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Quito

Quito/Ecuador - now that's southamerica to me. my first impression - the cellular gave up, says "no net". did you ever hear about a four-band-mobile? well, that's what you need in ecuador. 

here i finally want to follow my plan to learn spanish, at least a bit - so that children talk to me and the taxidrivers bring me home safely.

i went to simon bolivar language school and met christoban, a very nice teacher - jackpot. christoban and the whole school is great! from now on it's four hours a day one-to-one classes. three weeks intensive. after that i get my reward: las islas galapagos!  

on my first weekend in ecuador i went to "la midad del mundo", it's the place where the equator is right beneath your feet. at least they say so, actually some scientists found out that the equator is not there but some miles away... i also went up a mountain next to quito with a cable car, more than 4.000 meters above sealevel it was hard to breathe but the view was fantastic!

i took another weekend trip to the "otavalo" market, which is said to be one of the oldest markets in south america - even pre-inca. it was fun going there on the back of a pickup, windy. the next day i went to the "cotopaxi (vulcano) national park", we got there riding the crowded roof of a train, very windy again. german (that is his name), our guide, took us on a trip i will never forget, four hours walking on rails in the mediadia sun, slowly melting, haluzinating... the cotopaxi is said to be the highest active vulcano in the world (5.897 meter of altidude). we had good luck, the view was fantastic but the sun made its way right through my suncream factor 35.

a fin de la semana the quito festival starts,  it's a week of bailar, beber and bullfights!

today, thursday, 01.12.05,  i watched the first bullfight of my life. it was an experience indeed. to be honest, i did enjoy the whole spectacle as long as i had been in the arena, the atmosphere was just amazing - 14.000 people getting completely mad, screaming and singing, honoring the bulls as well as the torreros. but on the other hand... it's definitely cruel - like a living version of "panem et circenses". the guys on the horses are the worst, they are there just to hurt and weaken the bull, otherways the torrero had no chance. well, one of the three torreros got an ear of the bull as a kind of honor for the good fight. it was a good fight indeed. lots of blood. strange. honest? pure cruelty? amazing entertainment? tradition? it's a cocktail of many ingredients.  i don't know, but i had a good time, verdad.

yesterday, friday,02.12.05, the quito festival finally kicked in. "chivas" are cruising through the streets - those old trucks or busses carry big groups of people and a band on their rooftop. it's totalmente crazy, my school rent one as well and so i found myself on top of this thing with about 25 other guys, whistling with, guess what... whistles! drinking and screaming "viva quitoooo!". it was a mad ride and for sure one of the most dangerous things i ever did. the driver went through tunnels without warning and we all ducked down in the last second. people are standing on the roof, there are no seats and every change of direction is a big challenge for the whole group. to stay warm we had pleny of "canelezo" on board, that's a warm, alcoholic drink which reminds me to the "punsch" we drink in austria - lot's of cinnamon and orangejuice - hangover guaranteed.

what happened in the afternoon before the chivacruise? the school organized a "miss quito" beautycontest. all the guys had to take part, except some hardcorehomophobics, i came in second.

tomorrow i will visit some hot springs two hours from here and tuesday i am off to the galapagos!

no, i did not go to the hot springs, saturday night changed my live, i actually had fun DANCING SALSA! i mean at least i tried to. those hips did not want to move at the beginning but after a while the magic happened! the ingredients it took: lovely friends, a couple of mojitos and a great band in a cuban club!

i also met up with mia from austria and we decided to visit a rock festival on sunday. it was not our kind of music so we left to visit a market were they sell all kinds of fake stuff.

monday, 05.12.05: after lunch in front of the house where i live: i hear sirens of a police car, open the gardendoor, five men come running in my direction with guns in ther hands, behind them police cars, i instantly close the door, in the same moment i hear shots, i run into the house, hide and wait till the shooting is over. when i dare to look out, one of the five guys is on the ground, looks hurt, directalmente in front of the gardendoor, one policemen is knealing on top of him, keeping him down with his gun. later i ask one of the policemen what that was all about. he tells me these guys where five assasins from columbia, three of them escaped. good feeling to leave for the galapagos tomorrow. 

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