The middle of the world

Ever wondered how to shrink a head?? Ya me either but here are the instructions just in case you decide you might be into that sort of thing. Step 1-12 is all it takes and you too can shrink heads!! The above shrunken head (of a child mind you) is 155 years old.



While we were in Quito we decided to take a trip to the middle of the world, latitude zero. If you don't believe me just try draining water right on the line of the equator. No spinning what so ever but if you try it a foot to the north it spins counter clockwise and a foot to the south clockwise!!! It's crazy and I wish I had videoed it so I could show you but unfortunately I didn't and the pictures don't do it justice, also uploading video here is nearly impossible due to how slow the internet is.




This is Jimmy on the street in Quito just being a rock star with his new glasses :) The hostel is amazing, we have stayed there three times and it's cozy and right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of everything (including the below adorable woman selling fruit in the streets). The show was unfortunately canceled due to tax issues so it was a quiet and relaxing evening, I had zero complaints.




They plant the crops all the way up the mountain. It's mostly corn that I've seen being grown but I've heard of potatoes and coffee also among other things. The country side is beautiful but the cities and towns are occasionally quite rough. All though people get by it's hard to watch how trash is thrown to the ground without a second thought and dogs and cats dwindle away to nothing before taking their last breath in the streets. We have all taken to feeding them when we can, even going as far as to carry scraps home with us in case we cross the path of an animal in need, Sarah McLachlan would be proud ;)


I had two Thanksgiving meals in the week before leaving home but I still longed for a piece of pumpkin pie when the day rolled around, don't be jealous of my Thanksgiving meal. Really though, can you actually eat something that looks like that!?? Ugh I lost my appetite just looking at the picture. Even though I have been unimpressed by the food I did have the best veggie burger of my life here, mmmmmmmmm I should have gotten enough to carry with me the rest of the trip.

Tonight I again miss hot showers but most of all good customer service. I waited two and a half hours for my sandwich tonight and still paid for it. If I was able to speak Spanish I'd be giving someone a piece of my mind. We are leaving Montanitas in the morning and I will hopefully be able to post pictures from those days soon. The beach was fun but not as warm as I had hoped, I did put my swimming suit on but I will not be sporting any tan lines to prove it. Even though the water was somewhat warm the weather was not hot enough to entice me.

Congrats to Kirstin and Kiera who have both delivered healthy baby boys, so excited to meet them!

A day in a life in Ecuador

These are some pictures from our stroll in the "Old Town" area of Quito.




This was taken at the Conciertos Feria Internacional del Libro in Quito. I will hopefully upload a video when I'm able to get fast enough internet to do so.


So a few things I've learned here in Ecuador: If you think you hear the ice cream truck don't get too excited, it's actually the garbage truck letting everyone know they should bring their garbage out. Make sure you always know what it is you are eating, Cuy = Guinea pig (luckily I'm on a no meat at all no matter what diet here). If you wake up in the morning and it's sunny and nice, don't think that will last (it always rains at least once a day). If you are a breakfast person I hope you are good with eggs or wait should I say yoke? They serve the runny of runniest eggs. I've been sticking to toast and juice. Don't expect to sleep soundly, something will always wake you up whether it's the roosters, dogs, people, airplanes and most commonly car alarms ..... you won't be sleeping in. Ecuadorian food is very very very different than Mexican food or good food at all actually, I'm speaking for myself of course. They use US money in Ecuador which I didn't know before I came, nice actually. I found out where all the Sacajawea coins went - Here!!



All in all it's been fun checking out the culture and seeing the country. My stomach has been angry for the last several days but seems to be doing much better. I'm looking forward to heading south tomorrow and defrosting my bones. I am grateful today to live in the United States, I love the freedoms that I have and the ability to be and do whatever I want. I thankful to have four walls on my house and a toilet that flushes everything down that I need it to. I'm thankful for tissue, heaters, soft pillows, hot water, sunshine and of course my family and friends. Love you all very much :)

Tour de Ecuador

Buenos Días

Ecuador is amazing and freezing!! I've only been warm twice since I've been here, well three times if you count my first warm shower (well first shower at all actually since I've been here) I had last night. The photos unfortunately loaded backwards so the first photos are the most recent and the last are the oldest. Yesterday we hiked into the jungle and were surrounded by beauty. After several hours of hiking and sending a few back to the car to recover we reached the near top of a mountain where we could hear the incredible sounds and breathe in the fresh air. Along the path (well the path made for us by machetes) we discovered many insects, fruits and flowers- all spectacular. Whats a little hike in the jungle without a whole lot of mud right? We bought rain boots to hike in which helped tremendously however I still ended up soaked and covered in mud with boots full of water, all in a days work in Ecuador I suppose.






















The first show the guys played (in Otaval0) was nothing to write home about, they started playing around 11pm where six or seven people stood to hear them. They played a short set and chalked it up to practice. The next day however was incredible. We stopped in Ibarra at a outdoor festival of sorts where people were packed in to hear music and bands were taking turn on stage. What was originally supposed to be just two songs turned in to about five after the crowd chanted for more. Many dreadlocks with Bob Marley attire danced and smiled. Afterward they were swarmed with eager hands and ears, everyone wanted a CD, a picture or just to rub elbows with the guys (it was a proud moment). We were then rushed off back to Otavalo where they played a second show at Jala Jala (the club) and had a great turn out. People danced, smiled and enjoyed the music. The posters around town were of great motivation I believe, how fun to see your face plastered around Ecuador!







We have been staying in some really fun places, the last place we were at had about ten acres for us to all romp around in. Again the sounds are so awesome, you have no idea what you are hearing but are in awe to listen. We were surrounded by avocado trees, pomegranates, oranges, bananas and even poinsettias. Amongst the beauty we found this fun spider hanging from the rafters









The food has been hmmm well different. I do believe I may come back lighter then when I went to India. Corn is a main staple in the North which I'm not typically a fan of but they prepare it in the most peculiar ways and I'm actually enjoying it. Below is an appetizer we were served on our first day and I'm not sure how they did it but the corn has the consistency of a potato. With it is a slice of queso fresca (cheese) which was also delicious. Almost everything we have been served has meat floating in it (lots of soups here) or diced inside and unfortunately their manager here typically orders food for us ahead of time so you get what you get. The good news however is it's usually served in 3-4 courses so I usually find something I like even if it is just the dessert.






This is a little sample of a street performance we witnessed, these are natives to the area and the music was incredible. Unfortunately were didn't stay long to watch but you'll get the idea.



All in all it's been a lot of fun, no one has killed each other yet and even though we have only been here three days I swear it's been a week (not sure if that's good or bad). We are off to Quito today on a bus (that should be fun) where they perform with two other bands in a benefit concert of sorts. I'll try and post again in a few days, the internet availability is few and far between due to our lack to stay in one place for too long and the crazy rush we are always in to get somewhere even though when we arrive we typically are waiting for hours (not sure if that's a cultural thing or what but I'm not a fan).

Ciao (and yes they do say that here, strange but true).

Ecuador, T-2 days

Two full days to get all the things done we need to before we leave for our 18 day adventure. For those of you that don't know I will be piggy backing on the Carlos Cornia tour de Ecuador (yep basically a groupie). I'm not sure you can ever be fully prepared for a place you have never been, mentally however I am already there (if only someone would back my bag). Not sure how often I will be able to blog while there but I do plan on documenting the trip as much as I possibly can with video and photos. I am the unofficial photo journalist so even if I don't get it all posted while we are there I will be sure to fill you in on all the missing links when we get back. Check their website http://www.carloscornia.com/ for where exactly we will be on specific dates. We leave early Thursday morning and will be arriving back in the states on December 7th. Don't be surprised if your Christmas gift is from Ecuador this year :) Also good luck to Kiera Haddock and Kirstin Patten that will be delivering beautiful baby boys while we are away, I can't wait to love them up when we get home.