,who have come for a non stop an action-packed adventure squeezing in all the biggest (and most expensive) thrills that ecuador has to offer. then rush off back to being a project manager or whatever..
i spoke to yet another girl who just arrived from ireland, she was exactly the same as i has been , just a bit freaked out by the forst impressions of the urban jungle that is quito.




some paintings in the hostel