More Photos (Part 2)

For our second tour with the Spanish tutor we went to Mitad Del Mundo. A museum located on the equatorial line (I guess there are several of these here). This one had some cool interactive displays to illustrate that you were really on the line.

A vertical sundial.

 

A photo of our little group (from the left): My tutor's uncle and our driver, Renee; My very tall friend Kate; me (obviously); and my awesome tutor, Zayra

 

Kate balancing an egg on a nail.

Trying to walk the (equatorial) line. It was much harder than it looks.

 

Illustrations and a specimen of the ancient practice of head shrinking by the indigenous people of the jungle. Apparently, they no longer practice this custom.  

The people of the jungle don't wear clothes due to the temperature and humidity and they tie their private parts up to avoid getting them hooked on things while hiking/working in the jungle.  Ouch.

We also visited a crater near the museum.  It was amazingly beautiful and peaceful.  About 300 people live in this isolated place. I'm not sure if you can see the little houses down there.

 

Next week we head to an indigenous market located just outside the city. Stay tuned for more photos!

More Photos (Part 1)

I have found an amazing tutor to help me learn Spanish. One day per week we do a 2 hour lesson in my house and one day we go on a tour somewhere in the city for a more interactive learning experience. It's been a great way to learn and I feel like I am getting better every week.

Last week she took me back to the Old City and I took some more photos.  We visited the Basillica again but this time went inside and climbed to the top (well, I didn't make it all the way to the top due to my sprained knee that is still on the mend, but I got pretty high).
From the front:

 

Inside:

Views from the highest points I made it to:

  

Note the Winged Virgin Mary in the far distance.

 

The city seems to roll on forever through the mountains.

This rickety wooden bridge with rope railings took you from one tower to the next. They never would have allowed the general public in this space in America.  

I found it ironic that this was the first precaution sign I saw in the whole place and it was located on the FAR side of the bridge just below this ladder that people could climb up (I chose not to climb the ladder.  Trying to make better decisions to let my knee heal fully.)  That's Kate at the top telling me that I had made a good decision:

We also visited La Ronda, a very famous pedestrian only colonial era street that is supposed to be rockin' on Friday nights.  We plan to head down there sometime very soon:

  

TV is 'Different' Here

As a self admitted life long TV addict, I'm sure some of you are wondering what I have been doing to get my fix here in Quito. The truth is, I am excited to be forcibly removed from the source of my addiction. Towards the end of our time in Warwick, I was watching a gross amount of TV. I mean hours and hours everyday. Even with my DVR I was having trouble keeping up with my schedule. There were too many shows to watch! Honestly, the fact that I was so hopelessly addicted to the TV was a motivating factor to moving to Ecuador. It was time for a change and I needed to get off my couch.

While we were looking forward to watching less TV, we had no intentions of going cold turkey upon our arrival. So, we bought 2 TVs and quickly signed up for the best service available here - DirectTV.  We get an odd hodgepodge of American channels including - WB, E!, MTV, Bio, History, Discovery, TBS, A&E, FX, Fox, TNT, NatGEO, TLC etc.

While this list may seem robust, none of the channels are playing the same content that you'd see in the states. We get a LOT of '90s sitcoms.  They LOVE Friends and Seinfeld.  But, oddly, they also play a ton of the Big Bang Theory, King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, and my least favorite - Two and a half Men.  Of course, as is true in America, Law and Order is on some channel at all times. None of the channels are playing anything current, so I wont be watching any of the fall season's shows.

The main networks - NBC, ABC, CBS are not available through any of the service providers unfortunately. But, I have discovered a few pirate websites that let us stream them via a local Pennsylvania station. Its funny to watch and get the local news and weather.

Anyway, it's not so bad. I like that I watch so much less TV and that I appreciate the few things I do watch. Several websites wont let me stream their shows on-line from here, so I am officially off all the Real Housewives, which I don't mind, but I am missing Bill Mahar.  Of course, have no fear, Spencer purchased the NFL Game Pack on-line so he has access to every Football game this fall.  He is all set.

It's the little things...

Sometimes it's the little things that make you feel like you're getting somewhere. Last night I managed to order Domino's Pizza to our apartment. The person on the other end of the line didn't speak any English and yet I was able to convey our order, address and other pertinent information.  I dare say, my Spanish is actually improving! And we had some good old American pizza to enjoy during the football game.

We also had great luck with getting a little more furniture this weekend. So the apartment is really shaping up. I promise to post some photos this week.

Finally, I had a great appointment on Friday with a physical therapist from Argentina who was recommended by one of Spencer's colleagues. She confirmed that I did sprain my knee and promises to have me walking (more) normally soon. I had been healing well, but felt like I had plateaued and was eager to see a specialist. After only one appointment, I already feel better. I'm heading back today for some more massaging and such and hope to keep improving!

Photos

Yesterday we went over to a friend's place so Spencer could help dig a hole for a greenhouse.  They live in a beautiful house in an awesome neighborhood with a HUGE yard. I admitted to them that I am a little jealous. But, maybe we can find a place like that for next year. Anyway, took this photo of the guys digging:

After the guys were done with their hard labor we enjoyed a beer on their terrace and watched this beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, there was a fire on the mountainside (happens a lot during the dry season) so the view was marred by the smoke.

Cooking Fail

I've been trying a little cooking this week, inspired by my cooking lesson last weekend. Monday, I made a great fish dish with lots of lime and garlic (my favorite flavor combo). Wednesday, I made tacos. They don't have my favorite Old El Paso taco seasoning packets here so I had to make my own spice blend. It didn't suck. I think the recipe needs some refinement and some heat, but it's a start.
Last night, I simply tried to make hot dogs thinking it would be an easy task. When faced with the plethora of hot dog options at the store the other day, I grabbed a pack that looked normal, but mostly because the lady in front of me grabbed it. With so many new things to try, my selection process is based on few criteria right now.
Anyway, I tried to heat up my hot dogs in a pan last night and after a while noticed that something strange was happening. They were covered in PLASTIC!! It was so weird, why would they be covered individually in plastic that was so tightly wrapped that I didn't notice until they got hot and it started to shrink up. Anyway, with no other food options in the house, we set down to carefully pulling the plastic off our cooked dogs so we could eat them. Hopefully, we didn't eat too many carcinogens from the cooked plastic and we don't get sick. You can't take anything for granted here in Ecuador!

Morning View

Had to take a moment this morning to appreciate this view from one of our three balconies. I love how much outdoor space we have considering we live on the fourth floor. I hope to find some outdoor furniture this week so we can spend some more time out there.

It's going to be another beautiful day in Quito: