Ecuador

Ecuador: Where it all began

October 2, 2016 by Asia

After two months in Ecuador, I find myself in my final moments here. I didn’t know how many weeks or months I would call this country home; I didn’t even know much about Ecuador before I arrived. I didn’t come with a plan. I came to begin my journey by volunteering with kids in Quito, and then I would see where the road would take me. It turns out that there were some pretty great people volunteering at the kid’s camp, and four of us started traveling together to see more of Ecuador.

My new travel buddies Hannah, Heidi, and Ben (all Kiwis!)

The city where it all began

I made new friends and had weekend getaways in Mindo and Baños. I had nights out at ridiculous nightclubs and experienced a real “ladies’ night.” I relaxed in natural hot springs. I did yoga in an open air Shala to views of the Andes. I hiked through villages, met beautiful Indigenous children, and climbed to a crater lake nearly 13,000 feet in the sky. I volunteered with All Hands and built bamboo houses for those affected by the earthquake. I partied in the beach party town on my birthday weekend. I saw boobies. (The blue-footed booby to be precise.) I swam with fish while tortoises and whales swam nearby. I biked down a road full of waterfalls. I made new friendships that will last a lifetime. I lived.

house

manta-window-group

I traveled north. I traveled south. I went inland and back to the coast. I took more buses than possible to count. I slept in dorm rooms, bunk beds, and tents on the beach. I had $2 lunches and ate #allthecarbs. I spoke English. I spoke Spanish. I spoke way too much Spanglish. I met travelers from New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Poland, France, England, Spain, Italy, United States, Canada, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, and Mauritius…just to name a few. I’ve already had the time of my life, and my travels are just beginning.

Soon I will head north with Hannah on 30 hours of bus rides to begin our stay in Colombia…a country that I’ve heard so much about and cannot wait to experience for myself! I am really beginning to appreciate this slow style of travel and immersion in a country. Two months in one place still doesn’t seem like enough, and I know I will miss this place I’ve called home for the past 9 weeks.

Ecuador, you’ve been so good to me. Thank you for the experiences and for all the memories. Nos vemos. There is still so much of you left to explore.

local-ecuadorian

Reflections (at 25 or 33)

September 23, 2016 by Asia

¡Hola mis queridos amigos!

I cannot tell if time is moving quickly or slowly here. Perhaps this is what living in the moment feels like? In addition to volunteering with Ecuadorian children, building bamboos houses, and going on hikes and adventures the past two months, I’ve also had a birthday! Celebrating a birthday amidst such a wanderlust time in my life was interesting. I knew it was my birthday, but in a lot of ways, it didn’t really matter. Every day here I get to celebrate life. Every day I find myself grateful for the opportunity I have to do this, for the new friends I’ve made, and for all the memories I have yet to make.

Having a birthday in Ecuador at an extreme party beach in Montañita did not do me wrong, however. (I’m also reminded of celebrating my 21st birthday at an iconic party beach by the name of Ibiza…but I digress.) I made a birthday weekend out of it and celebrated (a little too hard) with several volunteers from the All Hands project and my usual Kiwi crew.

When people asked how old I was and I responded with 33, most of them just stared at me in disbelief. I have gotten that I look young for my age most of my life, but even more so here on the road. Perhaps it’s my playful spirit? My face without makeup? My genes? (Thanks mom and dad!) It could also be that so many people down here are in their 20’s and assume that everyone else is too. While it doesn’t matter how old I am, I will say that it was fun to pretend like I was 25 for a bit. That was the most popular age guessed for me over the past few weeks, so at one point I just went with it and never revealed my true age (sorryyyy Max). But again, does age really matter? I don’t think so. I think what matters is as simple as just living your life, and not letting it go to waste, because time waits for no one. For me, right now, that means following my calling to travel.

In the wise words of one of the wandering souls I have met along the way: “If you have the opportunity to travel and don’t do so, you’re an asshole.” Well, I might not call you an asshole, but I will say that I agree to a certain extent. If you have the opportunity to do something in your life that you’ve always wanted to do, that calls to you, and that just feels right…but that is also a little bit scary and perhaps a bit risky…you better do it. Now. Consider it an early birthday present to yourself. Por favor. Reminder – time waits for no one.

And so as I reflect on a new year ahead of me, I feel content. I am reminded of how turning one idea into reality – to drop everything and go travel – has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life so far, at 25 or 33.

xo,

The Ageless Birthday Girl

The Kids of Quito

August 23, 2016 by Asia

The past 3 weeks I had the privilege of working at a children’s summer camp in Quito, Ecuador. I’ve never been a camp counselor, and my experience with children is pretty limited, but for some reason I was really drawn to this opportunity. I knew I would get to speak Spanish and play with Ecuadorian children in various parts of a new city every day. Come on. How fun is that?! There were approximately 100 children, and my age group was 5-6 year olds.

I found the job through an international volunteer site called Workaway and decided it would be a great spot to start my South American travels. I worked as a camp guide (the kids called me “profe” which is short for “profesora”) from 8-1 M-F along with 7 other volunteers in exchange for free lodging and breakfast. It was a great decision since I met so many amazing people! Our group consisted of: Hannah from New Zealand, Ben & Heidi from New Zealand, Joass from Germany, Julius from United States, Lais from Brazil & Merlin from France, and me. Everyone got along really well. The 4 singles/solo travelers shared and room, and the 2 couples had their own rooms. Bunking with two guys wasn’t without its challenges, but it was a good way to ease into the hostel living situation only having 4 to a room versus 10-12 people in some hostels. Let’s just say I’m glad I have noise-cancelling headphones on this trip!

We took the kids to so many places around Quito: parks, pools, amusement parks, museums, movies, and more. We could only speak Spanish with the children, the local Ecuadorian guides, and the drivers. It was a wonderful way to immediately immerse myself in the culture upon arrival. I may not have all of my college level Spanish back yet, but it’s coming to me with practice!

Last week I said goodbye to the kids from camp and tried not to shed a tear as I parted with my favorites, including a girl who lives in an orphanage. Earlier in the week, I had the opportunity to visit this foundation. It was my first time visiting such a place so I didn’t know how I would handle it. I held back a some tears and managed to keep myself together and really enjoyed playing with the children. The grounds were nice and there seemed to be an excellent staff and several volunteers. The children were sweet, and each one had a unique story as to why he or she was there. I spent time with a lot of 1-2 year olds in their room, and then played with the older 4+ year old kids outdoors on the playground. The goal for some of these children is to be reunited with their parents one day once they are in a good place. Others have no longer have parents in the picture so they are waiting for new ones. I am no where near ready to have kids in my life right now, but if I do decide to have them one day, I would consider adoption. This experience really opened me to the idea.

I can’t believe my time in Quito is already coming to an end, but there is still so much to see in Ecuador! I could easily spend months here, and maybe I will. (90 days is the maximum allowed for tourism in one stay.) I will be continuing the next part of my journey with 3 of my new friends from New Zealand. First we will be trekking in the mountains around Quilatoa, and then we will be volunteering on the coast of Canoa where the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck back in April. There, I will be sleeping in a tent on the beach and doing manual labor demoing and building bamboo houses. Definitely not city living. My internet will be spotty the next few weeks, but I hope to keep you updated on my travels periodically!

Have you done any international volunteering? Would you consider it?

A Little Town Called Mindo

August 16, 2016 by Asia

Mindo is a beautiful small town located just north of Quito, Ecuador. Nestled in the Andean foothills and surrounded by the Mindo-Nambillo Cloud Forest, it’s the perfect destination for a peaceful getaway. Plus, it’s only a 90 minute $3.10 bus ride from the northern bus terminal in Quito making it quite accessible.

The plaza.

I spent one night in town with four of my new friends from the city. Eager to get away from the hustle and bustle for a bit, we rented a house off the beaten path and brought supplies to make dinner and drinks.

Madeline, Jen, and me playing house.

We started the day walking around the enormous property. There was a river, waterfall, natural pool, and various trails. I felt lucky to have been invited to such a beautiful place! If you don’t have a hookup with the locals, you can stay cheaply for around $10/night in one of the many hostels near the center of town, and there is no shortage of public hiking and waterfalls.

The river on our property.

I immediately got a hippie vibe upon arrival. There were women selling homemade jewelry and families singing in the streets and restaurants for money. Everywhere I looked I saw a sign for a vegetarian restaurant and signs for quinoa this, and quinoa that. Could this be my heaven?

This is Steve, and this was our natural waterfall pool.

After we spent time enjoying nature, we ate and drank at the house before deciding to head into town to check out the “nightlife”. Sadly, this is when I was attacked by a bug…a red ant with very large pincers! When I saw a creature stuck inside my middle toe, I FREAKED OUT. (Don’t ask me why I didn’t wear sneakers.) I started jumping up and down on one foot, yelling “get it off me! get it off me!” I kept pulling on the invader, but it was stuck in between the toe and toenail. I probably looked like such a site to the taxi driver who was not so patiently waiting for us to get inside his pickup truck. Screaming, I straddled my new friend Steve and made him carry me to the truck. He couldn’t pull the ant off my toe either. Finally, Kevin saved the day with his tweezers and pulled the ant sideways out of my bleeding toe. Lovely. Once I was safe from the ants, I laughed hysterically about this for several hours. Mindo has bugs. Many, many bugs. #nature

This is Kevin. Not pictured – his tweezers.

After that debacle, we arrived in town and scoped out a few bars with a mix of locals and tourists. Mindo doesn’t exactly “go off”, but plenty of people are ready to enjoy a cocktail and dance to Latin music. We had a drink, bought yummy late night cake off a street vendor, and enjoyed some tasty thin crust pizza before trying to find a ride back up to our property.

I was pretty set on finding a 4×4 that could take us all the way up to the house, away from the crazy ants. The girls agreed. We’d rather sleep on the streets of Mindo than go through that again! No cabs or trucks to be found, we wandered the streets for nearly an hour trying to find a ride back to our property. (Small town.) A local who worked at one of the bars walked around with us for at least 30 minutes, talking to strangers on the street, telling us which doors to knock on of the unsuspecting sleeping Ecuadorians to see who might have a truck and be willing to drive us back. Yelling into sleeping strangers’ houses in the middle of the night was so foreign to me. These people would actually wake up and have a conversation with you…a stranger, begging for a ride. (Side note: This is also how we bought our vodka in northern Quito at 930am. Keep yelling/pestering/knocking, and eventually someone will open the door.)

We asked the man if he transports cows in this truck, to which he replied “Si. Vacas y gente y todo!”

In the end, we decided to pay a stranger hanging around outside the bar to stand in the back of his truck that normally transports cattle. We knew it wouldn’t make it all the way to the top of the hill, but it would have to do. I didn’t get attacked by ants again, but a large bat did fly into my bedroom and cause me to start shrieking and dive under the covers. Did I mention that Mindo is home to hundreds of species of birds and other wildlife? The animals were just ready to play with me I guess.

Sunday was a bit more low key, with no cocktails and no animal attacks. It mostly consisted of brunch, butterflies, and brownies. Perfect!

The butterfly farm was definitely a highlight. Normally I’d think twice about spending $6 on an activity, but this just felt right. The butterflies were so beautiful! I was like a giddy kid trying to feed them mashed banana on my finger.

On our way out, we grabbed the best chocolate brownie I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously, the best. It’s gooey and perfect. If you ever travel to Mindo, do not miss out on this brownie and head to the restaurant El Quetzal. They also have chocolate tours there and tons of vegetarian food options if you really want a treat. I even took brownie to-go orders for the other volunteers in Quito and brought back several extras! Also, the fresh yuca bread from the street vendors is a must try. Delicious.

pan de yuca

I’ve been to both Mindo and Baños one time each so far, and my initial impression is that Mindo is more laid-back and slightly less touristy than Baños, but both are definitely worth visiting. I hope to return one day!

What is one of your favorite under the radar spots?

My first 72 hours (or so) in Quito

August 2, 2016 by Asia

I made it to South America! My first few days in Quito, I slept, partied, explored, and ate #allthecarbs. I was also verryyy excited to discover that there are no mosquitos here. There is so much to share, but for my initial Quito post, here’s a quick play by play of my first weekend abroad.

Thursday 28/07/2016

11:30: I landed in Quito, breezed through customs (no one asked me for proof of onward travel) and had no problems leaving the airport. In fact, the new airport is quite nice! No one pressured me to use their taxi or car service, which is what I’ve previously been acustomed to in other international airports like Managua and Bangkok. I was the only person in the taxi line and was given the proper going rate taxi price of $25. Yes, I spent the big bucks in order to make it to my friend’s house the quickest, safest way in a new city. I still managed to keep to my $35/day budget, though!

12:30: I arrived at Jen & Jorge’s apartment as a last minute house guest for 3 nights. Jen and I met in the Girls LOVE Travel group on Facebook which has proven to be an amazing resource for me as I navigate solo travel for the first time. I brought them US provisions including Frank’s buffalo sauce and Reese’s peanut butter cups which are impossible to come by in Ecuador. Jen is from NJ and has been teaching English in Quito for 11 months, and Jorge is Ecuadorian, so what better a pair than to show me around the city for the first few days?

14:00: I had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant! Can you believe it?! They have several in Quito, actually. I got all of this for just $3.25. This is a big departure from my $12-15 lunches back home.

16:00: Nap, nap, nap, nap, nap. I nearly slept for 4 hours straight. I think I was worn out from the stress of getting here and then not sleeping much during my red-eye flight. Jen was teaching her night class, and Jorge was busy preparing for a presentation (he’s a law professor) so no one seemed to mind.

20:00: I went out for drinks & a pizza cone with Jen and some of her friends (a combination of English teachers and locals). A pizza cone is this interesting semi-tasty $2.00 carbolicious delicacy in Plaza Foch (the party center of Quito). They even have a vegetarian option. What more can a girl ask for?

Friday 29/07/2016

11:30: I enjoyed a late tigrillo breakfast with the Fulbright English teachers. Tigrillo is an amaaaazing mash of plantains, onions, and peppers severed with fried egg. It’s hearty and delicious. I’m pretty sure all our plates are cleared so you can’t see it here. Also, these are good people.

13:30: I found coffee on the way home and basically forgot where I was because I paid $1.70 for a tiny cup. That is way too much here! I’m finding that good coffee is hard to come by.

15:00: Jen, Jorge, and I took a $0.25 bus (now you can better understand how the $25 taxi compares) to a neighboring town, Cumbaya, for lunch at a friend’s restaurant. I don’t feel comfortable taking my iPhone around with me often (robbery is common here) so I can’t show you the photo of my ridiculousy huge plate of carbs upon carbs upon carbs. The vegetarian option they selected for me included potatoes, plantain, and corn prepared in at least 5 different ways. I also got half of an avocado and was so happy to find that it’s served in abundance in Quito and is quite cheap! Every California girl’s dream.

21:00: Jen, Jorge, and a bunch of Ecuadorian guys and I arrived early for 2 for 1 drinks at Bungalow, the infamous bar and nightclub in Plaza Foch. After enjoying our ridiculously strong cocktails discounted to $1.50 each, we danced until the club closed down.

Saturday 30/07/2016

14:00: After some much needed sleep, we explored Parque Itchimbia and enjoyed a food truck lunch. There was a vegetarian option at nearly every truck which completely blew my mind! The big city is making it fairly easy for me to eat vegetarian so far. The park was full of activities, including free concerts. It was a beautiful day, and I already adore the parks in Quito.

16:00: Next we walked around Parque El Ejido which has local art vendors and is in the Old Centre of Quito. I wish I could buy a painting while I’m here, but I’m traveling too light for that. Everyone who sees my pack comments on how small it is. So far, I am very happy with my decision to minimize although I have to pack and unpack daily. I also tried humitas for the first time. You can get this steamed corn snack sweet (de dulce) or salty (de sal) with a coffee (un cafe). I selected una humita de sal con cafe for $0.75. (Remember how much I paid for a coffee yesterday? Exactly. Also remember how I said I ate all the carbs? Lol. Yesss.)

22:00: I was peer pressured into having my second $2 pizza cone. Don’t judge me. I shook my booty again at Bungalow, this time with another group of friends. They play a mix of Latin and American music at this spot which is quite fun! I also learned that Wednesday is “ladies night” in Quito which means free drinks. I definitely think that fits into my budget while I’m in this city.

Sunday 31/07/2016

13:30: I semi-tried a typical Ecuadorian coastal lunch called “encocado mixto” with fish and chicken at another friend’s house. (Jen and Jorge know a lot of people!) I couldn’t eat much, but was planning to try and eat the fish…until I saw its face. I just couldn’t do it. I took my phone out with me since we took taxis everywhere that day (which is safer than walking), so here’s a photo of the group! The chef and host is to my right.

16:00: Parque Itchimbia take two. I can’t get enough of this place, and I wanted some more pictures. In addition to live music, they also had a DJ playing and hula hoops set out everywhere! Fun for the entire family.

18:00: After a whirlwind weekend, I arrived at my hostel and home for the next 3 weeks while I volunteer as a guide for a local kids’ summer camp. I have ages 5 & 6. Eek! Wish me luck! More to come on the camp, how it feels to speak Spanish again, and volunteering abroad soon. (Less to come on partying and napping.)

As they say in Ecuador, ciao!