We headed to the bookstore first thing this morning to get a little help with decoding the rentals section of the local newspaper. Lee was very nice and sat with us as we went through the classifieds but unfortunately there were very few apartments listed, and only one that was furnished. While we were there one of the realtors that Mike has been dealing with called and Mike arranged to go check out an apartment this afternoon. It sounded nice, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, fully furnished and it even had a washer and dryer for only $750.00 a month. The only problem was that it was a lot further outside of town than we really wanted to be. We thought we'd check it out though as there were slim pickings in the apartment department at the moment.
When we got back to the hotel we had gotten an email in response to a place we had inquired about yesterday. Of course it wasn't available but the lady did know of a place that was available for rent right now. Mike called her and after much repeating of his questions we found out where it was and sort of how to get there, and we walked to it. We had a little trouble finding the place but after a few follow up phone calls we found the Otorongo apartment complex and met Javier. As we were going in another American couple were leaving and they told us that the place was great and that they stay there for a month every year. It turned out that the room we looked at was the one they had just vacated which was a two bedroom. Javier didn't think they had anything else available, but after talking to his right arm woman we got to look at a one bedroom that someone had booked but had not confirmed. We took it immediately, gave him $100.00 to hold it for us, and we are moving in tomorrow, yeah.

Mike: Right on the river, coooooool!

We didn't get up too early this morning as most of Cuenca isn't open today. When we did get going we headed into town and had pancakes at O La La Creperie which was literally the only restaurant open and that closed right after we ate. There were some folks wandering about but most of them seemed to be heading to the football stadium as there was a big match being played this morning. I would have liked to have gone but we had more important things to do today, like trying to find someplace to live before they kick us out of the hotel on Tuesday morning. The manager has said that we can extend our stay but they are getting pretty full with carnaval coming and we have been told that they could ask us to leave for four days while the festivities are going on. I really don't want to be sleeping on the streets next week even if the weather is lovely and warm.
We wandered all over the old town looking for 'arrienda'. We saw lots of for rent signs but most of them were for rooms rather than apartments, or offices. We did find a few apartments for rent, some with numbers to call and some without; I'm not really sure how you're supposed to go about checking out the apartment if there's no number! We spent about three or four hours looking before heading back to the hotel to see if we had any responses to emails we'd sent about rentals - we didn't. I guess we'll try again tomorrow when everything opens back up.

Mike: We got a new cell phone just for use in Cuenca, nifty!!!

We went for breakfast at Bananas again this morning and then did a bit more wandering. We visited the Mercado at the west end of the city and I was totally grossed out. It was a huge place with some really nice looking fruits and vegetables of every kind imaginably but alongside the plants were stall after stall of carne and pescado, yuck, yuck, yuck. They have dead things hanging on hooks, and dead things laying on the counters, and more dead things laying on the floors. And then there was the smell and the flies to deal with, it made me want to puke! I guess they use all the parts of the animal down here as there were pigs feet and tripe and other things that I prefer not to think about. We walked past one counter with a little tiny woman and some huge fish. She had them everywhere, including on the floor and she was walking all over them. It might be a meat eaters paradise but to be honest I'm not sure that I'd eat the stuff even if I ate meat.
We headed upstairs to check out the prepared food and guess what, more meat but this time it was cooked and the animals were whole. They have whole roasted pigs laying on the counters and they just hack off chunks for people to eat, again I say yuck!
This afternoon we had arranged to have a Cuencan take us on a tour of the city and the surrounding area. He was Fernando and was supposed to pick us up at 2 p.m. but he didn't arrive until almost 2.30. This is apparently normal for Ecuadorians; we have been told that they never arrive on time for anything and if they invite you someplace you should never arrive at the time they tell you. Anyway, Fernando was very nice and he picked us up in his four wheel truck and first took us to a part of Cuenca called Turi. From the top of the hill we could see the whole of Cuenca, the view was fantastic. Cuenca is nowhere near as extensive as Quito but it still spreads out quite a ways.
We drove around for close to four hours and got a much better perspective of the layout of Cuenca and got a little bit of a history lesson from Fernando. We dorve past a few gas stations on our drive and saw unleaded at $1.25 and diesel at $1.08; everyone in North America and Britain eat your heart out!
We now also have a little more of an idea of where to look for apartments, which we are going to be spending the next few days doing.

Mike: I'm glad I'm a vegetarian!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got up this morning and had lovely showers, loads of hot hot water before heading back up the 89 steps to have breakfast. The guy at the desk in the hotel told us that we couldn't miss Cafe Bananas, just head up the steps and walk straight. We did as we were told and couldn't find the cafe anywhere; we had to stop of at the book store to ask directions. It turns out that the cafe is right next door to the book store but the sign saying that it is Bananas is on the inside wall. This is fine once you know where it is but doesn't help much when you don't. We had a nice continental breakfast once we got there, croissants, cheese, jam, coffee and fresh juice. The breakfast was included in our hotel stay but if we had been paying it would only have cost us about $2.50 each for everything; it's a good job we are going to be doing a lot of walking down here as food is so cheap I can eat all day non stop.
After eating we headed back into the book store. It's actually run by a couple from Chicago who have been down here a while. They are both very nice and had a lot of useful information for us; Carol even made some phone calls to help us find a place to live. It would appear that we'll be visiting this place quite a lot in the coming weeks.
we spent most of today just wandering about taking in the city. It's nowhere near as big as Quito but it still bustles along at a fairly good place. It's really simple to get around once you understand the way the city is laid out and it would appear to be almost impossible to get lost. Mike seems to have his bearings about him alot more here already than he did in Quito where I was the one with more directional sense. The streets here are long and somewhat narrow with stores lining each side selling a little of everything. There are some lovely looking bakeries and there seems to be an ice-cream shop on every block. There are people all over the place either rushing to some place else or sitting on the roadside selling something or other. There are alot more women here dressed in their traditional dress, except here the women wear knee length embroidered skirts and stiff white Panama hats with blue or black bands. Some of the older woman or tiny with grizzled faces; they look like they've had hard lives in the outdoors which is probably the case. Even so, they seem to have no trouble carrying huge baskets of fruits and vegetables and other things around on their backs.
We got the name of a real estate person today and so we have him on the lookout for someplace for us to rent for the next few months; hopefully he can find us something in the next few days although it's getting busy here at the moment as carnaval is coming.
When we got back to the hotel this afternoon Andre at the desk told us he had good news for us and he offered us a room with a view. It is so much nicer than the room we spent last night in, we have a window that overlooks the river, the views are lovely. It was very good news as we get to stay here for the next 5 or so days.

Mike: I have to keep Becc on a leash, she wants to go in every bakery. I expect she will by the time we're done!

Moving on from Quito today to Cuenca where we will be staying for the next 2 1/2 months but before we went we had to go have breakfast at the little cafe round the corner. We had excellent pancakes again, and loads of fruit; I think I've eaten more fruit this past week than in the last five years.
After having breakfast and saying goodbye to the little man that worked at the cafe we checked out of the hotel and headed for the airport. We had no trouble checking in and getting rid of our luggage, and then we just waited. The domestic terminal at Quito airport is not very big and there were loads of people in it so it was super hot. It doesn't appear that anywhere down here has air conditioning so it was a welcome relief when other planes were boarding as they opened the doors to the outside and let some fresh air in. We thought the flight to Cuenca was going to take just over an hour but it turned out that it was about 35 minutes, so as soon as we had levelled out it was time to land. It was all very efficient, the plane stopped, we got off and walked across the tarmac to the terminal, retrieved our bags, and got outside and in a taxi all in about 10 minutes. The thing that took the longest was the men who were actually checking everyones bags against the claim tickets that we had been given; I've never had that done before.
It turns out that the airport is just on the outskirts of town to the north east, and only about a 10 minute drive from our hotel. The hotel is really nice, and is right on the Tomabamba river. We got all checked in and Sven helped us with all our luggage. We have an inside room as opposed to one over looking the river but it'll be fine for a few days. We have lots of space, it's clean, and we have a lovely hot powerful shower. The taps here are not confusing either, it took me a while at the last place to figure out that C doesn't stand for cold down here; I much prefer the red for hot and blue for cold!
This afternoon we took a walk up into the old part of Cuenca and we almost didn't make it. To get there from our hotel literally takes about three minutes but it's all up hill; actually it's all up steps, 89 of them to be exact. By the time we got tot he top I thought my chest was going to explode; we had to rest before we could venture any further into the city.
We walked around old Cuenca for a while and found the tourist info place and got a map; the city makes a lot more sense with a map in hand, This part is basically a grid and most of the streets are one way which is good as its hard enough trying to cross them when the traffic is only barrelling down on you from one direction. Oh and the people in Cuenca are just as fond of their horns as the people in Quito.
We ate at a little vegetarian cafe that was ok before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Mike: Just to consider that this city has been around for over 3500 years and is in
the Western Hemisphere is amazing. The "modern city" started in the early 1500's.

We had decided today that we were going to ride the Teleferiqo. We had intended to do it yesterday but the morning was really cloudy and wet and so we waited. It was a good idea as this morning was beautiful and clear. We figured out on the map where we had to go to get on it and we thought about walking there. Thank goodness we decided to get a taxi, both Mike and I would probably have passed out long before we got to the ticket booth. Mike hailed a taxi just outside the hotel; he almost went without me as I was walking ahead of him - he had to yell at me three times. The taxis here just stop in the lanes of traffic to pick people up and since I was way down the road I can tell you we got some honks while I ran back to get in. The driver asked us where we wanted to go and when we told him he had no idea what we were talking about. He had to pull over so we could show him our map. But when he knew where we were headed, the pedal hit the metal and we were of. Seriously, the cab drivers are insane, even more so than the regular drivers, but it's a toss up who uses their horns the most. The drive wasn't too long but it was all up hill, or more correctly up mountain. There were a few times when I wasn't sure the car was going to make it, but he stuck it in first and it struggled on. Most of the cars here seem to be manuals and the drivers clutch control is not the best. We made it there in one piece though and it was the best $5.00 we have spent so far.
The books all suggested we get there early to avoid the crowds but it was fairly quiet when we arrived a little after 10. Mike bought our tickets and we waited for about 5 minutes for a car to come. The Teleferiqo is a sky tram, basically an over sized ski lift that takes you up the side of Volcan Pichincha, to the top of Cruz Loma. The ride up took about 10 minutes and Mike and I were in a car with 4 other people. The Ecuadorians were all really friendly (the Scandinavian not so much) and were asking us questions about where we were from and whether we liked it here. They were from Ecuador but not Quito and it was there first time on the ride too. The views from the car were spectacular, and since the day was so clear we could see the whole of Quito. It is vast, I took some pictures but you cannot see the scale of the city from the photos, it just goes on forever in all directions. As we ascended the flora changed and the high we got the fewer trees we saw, and they were replaced by grasses and wild flowers. There were some farms that we passed over on the way up but none as we got towards the top. When we got out of the car we were at over 13,000 feet (4100m). The air up there was thin but the views were amazing, we could see right over Quito to the mountains rising on the opposite side of the valley. It was possible to go even higher to 4680m which is the summit of Rucu Pichincha, the hike would have taken about 3-4 hours (or 10-12 if Mike and I had done it). We decided not to especially as we started walking up the trail and found it hard to breath at that altitude.
We spent a while taking in the views from all directions, and having coffee. Then we headed back down the mountain in a car all by ourselves. The ride down was a little scarier than going up as it was a bit windy in spots but we made it down. It was definitely an experience and something worth doing in this city.
This afternoon after getting another crazy taxi ride down the mountain we found a cute little restaurant called Kallari which is a coop owned by 900 indigenous families from Tena. They grow coffee and chocolate and make really good Yucca fries. The guy was really sweet and they have some gorgeous handmade crafts in the cafe. We sat for quite a while and ate yucca with guacamole and hot sauce, and brownies with ice cream - what better way to spend an afternoon in Ecuador.
When we got back to the room there was a banging noise that went on for hours. Mike went outside to investigate and found the guy who might own the hotel (he's always here anyway) and was told that the building behind us was renovating. A little while later there was a knock on our door and the lady from the desk came and offered us a different room. Since the banging was still going on close to 9 o'clock we ended up packing everything up and moving into the hotel proper. We now have a balcony, wifi, and no giant hole in the bathroom ceiling, we've been upgraded!

Mike: They say Teleferiqo is the highest most people will go without being in an airplane. I believe it I could hardly breathe.

We got up this morning and decided to skip breakfast and just have coffee instead as we were going to visit the Central Mercado on the way to old town today. We went to a little cafe down the street from our hotel and had cafe lattes but they were nothing to write home about and two coffees cost us the same as both our breakfasts that we had yesterday, crazy.
Whatever, the caffeine got us going a little and we headed back the same way as yesterday only today we walked through the park instead of around it. There are a number of beautiful parks here in Quito, all very lush and green and very well maintained. They are very family oriented with areas for the kids to play, and volley ball courts, and there always seems to be people playing boccie. People seem to take full of advantage of them too as there seem to be a large number of people in this park each time we've been around or through it.
We visited the Central Mercado hoping to get some lunch but we didn't have any luck when we found it. It was super busy with little stalls selling all kinds of things from fruits and vegetables to flowers, and they had one stall full of fresh herbs that smelled wonderful. As for the prepared food, it smelled good, and there were lots of people eating it, but most of their plates and bowls seemed to have some kind of animal in it. We couldn't find anywhere that was selling anything vegetarian so we decided that it would be a good idea to try somewhere else for lunch. We ended up eating at a really nice little vegetarian restaurant with an owner who spoke English better than me; he didn't even have an accent. The food was great, we had some kind of potato pattie that was orange but didn't taste like sweet potato but was good anyway. Everything tasted freshly prepared and the owner was very helpful and accommodating - he even had homemade hot sauce for Mike. We'll definitely be going back I think. All the people have been really nice here so far, we've even managed to have conversations with people who speak no English; between Mikes Spanish and some hand gestures we are managing to communicate ok.
After lunch we took a long, long walk in the opposite direction; if we keep this up we are both going to have very sexy legs by the time we leave. Mike needs to get a light jacket (the doughnut didn't bring one with him) so we headed to the mall. It was just like the malls in the States with some of the same stores even, but it didn't have what we were looking for. We walked back to the hotel along a bike route. It seems that on Sundays some of the streets here are closed off and everyone, or at least it seemed like a lot of people, get on their bikes and ride all over Quito - very cool.

Mike: No como carne. Soy Vegitariano.

Everything looks better in the morning sunshine. I had a little moment last night when I wondered why the heck mike had brought me here and whether I'd really be able to last three months, but I feel better today.
We got up and went for breakfast in the little cafe next to the hotel on the advice of the lady at the front desk. We had scrambled eggs, toasted cheese sandwiches, coffee, and some kind of juice that was really yummy. It was all really good, although mike missed his hot sauce, and we paid $5.00, for all of it not each.
After stuffing out faces we decided to walk into the old town. It didn't look too far on the map but it turned out to be quite a hike. Fortunately we didn't have to negotiate any major hills, but we did have to cross a few roads and we got beeped at a number of times. The walking was really hard going at times. It was a beautiful clear day and not too hot, but at this altitude trying to get a good lung full of air is difficult, it's going to take a few days to acclimatize I think.
We spent about four hours wandering around the old town and sitting in the Plaza Grande just watching the people walking about; as today is Saturday there were lots of people just out and about enjoying the weather.
Quito is a lot different than I was expecting, it's a lot bigger for starters with loads of traffic and people and lots of traffic pollution. It's streets are quite clean and well taken care of and there seems to be people picking up trash and the like all the time, but it still has the overall feeling of being a little run down and dirty - I guess I've never really spent any time in a third world country before.
It is pretty cool to watch the people here though, especially the Ecuadorian Indians with their traditional dress. The woman especially seem to maintain the tradition and wear long skirts with white embroidered blouses and awesome hats with big feathers in them. the majority of them are trying to sell you different things as you walk past, mostly fruits but other things as well.
After spending a while walking we headed back to the hotel to rest our weary legs - this 9300 foot altitude is a killer. Both Mike and I took a nap and then went out for dinner. It seems that our hotel is right at the centre of the new town and it was really lively out tonight, lots of people wandering about and eating at all the different restaurants. We ended up eating at a Thai place and had some excellent food, and then we did some more wandering. It seems relatively safe here as there is at least one policeman on every street, and usually more. Even though there are alot of people around they mostly seem to be out getting dinner, heading to karaoke bars, or just hanging out with friends. On the way home we stopped at a corner store and Mike got a giant bottle of beer for $1.05; I'm going to have to be careful or he'll be having beer for breakfast with his coffee.

Mike: This should expand my lung capacity. Humm! Beer & Coffee!

We got up fairly early this morning and had a nice breakfast at the hotel before continuing our journey to Miami. We had little time to kill so we drove around trying to find the post office where we can have our post sent to general delivery before we head to the UK in May; we found several post offices but not the right one. I guess Mike will figure it out online; hopefully anyway.
Before going to the airport to check in we had to return the rental car. Man is the system they have slick or what. We drove into what was basically a multi storey car park that had all the rental agencies on different floors. We just drove up the aisle for Budget, they scanned us and that was that. Then we took their shuttle to the airport, easy peasy.
We had to wait a little while to check in as we had gotten to the airport earlier than was necessary, but we eventually got rid of all our luggage and got through security without any delays. Both Mike and I did get to have full body X-rays while going through security; we didn't get to see the pictures though so I don't know whether they could see everything we have!
After a very long wait we got to board; at least the airport has Internet access or the wait could have been even longer. The flight wasnt bad, it only took about four hours and we had inflight entertainment the whole way and some of the best airline food I've ever eaten. When the pilot told us that we were getting ready to begin our descent into Quito I thought he was losing his mind as all I could see out the window was blackness; there was not a light insight. But just before we landed Quito appeared through the clouds and there were lights in every direction as far as I could see. We disembarked and got through immigration and customs in record fast time and then got a $7.00 taxi ride to our hotel. OMG we went on the taxi ride from hell. Our hotel is apparently about 4 miles from the airport as the crow flies, but I think we went up or down every road in Quito to get here, and we did them all at the speed of sound! Ok that's a little dramatic, but they sure do drive like crazies here, weaving in And out, going top speed and then slamming on the brakes at the last second, scary stuff. Oh and everyone here has a horn and they are not afraid to use them.
We finally got to our hotel and there were some guys waiting to carry our luggage. Mike got us checked in and they took all our stuff to our room. I think we must be in the cheap rooms as we are not in the main building but outside across the car park. The room is ok, it's clean but super basic. We at least have two beds so that when I get mad at Mike we can each have our own. We have tv with about 20 channels en espanol, we have air conditioning (window open) and heat (window closed) - what more could we want. We also have our own bathroom with running water and our very own steam extraction system - check out the picture.
Seriously it'll be just fine, the people here seem really friendly and it's just for a few days anyway. Now I'm off to bed.

Mike: Becc, welcome to the 3rd world experience! I hope you have fun!

I woke up this morning to what sounded a lot like rain but when I looked outside it was just really foggy. We got started early with Mike getting up on the roof and covering over the air conditioning unit. After emptying the water heater he taped it up along with the fridge and heater vents. I cleaned out the toilet for the last time for 7+ months, and since the tanks are going to be sitting empty I gave it an extra good clean today. Around ninish we headed upto the office to do a last load of laundry and to sort out the rent on the storage space. I had a bit of a panic as when we got to the laundry it was locked and we were informed that the water was off throughout the park due to a water main break. Fortunately it wasn’t off more than half an hour and I got my laundry in the washing machine while Mike picked out our storage space. We actually got done with getting the trailer ready fairly early so mike drove it over into storage and got it parked up; he did the backing onto the wood blocks himself as he does it so much easier when I don’t help. Then we unhitched the truck so we could do some last minute running around and also so we could change out the tow bar, and set to work finishing up getting the trailer straight. I did help with this bit, I put the wheel covers on all by myself while Mike disconnected the battery and propane tanks.
After taking care of my laundry we headed out to pick up the rental car and made a stop by the bank to pick up some ones and fives; apparently we will need a good supply while we are in Ecuador. After that we went back to storage and hitched Serena back up to the trailer. I think she knew we were leaving her for awhile as she protested a little when Mike was putting her up on blocks, but she went with it eventually. The last thing we did was open all the cupboards in the trailer and disconnect Serenas battery, then we headed for Miami. It was quite sad leaving the truck and trailer all parked up, but at least we left them in a safe place with lots of shelter from the weather, and Serena can have a rest for a few months.
We drove south towards the airport for about 3 hours down the turnpike; this was the first toll we have paid since we’ve been in Florida and we’ve been here almost two months, not bad going. We had booked a hotel along the I95 in Jensen Beach and we checked in there late this afternoon. It’s quite nice, easy to get to and clean; it’ll do just fine for one night.

Mike:Ready for a new chapter in the "Mike & Becc saga", South America here we come!