Day 51. Quito

I wake up to my first day in Ecuador and ive had a good sleep, the beds here at The Blue House are really cosy which is good as the city itself is quite cold. 

I head off in search of breakfast and am slightly confused when I get given a tray with 2 slices of bread on from Reception. I sit down in the lounge area not quite ready to eat and only thinking the lonely bread strange for a minute before dismissing it, its better than nothing. 

A few minutes later and the lady from reception is giving me a weird look, when i go to say im not hungry yet she explain i have to go outside for breakfast… Okay? 

Seems odd but as i go outside and turn the corner I find another building. Inside is people from the hostel and on the table is tea, coffee, juice, jam, fruit and a toaster- now it makes sense! 

After breakfast i brave a shower, its slightly hot so i dont completely get frostbite. While trying to warm up in bed i get talking to Lotte from Denmark, she has also just arrived and is trying to make a plan. For the first time in a while on my travels I dont even have a rough idea for where im heading, just a couple of things id like to see, i borrow Lottes guidebook and try to make a  route heading South though with so many options its difficult to choose.

We take a break and decide to explore the Old Town. Its a short bus ride away and one of the few things to see it Quito. The streets are busy and there are people selling everywhere, i even spot a guy trying to sell 2 tiny puppies and have to fight the urge to buy them, wanting to snatchthem off the guy as theyre clearly too young to be away from their mum let alone outside. 

We head to the main square where we see the Presidential Palace and Cathedral and there are so many museums. Further out of town (which is all very steep) we find an old Cathedral and park, it looks so odd amongst the shops and cafes.

After all the steep walking we are starving so find a little cafe for lunch. Something that should be simple turns into the most difficult situation ever, im pretty sure the waiter doesnt even speak Spanish as everything we say he just shakes his head. Even when pointing directly to the menu (which is in Spanish) he seems confused and asks again what i want. Eventually somehow we manage to order and pay, not understanding the confusion, my spanish isnt great but i know when im ordering food and speaking correctly.

More wandering and window shopping and we head back, still needing to decide on a plan. Lotte has decided to head to Banos tomorrow, its somewhere i was thinking of going but not straight away though as i dont have another idea i might as well! 

Im still tired from the long journey here so after cooking dinner (with some fresh veg i got in town) I have an early night. 

Day 23. Take a Chance

Another good nights sleep (earplugs are my saviour again, dorms are a noisy place..) and today my Spanish is in the afternoon so I have the morning to relax.

I grab some clothes, which is the extent of my getting ready these days, and head out to find breakfast. One of the guys who works at the hosel has reccomended a small local shop a few blocks away so i head that way.

I find the place and head inside, it seems to be just a shop- no food in sight, so i ask a guy if they serve breakfast and he tells me they do and to follow him.  

He takes me through the shop to a small back room then leaves, a tiny old lady is speaking to a couple and there a table on one side so i sit down. The only light is from a single candle on the table and a small window at the back and opposite me is a wall covered with pictures of Jesus and the pope- interesting place. Im about to leave when the old lady comes over to me and starts speaking in Spanish, i have no idea what shes saying but i dont hear her say any kind of ‘meat’ word so I say it sounds great and ill have it! 

I find myself in this situation a lot- not 100% sure what ive ordered or what im about to eat, a kind of food roulette! I just have to hope what comes out is vegetarian and every time my food has been delicous.

Im waiting for a few minutes and then a different lady comes over and sets down a bread roll and coffee. Maybe this is it? I start my coffee when the first lady brings over another plate- this time with eggs and beans on (the mexican kind not Heinz), so this is what ive ordered! Its not huge but its enough and cheap so overall a success.

Back at the hostel i chat with Rahel who has been travelling and is now working here and she convinces me to do a 2 day hike to Volcano Acatenango. Everyone says its quite tough but worth the view, id been in two minds considering my current level of fitness but decide if anything my stubborness will get me through! 

My other issue is that i dont have any hiking gear, most importantly boots. Rahel says she got a pair from the hostels leftover box and that i can borrow them, though first i have to help her do promo work at the central park- bribery! We hand out the flyers which doesnt take long and i get my boots which with my thick socks will fit perfect- amazing.

By now its the afternoon and I have my last Spanish lesson, it goes well and we re cap everything so far. I still have a long way to go but now i have a starting point and understand the basic grammer. My whole lesson it pours with rain and thunders so loud it makes your bones shake so in my maxi dress im not prepared! Rafael (my spanish teacher) is kind enough to give me a poncho to get me back to the hostel.

When i get back, luck has it that nearly EVERYONE is in the bar area, cue the laughs, whistles and   jeers! Clear rain ponchos are not looked on highly! 

Its this weather that returns me to the Brit i am at heart, making me crave a good old cup of tea! I settle for a hot chocolate, its good but its not the same.

I play a few games of cards with Saul whos at the hostel and from the UK too, confirming i am the Snap king and learning a new game too! 

Then I get my stuff ready for tomorrow and the bus that will take me to the Volcano, crazy what you find yourself getting into! 

Day 20. Roaming

My alarm wakes me and after a shower and breakfast its time for my first Spanish lesson.

I have picked up some basics so far and can understand what is being said to me but I cant respond, hopefully the lessons will have me speaking like a pro! Im excited and nervous as i make my way though Rafael is a genuine guy. 

After meeting at the cafe we walk to his house where he teaches (again, Mum, dont freak out) and get started. He will only speak in Spanish and by the end my brain hurts, I dont know what I expected but i forgot that there is more to learning a language than just the vocabulary- theres the nouns, verbs, pronouns etc and i have not been in study mode for a long time! 

I leave and try not to think about everything that i hadnt realised i didnt know. I also have homework- yep homework, that i have to complete for tomorrow, so much for easy days!

I pack my things at the hostel and walk the couple of blocks to my new base for the next few days. I wonder what the catch is as to why its so cheap, but there isnt one. The hostel is clean, has a cheap bar, an amazing roof terrace (with a pool!) and hot showers- what more could you need.

Im in ‘the loft’, a 20 bed dorm which is in the top of the building, youd think it would be a dark and dusty place but its actually really cool and almost empty as its rainy season in South America. 

I chill out for a bit, reading and looking more into diving schools in Honduras then go for dinner. Its a pretentious place, where everyone there thinks theyre amazing but its close so it will have to do. 

When i get back i join a group thats sitting by the bar and get chatting. They met in Mexico and have been travelling together, Ben is from Oz originally though has been away so long doesnt call anywhere home. He is hands down the craziest person i have ever met, he has stories that sound too mad to be true but have actually happened, he should have his own TV show.

I head to bed, though as its a party hostel its still going strong but i have Spanish at 8 so not tonight!