Day 2

7.18.2011


Quito!

After a night of good rest in the fanciest hotel I have ever stayed in (that cost us a whopping $2), We headed out to the Supermax to get water, shampoo, and toothpaste; the Supermax was one of my favorite cultural experiences so far--eggs NOT in the refrigerated section, milk in bags, and the shampoo all in one section, with the 2-in-1 in the middle, and the conditioner on the other side; even shampoo and conditioner of the same brand were separated.

Then we found a sign that said cafeteria (really the first place that had any sign of food that wasn't pricey) and had the most delicious lunch I have had in months. Milanesa, who knew, comes with queso in Ecuador, but after swapping plates, Arturo and I were both satified. I had a Churazco Mexicano, beef with egg on top, and he, of course, the milanesa. Full, we set out to explore, but found ourselves a bit lost amid the maze of streets and phantom tourst information centers. Finally, we set out to find a museo to explore, and decided to try to Museo Etnohistorico de Artesanias de Ecuador, where we saw all sorts of artifacts from the native people of the Amazon. It made me more excited to explore that area of the country, and Arturo, possibly a little more freaked out. My favorite was seeing the weapons that they use to paralize, not kill animals, with tiny poisonous arrows, are shot using only the power of human breath. The museum has some very unclear explanations, but all in all, very interesting and made me excited about learning more about the cultures of people across Ecuador.

After that, we headed across town to what is called Old Town, where all the old buildings and churches are. Once we settled into our hostel, The Secret Garden, with a beautiful rooftop terrace, we headed out to find that Old Town is pretty dead at night. There were people out and about, but not many restaurants still open. We finally found a pizza place, Ecuadorian pizza, they called it. Not authentic, but we have more time for that. Then we headed back to our quaint, though a little pricey (a whole $15 per person per night, ha!) home for the night to plan our route to conquer Old Town and hopefully recover Arturo's camera tomorrow. Let's hope we do recover it, or else you won't get to see the pictures of the creepy statues of the spirits worshipped by different tribes in the Ecuadorian Amazon. They were creepy enough to give the entire room a sense of darkness--Arturo sensed it more than me. But if not, oh well, that's what happens on vacation. C'est la vie. Go with the flow. Asi es la vida. Buenas noches amigos!