Quito: It´s Not So Bad After All

I´m a changed woman. Finally had a day in Quito which was actually, my gosh, a lot of fun.

The excitement began on the bus ride back from Mindo, which was initially looking rather unpleasant, as the entire bus was crammed with people well before I got on. I wasn´t fancying the idea of standing on a bus for 2 1/2 hours, but got lucky. An Ecuadorian noticed my bag tag (I still have the Project 2006 tag with the curb cut on my travel backpack): turned out, he was an occupational therapist in Quito, and one of the main people who´s trying to organize OTs in all of Ecuador to standardize practices and distribute materials. Who knew enough about the ways of the Bus that he talked us both into the mini-seat behind the drivers, so we could converse about assistive technology without slamming into the windows and falling over during sudden stops. Membership has its priviledges! Bridgett, I got his contact info: he knows we may not be able to do this, but if we´d like to, he can rally most OTs in Pichincha province for a day of training: from there, he thinks they can spread the word to other facilities and provinces.

Once I arrived in Quito, I spent a nice afternoon in La Mariscal, where I found a fabulous little cafe which serves iced mochas the way iced mochas are meant to be served: you take your espresso, you add your chocolate syrup, and then you drop a whole bunch of ice cream into the glass. Oh, yeah.

But the true secret to a pleasant day in Quito involves leaving La Mariscal: after lounging awhile in the cafe with Spanish magazines, I had a few hours to kill before sunset, so I finally went to the Panecillo. Also called the Virgen de Quito, this landmark is an enormous stone angel at the top of the city. I went for the view, but stayed for the...kite flying! It was awesome: every weekend, I guess, dozens of Quiteño families schlepp their kids up to the Panecillo, where there´s also a mini amusement park/carousel, and on windy days, people sell kites for a buck each. End result: locals running around the hill above the city, throwing crappy kites into the air and struggling to keep them aloft. Kites get tangled, people bump into each other, and everyone is laughing and yelling advice.

After the kites, there´s still fun to be had. For a buck, you can go inside the Virgen´s head and climb to the top, where the views are even better. There´s also volleyball to be watched, terrible souvenirs to be purchased, and other travellers to meet--especially if you find yourself at the top of the tallest hill in metropolitan Quito half an hour after the last bus rolls back down the hill. Had the good fortune to start chatting with two expatriates (one from England, one from Peru) and another traveler from Germany: we were able to get a truck ride down for thirty cents each, and then I joined them for dinner. Every now and again, it´s nice to speak English for hours at a time, and they were great company. Introduced me to the phenomenon of couch surfing, which is actually a very highly organized form of travel in some parts of South America: there´s an internet group that you join, and it allows you to connect with locals who are interested in hosting travelers in their homes. Don´t think I´ll be doing that (you can breathe now, Mom...), but it seems like a nice option for people who are more extroverted than I am.

Alas, I didn´t get back to the hostel until almost midnight, which means I am now attempting to function in Cartagena on three hours of sleep. Taking it easy today, mostly checking email and scoping out future hostels (the one I´m at gets way too much street noise): we´ll see what adventures await once I´m rested!