My Journey in Review

Six weeks isn´t a lifetime, but I am certain my life will forever be changed by these six weeks. I began this journey asking for a full heart, reenergized soul, and the ambitious hope to find ¨it¨. I am not quite sure what was missing when I began my trip a mere month and a half ago. Maybe it was a 1/3 life crisis, boredom, possibly the remnants of a broken heart, maybe a combination. I am not quite sure. I just know I was unhappy, something needed to change, and an adventure seemed to be the best way to pull myself up by the bootstraps.

I can honestly say I am returning tonight in a new space. I got my full heart and reenergized soul, I may have even found ¨it¨. I am beginning to think I always had it, but just didn´t know where to look. It is not made of glitter nor does it wear a neon sign to direct us its way. For most of us, if we are lucky, it is always there, usually taken for granted and going unacknowledged.

Ecuador was a place unlike any other place I have ever witnessed. Such poverty and daily struggles a majority of its population reside in. There are the dishonest ones, yes, the ones which have succumbed to that way of life to make ends meet. However, the others are some of the kindest, most gracious and generous people I have ever met. They have nothing by some of our standards, yet they still let the poor man off the street have a bowl of food as he passes by, they always stop to ask your life story during a short 5 minute cab ride, or maybe they wake their son up at 5am to take you to the airport, so you don´t have to hail a cab from the dark street. Kids do not complain or throw temper tantrums, people do not walk with a scowl or with the force of needing to be somewhere 5 minutes ago. They live modestly, walk by expensive shops made for tourists or the small Ecuadorian population which can afford such luxuries, yet I do not believe they know the feeling of bitterness. They are happy and grateful.

I have many times over wondered how they find such contentment when they have to make sure to turn off each and every light in the house that is unoccupied, go without hot water, dishwashers and washing machines. They will always reheat what was served for lunch to not be wasteful and to ensure their families are fed. Many have a handful of clothing options each morning, most likely from a closet in a room shared with a spouse as well as their children.

It took me coming to Buenos Aires before it dawned on me. Here I was, resorting to old shopping and Starbucks habits, in all of maybe 10 minutes upon my arrival and days later I was starting to feel those same feelings I had before coming down here - loneliness, unfulfillment, boredom.

I am certain God blesses people like those I was so lucky to encounter in Ecuador, people like Mercedes and Julio, my host family, with full hearts becuase they have their priorities in order. Money and success do not sit perched on the top of their food chain. Perhaps it is because they do not posess the optimistic idea of endless opportunity, but maybe it is simply because they are wise. Family and friends are their focus and priority. They don't seem to get lost in material posessions or the constant need to increase their earning potential, never satisfied with where they are at, always looking for more. Again, I realize it may be a result of lack in opportunity, but I am not going to allow myself to think that way. It provides me with a greater sense of warm fuzzy feelings to believe they have found a zen type state with pure hearts, keeping the tradition and importance of family at the forefront, finding gratitude in the simple necessaties such as food and shelter.

My family and friends are not made of glitter nor do they wear a neon sign, but they are always there, right where I left them, at home. Even when I was teary eyed and coming to them with some kooky idea to take a leave of absence in a down economy to try and find something, anything, they were there. So thank you, to all of you who have supported me through life and on this journey. You have been in my back pocket this whole time and I am so grateful to have found you again, my "it".

All my love and thanks.

Alison

Argentina

This blog post is long overdue. I apologize for not keeping you better apprised of my travel time in Argentina as the country deserves it many times over. I love it here. Buenos Aires is my new ¨If there was another place in the world you would want to live, where would it be?¨ city. It is incredible.


I loved my time in Ecuador and had I picked another country it may not have provided such an eye opening experience. It was amazing to see such an indigenous culture, heart breaking to witness such poverty, and challenging to be such an obvious outsider based on the color of your skin. I am very thankful for all that I learned about myself and life outside of myself while in Ecuador. However, after a month of feeling out of my comfort zone pretty much every minute of the day, it was the perfect time to come to Buenos Aires...and that is why I haven´t left the city, other than a 3 day journey to Iguazu Falls, since I arrived last Wednesday.

The city itself is large, crowded to just the right point, warm and uber friendly. Other than the grubby backpacker look I can´t seem to shake, I blend in alright. People are blonde; brunette; tall; short; blue eyes and brown; usually with a cigarette in one hand and a yerba mate tea, served in a funny little cup, in the other.

It isn´t a city like Rome or Paris, where you could fill an entire week visiting museum after museum. Yet, it doesn´t seem to matter. I have met so many travelers who had planned to stop in Buenos Aires for a few days and always seemed to alter their travel plans to stay a while longer. The neighborhoods are charming, the latin culture is addicting, the peso is reasonable, and the shopping is dangerous.

This city is alive. Their days, by no means, start early. Even Starbucks doesn´t open until 10am, unheard of back home. They eat lunch around 3pm, dinner doesn´t begin (unless you want to dine alone) until 9 or 10pm, and it isn´t unusual to arrive back at home, after a night out, around 7am. They don´t drink to get drunk, that seems to be an American trait which we appear to be widely famous for (and not in a good way), they love their leisure time, parilla (grilled meat, especially steak), Italian influenced gelato, and Malbec wines.

I know the entire city isn´t as rosy as I am painting it, but the boutiquey and bustling neighborhoods I have circled for the last week, Palermo, Recoleta, and San Telmo, are worth writing home about. I have very much enjoyed my time of aimless walking, dinner and drinks with new friends, and people watching from outdoor cafes.

Sharon and Steve, good friends from home, who lived in Buenos Aires for a few years, gave me some wonderful tips, tips which included some fabulous places to dine out. Dashi, some of the best sushi I have eaten. My rating may be higher due to the fact I have been eating rice, potatoes and bad meat for the past month in Ecuador, but I don´t think so.

Dashi is located in the heart of the Palermo Hollywood neighborhood, which seems to house some of the most trendy restaurants in Buenos Aires. Hipsters you are Sharon and Steve! They mentioned if I saw the manager, Adrian, I should send a hello from them both. After asking my server if Adrian was in tonight, I realized I didn´t even need to waste my breath on the question. I should have known the cool cat circling the room, kissing the cheeks of loyal customers, was Adrian. He is tall, very European looking, and an earing in his ear.

The server brings him to the table, I try to explain my situation in Spanish, he of course remembers Sharon and Steve, but then walks away, clearly not sharing the same excitement I was exuding for finding this restaurant and passing a ¨hello¨ from thousands of miles away. I felt a little silly and went back to my perfected dining alone experience.

Adrian reminds me of one of the assassins from the Bourne Identity, smooth and emotionless. Of course he wouldn´t share in my nervous giggles. He instead sends over his nicest glass of Chardonnay and a plate full of yummy desserts. I say thank you a thousand times over. He simply nods, winks, and I exit with a kiss on the cheek. Oh, and a picture, which I said was for Sharon and Steve to not seem like a total dork.

I have met some wonderful people at my hostel, America del Sur. I already mentioned Florence, from Amsterdam, but Sanne as well, also from Amsterdam. The three of us went to Iguazu Falls on Sunday night via bus. By far the longest, but most luxurious bus ride I have ever been on. It was a measly 17 hours, but on a double decker bus with fully reclining seats, showing several movies throughout the night and morning, serving dinner, champagne, and breakfast, not a bad way to travel when it is a fraction of the price of flying.

I sat next to a bunch of guys just out of the Israeli army, touring South America for the next year before returning back to Israel to go to college. They asked each of us meaning behind our names and I replied...uh, I don´t think Alison means anything other than my parents liked it 29 years ago. It seems many people in Israel are given birth names which mean something. As the names are quite unusual and hard to remember, we joked we would instead call them by the meaning behind their name...or their new Indian name - there was Big Tree, Diamond, Small River, and Elmo (because he said his nephew only wants to watch Elmo). I mention them only because I, again, am so grateful to the many different people and cultures I have been able to encounter and get to know. The world is large, but I have now tacked Israel up on the board of places I would like to visit one day. Meet our new friends all the way from Israel.

The next day, Sanne, Florence and I woke early to check out the falls. The scenery and magnitude of the waterfalls are incredible. Definitely worth the long trip up there. Here are some pictures from the day. It is hard to put into words the rush and spray of the water, so hopefully, the pictures will give you an idea.

On our way down to the falls to catch a short tour by boat.

A moment before our boat driver told us to put our cameras away into our waterproof bags and we then drove directly under the falls. I can´t open my eyes in the shower let alone this mad rush of water.

A little drenched, but we made it to the top of Garganta del Diablo, which I believe means Devil´s Throat. Sanne is on the left and Florence in the middle.

At the Garganta del Diablo, Calm waters come together, creating an incredible force of nature as they plummet over the edge, downwards to the water below.

After a day at the park, Sanne and I said good-bye to Florence, who is headed to Brasil, and boarded our bus. We arrived back to Buenos Aires this morning and then I said good-bye to Sanne this evening. I think that is the hardest part of traveling. You become close with people fairly quickly as you are all in the same boat - usually by yourself and on an adventure for one reason or another. The hostel has turned over and I didn´t recognize anyone tonight, so I decided to join the BBQ for dinner and see who I was to meet next.

I am here to stay at America del Sur, leaving on Saturday night to fly back to Seattle. I am not sure what the next few days have in store for me, but wouldn´t you stay?! Meet Federico (on the left). Just kidding, of course I travel for the culture and history found here in Buenos Aires. Federico is merely the reason why I may move here to Buenos Aires.

Can´t wait to see you all soon!

Love, Al

Travel Plans

I thought I would send a quick post to let everyone know I made it safely to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I arrived yesterday around 6:30am with my guidebook in hand and a new plan of attack. My original idea was to fly into BA and turn right around and fly out to Bariloche, which is on the other side of the country in Argentina´s picturesque Lakes District. There were several towns in this area I wanted to make sure made my travel map, but the more I tried to plan out the 10 days, the more I realized I would be cutting it awfully short on time.

Somewhere during my two hour layover in Panama City and my arrival in Buenos Aires 7 hours later, I decided to scratch my original plan...all of it. 10 days isn´t all too significant amount of a time, so why not make a home base out of Buenos Aires and make a couple overnight trips to Iguazzu Falls and bordering Uruguay. I suddenly felt a lot less stressed out about the timing and logistics of my 10 days of travel, but now needed a plan for BA (i.e., where to sleep).

After talking with Oliver, my cheeky UK friend in Vilcabamba, and about 20 minutes in my Lonely Planet guide book, the area of San Telmo sounded like a great place to post up in Buenos Aires. It is supposed to be full of tango and charming arcitecture.

I didn´t get much sleep on the plane and the house on my back weighed a ton. My mind a little fuzzy, I told the cab driver to just drop me off in San Telmo...anywhere. I jumped out, turned one corner and there she was - America del Sur. She is the hostel of all hostels. Some friends in Quito actually recommended this place as it just opened four months ago, the staff speak english and are all super friendly. As the single rooms were full, I am bunking up with two girls - Florence from Amsterdam and Carolina from Columbia. I feel like I am in the sorority again. As it is a fraction of the price of staying in your own room and I didn´t really have any other choice unless I wanted to keep treking through the city with, as I said, the house on my back, I would give it a shot.

Sharing a room turns out to be like riding a bike, you never quite forget the joys and the pains. The girls are very nice and respectful and I cured the noise issue with ear plugs. A single room is to open up on Sunday, but I just may stay where I am and put the money saved towards steak and leather. To all you travelers out there, check out America del Sur - http://www.americahostel.com.ar/.

I have gone back to my aimless walking, which has been fun. I putzed around San Telmo the first day and yesterday, I went to the Recoleta area of the city - beautiful shops and homes here! I read this is where the ¨ritzy¨ live where they can afford a professional dog walker. Quite the job with the 15 dogs tied around their wrists.

It also houses the famous Recoleta Cemetery. I showed up at 11:00am, just in time to catch an english speaking tour. The most famous person buried at the cemetery is Evita Peron.

After you have seen one tomb, you have kind of seen them all. I had gelato places to find! Luckily, the tour guides feel the same and the tour ended about 45 minutes from when it started. Well, I didn´t quite realize it had ended. I followed, what I now noticed to be an entire Aussie pack of tourists, out of the cemetery, thinking we were going to another site. It wasn´t until I was about to board their tour bus I realized my time with this group had ended. I laugh now because they must have been thinking - what this strange girl was doing following them around? I now wonder if the tours are even free at all. Oh well, it was for me.

As I mentioned before, I am horrible at making decisions. I, of course, have gone back and forth on whether I made the right choice to skip Bariloche all together. As I am strolling down Florida street (famous for its shopping), I see it. It was as if the clouds parted and sent straight from the heavens, a sign, a sign I was to stay in Buenos Aires.

However, let me know if there are any takers to ever do the west side of Argentina. Patagonia and the Lakes District is supposed to be amazing!

Love,

Alison

Vilcabamba

Vilcabamba literally translates to ¨the Sacred Valley¨, but is best known as the ¨Valley of Longevity¨. Vilcabamba is said to have some of the oldest living inhabitants than any other city in Ecuador or the continent for that matter. Doctors have summed it up to their year-round warm climate, the clean air in which they breathe, their healthy diets, tranquil lifestyle, and daily exercise.

Arriving in Loja around 8:00am on Saturday morning, I shared a taxi to the bus terminal with 3 others - two Ecuadorians and an American doctor doing working in Quito. The taxi ride is maybe 30 minutes to the bus terminal, the road resembling the twists and turns of Highway 2 going over Stevens Pass. The taxi driver, crossing a double yellow line multiple times, trying to pass others, almost hit a cow crossing the street and I noticed the Ecuadorian man next to me, Joe, performing the sign of the cross, sending a prayer up to heaven a number of times.

They all dropped me off at the bus terminal, wishing me the best of luck in my travels (I just love how friendly everyone seems to be here in Ecuador). Grabbing a chocolate lollipop before jumping on the little short bust to Vilcabamba, I had a two seat row to myself - one seat for me and one for my backpack. Well, that didn´t last too long. A man, with the breath of a night and/or morning of drinking and a gold star imbedded into his front tooth, asks me to kindly move my backpack so he could sit down. Of course, plenty of other seats on the bus and this joker wants to sit by me. I have learned that harmlessly harrassing female travelers is a sport for some of the locals here and I looked at it as another challenge to endure.

Safely arriving in Vilcabamba, I was more than pleased with the hostel a friend had recommended to me. Izhcayluma, meaning between two hills, is a Dutch owned hotel and restaurant - speaking English, Spanish and Dutch. I splurged and told myself I deserved my own little cabaña. Here, I have my cabin with a personal porch and hammock.

Izhcayluma is 2k south of town, nestled in the hills, surrounded by lush gardens and english speaking tourists. It is sunny one minute when a burst of thunder and lightening will evoke the most incredible downpour. It doesn´t last long, but it is evident the sudden downpours are how Vilcabamba keeps its 360 degrees of green panoramic views.

We are so close to the Orient down here, with rainforests at a distance of maybe 30 minutes or so. I should have known the bugs would follow. Some interesting creepy crawlers have joined me in my cabin, the most pleasant being the little frog which greeted me, perched on the faucet handle, when I went to brush my teeth. I turned around, closed the door, and 30 minutes later, mini frog was no where to be found. I am not sure where he escaped to, but every time I open the bathroom door, I expect him to show up, uninvited, again.

I adore Vilcabamba. Time really does stop here. I awake to roosters and cows around 6:30am, I enjoy the birds' songs by day, and then by 10:00pm, I am ready for the crickets and frogs to put me to bed. By day, I have found myself wandering the gardens at the hostel. There are charming cobblestone walking paths everywhere, lined with some of the prettiest flowers I have seen.

The town itself is small and is, for the most part, contained within a quadrant of shops and restaurants.

Outside, into the hillside, the tranquil and friendly people of Vilcabamba reside. This is a typical home you would see. It clearly isn´t much, but it seems to be all they need - a roof to keep the rain out and a place to call home for their family.

Most have a shed for the roosters. I wish you could have seen them poking their heads from underneath the blue doorway.

Almost all are enclosed by a fence made of broken branches and barbed wire. I can´t imagine this is to keep people out, but maybe keep the animals in?

The most memorable thing I have done here this weekend and, quite possibly, my favorite thing I have done during these past 4 weeks, was my horseback ride. Renee, my guide, picked me up at the hostel at 10:00am sharp, suited me with rubber boots, and introduced me to Indigo, my horse for the next 4 hours. I remembered how to mount a horse from my week-long horseback riding camp I attended at the age of 11 and was able to get myself up without any problems. I am not sure if this signaled to Renee that I had experience with horses, because that couldn´t be anything further from the truth, but we were off and galloping 1 minute into the ride. I can´t tell you how many times I tried to kick my horse, while my camp instructor wasn´t looking, to put some pep in his step, quickly being told to bring it back down to a walk. Apparently, all you have to do is travel to Vilcabamba and you will get more than what you pay for and, quite frankly, are experienced for.

Just me, Renee and our two horses traveled up and across the ridges of the mountainside, every minute of the four hours, I took in some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. We crossed rivers; climbed up steep rocky hillside, paths carved out by what seemed could only be from the hooves of many horses; traveled along the thin ridgeways of the hills; passed cows grazing and the whole time, beautifully colored butterflies, decorated in shades of blue, purple, red, yellow and orange, constantly float around you. I am usually one who feels most comfortable filling in moments of silence with conversation, but not this time. Four hours passed by so quickly and I think my mind has never been so silent and still.

Renee, my guide, father of two and brother to 13. Renee has lived his whole live in Vilcabamba, riding horses since he was old enough to walk.

Back to Quito tomorrow and then on to high energy Buenos Aires, but for now, tranquilo from head....

....to toe.

To the Middle of the Earth and Back

Over the last last week or so, I have been putting some major mileage on my new orthodics. There was so much I still wanted to see in Quito and I began to realize my time in this city I have called home for the past month was coming to an end. I brought out my Lonely Planet guide book and started circling the sights and restaurants I wanted to make sure to visit before I left. So every afternoon after the orphanage and Spanish class, I would walk...and walk...and walk. Time is not really a factor for me here. After 2pm, I had no where I needed to be and I have found a new love in wandering aimlessly. When I would begin to tire, I just kept reminding myself of all the pan (or bread) I was eating and figured it was a fair trade.

Stop #1 - Hotel Quito

Via the restaurant on the top floor, my guidebook says they have the best view of the city and so I began my trek to the east side of the Quito to visit Hotel Quito. The hotel itself is fairly shi-shi and quickly became a little embarrased of my attire - standard running shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt, never without my rain jacket in tow just in case. I passed on the $20 lunch (very expensive for Ecuador!) and headed straight to the bar. There I enjoyed a vodka and orange juice, some peanuts and took in the view. Not bad, but not the best in my opinion. The best is yet to come.


Stop #2 - Museo Guayasamin

No need to reiterate how fascinating I find Oswaldo Guayasamin´s art, but I couldn´t leave Quito without seeing some of his original artwork. Here is a picture of my favorite series/display - Hands of Opression. Specifically the bottom right - Hands of Protest. The picture doesn´t do it justice, the backgrounds are painted in a vibrant blue and the expressions on the individual faces cause me to only begin to imangine how intensely this man was able to feel.


Just in case you were wondering what he looked like :)

The museum is said to be at his place of residence when living in Quito. Not a bad view.

Stop #3 - Mitad Del Mundo

Ok, so I didn´t walk to the middle of the earth. Two buses and an hour or so later, we were at the Equater. Hundreds of years ago, the center of the earth was marked with a large monument.


It wasn´t until recently, with the help of GPS technology, they were able to locate the exact point of zero degrees latitude. They were a mere 250 meters off. Not bad!

At the equater, they have built a museum of sorts, demonstrating all the crazy effects this fine line will have on gravity. Here I am straddling the equater line - my left foot in the southern hemisphere, my right in the northern hemisphere. I am told I am approximately 2.2 lbs lighter on the equater line. I think it's totally noticable, don´t you?

Other than being a girl´s best friend, the middle of the earth will allow you to balance an egg on the head of a nail, cause you to lose your balance when walking a straight line, creates less resistance (for example, making it easier for someone to pull your hands apart), and when tested, the water drains straight down, but when moved 5 feet to the right, it swirls in one direction as it drains and then five feet to the left, it swirls in the other direction. It was all quite fascinating.

Stop #4 - Cafe Mosaico

In my mind, hands down, the best view. This little cafe was a trek to get to, but worth the sweat and frustration (I admit I took a few wrong turns). This darling cafe had some of the friendliest employees I have yet encountered and it would be on the top of my list for anyone visiting Quito.


Stop #5 - The Magic Bean

I have found my soulmate here in Quito and wish I could take him home with me. His name - The Magic Bean. For the past week and a half, we have been in an exclusive relationship and every morning, I arrive at the Magic Bean promptly at 7:00am for my favorite - Big Breakfast.

Scarred after my trip to the beach, I haven´t quite been able to stomach eggs again, so I have indulged my sweet tooth. I set my eyes on the various pancakes and french toast and have gone to town - strawberry, banana, chocolate chip, and finally I got smart - chocolate chip & banana combined. Each morning, I enjoy a coffee and a large glass of freshly squeezed juice of all flavors - carrot and apple, strawberry and banana, orange and pineapple. It isn´t the cheapest place in town, but not expensive by American standards, at a cost of $10. I told myself it would be my breakfast and lunch, but who are we kidding, I never was good at passing by a bakery without grabbing a treat or two.

What this picture doesn´t show you is that while grilling the pancake, they put freshly sliced fruit down inside the pancake, making for a soft, sweet, warm bit of yumminess with almost every bite. I seriously could talk about this place for days. I also found myself writing in my journal upon dining alone every morning, so not only is the Magic Bean my new, but temporary, boyfriend, he is my muse as well. Oh, how I only wish I would have found you sooner, dear Magic Bean.

I left Quito this morning and hopped on a flight to Loja, about an hour plane ride south of Quito. From Loja, I grabbed a 2 hour bus ride to Vilcabamba, where I will enjoy a long weekend. I already can't wait to fill you in on Vilcabamba! I return to Quito on Tuesday for a few short hours and then will take a red-eye flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Argentina is where I will spend my two weeks of travel before returning home. Knowing my journey is coming to an end is bitter sweet, but knowing I will see my family and friends is definitely the sweetest part.

Much love from the Valley of Longevity,

Alison