Lets ride 4 wheelers up an active volcano.

Due to an extensive demand for an update I am blogging. Just kidding Stephab. Wellll lets see whats new. Hunter and I have some pretty serious sickness going on. Not that serious but we both have felt bad for about 3 weeks and today we got some medicine that should kick it in the butt- hopefully. The final countdown has begun, 2 weeks and 2 days left. This past weekend was phenomenal- Saturday being potentially the best day of the entire trip. We went to Baños, a city about 5 hours outside of Quito known for its hot springs (Baños being the spanish word for baths), as well as for its active volcano which recently had a fairly big eruption. Friday after school we navigated our way to the bus terminal (well Charles navigated us) and eventually got to Baños and found a bad A hotel. (anyone going to Baños should stay in Hotel Ross- ten bucks a night plus breakfast.) Upon arriving Sarah and I decided it would be a good idea to try the local Capriña. This was around 5 oclock so by 9 we had turned the town into an Ecuadorian Bourbon street. At 9 we got our whole group together (17 of us) and took a party bus to the top of the volcano. Unfortunately it was too cloudy to see any lava. When we returned from the volcano/lookout point we went to a bar for a little bit but around 12 I was ready to be in a bed. The next morning we got up and all rented mountain bikes for 5 bucks a piece and went on literally the most beautiful bike ride of my life. We went pretty far I think around 20 miles, saw a ton of waterfalls and mountains, rode a cable car across a river and then hiked to see one of the bigger waterfalls which was a pain in the south american ass to get back up- but well worth it. The people from the bike place picked us up at this point and we all loaded into the back of a pick up truck- I wish someone would've kept count of the number of times this has happened- and went back into town. From here we got a little lunch and then decided to rent dirt bikes, 4 wheelers and dune buggies (me) to drive up the volcano. It was amazing!!! I mean the views could literally not be any better and this was nice because it required no physical strain for the most part. We got back to town around 6 and then went to an incredible cheap international restaurant called Casa Hood. I had pad thai, hummus, chips and guacamole AND the best mocha milkshake i have ever had. Between the 9 of us we ordered an absurd amount of food were all stuffed and spent only 75 dollars. It was great. After this we got a few bottles of wine and went to the roof of our hotel which turned out to be a great look out spot. We sat up there and just hung out until we all fell asleep. The next day Sarah and I shopped around, then rented a dune buggie which we drove around town for a while and then ate some lunch and watched the final world cup game. Afterwards we got a private bus to take us back to Quito- a great idea.

Monday our class went on a field trip with our hilarious ecology teacher to the Paramo- a region of Ecuador similar to tundra but with some other stuff.. i cant remember anyways it was really cool. Tomorrow we have our midterm in Ecology and a presentation and Friday we leave for the Tiputini Biodiversity station which should be bad to the bone no doubt. Got to go study!

La Adventura Continua!

Well this week has been eventful to say the least. The galapagos were amazing! We were on a fairly small boat with 15 other people, one couple was from austin, tx they were super cool. There was a girl from Holland, Paulina and a guy from Ireland, Steve. Then there was an older couple who lived in Quito but were from the states- he worked in the US Embassy. The last couple was from Canada. We did some amazing snorkling- with baby sea lions and star fish and mantarays and penguins, iguanas, SHARKS! It was great. We saw a whole bunch of blue footed boobies, red footed boobies and friggid birds as well as finches and some big ole turtles or tortoises im not sure which they were. The water was typically pretty cold but once you got used to it it was perfect! The beaches were beautiful as were the sun sets and the stars at night. We could see the southern cross clearly which you can only see from a certain hemisphere so that was cool. Also one night we literally saw the moon rise- maybe one of the coolest things ive ever seen. Sarah and I made a routine of jumping off one of the higher points of the ship during the afternoon to swim around it was a lot of fun. The food was fantastic, something we were not all expecting, it helped to compensate for the atrocious motion sickness we all felt. Sarah and I slept up on the top of the boat for two of the three nights because the motion was so much less than in our washing machine (our room). Mom and Dad if you are reading this I've decided that im going to make a lot of money and send you on a cruise to the Galapagos but only on a huge amazing boat so mom doesnt get sea sick. The last night of the cruise we docked in Santa Cruz and went out on the town with the crew and our tour guide. SO. MUCH. FUN. There is a new law in Ecuador that bars have to stop selling alcohol at 12 on week days and 2 on weekends- so basically we are back in oxford with out the perks. Well good thing we had Lenny and Co. (boat crew) to take us to some underground salsa clubs!! It was so much fun. After we left the first club we all hopped in a taxi (pick up truck cerca 1940) and asked the tour guide to give us an "island tour"- hilarious. Next we ended up at another club that was still open but here we were the only people, I also remember it being Michael Jackson themed if im not mistaken. We caught a boat taxi back to the Angelique and slept for approximately 2 and a half hours until we had to get up for our final day excursion. After the cruise, Walt Sarah and I decided we wanted to go to the beach for the remainder of the week since we were already so close to the coast! Instead of going on to Quito we got off in Guayaquil and then incredibly found the bus station and the correct bus to Montanita, a beach a few friends of ours had visited and loved a few weeks before. I have to say reflecting back it is really a miracle we make it anywhere around here, we depend so much on the assistance of strangers and other english speaking travelers! We got to the beach- in a nutshell this place is Bonnarroo as a city plus surfing and lots of clubs. The first night we got stuck staying in a more expensive hostal but then we found "rickys hostal" which was one of the best finds of the entire summer trip. The guy working there, Victor Hugo (no lie) was a surfer from venezuela! He taught us how to surf, made us dinner and took us out with his friends! So much fun. The people staying in our hostal were really cool- a guy from london, a girl from Buenos Aires and everyone had great stories to tell. We had some incredible seafood (ceviche) and Sarah and I have found a new drink we are obsessed with- caprinias basically a mojito with a special brazilian liquor. Amazing. Saturday Victor hooked us up with some of his friends who do paragliding and so we hopped in the back of a pick up truck (this seems to be a trend) drove about thirty minutes down the beach with some crazy ecuadorian guys and then jumped off a cliff! Hopefully walt will post his pictures soon of these characters and our paragliding adventure. Sunday we caught a bus ride home and then an airplane to quito. We had orientation yesterday with all the new Ole Miss kids, im so glad they are all here! Last night we went back to our wine place and chilled for a long time, it was nice. Today I woke up with a major headache and Im about to get ready for our afternoon class! We are going to be in class for a lot more time this month but i think our classes will be really interesting. I think this weekend we are going to try and plan a trip to Banos- a place where you can white water raft, repel, all sorts of cool stuff. Then the next weekend we are going to the Tiputini Biodiversity station which should be really really cool. Got to go get ready for escuela! Chao!

Apocalypse

Yesterday we got together and watched the disappointing loss of the Estados Unidos to Ghana- found a good pub to get a burger and watch a game though. Mary Anna and her friend Jen met us there too it was so good to see them!! Then last night Sarah Charles Walt and I met up with Mary Anna and Jen at MAs hostel which frankly I am very jealous of- this would be a totally different trip if we all got posted up in the same hostel. We hung there for a little while and then hit la mariscal which was out of power!!!! all the bars were pitch black and lit by candles! We went to a shot bar and all got "apocalypses" very fitting for the situation- which consisted of every kind of hard liquor available and were on fire. haha! we met some other Americans from Kentucky and even a girl from Tennessee. after some shots we headed to the bungalow and danced for a good while. solid fun night for sure. we leave for the Galapagos tomorrow at 7 am!!!

We're backkkk

Regresamos a Quito! Riobama was an experience for sure, a nice quiet break, half of the group got food poisoning, bound to happen sometime so i guess thats one thing we can check off our list. Our host mother was so precious and our house was amazing. I will steal and post others pictures soon (my camera was stolen, I don't know if I mentioned that or not). After an entertaining 3 hour bus ride home today we all met up for Mexican food and drinks tonight. Tomorrow we are picking up our tickets for the Galapagos and having our farewell dinner with our sweet spanish professors whom we all love!! Im sad I can not take spanish again next month, our teacher Amporo has really made June amazing. I can honestly say my spanish has improved vastly from class and speaking with my family, taxi drivers ect. I am finally starting to feel comfortable here. It took a while but I am glad that I am staying longer. July will be a whole new experience. The agenda currently holds: a white water rafting trip in the jungle, a weekend in a country side hacienda, a trip to the beach, a week in the biodiversity station as well as our upcoming week in the Galapagos and on top of that, two very interesting new classes and a whole new crew of fun people. Cant wait!!! Hasta luego.

Riobamba!

We are now in Riobamba, a smaller city south of Quito. The past few days have been a serious adventure. Thursday we got up early drove the give hours to Riobamba and went on a tour of the city- then Thursday night Addison, Hunter Sarah and I got hooked up with the honey moon suite? It was hilarious. Jacoozie (spelling?? ) huge king sized bed, but it was only one night so we got some cots and made it work! Then Friday we went to an indigenous village where we spent the night in cabins and they told us about how they grew all their own food ect. It was really neat. Our bus driver was a crack head and kept us cracking up the whole time- he loved to repeat anything we told him to say you can only imagine. The next morning we drove up to Chimborazo- the highest peak in Ecuador and the closest point on earth to the sun! All the boys got really sunburned because we didnt even think about how the snow would reflect so much sunlight! By Saturday night we were all really sick of the same traditional ecuadorian meal (bread, soup, avacado, chicken or beef, rice, veggies and the occasional sketchy dessert) Sunday we went to a market and bought some regalos (presents) and then rode a cable car across a really nice lookout. While we stopped to take pictures a group of Ecuadorians came up to ask and asked to take pictures with us then asked if Molly would be in one of their music videos- maybe the sketchiest and funniest thing ever. Sunday night we met our host families in Riobamba, we were all really hesitant and worried but it all turned out fantastic! Hunter, Addison, Meghan and I got put with the same family- we have the nicest mom, she is an older single woman and she lives in a huge house for Ecuador- lots of bedrooms, a great dining room and in walking distance from our school!!!! She was so so nice and we are all excited to live together for the week- her house is like something out of a museum, clearly built before electricity its so quaint and cute i wish we could stay for the rest of the summer. I was glad to see our spanish teacher today, Amporito after a whole week with out her! Our final exam is Friday so we are going to start preparing for that soon. Riobamba is so nice!!! cobblestone streets, nice people, less pollution and noise. Everyones spanish is really improving too. A week from today we will be on a boat in the Galapagos! Yay! Thats all for now! Chao!

Arroz y aguacate

Its been a fairly uneventful week so far. Today after school Sarah and I found a really nice chocolate store behind the school (bad news) as well as a really nice restaurant a cheap pizza place and we bought some movies! I got the first season of Glee as I have had many people telling me I needed to watch it. Tomorrow is a regular school day and tomorrow night we are all going to a Beatles themed bar, "Strawberry Fields". That should be fun! Thursday morning we leave for our week long travel to Riobamba. I had a not so good bus experience this afternoon- while walking to my second bus a group of guys whistled and yelled (which is not not normal for any day for any girl but specifically girls with blonde hair) and i ignored them as usual and got on my bus, well they came too and sat next to me! They tried talking to me for a minute but I continued to ignore them and decided to get off at the next stop. When the next bus arrived it was so full that I couldnt get on and finally when I did get on a bus, it was so crowded that I couldnt get off at my stop! Good news was that I walked a different way home and saw a cute part of my neighborhood and a quaint restaurant on my street that I had never noticed before. So although that was a little frustrating, it turned out ok. Im debating buying a tobogan to wear during my commute... met a girl from Germany today on the train who was here doing volunteer work for 10 weeks! She had been all over Ecuador and said Quito was her least favorite... great! But that really just got me excited for our trip to Riobamba which is smaller, less busy and more safe. As for the title, Arroz y aguacate (Rice and avacado) This is literally almost all that i eat on a daily basis. Except for my pbj sandwich i pack for lunch plus a granola bar and sometimes they'll throw in some tomatoes or potatoes. Its simple but it gets the job done. Signing off for now. Adios!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do...

...So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

Thanks Mark for that. Last night was an adventure which started in the Mariscal as I'm sure many more will, next to the club owned by the host family of our friend Matt. Ridiculous. In Ecuador instead of buying drinks you buy an entire liter of alcohol to split with your friends, so people are constantly walking around the bar with fifths of liquor just shooting it straight- it is crazy. Sarah and I got some off the record salsa lessons from a few friendly Ecuadorians, Addison proved he does not kid around with fist pumping and Walt got a chance to show off his inner Chippendale. Needless to say after arriving home at 330 and waking up at 630 to leave for Cotopaxi, my morning wasn't very pleasant. After 3 million hours on the worlds bumpiest road we arrived at a rainy Cotopaxi. I let the rest of the group hike for me while I enjoyed the great view from the bus. Hey you can't do it all and I got a tshirt so people will never know the difference. Afterwards we got the best meal of the trip at a family owned restaurant outside the national park- popcorn, potato soup with cheese and avacado, beef, fresh tomatoes, rice, coke in a glass bottle and strawberries and cream for desert- all for 6 dollars!!

I really felt the need to give a more serious plug of the effects of being here thus far. Every day I think about how dang lucky I am, and all of us for that matter, to live in the US, in Mississippi, in Oxford/Jackson, to go to Ole Miss, to have families, dogs, clean water, good food, big houses, great friends, ect. Its so sad to see so many kids and older people begging on the street, to hear stories about good people not being able to visit a dying relative in the US because they can't get a visa, and just in general to recognize the blatant injustices occurring all the time and knowing at the same time that for some reason you are an exception to the rule. There are so many problems and issues with the world that are so easy to ignore when you are laying on a green comfy couch in the KD house and life is perfect. With this I will say that I have come to appreciate my friends more than anything, I miss all of them so much and I now know how much I take for granted being with them all the time, eating, hanging out, just simple everyday things. I can barely even think about Stephanie with out crying! All of this has been said before obviously, and we've all heard the speech but I think I can really appreciate the genuine understanding of really not knowing how good you have it, until you dont. So there is my serious plug no. 1 for the trip.

Tomorrow marks week number 3! We have school until Thursday and then we are packing up for Riobamba. We're all staying in different hotels for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night and then for week 4 we are staying with a new host family in Riobamba. Luckily Amporito our fantastic spanish teacher is coming with us! After the week in Riobamba we have a farewell dinner and then Hunter, Sarah, Walt, Charles, Davis and I pack up for our trip to the Galapagos! When we return from that all the fun July people come in and we start our second month of class!