Friday, April 4th
It is 9pm and I am so tired I don’t know how I am going to write this, but we had amazingly full day and I don’t want to forget any of it. Also, it did not rain all day! That is amazing in its own right.
Instead of school in our classroom we took a field trip to Colonial Quito today. We took the trolly with our teachers and walked around. I do feel like it was a waste of Spanish lessons because I had to spend time dealing with my kids, but I can see how that would be a great experience one on one with a teacher. I look forward to going back and looking around some more.
After class time was over the kids and I took the TeleferiQo to the top of the Pinchincha Mountain. The TeleferiQo is cable cars that climb an impossibly steep mountain. The day was clear so we could see all of Quito. It was good to get that perspective because I could really tell how the city was nestled in the valleys. Also how huge it was. We have only been in a tiny part of it this week! The best thing about going up the mountain was the fresh air and quiet. The city is dirty and loud and crowded but up there we could breath deep and rest our ears. We all felt like we could take a nap right there in the grass. Some of the peaks nearby have snow on them and the kids really liked that. Think of the Andes Mint logo and that was what it looked like. It was so breathtakingly beautiful up there I just cannot describe it. Going up the mountain ranks up there as one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life.
The TeleferiQo is a tourist attraction and so of course it had other ways to get your money. There was a small amusement park in the complex with a rollercoaster and some other rides. Better than carney rides, but not by much. The kids really wanted to ride the rollercoaster because it went upside down. Cora was tall enough so off they went. I could not see them getting on but as they were going up the first hill I could see that Cora shoulders were about 6 inches or more below the restraint! My heart stopped. It looked like she would come of her seat when it went upside down. There was nothing I could do but watch and get very sick to my stomach. Obviously she was fine, but that was enough for me. I told them we had to go. No more Ecudorian amusement parks for us.
We were also very excited today because Steve arrived tonight! We went out to meet him at the airport and it was not nearly as crowded as the day we arrived last week. That was good. We were all very happy to see him. It is nice to be able to share our experiences with him and to have him share the parenting load.
April 5, 2008
We came home to the Northern Hemisphere today. Only for about 5 minutes though. This morning we took the bus up to Mitad de Mundo. The middle of the world. We did the usual touristy things where we stood on both sides and took goofy pictures. Steve and I just got done reading a book about how they measured the equator in Ecuador in the 1540’s and it was moving to stand where La Comindine and his band of scientists had stood to find the center of the earth. The book is The Map Maker’s Wife and they have it at the Columbia library for those of you who are interested. Fascinating book. After we left there we came upon a place where a man explained how the indigenous people of Ecuador had actually laid out their spiritual places and cities along the equatorial and solstice lines long before France and Spain got involved. It was a really good explanation and I am glad we got to hear it. For the kids, the best part was the fact that the monument had a great playground. It would be considered unsafe and probably torn down in the US but they had a lot of fun and we have some video of them on a zipline that is hilarious. They also got to buy the pan flutes they have been wanting for so long. Steve and I got to hear them play them for the rest of the day. Yeah.
Isabel is one of the people staying at the home with us. She is from France. She is my age and is in Ecuador studying Spanish and looking for a job. She and Tate sit next to each other at dinner and she is working with him on how to cut his own meat. It is so funny! She is going to charge him for her services and I think they are up to 75 cents by now.
Another great day in Quito weather wise. It was sunny and warm but not hot. I am afraid we are pushing our luck and tomorrow will be a disappointment. We are planning a trip to Papallacta. It is about two hours southeast of Quito and has lots of thermal hot springs. We will be outside all day.
April 6, 2008
I am no longer allowed to complain about the weather in Quito. I told myself that if we had a good day today I would be content and the day was great. The director of the school arranged for us to go to Papallacta to enjoy the thermal springs there. There were about 16 people total we went by private bus. A small bus. It was a two hour trip and the scenery along the way was spectacular.
The springs were so relaxing and exactly what we needed after two long days of sight seeing. There were several pools of varying temperatures. Some were crowded and noisy with kids, some were small and quiet and calm. I have been feeling dehydrated ever since we got to Ecuador but soaking for hours in those springs has left me feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. In one area people were sitting in a spring bath so hot it felt like you were being cooked then they would jump out and lay down in the freezing mountain river next to it. The kids thought this was crazy so Steve and I did it too just to see the expression on their faces. Too funny.
One interesting story of the day: When we arrived at the thermal baths there was also a group of four nuns going in. I was curious as to what they were going to wear in the baths but did not think much of it once we got inside. Before too long we were sitting in one of the pools and here they came. They had on shorts and t-shirts but not their habits. Two of them had on darker outfits but two of them had on white t-shirts. Surely not, you are thinking. Yes. One of them had nothing on under the shirt and one of them had on a bra that did not have a middle, like a nursing bra without the flap. It was hard not to stare but it was just such a surreal moment. I made Steve sit close to one of them so I could get a picture without being too obvious. The other one I used my super telephoto to get a shot through the bushes. Now which is stranger, nuns in wet t-shirts of the fact that I stalked them to get a picture?
Tonight a new person arrived at the house. Yulna left yesterday for the rainforest and now Paul is here in her room. He is the father of 5 boys ages 14 to 25 and one of his sons will be here on Tuesday. Paul is from the UK but lives in Spain. The dinner table here is a regular United Nations.
It is 9pm and I am so tired I don’t know how I am going to write this, but we had amazingly full day and I don’t want to forget any of it. Also, it did not rain all day! That is amazing in its own right.
Instead of school in our classroom we took a field trip to Colonial Quito today. We took the trolly with our teachers and walked around. I do feel like it was a waste of Spanish lessons because I had to spend time dealing with my kids, but I can see how that would be a great experience one on one with a teacher. I look forward to going back and looking around some more.
After class time was over the kids and I took the TeleferiQo to the top of the Pinchincha Mountain. The TeleferiQo is cable cars that climb an impossibly steep mountain. The day was clear so we could see all of Quito. It was good to get that perspective because I could really tell how the city was nestled in the valleys. Also how huge it was. We have only been in a tiny part of it this week! The best thing about going up the mountain was the fresh air and quiet. The city is dirty and loud and crowded but up there we could breath deep and rest our ears. We all felt like we could take a nap right there in the grass. Some of the peaks nearby have snow on them and the kids really liked that. Think of the Andes Mint logo and that was what it looked like. It was so breathtakingly beautiful up there I just cannot describe it. Going up the mountain ranks up there as one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life.
The TeleferiQo is a tourist attraction and so of course it had other ways to get your money. There was a small amusement park in the complex with a rollercoaster and some other rides. Better than carney rides, but not by much. The kids really wanted to ride the rollercoaster because it went upside down. Cora was tall enough so off they went. I could not see them getting on but as they were going up the first hill I could see that Cora shoulders were about 6 inches or more below the restraint! My heart stopped. It looked like she would come of her seat when it went upside down. There was nothing I could do but watch and get very sick to my stomach. Obviously she was fine, but that was enough for me. I told them we had to go. No more Ecudorian amusement parks for us.
We were also very excited today because Steve arrived tonight! We went out to meet him at the airport and it was not nearly as crowded as the day we arrived last week. That was good. We were all very happy to see him. It is nice to be able to share our experiences with him and to have him share the parenting load.
April 5, 2008
We came home to the Northern Hemisphere today. Only for about 5 minutes though. This morning we took the bus up to Mitad de Mundo. The middle of the world. We did the usual touristy things where we stood on both sides and took goofy pictures. Steve and I just got done reading a book about how they measured the equator in Ecuador in the 1540’s and it was moving to stand where La Comindine and his band of scientists had stood to find the center of the earth. The book is The Map Maker’s Wife and they have it at the Columbia library for those of you who are interested. Fascinating book. After we left there we came upon a place where a man explained how the indigenous people of Ecuador had actually laid out their spiritual places and cities along the equatorial and solstice lines long before France and Spain got involved. It was a really good explanation and I am glad we got to hear it. For the kids, the best part was the fact that the monument had a great playground. It would be considered unsafe and probably torn down in the US but they had a lot of fun and we have some video of them on a zipline that is hilarious. They also got to buy the pan flutes they have been wanting for so long. Steve and I got to hear them play them for the rest of the day. Yeah.
Isabel is one of the people staying at the home with us. She is from France. She is my age and is in Ecuador studying Spanish and looking for a job. She and Tate sit next to each other at dinner and she is working with him on how to cut his own meat. It is so funny! She is going to charge him for her services and I think they are up to 75 cents by now.
Another great day in Quito weather wise. It was sunny and warm but not hot. I am afraid we are pushing our luck and tomorrow will be a disappointment. We are planning a trip to Papallacta. It is about two hours southeast of Quito and has lots of thermal hot springs. We will be outside all day.
April 6, 2008
I am no longer allowed to complain about the weather in Quito. I told myself that if we had a good day today I would be content and the day was great. The director of the school arranged for us to go to Papallacta to enjoy the thermal springs there. There were about 16 people total we went by private bus. A small bus. It was a two hour trip and the scenery along the way was spectacular.
The springs were so relaxing and exactly what we needed after two long days of sight seeing. There were several pools of varying temperatures. Some were crowded and noisy with kids, some were small and quiet and calm. I have been feeling dehydrated ever since we got to Ecuador but soaking for hours in those springs has left me feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. In one area people were sitting in a spring bath so hot it felt like you were being cooked then they would jump out and lay down in the freezing mountain river next to it. The kids thought this was crazy so Steve and I did it too just to see the expression on their faces. Too funny.
One interesting story of the day: When we arrived at the thermal baths there was also a group of four nuns going in. I was curious as to what they were going to wear in the baths but did not think much of it once we got inside. Before too long we were sitting in one of the pools and here they came. They had on shorts and t-shirts but not their habits. Two of them had on darker outfits but two of them had on white t-shirts. Surely not, you are thinking. Yes. One of them had nothing on under the shirt and one of them had on a bra that did not have a middle, like a nursing bra without the flap. It was hard not to stare but it was just such a surreal moment. I made Steve sit close to one of them so I could get a picture without being too obvious. The other one I used my super telephoto to get a shot through the bushes. Now which is stranger, nuns in wet t-shirts of the fact that I stalked them to get a picture?
Tonight a new person arrived at the house. Yulna left yesterday for the rainforest and now Paul is here in her room. He is the father of 5 boys ages 14 to 25 and one of his sons will be here on Tuesday. Paul is from the UK but lives in Spain. The dinner table here is a regular United Nations.
Comments
Sounds like you are seeing some wonderful sights!
Dr.I wondered if it was really hot at the equator and also if you had met Debbie yet. (no I did not read him the part about the nuns)
I will be anxious to see your pictures. Glad to hear Steve made it safe, PaPa and I were getting a bit nervous - I thought maybe there was some computer problems.
Great picture and story in the Trib on Sun. of you guys! Will save it for you.
Love to all and miss you a bunch!
G