The currency

When I learned that Ecuador uses the US dollar as the official currency I thought the bills and coins would be the same as in the US. But realized they aren't when I gave a shop keeper a five dollar bill for a $2.30 purchase and only got a few coins for change. I reminded the clerk that I had given her $5.00 and she pointed to the coins I was holding, especially to the $1.00 coins. Do you remember when they were introduced in the US? They didn’t last very long did they? Many of them were exported to Ecuador.

In addition to the $1.00 coins there are nickels, dimes, quarters and $.50 pieces that are made by the Banco Central de Ecuador and differ from those minted in the US. Although they are the same value as in the US they don’t look the same. The language on the coins is Spanish, the people depicted are famous people in Ecuadorian history and the coins are lighter. Even though they only coins we’re continually surprised by what they can buy. For example:

Trolley ride (a double bus with a dedicated lane for about 20 stops) - $0.25
Shoe/boot shine $0.50
Water (1.3/gal) - $0.90
Call to the US $0.05/min
Internet - $0.80/hour
Breakfast at the local bread store (scrambled eggs with ham, croissant with cheese, juice and tea or coffee - $1.50
Various fresh juices <$1.00
Cappucino - $1.71
Haircut, beard trim, and hair wash - $3.00
Laundry 4.5/kilo - $5.40
Homestay with 3 meals/day, room and laundry 1 time / week - $18/person

In general, Quito has been inexpensive for the past month. Next we’ll travel to the Galapagos (5/28/10) then to Cuenca for another homestay and more Spanish classes.

Ultimate Frisbee

I´ve found an ultimate frisbee game on Tuesday nights about 5:30. The first week I played we ran non-stop. Once a team scored they retained possession of the disc and started playing toward the other end of the field. At 9,400 ft I was tired after 2 points. There weren´t any subs so I kept running. The 2nd week was a little easier. The frisbee games have been small with about 8 people total. Normally there are 7 people on each team. But, with fewer people we play on a smaller field.

The smaller field is OK because we play in a park that is full of games, mostly soccer. I imagine the players are inspired by the World Cup games. My Spanish teacher, Luis, and I enjoy taking a break from class to turn on the TV in our classroom to check the score. I have never enjoyed the World Cup as much as I am this year.

Cheers, may the best team win.

Andy and Patricia

Otavalo and and nearby sites

Here are some pictures from our recent excursion to sites north of Quito. First are some pictures from a town named Calderon. We stopped there look at the figurines made from bread dough called masa. The KKK-looking figures are part of the Catholic tradition we learned.

Most of the pictures are from the market in Otavalo about 2 hours north of Quito (by car). It´s famous for its textiles, which are as varied as the nearby villages and towns. The food was fascinating as well.

There are photos from lake Cuicocha, a crater lake. We rode a boat about 15 minutes to see bubbles rising to the top from hot volcanic activity more than 600 feet below the surface.

Copy and paste the link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/fourney/Otavalo?feat=directlink

Middle of the Earth

Yesterday we rode a public bus to the middle of the earth or Mitad del Mundo in Spanish. It´s the equator at latitude of 00º00'00". We first visited an outdoor museum and did several experiments to show the effects of gravity in the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Perhaps the most familiar experiment is the one with the toilet bowl. Which way does the water rotate when a toilet is flushed in the northern hemisphere? What about the southern hemisphere? To answer these questions our guide poured a bucket of water into a tub with a plug. Then she pulled the plug and we watched the water drain straight down when it was over the equator. Then when the tub was in the southern hemisphere it drained counter clockwise and then clockwise when it was in the northern hemisphere. In physics it´s know as the Coriolis effect (but Snopes.com suggests it´s a myth).

Patricia managed to stand a (raw) egg on top of the head of a nail directly over the equator. The neutral gravitational forces pulled it down evenly on all sides.

The museum was fun. But the $0.40 1-hour bus ride also deserves a couple lines. On the way there one guy who entered, gave a sales pitch and tried to sell key chains to the passengers. He didn´t have many takers. A little later a couple kids got on. One stood in the front and the other in the back and they sang. Sometimes together, sometimes only the one in front and other times only the one in the back. We gave them some coins. Then on the way back we had a couple comedians ride part way with us. With one if the front of the bus and the other in the back they got most everyone to smile at one of their jokes. We also gave them coins.

It was a fun day.

Spanish school and family stay

We´ve been in school for a couple weeks. We´re living with a 60 year-old woman to enhance the learning experience. We both like our teachers and usually like the food that our host mother prepares. The ¨rules¨ of the house make us chuckle. ¨When the lights go on in one room they go off in another, don´t eat on the beds, don´t put suitcases on the bed, dirty clothes get washed in a washer once every 8 days. (We hang it on the line.) Last week it took 4 days for them to dry because it was overcast and rainy. This week it only took 3 days. Next week we´ll go to a laundry mat that has a dryer. One of the other novelties of the house is that we have to ask her to turn on the water heater when we want a shower or to wash our face and it doesn´t stay on long after we´re done. We like her a lot. For 3 meals\day and laundry once a week it´s a good deal for $36\day.

The food

The food so far has been less than spectacular. In fact, it hasn't been very good. But today we had an exceptional meal - it was Lebanese.

Spanish school, homestay and volcano

Today we signed up for Spanish school.

Tomorrow we'll move from our very comfortable hotel to live with the Herrera family

Sunday we'll climb part of volcano Cotopaxi. It's about 1.5 hours south of Quito. Tungurahua volcano, the one that erupted on Fri (5/28) morning, is yet another 1.5 hours south of Cotopaxi.

All is well

Pandy

We're grateful

Patricia and I are grateful to the handful of people who helped us pack our 4 bedroom home and the more than a dozen friends who helped us move boxes and furniture into a 10x25 storage unit with a special thanks to 4 year-old Julia who brought joy to the process. We're also grateful to the friends who fed, housed and transported us after our stuff had been stored.

We have arrived in Quito after 16 hours of travel and are very content to have time to rest. Tomorrow we'll explore the city more, visit Spanish schools and try to find a game of ultimate frisbee at over 10,000 ft.

Andy and Patricia

Kitty found a home and the home found a renter

Our cat, Mio is being fostered by a dear friend and our house is officially rented. Those were the two big things that we really wanted settled before we left and now they are. Now all we have to do is get our stuff into storage. Sat we'll move most of our belongings to a 10'x25' storage unit. We're curious to see how much space we'll have left over.

Dinner with Matt, Susan, Isabella and Julia

A good time was had by all.

Kitty wants a home and our home wants a renter

One of the hardest things about preparing for this trip is saying goodbye to Mio, our cat and packing our house.

Mio We're looking for a foster family or for someone to adopt him. He's an 11-year old short- haired neutered male. He's a very lovable, affectionate indoor-outdoor cat. Email (fourney@gmail.com) or call (916-541-4188) if you want to meet him or know of someone who might.



Our home is for rent: It's on craigslist at the link below http://sacramento.craigslist.org/apa/1729950279.html.

Boxes everywhere

There's so much to do and so many boxes that it seems hard to believe we'll get it all done. Moving day is Saturday May 22nd. You're invited to come by at 9:30 and help for an hour or so.