Where in the World Wednesday

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Iglesia de Campana, Quito, Ecuador; February 15, 2014

Foods of Ecuador

Posted on February 18, 2014 by lisafindley

All right, all right. I know what you want, dearest fellow travelers. Forget anything I might write, you want to see the food! And so, I give you foods of Ecuador, part 1:

Frijoles con arroz y pollo y ensalata

Bolon de verde con salami y vegetales

Breakfast is the same every day–tea, fresh fruit, toast, and usually fresh fruit juice

Humita

Llapingachos, arroz, huevo frita

Locro de papas

I could eat the mashed-potato-with-cheese-then-fried llapingachos every day, and the creamy corn mixture of humitas is delicious (I also had one of the sweet types of humitas, but forgot to photograph it). Everything in this post is highly recommended!

Pomp and Circumstance: Just Another Monday in Quito

Posted on February 13, 2014 by lisafindley

Credit to my tour group leader for never letting on; the surprise was part of the fun. The school I’m attending for the next two weeks had orientation on Monday, and one of the day’s activities was a short tour of some sights in the colonial center of the city. Six of us new students crammed onto the bus with our genial guide, and tumbled out twenty minutes later for a short walk to the Plaza Grande, the most important plaza in Quito. When we arrived, we were surprised to encounter a partially roped-off square, a booming sound system announcing something, and a crowd of enthusiastic Ecuadorians and tourists. What’s going on? Oh, just an elaborate changing of the guard presided over by the president himself, that’s all.

The crowd assembled for the changing of the guard

President Correa (my zoom doing what it can next to a streetlight)

Had I consulted my guidebook more closely I might have known that this is a regular event. Every Monday that President Rafael Correa is in the city, he oversees a changing of the guard at 11am. It’s a lot of pomp for a weekly event, but I love it; the locals in the crowd enthusiastically sing the national anthem as the flag is raised over the presidential palace, everyone starts their week off with a little ceremony and national pride, and it’s not bad for tourism either.

March of the guard, dressed in uniforms like those who fought for independence in the early 19th century

A large crowd turned out

A band stood at the center of the square, by the fountain, and guards marched on foot and trotted on horseback to surround the band while they played the national anthem. The president and his family stood at the balcony, along with others who I assume are officials and friends. An army man in full fatigues and machine gun stood discreetly to the side, a reminder that only a few years ago, Correa had to be rescued from a life-threatening near-coup.

At least three different types of policing presence

The blocked-off street in front of the palace

The plaza was crowded when we arrived a little after 11am, so we didn’t get a good position for viewing (or photos, for that matter). But I could glimpse the blue, red, and gold uniforms of the guard, and the smiling face of the president; and I could hear the robust singing of the crowd, and the adorably thin voice of one little kid in particular, her fist waving in the air as the flag of Ecuador waved in the wind behind her.

The assembled family and dignitaries

In the Plaza Grande

I’ve Gone to the Mountains

Posted on February 10, 2014 by lisafindley

I made it! After a full 18 hours of travel, I arrived at my hostel in Quito late Friday night. Today I settle in with my host family and start two weeks of Spanish classes. The last time I was in a classroom setting was 2005, so it could be a shock to my system. Also, I really want to learn Spanish but I have to get over my conviction that I’m terrible at languages. Wish me luck!

Quito is high up in the Andes Mountains, 9,350 feet above sea level. I was just in Michigan, which is 800 feet above sea level. That’s a huge change, and I was worried about how altitude sickness would affect me, but luckily it’s just been headaches, which I get a lot of anyway. I took it easy on Saturday–well, I walked 3 miles to see the city, but then I drank a lot of water and napped. That seems to have helped a lot.

I wanted to give y’all a heads-up that an interview I did for a British podcast called Getting Better Acquainted will air on Wednesday. I talk about the first part of my trip, the ups and downs, and being a conscientious traveler. More details when I have ’em!

Finally, I left this:

We’ve had at least a foot of snow on the ground for over a month, and days so cold the schools close because kids waiting for their bus might get frostbite

for this:

The view from my window in the hostel in Quito.

Sorry not sorry, as the kids say.

Departure Date and Updated Pages

Posted on January 20, 2014 by lisafindley

Dearest fellow travelers, I have a departure date! Friday, February 7, I will fly Detroit-Houston-Quito. The next Monday I’ll start a two-week intensive Spanish course, to shore up my nonexistent Spanish skills, and from there, who knows? I hope to be on the road for about six months, but we’ll see how it goes. Many thanks to those who have put me in touch with friends who live in or are familiar with South America; I’m grateful for that personal connection. As ever, feel free to email me at lisa dot findley at gmail dot com if you have tips or contacts to share.

I’ve also updated the Fund This Stowaway page. The two major expenses I expect to encounter on this trip are boating in the Galapagos Islands and hiking around Machu Picchu, and I’ve made them the goals you can contribute to if you so choose. (Said with no pressure. Seriously.)

Finally, I’ve updated the About page, so if you send friends over to check out Stowaway (and please do!), they can get a more accurate picture of what I’m up to.

I do plan to continue writing about my travels this past summer, and I’ll also write about the new adventures I’m having, so keep me in your bookmarks or RSS feed or whatever latest technology keeps Stowaway near and dear to you.