seekingmygreaterperhaps

Hola amigos!

Over Carnaval Break this year, I set out to explore a new country- Ecuador! This brings my country count to 35. Many, and I do mean many, people asked me why I was leaving Brazil during Carnaval when Brazil puts on some of the best parties in the world during this time. Well, I didn’t want to go by myself for safety reasons, and I also didn’t plan it in enough time ahead so everything got very expensive. Which is how I found myself in Ecuador.

Before going to Ecuador, I had no expectations. I thought everything was the Galapagos Islands, and boy was I surprised. Ecuador is home to many volcanoes and “microclimates” so you can experience a plethora of different weathers and ecosystems in a very small time. It’s a small country but it has a lot to offer. For this week long trip, I focused on Quito and a couple surrounding cities because I wanted to limit my travel time between places and enjoy where I was.

When it’s available, I always take a free walking tour of a new city. Quito had one that started in my hostel, so I jumped on it the first day I arrived. He took us to the market hall across the street, around to the many beautiful churches, inside some buildings, and above on top of a roof to see the view. It was an excellent tour. Quito is a cool city because you can just be walking, and go through a door and it opens up to a beautiful courtyard with additional shops, places to sit and eat, and more.

My hostel did an amazing job at connecting visitors. They offered a family dinner every night that you could pay for, and they had nightly activities. I met some really cool people this way- another reason I like to travel alone. Also across the street from my hostel was a mercado. I explored on my first day and bought some of the tastiest fruit I maybe have ever had. I tried “uvilla” which translates to golden berry, but we don’t have an equivalent. I also had the yellow dragonfruit, and other fruits that were so delicious. I bought enough to have for breakfast every day while in Quito, and then some, all for $5.

My first night in Quito, I celebrated Carnaval by going to the parade. One of the ways that Ecuadorians celebrate is by “playing” Carnaval by spraying foam on each other, some throw corn starch, and in some cities it is water. I stupidly thought I would be able to stay out of it… but then you get squirt with foam once, and you start looking for vengeance. I bought a $1 can of spray foam so I could defend myself. I ended up having so much fun.

This was one of those experiences that is hard to describe in words, but the emotions felt were so alive. I was reminded that this is why I travel.

Above is my visit to the Basilica. The stained glass was one the most beautiful pieces of glass art I have seen. It’s called the Rose Window, and if you look closely, you can see that most of the shapes are flowers. To get up there is quite a lot of steps, so I took my time gazing through the lit window before steeling myself to continue climbing. I wanted to see the view from the towers, which required more steps. But the view was worth it! One of the things that surprised me so much about Quito is how expansive it is. It is a huge city, and when you are in the historic center (like where the Basilica is), you can see the city just go on forever. Plus, you can see the volcano that borders Quito. Every experience I had kept taking my breath away (literally, the altitude there is intense).

About an hour north of the city is the “Mitad del Mundo” or the middle of the world. Ecuador is located on the equator, so I was able to stand in 2 hemispheres at once! On the equator is one of the only places where you can balance an egg on the end of a nail. This was definitely a tourist attraction, but I am here for it. We had great weather, and it was quite hot. Because of the Carnaval holiday, they had special dancers dressed in traditional outfits as well, so that was a fun cultural experience.

I took a day trip to Papallacta through an AirBnB experience with Alejandro. I would highly recommend any experience with him because he is truly great. I signed up for a hot spring, but it was the day of Carnaval and every local in Quito also wanted to go to the hot spring… so we shifted. We ended up getting to go on a zipline over the lake, had a really lovely lunch, and made some memories.

After 3 days in Quito, I was ready to get on a bus and head to the next adventure in Quito- a visit to Quilotoa, and then to Baños. On my way back to Brazil, I spent a night in Quito because I had an early flight the next day. My evening took a turn towards the nightmarish when I was robbed. In order to save money, I took a crowded metro, and someone slashed through the backpack that was on the front of my body without me noticing. This happened within 5 minutes, because I wasn’t on the metro for more than 3 stops. When I got off, I noticed the slash, and they had stolen my wallet, kindle, and my phone. I had to ask for help to get directions to the accommodation, when I got there, I was shaky and burst into tears. I didn’t stop crying for hours. I felt extremely violated, and then came the panic of what to do without my debit card and phone. I’m not addicted to technology… but all of our technology is addicted to itself. Every platform I tried to log into required a 2FA or two factor authentication. Well, when you don’t have your phone, you can’t get a text. I hit road block after roadblock. All this security is a real headache when you can’t prove who you are. My best friend Chelsea helped me through a call made through Instagram of all places (thank you for not have 2FA), and she helped me call my bank to lock my card down, and make a few extra cards.

Thankfully, my passport wasn’t stolen because I had spread things out a little bit, so I could get home. I am not sure what I would have done if that was stolen too, because my visa to work in Brazil is in there. However, in my wallet was my Covid-19 vaccination card… and the airline would not let me board without proof of vaccination. Well, I tried to get in online, and guess what they need? A text confirmation. I was pleading and begging and crying at the airline counter, and the lady was so tired of me. They had a clinic at the airport for a covid test, and when I went down, it said it didn’t open until 8 am. My flight was boarding at 6. So I was trapped. I went back to the airline counter and told them, and they were like, well I guess we can reschedule your flight for tomorrow. I cried more (it didn’t help, and also was uncontrollable). I went back to the clinic, and there was a guy there! I paid an insane amount of money for a rapid test, and he said the result would be available in an hour… it was 5:30 at this point, and I just started pacing. God is good, even in trying circumstances- my results came quickly.

I RAN across the airport, just to find the airline counter had moved, and it was no where to be found. So then I had to ask the information lady, and she said I needed to wait for someone to bring my boarding pass to me. I was looking at my watch like… oh my goodness, I am going to miss this flight. The same lady from the ticket counter came carrying my boarding pass, and I gave her a hug. I scrambled through security and had to go through passport control. The boarder agent said, you are cutting it a little close, I think boarding is over, you are supposed to get here 3 hours early. And I was exasperated when I said, I have been here, trust me. Running through the airport, I made it on the plane! Wahoo!

I had a 9 hour layover in Panama, and I was planning on using it to go see the city a little bit. Well, the passport control officer had other plans. She said I didn’t have enough time and wouldn’t let me leave. So I was stuck in the Tocumen airport… which is a lame airport with literally nothing in it. I didn’t have a phone, so I couldn’t waste time on the internet. I read an entire book. I developed a new hobby, of drinking a ton of water so that I had to go to the bathroom often. Eventually, it was time to go home. My friend picked me up at the airport because I didn’t have a way to call uber or get a taxi.

My takeaways from my time in Quito- it doesn’t matter how well traveled you are. The thieves here are professionals. Spend the money, take the taxi. And also, the city is beautiful, and people are kind. I benefitted so much from the kindness of strangers. Go travel, and re-learn to have faith in the world.