The End of Ecuador ... and intro to Buenos Aires

Even though it hasn't been quite two weeks since I last posted, it feels like much longer because of all of the traveling I have been doing! After Jon arrived in Quito, I gave him less than 12 hours to get adjusted to the altitude and time zone before we were off on a day of Quito exploration! We took the TelefériQo, a cable-car like lift up the east side of the Pichincha Volcano, which transports you from Quito's altitude of about 8,800 feet to 13,400 feet! We took up a picnic and spent a few hours looking out over a beautiful view of Quito. The part of Quito I had been trekking around on a daily basis seemed so manageable and small that it really surprised me to see how the city spreads through the entire valley. After our picnic we proceeded to another Quito landmark, the Basilica de Voto Nacional, a beautiful church in the historic part of Quito containing 24 different chapels. We climbed up a number of wobbly staircases and ladders to reach the top of the highest tower where you can sit out on a ledge with your legs dangling ... one of the many things that would NEVER be allowed in the US!

The following day we headed to Baños, a city in central Ecuador named for its hot springs. Although it was quite touristy, it was small, sweet, and full of outdoor excursions! The first afternoon we rented bikes and biked along roads and paths to a number of different waterfalls. The following day we got ready early for a morning of repelling down waterfalls! There was nobody else signed up at our time, so Jon and I had our own private guide and were allowed to try more waterfalls than usual. Despite my attractive wetsuit and helmet, I was a little nervous because I had never repelled before, but it was a truly terrific experience.

That evening we headed to Tena, a small city in the Amazon that is a popular jumping off point for jungle excursions. We spent a night there, and left the following morning for Cabañas Shangrila, a beautiful lodge over the Rio Anzu (River Anzu), with an impressive view of the jungle vegetation. There was only one available guide, so we didn't have as much flexibility to choose our activities as we would have liked, but we spent the morning touring an indigenous community and the afternoon "canyoning," which consisted of a walk in which we occasionally walked through caves with bottoms too narrow to walk through, so we had to walk/climb with our legs and arms spread apart. I was the shortest one in the group, and the cave walls were decently spaced out ... so it proved to be difficult at times, but also very enjoyable. It was great just to walk along the jungle floor and admire the impressive diversity of vegetation! Unfortunately we didn't witness too many animals aside from bats in the caves and some unique species of butterflies.

After the jungle we headed back to Quito in time for Amit's goodbye bash at the language school, so I was able to see all of the professors/my classmates at school again, and we had a great final afternoon. The following day we made our last Ecuadorian excursion, a trip to Otavalo market, a market full of indigenous artisans selling handicrafts. In all, i had an excellent time in Ecuador and loved being able to live with my sister, spend time with Amit, Hudson, Angella and other students from school, improve on my Spanish and travel with Jon!

Jon and I left on Sunday morning, flew through Lima, Peru, and finally arrived in Buenos Aires. We spent the first evening with a family friend of his, and the next day Jon moved in with his host family and I moved into my hostel. Even after being in Buenos Aires for one day, it was immediately clear how different it is from Quito and other parts of Central/South America! True to popular perception, it looks extremely European and reminds me of a fusion of Madrid, New York City and London. It has distinct "barrios" which each have their own flavor, but as a whole, it is full of parks and greenery, and very beautiful.

I spent the first day roaming around downtown, trying to get my bearings and visiting a few popular landmarks, such as Casa Rosada, a salmon-colored building that houses some government offices and is located right behind Plaza de Mayo, a plaza known for the weekly march of Las Madres de La Plaza de Mayo, which I'll talk about a little later. I spent the evening taking a Tango class at my hostel ... which was quite interesting considering there wasn't an equal ratio of girls/boys taking the class, so I spent a good portion of the evening dancing with a 70-year-old German grandmother ... comical to say the least.
The following day I spent the morning in Recoleta, the wealthiest and most fashionable part of Buenos Aires that houses the famous Cemeterio de la Recoleta, a cemetery filled with a number of important Argentinian historical figures, including Evita. I also visited Museo Nacional de las Bellas Artes, Argentina's main art museum. I then crossed over into Palermo, an area filled with a number of beautiful parks and gardens, including the Botanical garden and Japanese gardens. While searching for the Japanese gardens I ran into a German traveler named Manfred who was also looking for the same place, so we ended up spending the afternoon together. I have realized that one of the best things about traveling alone is that it gives you the opportunity to meet and talk to so many different people, and I have really enjoyed the random encounters with other travelers this week. Yesterday I went back to Palermo, but instead went to the "downtown" area, and then headed back mid town to the busy streets Santa Fe and Florida which have the true city feel and a number of cafes, shops and restaurants that were a nice break from the SCORCHING heat of upper 80s-mid 90s! I have been spending a few hours here and there with Jon when he has breaks from his orientation, and that has been a nice break from exploring alone.

I spent this morning in La Boca, an immigrant neighborhood known for its vibrantly-colored buildings. In the late 1800s after painting the shipping barges, port dwellers put the remains of the paint on their houses, giving La Boca its rainbow colored decor. I then went back to La Plaza de Mayo to see the march of Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo (The mothers of the Plaza De Mayo), an association of women whose children "disappeared" during the Argentinian dictatorship of 1976-1983. In protest they march around the Plaza every Thursday wearing white headscarves with the embroidered names of their children who were lost.
I have one and a half days more of explorining in Buenos Aires, and then on Saturday I am heading north to Iguazu Falls with Alli O'Connel, a fellow Tarheel who will be studying with me in Mendoza! After we return, we have one day more in Buenos Aires before our orientation starts next Wednesday and we head to Mendoza next Friday. I have recieved information about my host family and have communicated with my mother, Patricia, and am really looking forward to heading to Mendoza! Sorry for the long post, and I will next write from Mendoza!