Mitad del Mundo

Back in Argentina where taxis are metered and toiletpaper is thrown in the toilet. My 2 weeks in Ecuador were awesome. Mike and I had a plan to meet in Guayaquil bus station at 2pm on Monday the 14th of May and from there we would go straight to the beach. I was there bright and early, bags packed, ready to go and super excited. The excitement started to fade when the sun began setting and all the security guards were telling me he's not coming and that i should go home. I told them to leave me alone... he was going to arrive! Around 8pm a 6'3 gringo with a leather cowboy hat on walks out... oh the joy! Mike had been stuck at the border of Peru and Ecuador, some sort of blockade. Well, we hopped on a bus that took us 2 hours to a pick up truck that took us another 2 hours to our destination, Montanita. This beach town is small, colorful and fun but not the most peaceful place. Each restaurant is blasting music to try to make their place more appealling (Ricky Martin was a town favorite)... we really just wanted some peace. After 4 days, 3 sun burns, 2 many beers and 1 bad empanada (poor mike) we headed north to Canoa (a 7 hour trip nonetheless).
Canoa was a dream. La Vista hotel where we stayed was right off
the beach, a beautiful balcony with hammock and no ricky martin blasting in the town... happiness overcame us. Beach by day, Bambu hostal for dinner by night. The male to female ratio was about 24 to 1, so it wasnt so much fun when walking by myself... where are all the women? Cooking? Cleaning? Having more male babies? The 2 bars at night are packed but they look like the bars I go to in NYC with my gay friends... all men! After Canoa we began a very long night trip to Quito. Arrived on Wednesday 5/23, just in time to watch the Milan/Liverpool soccer game, one of the biggest games of all time. Good times. Quito was a great city. We stayed in a lively, modern area in the new city near Plaza Foch... stay around there if you ever go. Thursday we checked out what all the fuss was about going to the equator... it was fascinating! The line in the park is not the actual equator... it was found without GPS system. The real line that was later found with GPS is about 200 meters north (but amazing that they were so close without modern technology!). On the actual ecuator line gravity changes. You are lighter and weaker and you can balance at egg on a nail. Water goes STRAIGHT down a drain rather than clockwise or counterclockwise (as in a toilet). Oh, and the sun is quite strong, my friend. Quito chilly, equator hot (only about 30 minutes away).
When Mike left Saturday morning back to LA (after his 4 month trip thru S.America) I had the day free so I went to Otavalo to the biggest Saturday market in South America. 2 hours away but well worth the trip. It was so vibrant with its colors and people and costumes and food! I had a night flight home with a 3 hour lay over in Peru...hell i tell you. But i made it back to my sweet little apartment in BA, unscathed but minus a pair of sunglasses which the ocean of Canoa stole from me. I have 8 days before I leave for South Africa... thats all i have to say about that.

Got Wine?

My parents arrived in BA last week... 5th visit. Does someone miss their daughter? My aunt and cousin came for the ride as well and besides from the "tiny" tiffs here and there, the trip has been really great. Sunday the girls were off to Mendoza... we left the pops behind in BA to hang with Hugo. Few interesting facts about Mendoza: Its a desert, not by looks but by the facts... it rains maybe 3 days a year. The city is watered by an irrigation system so all the streets are bordered by 3 foot moats... this would NEVER fly in the states. Talk about law suits! There are over 700 bodegas (wineries/vineyards) and one of the most beautiful landscapes of all of argentina. We stayed in a great hotel called Lares de Chacras (highly recommend) and we visited a total of 4 bodegas and tasted at least 40 differents wines... look, sniff, swirl, sniff, sip, slurp, slosh, gulp. The people are so friendly and welcoming and the view of the Andes is a tease... so close yet so far away. All around BEAUTIFUL.

Now some Hedy Updates: Before my adventure to South Africa I decided to make a 2 week stop in Ecuador! My last day of work was Saturday so now when my family leaves I have the month of May to hang around. My friend Mike (the one who will be in Africa at the same time as me) will be making his last stop in South America to Ecuador in May... so, timing was right and I am very interested in seeing another South American culture. 6'4 Mike and blonde curly haired Hedy wont stick out at all... i'll be sure to take ALOT of pics.
Anyways, the adventures seem to just keep on coming and I am just going with the flow...