September 21, 2006
Well I had dropped my passport off to get my Ecuadorian Censo card on Thursday and was told to come back "Manana" (tomorrow) to pick it up so the next day (Friday) I came back and waited in line only to find out from the same guy (After he checked on its status) that it is not ready yet and now I have to come back on "Lunes" (Monday). I was hoping to get my passport on Friday morning so I could take an overnight bus to Cuenca but it looks like I will have to spend another few days in Quito.
Unlike being in Tibet at the high altitude and experiencing altitude sickness I haven't experience that here in Quito which is around 9000 feet above sea level but I have noticed that my lunges have to work over-time to get the same amount of oxygen. At night I have experienced a shortness of breath which can be a bit difficult as I have to breath a little more often than usual. Most of the time we don't have to think above breathing since it is automatic but these places that are at a high altitude you have to consciously focus on your breath so you don't run out of oxygen and have to start breathing quickly to get your breath back. Quito is cold in the morning and at night due to being so high up in the mountains. It is colder here at night than it is in western Canada at night right now.
Met a guy named Mark in my hotel and he is from UK and had had been living in Japan for 10 years and now works online translating websites from english into Japanese and he has been traveling around South America for almost a year now and looking for a place to settle and will be off to Colombia next. Sounds like he has been to most of the South American countries and hasn't found a suitable one yet. After talking to him I have decided to not stay in Cuenca for too long (As I had originally planned) but to continue on down to Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile and then back to Peru. I think I will change my airline ticket for an earlier flight back to Canada (Maybe by Christmas time). Just enough time to see a lot of South America without settling anywhere too long. If I stay anywhere too long I become restless since I have an attention span of a gold fish and I am getting a little bored of Quito after only a few days. I have walked all around and even up to the mountain sides where all the cheap real estate is located that is on a 70 degree slope. Walking up the steep slopes and with less oxygen up here takes a lot out of you.
The wireless internet has been down for a couple days as a cable crew outside has cut down all the telephones lines on the block. One thing that I have noticed that all these spanish speaking countries have in common is that coffee it not that popular here even though they grow it and everytime I ask for cafe they always give me cheap fine powdered instant coffee with a cup of hot water. Don't even bother asking them for milk or cream with your coffee because they will all just shake their heads "No". So now I just go to McDonalds in the morning and order lattes since they only serve black coffee with "equal" packets (IE Aspartame AKA Rat poison). Nestle and Nescafe seem to have a monopoly on the coffee market down here along with their other products stocked in the local stores since it is the only brand I ever see. It has been 10 years since I went throughout Mexico and parts of Central America but it is all relatively the same everywhere (Construction is the same with cinder blocks, rebar and cement, instant coffee is everywhere, internet connection is never up all the time, etc..). With the internet down I am glad that I have my external hard drive with me that has over 1100 movies and music on it.
The bus system is very cheap here and it is usually on average $1 for every 1 hour of travel time. It really pours here in South America and the thunder and lightning is something else. I keep trying to remind myself to buy a rain jacket or an umbrella but the only time I seem to remember is when it starts pouring down rain and I still have a 20 minute walk to get home.
Well I had dropped my passport off to get my Ecuadorian Censo card on Thursday and was told to come back "Manana" (tomorrow) to pick it up so the next day (Friday) I came back and waited in line only to find out from the same guy (After he checked on its status) that it is not ready yet and now I have to come back on "Lunes" (Monday). I was hoping to get my passport on Friday morning so I could take an overnight bus to Cuenca but it looks like I will have to spend another few days in Quito.
Unlike being in Tibet at the high altitude and experiencing altitude sickness I haven't experience that here in Quito which is around 9000 feet above sea level but I have noticed that my lunges have to work over-time to get the same amount of oxygen. At night I have experienced a shortness of breath which can be a bit difficult as I have to breath a little more often than usual. Most of the time we don't have to think above breathing since it is automatic but these places that are at a high altitude you have to consciously focus on your breath so you don't run out of oxygen and have to start breathing quickly to get your breath back. Quito is cold in the morning and at night due to being so high up in the mountains. It is colder here at night than it is in western Canada at night right now.
Met a guy named Mark in my hotel and he is from UK and had had been living in Japan for 10 years and now works online translating websites from english into Japanese and he has been traveling around South America for almost a year now and looking for a place to settle and will be off to Colombia next. Sounds like he has been to most of the South American countries and hasn't found a suitable one yet. After talking to him I have decided to not stay in Cuenca for too long (As I had originally planned) but to continue on down to Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile and then back to Peru. I think I will change my airline ticket for an earlier flight back to Canada (Maybe by Christmas time). Just enough time to see a lot of South America without settling anywhere too long. If I stay anywhere too long I become restless since I have an attention span of a gold fish and I am getting a little bored of Quito after only a few days. I have walked all around and even up to the mountain sides where all the cheap real estate is located that is on a 70 degree slope. Walking up the steep slopes and with less oxygen up here takes a lot out of you.
The wireless internet has been down for a couple days as a cable crew outside has cut down all the telephones lines on the block. One thing that I have noticed that all these spanish speaking countries have in common is that coffee it not that popular here even though they grow it and everytime I ask for cafe they always give me cheap fine powdered instant coffee with a cup of hot water. Don't even bother asking them for milk or cream with your coffee because they will all just shake their heads "No". So now I just go to McDonalds in the morning and order lattes since they only serve black coffee with "equal" packets (IE Aspartame AKA Rat poison). Nestle and Nescafe seem to have a monopoly on the coffee market down here along with their other products stocked in the local stores since it is the only brand I ever see. It has been 10 years since I went throughout Mexico and parts of Central America but it is all relatively the same everywhere (Construction is the same with cinder blocks, rebar and cement, instant coffee is everywhere, internet connection is never up all the time, etc..). With the internet down I am glad that I have my external hard drive with me that has over 1100 movies and music on it.
The bus system is very cheap here and it is usually on average $1 for every 1 hour of travel time. It really pours here in South America and the thunder and lightning is something else. I keep trying to remind myself to buy a rain jacket or an umbrella but the only time I seem to remember is when it starts pouring down rain and I still have a 20 minute walk to get home.
CUENCA:
Well I got the 10pm overnight bus from Quito to Cuenca. It is a 10 hour bus ride. After the first hour on the bus I was extremely cold and had to rub my hands over my legs to warm them up with body heat from the palms of my hands since my luggage was down below and I have only my laptop and a bag with me.
After that first hour on the bus I looked around and saw everyone with a grey blanket and had thought they were supplied by the Panamericana bus company but when I looked around I couldn't see any. It was at this point that I realized everyone came prepared for the typical cold 10 hour bus ride to Cuenca and unfortunately I didn't get the memo that it was a "bring your own blanket" type of event (BYOB). Well after a few hours of being extremely cold and uncomfortable I looked around to see everyone was bundled inside their warm wool blankets and sleeping while the white Gringo was freezing and I didn't think I could take another 7 hours of this bus ride. The worst thing you can do is look at your watch every 5 minutes hoping that an hour had passed. Looking at your watch every 5 minutes and freezing in discomfort makes for a very loooooooong bus ride. This was just a typical "Fucking HOLA!!" moment haha.
There wasn't a lot of leg room for me and at one point my knee accidentally rammed up against the seat in front of me where some old spanish woman leaped up instantly from her seat and looked back at me and said something in spanish. I think when she looked into my eyes that she realized I didn't feel an ounce of sympathy for her considering she had a warm wool blanket and I didn't! I think I got a bit of satisfaction realizing that she had probably been sleeping until my knee crashing into her back seat woke her up (Misery loves company!!). I was actually feeling a bit jealous as I saw those people sleeping snug as a bug with their warm wool blankets and I had to spend each waking second rubbing my legs and arms with the palms of my hand to stay somewhat warm. Going to sleep wasn't an option.
Anyhow I got to Cuenca just before 8am and got a taxi ride into town and found a place on the main drag run by a woman named "Esmeralda". Since I didn't sleep the previous night I slept 4-5 hours during the day. Cuenca is a nice looking city with cobblestone roads, beautiful cathedrals and a river that runs through it.
It is Wednesday today so will be checking out Cuenca all day today and doing a lot of walking.
Adios Amigos!
Kevin
