However, the cab driver DIDN'T actually know where the hostel was.
We drove around, asking numerous pedestrians if they knew. After failing multiple times, he pulled over to a pay phone and called the owner of my Quito hostel to get directions. Finally, about an hour later we pulled up to the door and I was given a room at the Dreamkapture Hostel.
The next day I met the hostel manager, Isabelle, and we started talking about my trip and what I was doing. We bonded over the need for charity work; she has been doing a lot with her own organization. She even put some information about me and a link to this blog on the Dreamkapture website under "friend of the week" :)
Afterwards, I wondered around the city. Mainly, I walked down the Malecon; it's a long strip along the Guayas river with statues, shopping, restaurants, a botanical garden, and local markets selling everything imaginable. I then spent some time at their contemporary art museum, Banco Central, where I took a lot of pictures (note: museums don't allow photography inside--whoops).
After spending some much needed time in the air-conditioning, I ventured back outside to walk up the 500 stairs to the top of the Cerro Santa Ana. There are bars, shops, restaurants, and historical statues all the way to the top where the Iglesia Santo Domingo sits. On my way back down I was trying to find somewhere to each with a pretty view of the river and city; however, I tend to be quite indecisive. While walking up and down the stairs I noticed two guys watching me wonder; one said hello (which happens often) and when he asked where I was from and I said Boston he informed me that he actually grew up in NYC and owns the bar behind him. I ended up sitting there, drinking free Pilsner, and chatting with him for a few hours, after which he had his personal driver bring me back to Dreamkapture. When I got back I was sta
rving but was afraid to venture out in the dark alone; luckily, I met some really cool Irish and British boys who made me dinner (I guess chivalry isn't dead!)
Two days later, I had to wake up at 3:30 am in order to get ready for my first international marathon!!!!! I met another woman in the hostel the night before who was running the half marathon, so we went to the starting line together. This in and of itself was quite difficult because we were a)walking around in the dark looking for a cab b) no cabs wanted to do work c) we had no idea where the starting line was really located. Luckily, we finally found a guy to bring us and at 5:30 am the race began!
The first hour and a half we were running by the light of the moon and sporadic lampposts. The city was so calm; there was no traffic at this point and all you could hear was the sound of the Guayas River. Once my running buddy left me, it was time to take a turn out into the suburbs of Guayaquil. The rest of the course is on a four lane highway; the far left lane is blocked off for runners by a police officer standing in the middle of the road nearly every block. There was one point where the course turns off to do a 3 mile loop down a side street; I would have missed it completely because one officer told me to keep going, however, I saw two runners in front of me asking the next person and he, after thinking a few seconds and looking around, told us to turn off. Not the most organized of races, but entertaining, nonetheless!
There weren't very many people running, only a few hundred--my number was 51 which is crazy being that usually I'm in the thousands--and I'm pretty sure I was one of maybe three Americans. Random fans were yelling "Go Gringa!" and there was a large group of Swedish runners who embraced me as well, probably assuming I was part of their group being tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and fair-skinned:) I had my final Ipod song, "Sweet Caroline" carry me across the finish line (Boston love!!) as I finished just in front of two women over twice my age (sad) at a very, extremely slow pace, of around four hours and 40 minutes. Ouch. I ran the Boston marathon faster with Bronchitis-like symptoms. They were already giving out medals and rolling up finisher tents by the time I crossed the finish line...haha. At least they still had a t-shirt and a medal for me. International Marathon Number 1= Success!!!
AKWARD MOMENT
After finishing the marathon, I needed to hail a cab to get back to my hostel. Stupid me, I forgot to bring along their business card with the address on it. Luckily I had a vague idea of where the hostel was, so I tried to get a cab to bring me. Now, in Ecuador you have to negotiate a price before you get into the cab or they'll charge you crazy amounts. I only had three dollars on me (cabs in South America are CRAZY cheap), however, the drivers I was talking to continually tried to charge me around Five. I almost started crying being that all I wanted to do was lie down in my hostel and no one would take me home. Finally, I found one man who would take me. This whole time I was getting a little stressed out in front of a lot of people (there was a carnival going on outside of the finish line)...they all probably though I was crazy because I was walking in circles and pouting which is a little....
#2 The night of the marathon I face planted in my bed for ten hours straight. When I woke up the next working my eyes were so puffy I looked like Quasimodo. Isabella gasped when she saw me because she thought I had a local virus called Picha. Nope, just tired, puffy eyes....
FOOD CORNER
I didn't eat anything too crazy or adventurous, however, I went with my European boys to see "Stepbrothers" at the local mall and afterwards we went to get some grub at the food court. I found that you can walk around the mall with Pilsner beer, no problem. I found this hilarious being that you can't walk around with alcohol in malls in the states so I played like a good local and ordered myself a cerveza. Mmmmm.
Taste: 5 (umm...it's beer)
Aftertaste: 1 (My body knows how to digest this, no problem)
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