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…
Tag Archives: Ecuador
Trouble-Free Weekend 24 Oct, 2006
Guitars 24 Oct, 2006
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 19 Oct, 2006
Lots more photos online. Read More…
Mascotas por Almuerzo 19 Oct, 2006
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 19 Oct, 2006
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 11 Oct, 2006
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 2 Oct, 2006
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…
Climbing Cotopaxi: A Final Note 30 Sep, 2006
Yesterday Anne and I met up with the two hikers who had helped us in the hut on Cotopaxi. We talked a bit about what had happened and I found out some more information. The guide who had taken me down from the hut to the car (different person from Anne and my guide) had […] Read More…
How to End Up in Hospital in Less Than a Week 28 Sep, 2006
So maybe you’re wondering what I was doing standing by the side of the road eating cookies at 11 at night, some 50 miles outside Quito in the middle of nowhere. Maybe not, but I’ll tell you anyway. Let me rewind a bit, past the taxi ride, the rush down the mountain, the headache, back […] Read More…
Lunch in Translation 24 Sep, 2006
Ate lunch at a restaurant which had helpfully provided English translations of each item on the menu. Included were such delicacies as:* Chop with potato* Noodle with meat* Broth of leg* WaddingAnne was adventurous and chose the last option, which turned out to be cow stomach. Nice and chewy. Maybe it´s a real term I´m […] Read More…