Last Friday 7/24: Spent 3 hours, or close to it, trying to update blog with pictures and a video. Needless to say, technology was not at its best. It was a beautiful day in Quito, however, to be spending outside at the Juan Valdez coffee shop trying to write and update on the happenings here. Didn´t do anything after class but get ready for the weekend.
Saturday 7/25: I was actually proud of myself for traveling solo to Riobamba. I did my homework though, by doing a trial run in going to the new bus terminal earlier in the week with Claire and Carrie. This helped tremendously. So, to start the morning...I got to the Trole at 6:50am but only to be one of 5 others and one guy was EXTREMELY intoxicated. Ended up waiting for the next bus and that was a good decision...I actually got to SIT DOWN for a change. I can count on one hand how many times that has happened. Smooth ride to the new terminal. Now, to get my ticket. Lady at the window was talking muy rapido and I could hardly understand her. Knowing it was only a 3.5 hr ride, and at $1 per hour, that a $5 bill would cover me and it didn´t matter what she was saying. I say to her ¨¿Posible tengo un asiento en el frente, por favor?¨ Si, si. And I got a front seat. (always safer up front by the driver) Ok, now to FIND my bus. She continued to ramble on in spanish and I caught ¨vente nueve¨, which is 29. Ok, what the heck was that all about? Bus 29? It leaves in 29 minutes? So I grab my ticket and attempt to find my bus. If you could have seen me....turning around in circles, one of only a few gringos...once again, and people staring. Low and behold, I find the numbers and locate my bus but it is pulling away. ¨Riobamba, Riobamba!¨I yell. Daing...now what? Well, you just wait for the next bus.
Smooth ride with a 16 year old girl next to me. Had a lovely chat in Spanish....ok, the usual questions that I´m now getting pretty good at. Took a taxi to meet Sarah. Only $1 in Riobamba, no need to ask for Taxi Metro and no one rips you off. Nice!! We hook up with Kathleen and Katie. Had ice cream...the best Tiramisu! Went and met Sarah´s host family and waited for Tyler, Gracie, and Will to come in from Tena. In the mean time, we find out that there were no more tickets for the La Nariz del Diablo train. Chuta!!! This was going to be the highlight of the weekend. Oh well....we found adventure elsewhere.
Saturday all we did was eat...from ice cream to burritos to pizza. Blahhhh.... Walked around and stopped at the market. Found a juice bar that made jugo from the glacial ice from Mt. Chimborazo. See pictures. The juice was very delicious. Oh, in these markets are smoked pigs...everywhere. You see them on the streets. Ick! They sell tongue, cow hooves, every bit of the animal is for sale. Disgusting!
We told him we´d buy the little niña for $1. He was ready to sell.
Check out the high-tech sewing machines! 
Oink, oink! 
Glacial ice
Will, Tyler, Kathleen, Katie, GracieSunday morning we took a bus to Mt Chimborazo. This was about an hour from Riobamba. It was a perfect day and hardly a cloud in the sky.
Sits at 6310 m 
Trivia fact...Chimborazo is 1.5 miles higher than Mt. Everest! Or, if you will, 1.5 miles closer to the moon, stars, and outer space. Yup, it is true. Because of the bulge in the Earth at the equator, if you are standing at the top of Chimbarazo, you are higher than if standing at the top of Everest. Another spectacular feature here in little Ecuador.
Alpacas 
Crazy gringos 
It was terribly windy and cold
There are no bad decisions in Ecuador, only good ones and better ones!!! Ok, so maybe there are things we shouldn't have done but did anyways...well this may be one of them, but I wouldn't change anything for a second! I love the group of gringos that I am with. They are great and tons of fun and are almost as crazy as I am!!
So, after pictures of the mountain and a potty break, we were like...ok, what do we do now? How are we going to get back to Riobamba? No buses were coming by so we did the next best thing...we hitchiked. After a few cars/trucks went by, this pickup stopped and said they would take four people. The 4 were going to go (not me, of course) but then they waved the rest of us over and yup, 9 of us packed into the back of this small pick-up. We were literally on top of (or underneath) each other. It was like a scene from Pretty Women when she had her 46 inches of legs wrapped around him in the bathtub. I thought we'd only go as far as...?? Well, I really didn't know. We ended up riding for almost an hour. My legs were alseep, going over bumps (OUCH!), laughing and singing all the way. We get to the city and at a stoplight (that turned green) they decided to climb out. Don't forget, my legs were asleep and I was going nowhere fast. I'm like...help! I can't move! Tyler, being the kind soul that he is, lifted me out and brought me to safety. Moments later, I was up and running. It was the best ride!!
too bad you can't hear our singing
View from Kathleen's house
Stephanie, Gracie and Timotea (Timothy)
We sat and talked at Kathleen's for about 2 hours. A very deep and meaningful conversation. It's not like I'm with the typical college student. Gracie found out at the internet cafe today that her dad wants to take her to Antarctica for Christmas. This girl will have been to all 7 continents by the sweet ripe age of 20. Wow!
dinner...hamburguesas in the street, soda for $.20
An uneventful ride home Sunday morning. Was able to get my bus ticket (with no problem!), sat next to an indigenous woman and then a stinky indigenous man. Zoikes!
Got back to Quito about noon. Hussled to Spanish class, then back home for lunch. Fell over exhausted and took a siesta after a late lunch.
Random happenings from the weekend:
* Claire went to Tena, got her backpack sliced but nothing lost. She was hoping her dirty socks would have been taken. Stayed at Shangrila...said it was awesome. $90, everything included
* Carrie and her mom went to Papallachta. Got in a car accident on the way. No one hurt but they both needed the relaxation and massage at the spa. I can't wait to go back!
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