12th November 2000: Quito, Ecuador (again)

Hey everybody,
It's been a long time coming, but the eagerly-awaited and latest installment of the captain's log (no jokes please) is finally here!! Have been in Ecuador now for about two weeks and it has been great so far.

Quito is set in the Andes at 2800m (ie quite high). It sits in a valley where the Andes range splits in half, so it has mountains rising to the east and west (no snow though). It has a beautiful old colonial part and then the part where I live; ie a bit smelly and dirty, con mucho concrete.

Actually there is not much to report as I have been at the language school during the week and have not been able to see that much of Ecuador. However I have now finished school and today is the official start of my travelling - am catching a bus to Otovalo, and then on Monday I am going to the jungle for 5 days. However this is all marred by the fact that I am still recovering from one of the worst hangovers known to man.

The family I was living with while I was at the school where really nice - they even had a maid who washed my clothes and made my bed - Alright!!!


Climbed Mt. Pichincha (semi-active volcano - 4800m) with some friends on the first sunday I was here. On our way up we passed a jeep on its way down the track; on our way back down it was a smoking wreck by the side of the road, so that was slightly unnerving. Oh, and got extremely sunburnt. Last weekend I took a night bus ( not pleasant) to the coast to stay with some people who I met on the plane! The husband used to be a naval attache for Ecuador, and so the family spent a long time in Germany while he was shopping for warships for the Ecuadorian Navy. They were really friendly and they have a daughter my age too (Hola Andrea!), so I went out drinking with her and her friends every night, which was a wild. On the day I arrived we went out sailing on a 45 ft yacht - it even had a 4 man crew! So I just kicked back and enjoyed G&T with the girls!!! Oh, and got sunburnt. On Saturday we went to the beach (yet more sunburn) and then on Sunday we went for a tour of the naval training base before heading back. All in all it was a pretty cool weekend!!

If any of you want postcards, email me with your address.

Actually email me anyway.

Matt