Weekend Avengers' Adventures

Every Saturday, a town a few hours out of Quito, Otavalo, holds a giant market full of everything you could imagine.  I mean, everything.  There are endless stands of scarves, blankets, jewelry, toys, art, shoes, ponchos, Panama hats, UNDERWEAR (umm, ew), and electronics.  Then, there are an abundance of stands selling food (my favorite!).  Now, you have your basic fruits and vegetables that anyone around the world can recognize--tomatoes, lettuce, oranges, etc--but mixed in are all the  local fruits and vegetables that I have never seen or heard of.  Juice is very popular here; everyone orders it when they go out to eat or buy a cup from street vendors--my favorite is naranjilla (very similar to an orange).  However, I also tried passion fruit and guava, so far.  Also, there are animal parts everywhere; piles of chicken feet, bowls of lard, and pig's heads are on display throughout the market.  

Some other fruits consumed were oritos (finger bananas,  flavor of a ripe banana with a more solid texture) and gronsella which looks like a mini lime green pumpkin and is SO sour, my mouth and throat completely dried out.

I also ate Yuca bread which was sold to us outside of the car window at a gas station.  Yuca is a white root which is cooked in numerous different ways.  It is very starchy and tastes like a sweeter potato. 

After spending time at the market, Federico brou

ght Paul and I to a few large lakes near the indigenous city.  We ate overlooking the water at San Paulo; no one knows exactly how deep this lake is, yet there is an annual race from one side to another in the freezing water.  This lake also has cabins that are available to rent (CRAZY cheap, around 80 dollars for a family for the weekend, including meals).  There are many beautiful flowers

, horses, and a playground for children where I found this    

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                                                     now I know why I came to Ecuador:)   

On Sunday, I rented bikes with a few guys from the hostel and rode around the city for a few hours.  This isn't as relaxing as it seems.  The rental fee was 5 dollars for

 three hour...CHEAP, however, the bike was definitely nothing special.  Though it was supposed to have 18 gears, only two worked, making traveling at high speeds quite difficult; riding with traffic was frighte

ning because A) they drive crazier than in Boston and B) I could only move so quickly due to the lack of higher gears and C) some of the hills are quite large (think almost the level of San Francisco).  I hate to admit that I had to walk my bike at some points--I'll just blame it on the altitude :).  We had a lot of fun though, traveling through old town and new town while looking at significant churches and sights.  Even though I put on a bunch of sun-block, my back was fried and still is :( 

Yesterday,  Michael (a guy in my room from Australia) and I went to the Teleferico which is a cable car that brings you to the summit of  Cruz Loma and to the skirts of the Pichincha

 volcano, allowing you to see 14 peaks of the Andes from a height of 4050 meters.  We hiked about halfway to the summit of Pichincha and decided to turn around--we weren't really dressed for the snow that we were starting to see and dark clouds were rolling in on top of us so we decided to cut our losses and roll out.

FOOD CORNER

Though I talked about a lot of foods, I think the most interesting was the Guava fruit.  This is nothing like what we are used to in the states...what we consider Guava is actually Guayaba.  Guava looks like a giant pea pod and holds white fruit that are furry on the outside yet have a very slimy texture.  There is a large brown seed in the middle that looks like a cockroach.  The fruit itself was mildy sweet and almost milky.  One was ok, but I couldn't bring myself to consume any more; I gave the rest to a little girl running around the market.  

Taste- 2

Aftertaste-1

AKWARD MOMENT

Now, I'm pretty used to being stared at here, being that a tall, fair, blonde American woman sticks out like prostitute in church,  however, this unwanted attention usually comes from overly aggressive men that think my pants will drop if they make kissy noises in my ear or yell "Ay Mami!!"  However, while biking around, children left and right were yelling and pointing "Gringa, Gringa!!"  This basically means, American, usually not offensive, but having so many children noticing me was, well......

Apparently, the world revolves around me :)

Yesturday, Federico brought me to El Mitad del Mundo--the center of the world. The equator runs through a part of Quito; a small historical site has been built over the area in order to provide tours teaching the history and importance of Ecuador. I'll save you the in-depth history (mostly because I will probably reiterate it incorrectly, get the real scoop here), however, I do want to share some of the awesome experiments we conducted.

First, a group of about 12 of us learned about the indigenous tribes who previously inhabited Ecuador; this includes, putting on a headdress and shooting a needle through a six foot blow gun and learning how to create a shrinking head. Also, for "primitive" people, they sure were intelligent; their huts' walls were constructed from a type of natural cement (mud, water, animal excriments), between bamboo poles--this kept the inside significantly cooler than the actual temperature and also allowed the hut to be able to bend and twist in the event of an earthquake. The rooftops were made of straw/grass--they cooked inside the hut and instead of using a chimney they allowed the smoke to rise to the grass which caused it to become water resistant--genius!

OK, enough learning here, time for experiments! When we finally got down to the equator line our guide showed us a water basin sitting exactly on the equator; when she pulled the plug out of the bottom, the water poured straight down. Then she moved the water basin a few feet to the South...the water then drained clockwise, and 5 feet over to the North...counterclockwise!!!! The energy of the earth is a strange and powerful thing. I tried to walk along the Equator line, eyes closed, arms out, one foot in front of the other--I couldn't do it! I could strongly feel the pull of each hemisphere on me and I nearly fell over. It's very moving to feel so connected to nature (ok, so there's a little hippy in me, deal with it:) ).

We did a few other experiments, but this next one tied for the blue ribbon. An older gentleman from Australia, about 250 lbs and 6 foot 5, sat on a stool on the equator line, then, four girls (myself included) folded our hands into the shape of a gun (interlacing all fingers with the pointers facing out). Two women put their fingers under his arms and another woman and I put ours under his knees and we LIFTED him...8 fingers...that's like 31.25 pounds per finger! Hot damn!

Later that night Federico brought Paul, another guy in my hostel, and myself to his friend's bar "Este Cafe". We sat there and got our drink on, being that for the next three days the country is dry due to Saturday's vote on a new constitution. Afterwards, we went to a bar/club called Bungalow 6, right around the corner from our Hostel (apparently I'm in the party place to be), where I met a Danish girl who studied abroad in Boston (small world!). She brought me back to meet all of her friends and we hung out and drank Caipirinhias...similar to a Mojito but made with, Cachaca, a Brazilian rum which is crazy strong (always seems like a good idea at the time).

Today was pretty low key. I got up early (with a splitting headache, thank you Mr. Bartender), and attempted to go for a run---hahah BAD IDEA. I apparently am not yet acclimated to the altitude; my lungs are still on fire. I then went wondering around Old Town. Checked out a bunch of GORGEOUS churches, including the Basilica. They are all extremely detailed; extensive stained glass windows, wood carvings, gold statues, tiled floors and ceilings. I walked to the top of the tower to see the view of Quito (that's right kids, I walked up a LOT of stairs, don't expect it to happen again). After I was done with viewing Jesus on the cross in numerous different areas of town, I decided to sit in one of the plazas and listen to some live music. I was there maybe 5 minutes and had a 15 year old boy hitting on me and an old man asking if I had a novio. Needless to say, I left, churro in hand (mmm sugary fried dough), and went back to the hostel. Good day!

FOOD CORNER

Last night, I drank a liquor called Pisco. It originates from Venezuela and is made from grapes. It's usually mixed either with coke or sour mix--tastes a lot lot Ouzo. guh

Taste- 1.5

Aftertaste-1.5 (due to headache)

AWKWARD MOMENT

I sat in a little plaza listening to some live music after touring way too many churches. A younger guy, probably around 17, was trying to see the artist's CDs. After telling him multiple times, no, gracias, he decided to sit down next to me and work his magic. Now, he wasn't being too aggressive or anything, however, my conversational Spanish isn't at the level it should be. I lied about having a boyfriend at the hostel and he finally left me alone. Maybe two minutes later an older gentleman sitting near me (mid 50's, at least) attempted his own techniques. Again, he was very polite, just forceful and, well....awkward.

I'll never Quito!

I made it! Lesson 1 learned very quickly-Pay attention!!!!!! Don't worry, nothing has been stolen and I haven't been physically or emotionally attacked--I learned this at the Logan Airport in Boston. Kate Levinter brought me to the airport at 9 in the morning (thanks, Lady!) and when we arrived at the airport I completely blanked on the airline I was flying on; I figured she should just drop me off at the international terminal--bad move, Kelly. Turns out I was flying American Airlines first and then transferring to Avianca in Miami. Good work. Then, upon further investigation through my complicated itinerary, I realize I am flying into Guayaquil, not Quito...smooth move again, champ. Now, I have James and Aubrey's friend, Federico, picking me up from the airport and a hostel booked in QUITO--grr. Luckily, I got a hold of Federico to let him know the situation (he just laughed at me, silly Gringita) and changed the arrival date with the hostel online. No big deal.

When I finally got into the Guayaquil airport it was Midnight and, well, a blonde, American lady really shouldn't be wondering around in the dark in foreign countries, so I slept in the airport and got a bus to Quito at 6 am. Sleeping in that airport is apparently the popular thing to do; an adorable older Ecuadorian woman (think grandmother) watched over me--gracias senorita!! I logged nine hours of traveling time on the bus; during this time I got to see countryside living--lots of donkeys, dogs, hogs, piglets, and human public urination facing moving traffic. Also, food stand are EVERYWHERE...I mean, there may not be houses around, but there will a few children with their presumed mother under a little hut stirring a pot and selling Pilsner beer for 30 cents (no joke).

So, FINALLY, I make it to my hostel "The Blue House". I e-mailed Federico and he brought me out to dinner at this gorgeous restaurant called "Pimm's" (after the cordial, It seemed), which overlooked the twinkling lights of the HUUUUGE city. He ordered an abundance of local food, mini empenadas, multiple fruit juices (my favorite was naranita), a potato/cheese/avocado soup, figs and cheese, and another plate with churizo, potatoes, avocado, and a sunny side egg. MMMMM. Being that all I had eaten in the last 24 hours was a mini bag of potato chips on the bus (called Tip Tops), this feast was a perfect welcoming to Quito. He tried to show me some sights but I was so tired I was going cross-eyed; he brought me back to my hostel and will be showing me around today. I am already so happy, though I obviously miss my friends and family (thank you for the most amazing good-bye party, I've never felt so loved)--I can't wait to see what's next:)

FOOD CORNER

I've decided that, being that the world is full of foods that I have never even heard of, I would like to experience as many as possible and share them with whomever feels like reading my blog.

I haven't really tried anything too odd, yet, however, for dessert last night we ate figs with cheese. They were VERY sweet; the cheese, however, helped to balance the flavors.

Taste (rating 1-5, 5 being AMAZING) 2.5

After-taste ( measuring the negative effects on my body from 1-5, 5 being horrific) 1

AWKWARD MOMENT

Another backpacker took a picture of me on the plane when he thought I wasn't looking.....

Welcome everyone!  The blog is a little rough now, I know, but TRUST me, it will get a lot more interesting.  You may be wondering: what the hell is this all about, Kelly?  Let me tell you...

About a month and a half ago I started getting really bored and frustrated; I was stuck between two extremes; a job that stimulated my brain--a creative and intellectual playground (yay Spot!), that could only pay me with sustenance--and a job that stunted my mind but brought in loads of "cash, money, hoes" as I like to call it....dolla dolla bills.  I wasn't really ready to shackle my ankles to a desk just quite yet, but I knew I needed an extensive change of pace.  

Then, one day at Spot I looked at my oh-so-awesome colleague, Wanna, and said, "I really want to travel."

"Do it"

....ok.  Less than two weeks later, I was sitting at a desk in STA Travel purchasing a year's worth of plane tickets around the world.  Now, I did put some thought into this adventure before draining my bank account--not that there's anything wrong with quitting your life as you know it to explore every crevice of the globe, quite the opposite actually.  However, I wanted to use this next year as a means of improvement; for myself physically, emotionally, professionally, spritually... and any other -ally suffix words you can come up with, as well as improvement for the world.  Now, I know that's very "Miss Universe" of me to say, but I'm serious!  Here's the plan.  During my year of travels I'm going to be working on organic farms (WWOOFing) and providing any other volunteer services I can find and am needed for (workaway.info).  At the same time, I plan on being professionally progressive, putting my film/television degree to good use, with the help of my new Cannon camcorder, Avid editing software, and CS3.   Oh, and the last minor detail--trying to break the Guinness Book World Record as the youngest woman to run a marathon on every continent.  I've run 4 marathons already here in the states.  The most important being the San Diego Rock 'n Roll marathon that I ran with the Leukemia and Lymphoma's Team in Training.  I raised $4,700 towards curing blood cancers and I plan on carrying that cause with me through every other race in order to attract awareness.  Antarctica is still in the works (keep your fingers crossed to get me off the wait list and/or someone to sugar daddy my way into the South pole), but other than that I have the other six under control!

I leave in 15 days....ahhhh!  My life is in disarray, to put it lightly.  I'm currently homeless and living on my friend's couch (Shawn Mazor is my hospitality hero).  However, everything seems to magically be falling into place.  

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!

Sorry, this blog is currently under construction and will be ready for viewing by 9/23/08.