When the prairie is on fire you see animals surrounded by the fire; you see them run and try to hide themselves so that they will not burn. That is the way we are here.-SurroundedI picked up this book at a hostel in Quito and couldn’t put it down. I finished it shortly after getting […] Read More…
Monthly Archives October 2006
Stealing an Election 27th
Sometimes the almost always high quality tech news coverage at ArsTechnica crosses over into more general interest subjects. They’re currently running a feature article about how to hack an election. The entire article might not hold your interest, but the first page is worth reading.Excerpt:What if I told you that it would take only one […] Read More…
Trouble-Free Weekend 24th
From CuencaWent hiking in Cajas national park on Saturday, only 30-40 minutes outside of Cuenca. Stunning scenery. Like Yosemite in the US and Milford Sound in NZ, the landscape was created by receding glaciers carving away rock faces. They left behind lakes everywhere. Went on a hike that lasted 5-6 hours. It was a very […] Read More…
Guitars 24th
From CuencaLast Friday our Spanish teacher, Fausto, took us to see Luis Uyapuari, an excellent guitar maker. Fausto knows Luis through working with his brother at a language school. Very nice person, and makes beautiful guitars totally by hand. I wish I had taken some closeups of the guitars, but unfortunately all I have is […] Read More…
Photos Galore 19th
Lots more photos online. Read More…
Mascotas por Almuerzo 19th
From CuencaThe other excitement yesterday was trying a typical Ecuadorian dish, cuy. That’s guinea pig in English. You can see them being sold at the market - cute little furry pets that they pay $10-$15 apiece for, drop into a sack, take home, break their necks, pop out the eyes, hold upside down to drain […] Read More…
Salsa 19th
From CuencaBefore you jump to conclusions, no, I’m not imitating Nelly. This is the result of my latest slightly worrying adventure. Wednesday night there are salsa lessons at my language school, and afterwards some of us go to a little salsa club called La Mesa. Last week was a lot of fun - I’ve never […] Read More…
Call Me Nacho 11th
That’s what I tell some people my name is because when I say “Nigel”, they end up pronouncing it nacho anyway. It’s possibly my favourite nickname so far.Ecuador has elections tomorrow (Sunday). Alcohol ceased to be served or sold everywhere starting at noon on Friday. Everyone of voting age is required to vote. According to […] Read More…
Arrived in Cuenca 2nd
Got to Cuenca after an all-day journey yesterday. Took a train from Rio Bamba where everyone sits on the roof for the entire 7 hour journey. Beautiful mountains and countryside everywhere. Arrived in Alausi in the early afternoon and took a 5 hour bus ride to Cuenca.First Spanish lesson was this morning. Intense, helpful, fun, […] Read More…