Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Hola!

I'm officially in Quito, Ecuador! A very quick recap of my experience so far:

Aug 14: Traveled from PDX to Houston and Houston to Quito! Didn't get in til after 1am after quite the adventure getting though customs, finding my taxi driver, and trying to understand rapid Spanish in the wee hours of the morning.

Aug 15: Christina met me at the hostel and we went up the highest gondola in the world! It's about 4,100m (over 13,000ft). Walking and talking was a challenge - my "resting" heart rate was about 90bpm. Amazing views though:


We then went to lunch in Old Town and Christina managed to find me a vegetarian option (thank goodness she is fluent!). Naps were in order in the afternoon and then we had dinner at our awesome hostel!

Aug 16 (today!): Had a nice relaxing morning! Elysse arrived last night so she and I went on a walking tour of Old Quito done by the hostel. It was awesome - saw lots of very neat things. We had to be careful though - Quito is very dangerous for tourists. We've met many people at the hostel who have had their cameras stolen, purses snatched, etc. We carry almost nothing. Here's a pic of us on the tour:


We had lunch out and have been taking it easy tonight. Quito is at over 9,000ft so climbing the hills and stairs around the city can be tiring! 

All in all it's been an awesome two days! I've met amazing people, eaten delicious (cheap!) food, and seen lots! 

Look for more exciting posts, pictures, and cool info about Ecuador soon! 

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