When I got laid off from my international sales job I immediately started searching Craigslist for a new wetsuit. Not the standard response to a layoff, but it worked well for spending the next two and a half months splitting my days between surfing or riding BMX, and applying to about 40 positions a week. Surfing and BMXing were going along great but unfortunately the job search was floundering. Around the beginning of February I decided that my time could be better spent in a foreign country; living cheaply, learning another language, and satiating my immediate need for adventure. I got a ticket, packed up my stuff, said bye to some great people, and took off for Quito.
Ecuador is described as a beautiful and fairly stable country with coast lines, mountains, and rain forest all contained in an area roughly the size of Colorado. This sounded great to me, and I can’t help but think how well the size will lend itself to bike touring should the mood strike. However, this was the first time I was traveling to a foreign country alone and I don’t know the language very well so I was extremely nervous.
Yesterday morning I boarded a plane and after a brief layover in the city where the playas play (Atlanta for those of you who missed the Jermaine Dupri reference) I found myself in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Seeing how it was midnight and there weren’t any benches in the airport to sleep on I decided to follow my new airplane-seat-friends Scott and Maggie to their hotel and hope there was a room open.
We rung the front door - one in a row of 20 doors along the same edifice - and were buzzed in. Walking into a large courtyard we were buzzed into a second door and followed some stairs up to the reception desk. The attendant of Hotel San Francisco de Quito got me a room for $30 and handed me a small key with a large stamped metal rooster on the key chain. I put the key in the door, and keeping the price in mind, braced for the worst. The room was incredible. Beautiful old wood night stands, desk, closet, seat, and bedframe, were all complimented by 14’ ceilings and hard wood floors. The bed was comfy, the shower was mounted really high and had great pressure and hot water, there was just one wonderful surprise after the next. I wrote in my journal and then passed out – so happy to be in Ecuador.
In the morning things kept getting better. I wandered down to the complimentary breakfast which was in a vaulted brick ceiling room and got a light meal from a nice waitress. No buffet serve-yourself here, they include service. Then I wandered up to the terrace which overlooks all of old town and sent out a couple quick emails on their wi-fi before checking out.
Ecuadorian streets aren’t exactly pedestrian friendly, especially for pedestrians with backpacks and suitcases, but I started walking and trying to find my next hostel. An old man with about 60% of his teeth informed me I was going the wrong way – he didn’t know where I was going, but the way I was walking was “muy malo.” Point taken I turned around, walked another mile, made another wrong turn, and eventually found the Secret Garden hostel which advertised a top-story patio overlooking the city and no TV. I checked in, put down my stuff, and then started walking around the city. I got some food, bought a lock and a razor, and climbed half of a mountain by the time I was done. Back at the hostel I made the mistake of starting a conversation and sharing my flashcards with a 10 year-old Swedish boy and two hours later I finally snuck away to get some dinner. Now I’m sitting on that advertised patio listening to the soft rain on an improvised roof watching fog slowly roll down the mountainside enveloping the city lights one by one.
