Story Index:

Ao final
07/13/2014

Son in the sky
07/12/2014

Recife
06/27/2014

Impressions of Brazil
06/25/2014

Vida Dura
06/23/2014

Hawaii Fishing News - May 2013
05/01/2013

Un lugar para mi
09/09/2011

Crossed the border
08/18/2011

Quiero mas tiempo!
07/31/2011

Perched above Medellin
07/23/2011

Yay for a shower!
07/19/2011

New coast for me!
07/15/2011

The ocean calls
07/09/2011

Thick rain, freight train
06/26/2011

Tierra Dura
06/26/2011

Time to dry
06/24/2011

The next quarter century - on we go!
06/18/2011

Rolling with it
06/09/2011

Viviendo la vida
04/27/2011

You live and you learn: Adventures in Bureaucracy
04/12/2011

Snippets of Life - Part 4: La vida hermosa
04/08/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 3 - Las flores y los pájaros de Mindo
04/07/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 2 - An afternoon in Colonial Quito
03/30/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 1 - Fútbol en Argentina
03/27/2011

La diferencia principal entre Ecuador y Thailand
02/12/2011

Mi misíon por cada día
02/05/2011

Me gusta mi linea de trabajo!
01/28/2011

Mi primer fin de semana en Ecuador
01/18/2011

First off, let's catch up: Where's Whitney?
01/13/2011

Day BA
02/24/2009

What a year! 2008 in Review...
12/29/2008

Southeast Asia Superlatives (and not-so-Superlatives)
12/12/2008

One week in Cambodia
12/03/2008

Waterfalls, cliffs, and caves of beautiful Laos
11/09/2008

Beautiful, happy northern Thailand
10/31/2008

One amazing month on Koh Tao
10/24/2008

Daily mission on the islands: Enjoy life!
09/14/2008

Bangkok, Thailand
09/13/2008

Last week in France
09/05/2008

August 08 in Europe
08/24/2008

Failed Cape Melville
07/13/2008

Day trip to Bowen
06/25/2008

Part 3: Volleyball playoffs
06/15/2008

Part 2: Ultimate camping
06/15/2008

Part 1 of... many: FOLK FESTIVAL!
06/15/2008

My weekend of great vistas
06/02/2008

A glorious weekend on Magnetic Island
05/27/2008

Ugh. I'm exhausted.
05/02/2008

New Zealand... ROCKS!!!
04/30/2008

It's been awhile...
04/23/2008

Sushi night at the house
04/07/2008

Thanks for all the letters and mail!
04/01/2008

I finally got to dive the Great Barrier Reef!
03/31/2008

Blues Fest - Byron Bay
03/26/2008

The little things I realize I miss
03/18/2008

Bouldering trip
03/17/2008

Beach volleyball!
03/14/2008

I'M GOING TO THE BLUES FEST!!
03/11/2008

So many new animals!
03/08/2008

time for school
03/06/2008

Whitney saw a wallaby!!
03/02/2008

Pictures for my stories
03/02/2008

Just some observations
02/28/2008

Mailing address
02/27/2008

Rain in the tropics
02/25/2008

Townsville!
02/25/2008

We're finally in Australia!
02/23/2008

The Last Supper
02/16/2008
Mi primer fin de semana en Ecuador

This grand experience of mine is off to a good start.
This past weekend, I was invited to go on a trip with a group of Ecuadorians (and one German) to camp on the rim of a volcanic crater lake a few hours from Quito. So jumping in with both feet, off I went to spend a weekend hiking a great ridge trail around an incredibly blue, beautiful lake, and essentially completely immersing myself in the Spanish language.


This is the lake, high in the Andes under the beautiful sun! Our camping spot was at the highest point on the ridge, at the left of the photo.

I came to this country with barely a handful of Spanish to my name, but it's about time I learn to speak in a language other than English! The entire weekend was an opportunity for me to listen listen listen. I don't know enough yet to be able to follow what was being thrown back and forth in the fast-paced, slang-heavy conversations, but nevertheless, it was great to be surrounded by Spanish for two straight days. Most of the people in the group knew some English, so when it was necessary to communicate with one another, it was possible. But for the most part, I was a silent observer, asking "Como se dice ___?" and "Que significa ___?" in the times that I would break into conversation and attempt to practice speaking en espanol.

Needless to say, I was not only an observer of the language, but of the culture. One of the main things that was very apparent this weekend was the pace and urgency (or lack thereof) in the Ecuadorian lifestyle. I knew to be aware of this when coming to Latin America, and this trip was a great practical introduction to this aspect of the culture.

The plan was to leave at 8:30 Saturday morning... 2 1/2 hours later, we finally have the two cars of 8 people together and ready for takeoff. After a few hours' drive and an afternoon of sweaty hiking, we made it to our camping destination at the highest point on the ridge, high above the lake. It was about 5:30 in the evening, but the evening did not follow the standard "set up tent, get food to belly" style of backpacking that I'm used to. Once we got to our destination, we sat around for about 40 minutes, gazing out at the scenery and the coming sunset. Eventually, the group moved to set up the tents - a process that was not driven by any show of who could set up tents the fastest. After about 20 minutes of chatting and laughing, nonchalantly piecing together poles and pounding down stakes, we finally had our shelter.


Setting up camp, with Volcan Cotacachi rising up in the background

Next, food! Right? Eeeeventually, yeah. We got a fire going (despite the serious lack of what any Oregonian would consider firewood) and the homemade chili that was brought along for the group finally made it to our stomachs about an hour or two later. And what excellent chili it was! Chili, avocado, little baby potatoes, cheese, salsa, and crackers... fantastic! With full bellies and some bottles of rum, we continued the night with gazing over the moonlit Andes and more jovial laughing and chatting. One thing's clear - Ecuadorians like to enjoy their time! Good-natured, relaxed, and full of smiles, they do not seem to be easily thrown off their style.

The pace of the next day was nothing different: 2 or 3 hours of sitting around, eating breakfast and packing up gear, continuing the circuit around the lake back to the cars, and then meandering back to Quito, where one exhausted, happy Whitney showered and plopped into bed for the best night's sleep yet!

NOTE: I did not bother to spend words in this entry on the beauty of the lake and the scenery, because pictures say it better. So go check out my photo album.

Photo album - Laguna Cuicocha: https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339593&id=19700757&l=edaa419308


Moonlight on the Andes

Posted by Whitney 01/18/2011, revised 01/18/2011 by Whitney
FreeStyle Journal 19.03.21
©2003-2011 by Dan Goodell

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