Day: 352

Yesterday was our last day in Spanish school and I now know how to ask the taxi driver to use the meter (“Tiene taximetro?”) and how to do a few steps of salsa (which an hour of lessons was included with for free with our 20 hours of Spanish class). Other than that I still rely on my linguist girlfriend to get me out of all the awkward situations my broken Spanish gets me into.

Today was the first day in Quito where we had the whole day free and also the first day it was rather warm and sort of clear. After picking up our Visas at the Bolivian embassy we returned to the church from six days ago and spent a couple of hours climbing the steep ladders up the inside and outside of the towers. Felicia was slightly adverse to my prodding her up rickety, 80 degree ladders up the side of a bell tower 7 stories off the street, but made it up just as easy as I did.  Later she decided it was a good idea to try to storm into the locked areas, but seemed to lack skills in picking God’s locks.

After a thrilling good time at assorted heights, we headed out through the old town for ice cream, the strongest cup of coffee I have ever had, a sunburn, and trolling the markets for weird fruits/lunch plates. The day seemed to fly by and before we knew it we were eating kababs in a small stall with the sun going down and talking about getting to Otavalo (a small market/volcano town) tomorrow. We’ll see how wired the world is in the next couple of days, but if you don’t hear from me, don’t fret, I am off in some faraway place enjoying myself. I promise.

Day: 351

So, throughout this entire adventure of getting my visa paper work together for my Bolivian Visa I came across an interesting list on Bolivia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. The list (list III) is as follows:

AFGANISTÁN

ANGOLA

BHUTAN

CAMBOYA

CHAD

ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA (incluye PUERTO RICO) (That’s Us!)

INDONESIA

IRAQ

JAMAHIRIYA ARABE LIBIA

PAKISTÁN

NIGERIA

REPUBLICA ARABE SIRIA

REPÚBLICA ISLÁMICA DE IRÁN

REPÚBLICA POPULAR CHINA (incluye TAIWÁN)

REPUBLICA DEMOCRATICA DEL CONGO

REPUBLICA POPULAR DEMOCRATICA DE COREA

REPUBLICA POPULAR DEMOCRATICA DE LAOS

RUANDA

SIRIA

SOMALIA

SUDAN

TIMOR LESTE

YEMEN

PALESTINA
This is the list that Bolivia sees as a threat to their country in some way or another. We (citizens of the United States) are listed right up there with Somalia, Libya, and assorted “Axis of Evil” countries. It almost makes me ashamed.

I don’t normally like to use this blog as a political soapbox, but if you there living vicariously through my adventures would do me one favor, just think about who we elect in the upcoming election, and the effect they will have on international relations and the effect our actions have on the rest of the world. Maybe next time I won’t have to shell out the $100 for a visa (which ironically is exactly what we charge the Bolivians to come to the States).

Singaporeans (list II) on the other hand are given a visa free of charge after just a simple form is filled out, while most European countries (list I) just have to show up at the border with a smile and a few euros in their pockets.

Now I am through ranting and the normal photo-blogging will continue, thanks for listening to me rant.

Day: 350

As I mentioned yesterday, we only really have a few hours each afternoon for some proper wandering, and then it rains for most of each afternoon making it even more of a pain to get out and get photos.  Today we spent most of the afternoon figuring out our visa paperwork (photocopies of yellowcards, passport photos take, email invitations to forge) for Bolivia and plan to hit up the embassy before class tomorrow morning.

We were piled in an internet cafe during one significant downpour, and ran through the rain soaking wet to make it back to the hostel.

Only two more days in this city then we head out to the country for some slightly more natural experience.

Spanish Update:  Rob knows about 3 dozen more phrases than he did before, Felicia is almost fluent… (I am slightly jealous of her linguistic aptitude)

Day: 349

Since Spanish classes (in which Felicia kicks my ass) take most our days and its too dangerous to leave the hostal at night it leaves us a short afternoon to wander town. Today we stumbled across the Theater Bolivar, which was ravaged by fire in 1999, and is now in the slow process of restoration, we met the very dedicated manager who spent the better part of an hour taking us through the assorted rooms and regaling us of the theaters history (for which, Felicia forced me to donate $5).

Other than that it was quite a mellow day, just eating and learning, primarily names of food and different phrases that will get me food.

Day: 348

In an expedition to find Middle Earth (which is rumored to be around here), Felicia and I took directions from our Spanish teacher and spent an hour and a half on two separate excessively crowded buses to get there.  Much to my dismay the lack of Hobbits was excessively noticeable, no wizards, no jewel encrusted dragon, no elves; no nothing.

All we got was a tower and a line that said “Mitad del Mundo”; The supposed middle of the earth and furthest point from the earth’s core, due to some sort of equatorial bulge.

We were rather let down by the entire thing, especially after taking photos of North fighting South and us jumping in two hemispheres at once, we found out the actually equator is an unmarked line 200 meters away.  The French astronomers, using stars, compasses and stuff, who figured it out 200 and some odd years ago missed it by 200 meters!  Quite astounding really, but since I had to pay $2 to get in and Frenchies get in free, the gushing will not commence.