Stuff and Rio Pita

Okay so Tim and I climed Pichincha a few days ago and this time I made it to the top and I did not get sick so I feel good about that. the sumit is at 15300ft quite high for me. other then that Tim and I have been talking about doing a lot of things and not actualy doing any of them. Eve is finishing up her first modual of her MA program so she is busy all the time.

Tim and I had a wonderful trip to Rio Pita

Firts we could not find the bus it took asking questions walking and few blocks over the course of and hour before we did.

Second when we got of at our stop there were no trucks for hier, we walked around the town for about 30min and finaly hailed a cab.

Third the Taxi had no idea what we were talking about we spent and hour driving around and ended where we had started. He then got out to ask directions at a golf course they pointed us on up the hill the driver stopped again to ask directions after we had been driving for some time, we were send back down the hill. It has been another 30min finaly we drive by a sine which says in HUGE letters RIO PITA with an arrow.

Fourth we finaly get there after another hour in the taxi and low there is not enough time or enough money to take the hike and have the taxi wait and there is no garenty there would be another car the rest of the day. so we get back in the taxi and head back to the small town. a little on down the road we meet a hurd of cattle they begin nocking into the taxi (the poor man) in the end we payed 30 dollars which was 10 less then he asked for but we did not have any more to give him other then our bus fair.

We made our way back to Quito dissipointed and dispearated.

Yesturday on the TV there was a Camara cru at Rio Pita talking about what a beautiful place it is and how easy it is to accses, I almost died.

Ecuador Vs. Brazil

On Sunday we went the the football game of Ecuador Vs. Brazil it was a fun game to watch though I think I enjoyed watching the people just as much. we got to the stadium at 10:30 to get seats for the game which started at 4:00 and the stadium was already half full. vender's walked around selling everything food, drink, hats, umbrellas, poncho's, cards, and more. We did the wave quite a few times as well a sang songs about the how Ecuador had to win. There was a small concert, and some team practice and then the game began. it was slow in the first half and then Brazil got one point and near the end on the second half Ecuador tied the game. All the Ecuadorians felt it was a win.

Bargaining, Bartering, and Buying

last Saturday we went to Otavalo which is the largest and most famous market town in all of Ecuador. The first thing we did when we got to Otavalo was go and see a beautiful waterfall. We walked through a little street and stopped at a small two loom factory to watch was making fabric from there it was a short little hike in an eucalyptus forest to the cascade. when we went back to town we hitchhiked to the market.
The Market WOW there was street after street of booths and in the center of all those streets there was a large square, filled with beautiful textiles. Eve and I went a little crazy buying things, they were soo cheep. the only thing we were concerned about was how we were going to get it all home. Tim however while not buying like a mad man became quite happy bargaining with everyone Example: Vendor: $22 Tim: ha $8 Vendor $20 Tim $10 Vendor $18 Tim $10 V $15 T $11 V$13 T$11 V $12.50 T$11 walk away Vendor 11.50 only 50 cents more Tim Only 50 cants less Vendor HAHAha okay $11. it was fun but boy oh boy does purchasing things take a long time. in the end when Eve and I were loaded down with things and it was beginning to rain we took the bus back to Quito.
When we got back there was a carnival one street up and over after unloading our things and resting for a few minutes Tim and I walker over to see what it was all about. There were rides and fair food along with clowns and dancing and on odd looking pin wheel device near a shrine. It turned out to be the celebration of the patron Saint of the street. and the odd pinwheel thing was a firework display by the end of the evening it was raining so we went home and fell asleep.

Rain Rain GO AWAY

so I ran to the gate at our street and had to wait there untill someone with a key came home. luckly this only took 10 or 15 min but by the time I got home I was drentched. I chainged and by the time I got down stairs Tim it seemed no longer wanted to go. We spent the rest of the day doing little and most of what we did was done wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags. non of the houses here have heat so when it is cool you just have to wrap up. the fact that we missed Mitad del Mundo was not such a bad thing because it turned out that that was the school trip today.
At the middle of the world there is a small museum of the native peoples along with some science-ish sot of things. it was beautiful there today the sun shining in full force, and I ended up with an umbrella to use as a parisol.
The weather in Quito on the other hand has been terible it has been cool with rain off and on for the past week and the whole city seems to be complaining. It has also made washing our clothing something of a trick too, because we wash our clothing in the back patio and hang it out to line dry in the sun. With this tempermental weather it has become quite the chalange to have clothing which is both dry and clean.
this coming weekend I am going to a foot ball game with Tim Eve and a few other people from the school I am SUPER excited which is a little odd considering I don´t really like soccer that much. anyway I´l try my best to keep writing
thinking of you all
Mary

Colors

Today the shool I am going to took a fild trip to a market town we saw llamas and pigs lambs and cows in the animal market. we saw fresh fish and fruit most of which i had never seen as well as tremendous piles of vegitables. we also went textile maket and Oh my was it lovely. I must say though among all the colors of the fruit and pailntings and cloth for sail it was the people which made the greatest impressin in all their colored slendor. I think they are all soo beautiful.

New Apartment

We have been in Quito for a week now and we have great Apartment. It has Three bedrooms 2.5 baths a large kitchen a living room a palio and a Great view. it is also brand new the sink for instance still had the tag in it. The apartment came with two beds, a bench, towells in the bathrooms, a TV and DVD player and everything you could want for a kitchen. not to mention the fact that our landlady comes by almost every day to make sure we are happy and to bring us more things. Eve has been sick nearly the whole time we have been here, she compleatly lost her voice for two days and today she has a bit of a fever. yesterday we went to climb Pachincha the mountain which borders the citys west side. it was quite eye opning to climb a mountain no bigger then O´mally and to struggle with every step not because you are tiered but because you can´t breath. It was a good thing to do though and I look forward to climing more.
I am not sure how I am going to get pictures up or if I am going to be able to but hopefully I will, and soon.

!Hola!

hi every one
okay so we spent 3 days in Lima with Joel from couch surfing and with Simone (another surfer) it was great though I got quite sunburnt on the first day there and am still healing. I has Pisco sour for my birthday party, it was great. we then took the bus to Quito this took a little over three days and may I say how glad I am the bus rides are over. I am now taking Spanish lessons in an atempt to learn the language so that I can talk to people and know what people are saying around me. Quito is very it is clean and calm and cool and has a similar feel to a european city or Boston. Everything is so colorful I just love it.

I will edit later to add pictures