Back in Quito...
Not feeling so hot today... don't know if it's something I ate or drank (or shouldn't have!), or just that the emotional roller coaster ride is wearing me down. I really think it's the former, as I'm having a bit of stomach cramping and such, and really feel like crap!
I was up at the crack of dawn this a.m., had a taxi pick me up at the Hacienda Guachala in Cayambe, and bring me to the bus station. He would have taken me all the way to Quito (about 1-1/2 hour ride) for $40, and I was tempted. But my sensible side reminded me that I was already low on funds -- no taking the easy way out today. Anyway, the taxi ride into town was $5, then the bus ride (about 2 hrs, with all the stop-and-go for passengers getting on and off) was only $1.25. From the bus station, I enlisted the help of a policeman to help me get another taxi (this time to the Alliance Academy). The taxi drivers don't know of the Alliance Academy, but it's within spitting distance from the Hospital Vozandes, which everyone seems to know. So I just asked him to take me there, and when we arrived and he was ready to stop, I motioned him to keep going to the next building. That taxi ride was another $2. So instead of $40, I spent only $8.25 to get here! I'm pretty proud of myself, and I have more to add to my tales of adventure!
The bus ride was actually pretty comfortable -- and interesting! It's a newer bus, not some rickety old thing, and the seats are comfy. They put my bags underneath, just like going Greyhound, but I kept my backpack with me at all times(containing cameras, passport, contact info, etc.), and all my cash in my front pockets, as usual.
Hey Mom and Dana, I have to tell you, I finally saw yesterday an old man and a burro along the road -- my first and only sighting! But I saw my share of old women driving sheep herds along roads, or 3-6 cows across roads in the villages (sometimes the traffic stops, mostly it doesn't, and the cows seem to know to make mad dashes between cars! Every piece if grassy knoll or hillside is utilized by the animal owners. You will note that all the cows have horns, and along any given road you might see cows staked out with the rope tied to their horns... or goats, or pigs! Nearby will be sitting the old woman tending them, who will move them on to another spot when the grass it eaten to the ground. That's why you'll see herds of animals (including pigs) being driving through towns -- the owners have only so much grazing land, and they move the animals to where ever the grass is.
I think I've mentioned all the dogs running loose everywhere... so sad. Most are obviously fending for themselves, dirty and scared if you try to talk to them or pet them (I managed to give a comforting scratch around the ruff to one or two, but mostly they're very wary). I did notice, though, that they are VERY street-wise. In the city of Otavalo, especially, it's every man (and dog!) for himself. Drivers don't stop at stop signs or use signals, and pedestrians cross when and where they dare. I was very concerned about the strays getting hit when I first arrived, but I began to notice that they watch the people. When there's someone crossing in the direction they want to go, they fall into place beside them till they get to the other side, then go their own way. Clever, eh? I guess it's all part of learning to survive, and the not-so-clever ones don't make it past puppyhood.
Ecuador is trying to get people to slow down and drive more carefully. Whenever someone is hit by a car and killed, they now paint a big blue heart on the road where they died, about 4 feet in diameter. It's supposed to remind drivers what happens when they're not more cautious. Don't know if it helps at all, because I can't imagine the drivers being even WORSE than they are now! I noticed that all the hearts had little curved lines coming from the side of them, looking like radio waves or something. I asked the translater what they were, and he told me that it signifies the life going out of the person killed. Sobering.
I was up at the crack of dawn this a.m., had a taxi pick me up at the Hacienda Guachala in Cayambe, and bring me to the bus station. He would have taken me all the way to Quito (about 1-1/2 hour ride) for $40, and I was tempted. But my sensible side reminded me that I was already low on funds -- no taking the easy way out today. Anyway, the taxi ride into town was $5, then the bus ride (about 2 hrs, with all the stop-and-go for passengers getting on and off) was only $1.25. From the bus station, I enlisted the help of a policeman to help me get another taxi (this time to the Alliance Academy). The taxi drivers don't know of the Alliance Academy, but it's within spitting distance from the Hospital Vozandes, which everyone seems to know. So I just asked him to take me there, and when we arrived and he was ready to stop, I motioned him to keep going to the next building. That taxi ride was another $2. So instead of $40, I spent only $8.25 to get here! I'm pretty proud of myself, and I have more to add to my tales of adventure!
The bus ride was actually pretty comfortable -- and interesting! It's a newer bus, not some rickety old thing, and the seats are comfy. They put my bags underneath, just like going Greyhound, but I kept my backpack with me at all times(containing cameras, passport, contact info, etc.), and all my cash in my front pockets, as usual.
Hey Mom and Dana, I have to tell you, I finally saw yesterday an old man and a burro along the road -- my first and only sighting! But I saw my share of old women driving sheep herds along roads, or 3-6 cows across roads in the villages (sometimes the traffic stops, mostly it doesn't, and the cows seem to know to make mad dashes between cars! Every piece if grassy knoll or hillside is utilized by the animal owners. You will note that all the cows have horns, and along any given road you might see cows staked out with the rope tied to their horns... or goats, or pigs! Nearby will be sitting the old woman tending them, who will move them on to another spot when the grass it eaten to the ground. That's why you'll see herds of animals (including pigs) being driving through towns -- the owners have only so much grazing land, and they move the animals to where ever the grass is.
I think I've mentioned all the dogs running loose everywhere... so sad. Most are obviously fending for themselves, dirty and scared if you try to talk to them or pet them (I managed to give a comforting scratch around the ruff to one or two, but mostly they're very wary). I did notice, though, that they are VERY street-wise. In the city of Otavalo, especially, it's every man (and dog!) for himself. Drivers don't stop at stop signs or use signals, and pedestrians cross when and where they dare. I was very concerned about the strays getting hit when I first arrived, but I began to notice that they watch the people. When there's someone crossing in the direction they want to go, they fall into place beside them till they get to the other side, then go their own way. Clever, eh? I guess it's all part of learning to survive, and the not-so-clever ones don't make it past puppyhood.
Ecuador is trying to get people to slow down and drive more carefully. Whenever someone is hit by a car and killed, they now paint a big blue heart on the road where they died, about 4 feet in diameter. It's supposed to remind drivers what happens when they're not more cautious. Don't know if it helps at all, because I can't imagine the drivers being even WORSE than they are now! I noticed that all the hearts had little curved lines coming from the side of them, looking like radio waves or something. I asked the translater what they were, and he told me that it signifies the life going out of the person killed. Sobering.
posted by darylann | 2:00 PM
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