The summer has gotten off to a rousing start...I moved to South Deerfield the week after I got home, and am now mostly settled in. That was all well and good, until I was on my way home from job-hunting on Thursday night. Craig and I had just stopped at Starbucks and had a coffee and an orange juice, respectively. I pulled up behind a car that was sitting in the street, waiting to make a left turn. We were there for quite a while, just minding our own business and chatting, when suddenly another car hit us from behind, crumpling the trunk and pushing us into the waiting car.
The cops must have been bored; we attracted six cruisers as well as a firetruck and an ambulance. Craig and I rode in the ambulance to the hospital - he the potential injury, I the accompanying friend. The verdict, a couple of hours later, was a concussion. It turned out that although he had been wearing his seatbelt, he had just leaned forward to grab something off the floor when the other car hit us, and his head encountered the A-pillar with some force. He's got a nice mark to show for it, too.
Craig: http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/DSC_1123.jpg
Peeves' modifications!
Front: http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/DSC_1133.jpg
Back: http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/DSC_1128.jpg
Coffee and OJ everywhere: http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/DSC_1129.jpg
My guess was that the guy was about my age and a UMass student. Craig's guess was that he was high on something, because he kept trying to start his car, saying, "I gotta get out of here, I gotta get out of here." At that point his engine was under my gas tank, and all the fluids that had ever been in his car were running down the street into the gutter.
The next day we found out that he was 19, a UMass student, and was arrested on OUI. He was not only driving dad's car, but a company car...and I'm guessing daddy isn't pleased.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Rat
And just to lie loose ends together, here's the full photo story of the dead rat at Galo Plaza.
February:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1478.jpg
March:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1597.jpg
April:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1708.jpg
After the third picture, I thought it was gone, because I didn't see it for a while...but it turned out I was just being unobservant, as I found it one last time on my way home from school on Friday.
May:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2093.jpg
February:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1478.jpg
March:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1597.jpg
April:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1708.jpg
After the third picture, I thought it was gone, because I didn't see it for a while...but it turned out I was just being unobservant, as I found it one last time on my way home from school on Friday.
May:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2093.jpg
The Last Week and an Overview
I am sitting in the Houston airport as I write this, on a five-hour layover between my flight from Quito and my flight to Boston. I haven’t written anything in the last week because Alex was here and we kept ourselves busy – besides, I’ve already written about the tourist sites. After all, I’ve been to La Mitad del Mundo four times now, Pichincha twice, and the Panecillo three times. They don’t really change much, no matter how many times you check.
This week went by remarkably fast compared to those previous, probably because it was the last, and because I had company. Alex stayed in the house with me and mom, and mom was glad to have her. On Thursday night she made a big typical dinner for the two of us and we ate in the dining room, which is too fancy for everyday use. She cried as she toasted us over dinner, and cried again when I actually left this morning. I was too exhausted and wired at 4am to feel any emotion myself.
I went out with the girls last night for one last hurrah at Dragonfly. Braulio was supposed to come too, but he never showed, and we couldn’t contact him since he lost his cell phone again. I was home by 10 o’clock, and thankfully the new drivers I had downloaded that afternoon for the (in)famous antenna setup worked on mom’s laptop. As I was about to climb on the roof Friday afternoon and degeek everything, she offered to buy the antenna and everything off me so I wouldn’t have to take it back. I jumped at the chance, and only charged her the original price for the antenna itself and not any of the other parts, grateful not to have to pack it and drag it through the airport. Security isn’t fond of large suitcases full of mysterious electronic parts and wires.
~ Monday afternoon ~
The trip was uneventful; my first flight left about ten minutes late, and that was the only problem I had the entire day…which, given my five-hour layover in Houston, wasn’t a problem at all. I got into Boston right at ten, spent a horrified three dollars on a Smart Cart, and grabbed my checked bags. I tried to call Craig, but he wasn’t answering his phone. I sent him a text to say that I was in pickup, and he called me right back…turned out that, not having gotten used to my US phone yet, I had called his house several times by mistake instead of his cell.
We stopped for coffee, and then he let me drive the truck the rest of the way home. Driving is definitely one of the things I missed most while I was away. I’m going to be really glad to have my car back again.
This whole readjustment thing is interesting. I don’t think it’s going to be horrible or stressful like the dire warnings printed in my study-away handbook, but it’s definitely noticeable. Walking off my first flight through the huge concourses of the Houston airport, I had a non-stop mental commentary going on everything around me, from how unbelievably big the airport was to a funny spotted bus I saw out the window – painted entirely yellow, windows and all, with black leopard spots all over it. I stopped at the first Starbucks I passed for a coffee, and nearly had a heart attack at the price. Four dollars for a small coffee? I’m used to half that or less. I had lunch in a diner, where chicken fingers and orange juice came to almost thirteen dollars, and decided I was done eating in the ariport for the day.
Gas prices here are about $3.70 a gallon…I know, I know, you all know that, but it’s a shock to the one who’s used to seeing $1.40 for middle-grade, in a city that doesn’t even have low-grade. Diesel in Quito was $1.04 when I left.
So now that I’m home again, I can look at the trip overall and say that while it wasn’t exactly as I expected, it was a good experience. When you leave, everyone tells you, “The first few weeks will be hard while you adjust, but one you get used to it, you won’t want to leave!”
For me, it was almost the opposite. There was no culture shock when I got there, no frustrated weeks of being unable to understand what was going on around me and unable to communicate. I adjusted far better and faster than I thought I would, but it didn’t make me want to stay there. That phrase “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there” applies nicely. I’ve learned that as interesting as cities are, I don’t like city life. I’ve learned a lot of Spanish, which was of course the purpose of the whole trip, and probably one of my favorite parts: being able to communicate in another language. I’ve learned that it’s possible to communicate even when your language skills are limited. Overall, I’ve learned that while I love to travel, I need to have a place to come home to every now and then, to let the mental batteries recharge. Four months is a long time to be away from home.
One of these days, maybe in a year or two, I’ll go back to Quito again for a visit. My mom told me and Alex that anytime we’re coming back, all we have to do is call and we can stay with her. Until then she and I can keep in touch by mail (the paper variety; internet isn’t so reliable down there). So here I am – I have much better Spanish, some souvenirs, a lot of pictures, a nice tan, and more knowledge about myself. Really, what could be better?
To finish up, a bunch of pictures from the last two weeks…
A storm rolls into Quito:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2008.jpg
The antenna:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2010.jpg
Last party on my roof!
Marie and Edu:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2012.jpg
Liz:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2023.jpg
Alex arrives for our last week!
Liz and Alex in Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2032.jpg
Alex and me, Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2033.jpg
Liz and me, Nobar, the effects of Blue Curacao:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2034.jpg
Alex dances with an Ecuadorian, Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2035.jpg
Me and Alex, Inti Ñan solar museum (the real equator):
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2037.jpg
I balanced the egg!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2038.jpg
Marie on the Telefériqo:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2042.jpg
Hillside art on Pichincha:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2045.jpg
Marie, horrified at the “escape route:”
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2047.jpg
Marie escapes Pichincha!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2048.jpg
Alex on the rock:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2052.jpg
Marie on the rock:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2055.jpg
Me on the rock (again):
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2057.jpg
A storm rolls over Quito, but from a much cooler view:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2054.jpg
A cloudy day on Pichincha:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2058.jpg
Graffiti (means, “With petroleum and copper, Ecuador is poorer”):
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2062.jpg
A trip to the Caracol for another earring:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2065.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2066.jpg
Our last Ladies’ Night at Bungalow, Wednesday:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2068.jpg
Fishface Alex:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2078.jpg
Fishface Liz:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2080.jpg
Alex and me:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2083.jpg
I laugh at Alex and Liz as they get really drunk:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2085.jpg
A lemon-turned-devil at Diablos, Thursday night:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2090.jpg
The dead-looking dog that hangs around 6 de Diciembre and Galo Plaza:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2092.jpg
Park by Los Sauces, used equally as a urinal and a spot to nap:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2094.jpg
Ecovía marker:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2095.jpg
My house:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2097.jpg
One last photo of my garden:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2100.jpg
A last geek moment before I leave - telephone tech support for mom’s computer. (The tech on the other end was Craig):
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2106.jpg
Me, mom, and Alex, the night we dropped Alex off at the airport:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2124.jpg
Here in the US, we say to children that the Tooth Fairy comes and takes their teeth during the night and leaves money in exchange. We learned in the last day of class that in Ecuador, it’s not a fairy, but a rat. Joking around about waking up to find a rat in your bed stealing your teeth, we start imitating the Tooth Rat:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2125.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2126.jpg
Last night out, Marie, me, and Liz:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2130.jpg
What happens when a sewer grate goes missing? Well, stuff falls in the sewer. I’m just glad it wasn’t me:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2131.jpg
My last view of Quito, from the window of C0654:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2133.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2142.jpg
This week went by remarkably fast compared to those previous, probably because it was the last, and because I had company. Alex stayed in the house with me and mom, and mom was glad to have her. On Thursday night she made a big typical dinner for the two of us and we ate in the dining room, which is too fancy for everyday use. She cried as she toasted us over dinner, and cried again when I actually left this morning. I was too exhausted and wired at 4am to feel any emotion myself.
I went out with the girls last night for one last hurrah at Dragonfly. Braulio was supposed to come too, but he never showed, and we couldn’t contact him since he lost his cell phone again. I was home by 10 o’clock, and thankfully the new drivers I had downloaded that afternoon for the (in)famous antenna setup worked on mom’s laptop. As I was about to climb on the roof Friday afternoon and degeek everything, she offered to buy the antenna and everything off me so I wouldn’t have to take it back. I jumped at the chance, and only charged her the original price for the antenna itself and not any of the other parts, grateful not to have to pack it and drag it through the airport. Security isn’t fond of large suitcases full of mysterious electronic parts and wires.
~ Monday afternoon ~
The trip was uneventful; my first flight left about ten minutes late, and that was the only problem I had the entire day…which, given my five-hour layover in Houston, wasn’t a problem at all. I got into Boston right at ten, spent a horrified three dollars on a Smart Cart, and grabbed my checked bags. I tried to call Craig, but he wasn’t answering his phone. I sent him a text to say that I was in pickup, and he called me right back…turned out that, not having gotten used to my US phone yet, I had called his house several times by mistake instead of his cell.
We stopped for coffee, and then he let me drive the truck the rest of the way home. Driving is definitely one of the things I missed most while I was away. I’m going to be really glad to have my car back again.
This whole readjustment thing is interesting. I don’t think it’s going to be horrible or stressful like the dire warnings printed in my study-away handbook, but it’s definitely noticeable. Walking off my first flight through the huge concourses of the Houston airport, I had a non-stop mental commentary going on everything around me, from how unbelievably big the airport was to a funny spotted bus I saw out the window – painted entirely yellow, windows and all, with black leopard spots all over it. I stopped at the first Starbucks I passed for a coffee, and nearly had a heart attack at the price. Four dollars for a small coffee? I’m used to half that or less. I had lunch in a diner, where chicken fingers and orange juice came to almost thirteen dollars, and decided I was done eating in the ariport for the day.
Gas prices here are about $3.70 a gallon…I know, I know, you all know that, but it’s a shock to the one who’s used to seeing $1.40 for middle-grade, in a city that doesn’t even have low-grade. Diesel in Quito was $1.04 when I left.
So now that I’m home again, I can look at the trip overall and say that while it wasn’t exactly as I expected, it was a good experience. When you leave, everyone tells you, “The first few weeks will be hard while you adjust, but one you get used to it, you won’t want to leave!”
For me, it was almost the opposite. There was no culture shock when I got there, no frustrated weeks of being unable to understand what was going on around me and unable to communicate. I adjusted far better and faster than I thought I would, but it didn’t make me want to stay there. That phrase “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there” applies nicely. I’ve learned that as interesting as cities are, I don’t like city life. I’ve learned a lot of Spanish, which was of course the purpose of the whole trip, and probably one of my favorite parts: being able to communicate in another language. I’ve learned that it’s possible to communicate even when your language skills are limited. Overall, I’ve learned that while I love to travel, I need to have a place to come home to every now and then, to let the mental batteries recharge. Four months is a long time to be away from home.
One of these days, maybe in a year or two, I’ll go back to Quito again for a visit. My mom told me and Alex that anytime we’re coming back, all we have to do is call and we can stay with her. Until then she and I can keep in touch by mail (the paper variety; internet isn’t so reliable down there). So here I am – I have much better Spanish, some souvenirs, a lot of pictures, a nice tan, and more knowledge about myself. Really, what could be better?
To finish up, a bunch of pictures from the last two weeks…
A storm rolls into Quito:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2008.jpg
The antenna:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2010.jpg
Last party on my roof!
Marie and Edu:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2012.jpg
Liz:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2023.jpg
Alex arrives for our last week!
Liz and Alex in Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2032.jpg
Alex and me, Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2033.jpg
Liz and me, Nobar, the effects of Blue Curacao:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2034.jpg
Alex dances with an Ecuadorian, Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2035.jpg
Me and Alex, Inti Ñan solar museum (the real equator):
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2037.jpg
I balanced the egg!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2038.jpg
Marie on the Telefériqo:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2042.jpg
Hillside art on Pichincha:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2045.jpg
Marie, horrified at the “escape route:”
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2047.jpg
Marie escapes Pichincha!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2048.jpg
Alex on the rock:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2052.jpg
Marie on the rock:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2055.jpg
Me on the rock (again):
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2057.jpg
A storm rolls over Quito, but from a much cooler view:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2054.jpg
A cloudy day on Pichincha:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2058.jpg
Graffiti (means, “With petroleum and copper, Ecuador is poorer”):
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2062.jpg
A trip to the Caracol for another earring:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2065.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2066.jpg
Our last Ladies’ Night at Bungalow, Wednesday:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2068.jpg
Fishface Alex:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2078.jpg
Fishface Liz:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2080.jpg
Alex and me:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2083.jpg
I laugh at Alex and Liz as they get really drunk:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2085.jpg
A lemon-turned-devil at Diablos, Thursday night:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2090.jpg
The dead-looking dog that hangs around 6 de Diciembre and Galo Plaza:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2092.jpg
Park by Los Sauces, used equally as a urinal and a spot to nap:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2094.jpg
Ecovía marker:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2095.jpg
My house:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2097.jpg
One last photo of my garden:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2100.jpg
A last geek moment before I leave - telephone tech support for mom’s computer. (The tech on the other end was Craig):
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2106.jpg
Me, mom, and Alex, the night we dropped Alex off at the airport:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2124.jpg
Here in the US, we say to children that the Tooth Fairy comes and takes their teeth during the night and leaves money in exchange. We learned in the last day of class that in Ecuador, it’s not a fairy, but a rat. Joking around about waking up to find a rat in your bed stealing your teeth, we start imitating the Tooth Rat:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2125.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2126.jpg
Last night out, Marie, me, and Liz:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2130.jpg
What happens when a sewer grate goes missing? Well, stuff falls in the sewer. I’m just glad it wasn’t me:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2131.jpg
My last view of Quito, from the window of C0654:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2133.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2142.jpg
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Living in Quito - It's Alarming
People in this city seem to be completely incompetent with their alarm systems, both in their cars and their houses. Car alarms are so common I barely even notice them anymore; there are several cars that park outside my house on a daily basis and set off their alarms on that same schedule. I’ve learned them all by sound (although not by sight; I haven’t bothered), so I hear a certain tone and length of chirp and go, “Yup, that car belongs here.”
More annoying than that are the car horns, although I think I’ve complained about that already. I know you’ve all heard about the gas trucks, so I won’t go there again. But even drivers who are just trying to get somewhere and not sell propane tanks seem to think that the best way to do it is to honk incessantly. It’s like the engine is somehow driven by the horn, and honking makes it run faster.
The most annoying of all, though, is the house and building alarms. They are instensely (alarmingly?) loud, and no one can seem to avoid setting them off on a regular basis. Three nights ago one went off in my neighborhood from midnight to about 8am; I can’t imagine why no one shut it off in those eight hours, but my lack of sleep can tell you with certainty that for whatever reason, they didn’t. The next night, the same alarm went off again, but thankfully it was shut off after less than twenty minutes.
This morning, and this is what’s prompting me to do all this bitching, two different alarms have gone off since I’ve been awake. The first one must have been right across the street, given the volume, and it sounded for ten minutes or so before being silenced. The one that’s currently annoying me started about an hour ago, but is different than the rest: it doesn’t go off constantly. It starts up, sounds for five or so seconds, then fades out (sounds like a Doppler effect almost), is silent for five or ten seconds, and then starts up again.
So my frustrated question is this: why have an alarm if you don’t know how to use the damn thing? It’s not like they draw any attention – note me, sitting here and getting annoyed instead of calling the police. The police undoubtedly wouldn’t care even if I did call. After all, they might not have the gas to get here. (Actually said to Liz’s dad; he called the police one night and was told that they had no gas, and that to get them out there, he would have to give them gas money. Having no choice, he did so.)
In other facets of city life, congratulations to Cari for being a self-defense hero last night. Liz and I went to Dragonfly, where we were waiting for Cari to show up. She came in about half an hour after we did, looking a little shaken. I asked what was wrong, and she said, "I almost just got robbed!"
"What happened?" Liz and I asked together.
"I couldn't find a taxi, so I was walking here," she explained. "I walked by these two guys, and then they came up to me, and one of them had a knife. I had my pepper spray, and I sprayed him in the eyes, but the other guy pushed me against the wall. I sprayed him too, and I thought he was going to kill me for spraying him, but he backed off and I ran."
Craig told me last night that Massachusetts attempted to make pepper spray illegal. What the hell is wrong with people?
More annoying than that are the car horns, although I think I’ve complained about that already. I know you’ve all heard about the gas trucks, so I won’t go there again. But even drivers who are just trying to get somewhere and not sell propane tanks seem to think that the best way to do it is to honk incessantly. It’s like the engine is somehow driven by the horn, and honking makes it run faster.
The most annoying of all, though, is the house and building alarms. They are instensely (alarmingly?) loud, and no one can seem to avoid setting them off on a regular basis. Three nights ago one went off in my neighborhood from midnight to about 8am; I can’t imagine why no one shut it off in those eight hours, but my lack of sleep can tell you with certainty that for whatever reason, they didn’t. The next night, the same alarm went off again, but thankfully it was shut off after less than twenty minutes.
This morning, and this is what’s prompting me to do all this bitching, two different alarms have gone off since I’ve been awake. The first one must have been right across the street, given the volume, and it sounded for ten minutes or so before being silenced. The one that’s currently annoying me started about an hour ago, but is different than the rest: it doesn’t go off constantly. It starts up, sounds for five or so seconds, then fades out (sounds like a Doppler effect almost), is silent for five or ten seconds, and then starts up again.
So my frustrated question is this: why have an alarm if you don’t know how to use the damn thing? It’s not like they draw any attention – note me, sitting here and getting annoyed instead of calling the police. The police undoubtedly wouldn’t care even if I did call. After all, they might not have the gas to get here. (Actually said to Liz’s dad; he called the police one night and was told that they had no gas, and that to get them out there, he would have to give them gas money. Having no choice, he did so.)
In other facets of city life, congratulations to Cari for being a self-defense hero last night. Liz and I went to Dragonfly, where we were waiting for Cari to show up. She came in about half an hour after we did, looking a little shaken. I asked what was wrong, and she said, "I almost just got robbed!"
"What happened?" Liz and I asked together.
"I couldn't find a taxi, so I was walking here," she explained. "I walked by these two guys, and then they came up to me, and one of them had a knife. I had my pepper spray, and I sprayed him in the eyes, but the other guy pushed me against the wall. I sprayed him too, and I thought he was going to kill me for spraying him, but he backed off and I ran."
Craig told me last night that Massachusetts attempted to make pepper spray illegal. What the hell is wrong with people?
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
DIE! Sincerely, Your Phone Company.
I don’t have a whole lot in the way of major events to keep you all up to date on…but I learned from my recent hiatus that my blog is missed when it goes on vacation! So I shall post more of my daily life for your entertainment. As boring as it is to me, I suppose it’s novel for anyone in a different country.
Let’s start with the mystery of the pipe-men. When I arrived in Quito, there was one guy who hung around on a street corner nearby, on my walk between home and the Ecovía stop. He had a small backpack and a pipe with a spigot. He never did anything as far as I could see, just sat on the kneewall at the edge of the sidewalk and watched people go by, always with pipe and spigot in hand.
After a little while, maybe a couple of weeks, he was joined by another guy, also with a backpack, pipe, and spigot. Soon the two of them were joined by a third backpacked man, but this one had a paint roller. Now, three and a half months later, there are twelve of them in the space of one block, most backpacked and all wielding either a pipe-and-spigot assembly or a paint roller. I have still never seen them do anything I would catorize as either active or useful. They just hang out, talk to each other, hold their spigots (yeah, that didn’t sound like I wanted it to), and always stare at me as I walk by. I have to wonder, if I come back here to visit in a year or two, how many will there be by then? Will they have launched a hostile takeover of Jipijapa?
The other amusement that comes immediately to mind is that I was just told to die by my phone company. No, there was no typo in that sentence. I received a text message about half an hour ago from Movistar, my cell phone service company, containing the following: “Muerete! pero de risa! Diviertete escuchando cachos el primero es GRATIS!RESPONDE este mensaje con la letra S y escucha un cacho por semana.” (All grammatical errors original to Movistar, not me.) This translates to, “Die! but of laughter! Amuse yourself listening to jokes the first is FREE!RESPOND this message with the letter S and listen to a joke every week.”
Only in Ecuador would my phone company, who I regularly pay money to, tell me to die.
Let’s start with the mystery of the pipe-men. When I arrived in Quito, there was one guy who hung around on a street corner nearby, on my walk between home and the Ecovía stop. He had a small backpack and a pipe with a spigot. He never did anything as far as I could see, just sat on the kneewall at the edge of the sidewalk and watched people go by, always with pipe and spigot in hand.
After a little while, maybe a couple of weeks, he was joined by another guy, also with a backpack, pipe, and spigot. Soon the two of them were joined by a third backpacked man, but this one had a paint roller. Now, three and a half months later, there are twelve of them in the space of one block, most backpacked and all wielding either a pipe-and-spigot assembly or a paint roller. I have still never seen them do anything I would catorize as either active or useful. They just hang out, talk to each other, hold their spigots (yeah, that didn’t sound like I wanted it to), and always stare at me as I walk by. I have to wonder, if I come back here to visit in a year or two, how many will there be by then? Will they have launched a hostile takeover of Jipijapa?
The other amusement that comes immediately to mind is that I was just told to die by my phone company. No, there was no typo in that sentence. I received a text message about half an hour ago from Movistar, my cell phone service company, containing the following: “Muerete! pero de risa! Diviertete escuchando cachos el primero es GRATIS!RESPONDE este mensaje con la letra S y escucha un cacho por semana.” (All grammatical errors original to Movistar, not me.) This translates to, “Die! but of laughter! Amuse yourself listening to jokes the first is FREE!RESPOND this message with the letter S and listen to a joke every week.”
Only in Ecuador would my phone company, who I regularly pay money to, tell me to die.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Shout Out
Shout out to Marie: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
(Yeah, so, it's a little late. But we celebrated on the day!)
(Yeah, so, it's a little late. But we celebrated on the day!)
Saturday, April 26, 2008
An Overdue Update
Sorry to have kept my loyal readers in suspense for so long - firstly I had a visitor for twelve days, and then the internet at my house died unexpectedly. I have spent the last several days sitting on my roof with my computer and dish antenna, trying to get connected to the rest of the world, and it just isn't happening. Right now I'm in a café with Liz, who also has no internet at her house.
Anyway, Craig got here on April 9th, three days earlier than he had originally planned. Since he was quitting his old job, his boss didn’t feel like flying him to the coference, so he told him he could stop working a week early and would still be paid. So he came down here on Wednesday instead of Saturday.
Craig's lunch on his first full day here:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1984.jpg
An unexpected hailstorm as we were leaving for Baños:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1985.jpg
The first weekend he was here, we went to Baños with Marie and Liz. Just getting there was an adventure. We grabbed a cab on Amazonas, and when I said “Terminal Terrestre, por favor,” the poor cabbie put his head in his hands and gave me a look that said, “Is that really necessary? Why me, God?” I saw why when we had to drive half way around the city, and then through a foot and a half of moving water in a flooded tunnel, and then over a washed-out road that had lost half its pavement. It was a $15 ride, where most rides within the city are $2 or $3. Once we were at the station, it was a four-hour bus ride…that turned into a six-and-a-half-hour bus ride when part of Tungurahua fell into the road. This is Ecuador: there’s no such thing as getting somewhere in a hurry. We got so bored sitting in the stopped bus that we started goofing around, climbing over each other, leaning out the windows, laughing at stuff that really wasn’t funny, and all the other wonderful stuff that comes from being trapped in a tin can in the dark for an undisclosed amount of time.
When we finally got there, we grabbed the first hostel we found, which turned out be unfortunate. It was inexpensive, but there was a mysterious puddle of muddy water in the bathroom, an open window between our bedroom and Marie and Liz’s bathroom, and apparently noise in the hall all night. Us three girls slept through it all, but when I woke up, I encountered an exceedingly grumpy Craig who hadn’t slept all night due to drunk yelling and rolling gas canisters. While sleeping through fire alarms may be dangerous, there are times when I’m extremely grateful to sleep as heavily as I do.
Anyway, that night we took a chiva (bus with a place to sit on the roof) halfway up the mountain. We thought it would take us all the way up, but apparently not; I guess it’s too dangerous for them to be dragging tourists up there. We stopped in a place that had grilled kebabs and people juggling fire, then went back down to the hostel. Tired from the stupid bus ride, we crashed early.
Cat on the hill:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT018.jpg
City from the mountain:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT008.jpg
Random grafitti:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT001.jpg
The next day we had breakfast in another hostel with a café, then wandered through town, what little there was of it. We took pictures off a bridge on one side of town, then found a small park with pretty trees and a friendly cat. Craig bought swim shorts and sandals in town, and Liz bought a bathing suit, and then we set about finding the thermal baths. After all, the town is named Baños for a reason.
Craig and I in the park:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT056.jpg
Flowers in the park:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT054.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT053.jpg
Can you get inappropriate with a poster? Craig finds a way:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT046.jpg
The scariest trash can I've ever seen:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT045.jpg
Advice for your safety: if the volcano explodes, hike!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT043.jpg
Craig and I on the bridge:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT039.jpg
We found the most popular bath and dragged all our stuff upstairs to the changing rooms. Unfortunately Craig’s new shorts were too small, so he sat and watched our stuff while the three of us went in the pools. We weren’t there long, although it was nice. After we had changed back into our clothes, we walked back to a place we had passed along the way that was renting ATVs and motorcycles. We rented a pair of dune buggies for three hours and took off, following a very badly-drawn map to a mysterious waterfall. After a couple of wrong turns and turn-arounds, we found the waterfall and stopped to eat lunch. I spilled most of my lunch on the ground and had to eat my chicken with a spoon, but it was still fun. After we ate we took it in turns to watch the backpacks while going on a little gondola-type-thing over the river to the other side, where the waterfall was. It was probably a 400-foot drop from the little metal people-basket to the bottom of the gorge, but remarkably I didn’t find it scary.
I got to drive the dune buggy back into town, which was the highlight of the day for me; I haven’t driven so much as a bicycle since I’ve been here, and it’s one of the things I miss most. I’m considering renting a motorcycle for a day before I leave, if I can save up the money. Anyway, we bought some taffy, something Baños is known for, stopped for lunch (again) in a café, and then found the bus back home. We were lucky and got to the station just in time to catch the last bus of the day back to Quito. There were no landslides or other disasters, and we made it back to the city in four hours. There was a gorgeous view of the volcano Cotopaxi on the way, as the sun was setting – the color of the horizon blended into the color of the base of the mountain, making it look like the peak was floating.
The Ecovía questioning your religion?
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1988.jpg
Quito, the City of Miscellaneous Holes:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1990.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1998.jpg
...and of Frightening Electrical Wiring Jobs:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1997.jpg
Sometime during the week we wandered into south Quito and found the Panecillo. I had been there before, on my first trip four years ago, but I didn’t remember the incredible view of the city. We climbed inside the statue, took pictures of the view, and then tried to find a cab to take us back down. There was one driver who asked us where we wanted to go, and then ignored us in favor of someone else. There was only one other cab on the hill, and when I asked him if he would take us to La Marín, he said something unintelligible and then told us to wait. He wandered off, returned five minutes later and said he was looking for someone, then wandered off again. While we waited, I bought a popsicle and sat down to eat it while Craig wandered around taking more picures. The cab driver came back again ten minutes later and said, “Ok, let’s go.” We got in the car and took off, and the two of us exchanged the same look when we were overcome by the smell of pot in the cab. “Oh well,” I shrugged. “It’s not like they drive well here anyway.”
We made it to La Marin just fine, though, and wandered around in the south district for a little while before heading back to the north. It wasn’t that same day, but a different afternoon that we headed into La Marin to wander around. We found a mall that seemed to consist entirely of vendors of stolen electronics, and being the pair of geeks we are, I think we must have spent two hours there. Craig found a two-way handheld and had me ask how much it was. The vendor told me $60, and I translated while Craig bargained the guy down to $50. When we walked away, radio in hand and a huge grin on his face, I asked him what was so special about it. “See this?” he asked, pointing to white letters inscribed on the front that said LAPD. I nodded. “This is a Motorola Saber Astro, from the LAPD. I can sell this on eBay for $400.”
“Are you serious?!” He nodded and kept grinning. "Leave it to you to take a vacation and find a way to make money." We left the radio at my house so it would be safe, and by the end of the week, he had decided to sell his own radio and keep the new one for himself.
It was around that same time that the internet at my house went down. We did everything we could think of to fix it, but nothing worked, and by the time he left I still had no connection. We had been planning to spend the second weekend in Otavalo, but we woke up at 9am on Saturday morning…and then 10am…and then 11am. At that point I poked him and said, “I don’t know how late the buses leave from Otavalo.” “And I don’t care,” he said, and rolled over and went back to sleep. He said later that he was letting me sleep because I was sick, but I think he just wanted to sleep. Not that I objected – I’ve already seen Otavalo, and I do like my sleep.
Friday night we went to Nobar. Marie and Liz have been there several times, but it was the first time I had been back since the first unfortunate incident our second weekend in Quito. We had a good time dancing and trying to get Liz to dance with some guy who spoke neither Spanish nor English and couldn't understand a word we were saying.
Craig at Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2002.jpg
Braulio at Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2004.jpg
Craig and I with the owner of our favorite restaurant, an Argentinian steakhouse:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2005.jpg
So as I said in the beginning, I’ve spent the last several days sitting on the roof with my computer, geeking out and tweaking my technology in the hope of find the civilized world. I’ve had minimal success, and today is not a good day to continue, as it’s raining. We had a little party at my place last night, and when my friends arrived, I was sitting on the roof-peak, wrapped in wires and having a conversation with my computer. (Well, I was actually having a conversation with Craig, but it appeared I was talking to my computer because I wasn’t wearing a headset.) I threw down the keys so Marie could let them all in, and then climbed down to the balcony, where we hung out for hours drinking, eating popcorn, taking pictures and laughing at each other.
I'm sure I've left a lot out of this entry, but at least you all know I'm still alive. I'll think of the rest later and post it another time. I also have more pictures, but have been unable to upload the largest ones due to the fact that Ecuador seems to have very little bandwidth anywhere.
Anyway, Craig got here on April 9th, three days earlier than he had originally planned. Since he was quitting his old job, his boss didn’t feel like flying him to the coference, so he told him he could stop working a week early and would still be paid. So he came down here on Wednesday instead of Saturday.
Craig's lunch on his first full day here:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1984.jpg
An unexpected hailstorm as we were leaving for Baños:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1985.jpg
The first weekend he was here, we went to Baños with Marie and Liz. Just getting there was an adventure. We grabbed a cab on Amazonas, and when I said “Terminal Terrestre, por favor,” the poor cabbie put his head in his hands and gave me a look that said, “Is that really necessary? Why me, God?” I saw why when we had to drive half way around the city, and then through a foot and a half of moving water in a flooded tunnel, and then over a washed-out road that had lost half its pavement. It was a $15 ride, where most rides within the city are $2 or $3. Once we were at the station, it was a four-hour bus ride…that turned into a six-and-a-half-hour bus ride when part of Tungurahua fell into the road. This is Ecuador: there’s no such thing as getting somewhere in a hurry. We got so bored sitting in the stopped bus that we started goofing around, climbing over each other, leaning out the windows, laughing at stuff that really wasn’t funny, and all the other wonderful stuff that comes from being trapped in a tin can in the dark for an undisclosed amount of time.
When we finally got there, we grabbed the first hostel we found, which turned out be unfortunate. It was inexpensive, but there was a mysterious puddle of muddy water in the bathroom, an open window between our bedroom and Marie and Liz’s bathroom, and apparently noise in the hall all night. Us three girls slept through it all, but when I woke up, I encountered an exceedingly grumpy Craig who hadn’t slept all night due to drunk yelling and rolling gas canisters. While sleeping through fire alarms may be dangerous, there are times when I’m extremely grateful to sleep as heavily as I do.
Anyway, that night we took a chiva (bus with a place to sit on the roof) halfway up the mountain. We thought it would take us all the way up, but apparently not; I guess it’s too dangerous for them to be dragging tourists up there. We stopped in a place that had grilled kebabs and people juggling fire, then went back down to the hostel. Tired from the stupid bus ride, we crashed early.
Cat on the hill:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT018.jpg
City from the mountain:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT008.jpg
Random grafitti:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT001.jpg
The next day we had breakfast in another hostel with a café, then wandered through town, what little there was of it. We took pictures off a bridge on one side of town, then found a small park with pretty trees and a friendly cat. Craig bought swim shorts and sandals in town, and Liz bought a bathing suit, and then we set about finding the thermal baths. After all, the town is named Baños for a reason.
Craig and I in the park:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT056.jpg
Flowers in the park:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT054.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT053.jpg
Can you get inappropriate with a poster? Craig finds a way:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT046.jpg
The scariest trash can I've ever seen:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT045.jpg
Advice for your safety: if the volcano explodes, hike!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT043.jpg
Craig and I on the bridge:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/Pix%20from%20Liz/CT039.jpg
We found the most popular bath and dragged all our stuff upstairs to the changing rooms. Unfortunately Craig’s new shorts were too small, so he sat and watched our stuff while the three of us went in the pools. We weren’t there long, although it was nice. After we had changed back into our clothes, we walked back to a place we had passed along the way that was renting ATVs and motorcycles. We rented a pair of dune buggies for three hours and took off, following a very badly-drawn map to a mysterious waterfall. After a couple of wrong turns and turn-arounds, we found the waterfall and stopped to eat lunch. I spilled most of my lunch on the ground and had to eat my chicken with a spoon, but it was still fun. After we ate we took it in turns to watch the backpacks while going on a little gondola-type-thing over the river to the other side, where the waterfall was. It was probably a 400-foot drop from the little metal people-basket to the bottom of the gorge, but remarkably I didn’t find it scary.
I got to drive the dune buggy back into town, which was the highlight of the day for me; I haven’t driven so much as a bicycle since I’ve been here, and it’s one of the things I miss most. I’m considering renting a motorcycle for a day before I leave, if I can save up the money. Anyway, we bought some taffy, something Baños is known for, stopped for lunch (again) in a café, and then found the bus back home. We were lucky and got to the station just in time to catch the last bus of the day back to Quito. There were no landslides or other disasters, and we made it back to the city in four hours. There was a gorgeous view of the volcano Cotopaxi on the way, as the sun was setting – the color of the horizon blended into the color of the base of the mountain, making it look like the peak was floating.
The Ecovía questioning your religion?
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1988.jpg
Quito, the City of Miscellaneous Holes:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1990.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1998.jpg
...and of Frightening Electrical Wiring Jobs:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1997.jpg
Sometime during the week we wandered into south Quito and found the Panecillo. I had been there before, on my first trip four years ago, but I didn’t remember the incredible view of the city. We climbed inside the statue, took pictures of the view, and then tried to find a cab to take us back down. There was one driver who asked us where we wanted to go, and then ignored us in favor of someone else. There was only one other cab on the hill, and when I asked him if he would take us to La Marín, he said something unintelligible and then told us to wait. He wandered off, returned five minutes later and said he was looking for someone, then wandered off again. While we waited, I bought a popsicle and sat down to eat it while Craig wandered around taking more picures. The cab driver came back again ten minutes later and said, “Ok, let’s go.” We got in the car and took off, and the two of us exchanged the same look when we were overcome by the smell of pot in the cab. “Oh well,” I shrugged. “It’s not like they drive well here anyway.”
We made it to La Marin just fine, though, and wandered around in the south district for a little while before heading back to the north. It wasn’t that same day, but a different afternoon that we headed into La Marin to wander around. We found a mall that seemed to consist entirely of vendors of stolen electronics, and being the pair of geeks we are, I think we must have spent two hours there. Craig found a two-way handheld and had me ask how much it was. The vendor told me $60, and I translated while Craig bargained the guy down to $50. When we walked away, radio in hand and a huge grin on his face, I asked him what was so special about it. “See this?” he asked, pointing to white letters inscribed on the front that said LAPD. I nodded. “This is a Motorola Saber Astro, from the LAPD. I can sell this on eBay for $400.”
“Are you serious?!” He nodded and kept grinning. "Leave it to you to take a vacation and find a way to make money." We left the radio at my house so it would be safe, and by the end of the week, he had decided to sell his own radio and keep the new one for himself.
It was around that same time that the internet at my house went down. We did everything we could think of to fix it, but nothing worked, and by the time he left I still had no connection. We had been planning to spend the second weekend in Otavalo, but we woke up at 9am on Saturday morning…and then 10am…and then 11am. At that point I poked him and said, “I don’t know how late the buses leave from Otavalo.” “And I don’t care,” he said, and rolled over and went back to sleep. He said later that he was letting me sleep because I was sick, but I think he just wanted to sleep. Not that I objected – I’ve already seen Otavalo, and I do like my sleep.
Friday night we went to Nobar. Marie and Liz have been there several times, but it was the first time I had been back since the first unfortunate incident our second weekend in Quito. We had a good time dancing and trying to get Liz to dance with some guy who spoke neither Spanish nor English and couldn't understand a word we were saying.
Craig at Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2002.jpg
Braulio at Nobar:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2004.jpg
Craig and I with the owner of our favorite restaurant, an Argentinian steakhouse:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_2005.jpg
So as I said in the beginning, I’ve spent the last several days sitting on the roof with my computer, geeking out and tweaking my technology in the hope of find the civilized world. I’ve had minimal success, and today is not a good day to continue, as it’s raining. We had a little party at my place last night, and when my friends arrived, I was sitting on the roof-peak, wrapped in wires and having a conversation with my computer. (Well, I was actually having a conversation with Craig, but it appeared I was talking to my computer because I wasn’t wearing a headset.) I threw down the keys so Marie could let them all in, and then climbed down to the balcony, where we hung out for hours drinking, eating popcorn, taking pictures and laughing at each other.
I'm sure I've left a lot out of this entry, but at least you all know I'm still alive. I'll think of the rest later and post it another time. I also have more pictures, but have been unable to upload the largest ones due to the fact that Ecuador seems to have very little bandwidth anywhere.
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