(written in Hanoi, Vietnam, Jan 31, 2010)

July brought with it a final South American dilemma: Colombia or Ecuador.  Colombia is, at least in 2009, the most recommended country on the South American backpacker circuit.  Without a doubt, it’s the number one spot on the lists of almost everyone that I talked to.  Nice people.  Beautiful people.  Great scenery.  So long as you manage to avoid any of its kidnapper-friendly borders (the Darien Gap is still always mentioned in a whisper) and dive right into the heartland or coast of the country, it’s a traveler’s dream.  For months, Colombia was the last lily pad for me in this vast continental pond, and the one I most hoped to savor and enjoy.

Ecuador, on the other hand, I had granted more coverage to than any other country I’d visited.  With over three months already spent in the country, and huge tracts of land already covered, there was little reason to return.  Yet it was Ecuador that I chose.  

Despite the crime (worst I’d experienced by far in South America), mosquitoes and sand flies, the place felt more like home to me than anywhere else I’d stayed.  I had friends here, and a job (of sorts).  And with a birthday on the horizon, I felt like it’d be nice to be somewhere that people gave enough of a damn about me that there could be a celebration of sorts.  To top it off, two friends from the states, Tom and Steph, would be arriving in mid-July to visit the Galapagos, and I wanted to be there to greet them.  Colombia will just have to wait.

I’ll mostly let the pictures speak for themselves, though without the benefit of a few words to go alongside them, I’d likely appear to be a raging alcoholic.  But put the pictures in some perspective, please:  I went to an Ecuadorian wedding, ran a pub quiz at a local Irish bar, celebrated July 4th and had a birthday.  What red-blooded American wouldn’t toss down a libation or two for each and every one of those cases?

(Another Country’s) Independence Day

It’s weird celebrating your country’s independence when you aren’t actually in your country.  Particularly when you’re in a country that doesn’t care much for your country.  Parties oozing with red, white, blue, apple pie and PBR are in short supply.  You basically have to throw your  own, or  otherwise deal with Ecuador’s gayness.

Yes, July 4 marks Quito’s “Gay Pride Day,” and these latino homosexuals were feeling particularly proud today. 

Regardless of gender, the play is most definitely over when this person sings.

Ok!

Well, at least I'm pretty sure I'd never hook up with any of these ladies by mistake...

In lieu of an American bar to take over on the fourth, we went for the next best thing: Uncle Ho’s, a communist themed Vietnamese restaurant.  Hell, the place is already drenched in red, so we only need a little white and blue to make it downright homey.

The pictures tell a better story than I can describe.  Actually, I can describe it perfectly: Kathleen and I get very drunk and play with ribbons.

For America.

Decorating Ho's

Getting patriotic

The ribbondance begins...

To their credit, the people sitting directly behind us stayed for their entire dinner

So graceful...

Sufficiently encouraged, the dance is taken out to the streets

Patriotism Overload

The Quizmaster

I’d run the quiz at Finn McCool’s three or four times during my last visit to Quito, as my good friend Eimear was kind enough to pass the torch onto me.  She did so again this time, and I even had the benefit of an official shirt, as provided by resident artiste, Kathleen.  The whole “pub quiz” phenomenon seems to be standard fare throughout the UK, Australia and other English speaking countries, though the closest things to it in the States are those electronic trivia machines at restaurants like TGI Friday’s.

It’s one of the highlights of my time in Quito, and inspired me to push the idea forward in Chongqing (quite successfully thus far — though more on this when the blog catches up with me in China).  For the first two weeks, I had the questions provided to me by the Ecuadorian children’s charity group that sponsors Finn’s quiz.  But I know too many worthless things to not quiz other people on them, so I used the vast free time this month allowed me to run the quiz entirely as the month went on.

My expertly designed "Quiz Master" shirt, as created by Ms Kathleen Prevost of KathleenPrevostPhotography. Always quality work.

Yes, Heckle Me. Thanks, Kath!

The Quizmaster at work

Quizzees

The Girl

Travel, life, beds, conversations and large pieces of cake are almost always better when you’ve got someone to share them with.  The freedom that traveling alone brings with it was also a drawback at times, and those moments in the year when I’d spend the casual day or week with some of the nicer girls traveling about the world have inevitably been my favorite.  But the best of those was Saskia, whom I met my first night back in Quito.

Sure, she was cute, smart, was almost impossibly rational at all times (except for fearlessly wandering the streets of Quito alone at night) laughed at my jokes, knew how to cook, let me live out a scene from Steve Martin’s The Jerk that I’d always wanted to and had an overlapping birthday with me.  And those are all good things.  But you know what made her so awesome?  I got sick and she took care of me.

Man, shit like that’s hard to come by on the road.

An Ecuadorian Wedding

I was specifically invited back to Ecuador, not just for my charming personality, but to attend a wedding.  Whose?  I didn’t know at the time (turns out it was this guy Aaron that worked at the club Bungalow 6 — really friendly American guy), but Eimear needed a date and since the wedding ushered in my birthday, it was a perfect opportunity for a free party.  There were very few gringos in attendance, meaning we had to represent ourselves properly.

Knowing the hit song Veo Veo by Guajiras was all the rage right now in Ecuador, I requessted it from the DJ to get the party moving.  Sensing he may have forgotten my request, I went back again.  And then again.  The fourth attempt finally broke the language barrier and the mad thumping beats of Ecuador’s Machine Gun finally started to play.  Breaking all preconceptions, the gringos danced hardest to those hot latin beats.  In fact, we were the only ones on the dance floor.  Such was our impressive display.

At some point I caught a plastic flower.  I think this means I’m getting married soon or something.  Par for the course in Quito, “soon” doesn’t actually imply something will occur in the immediate future.  Or the distant one…

Catching the plastic Ecuadorian flower of love

Post-wedding, my birthday begins at Finn's

With the Bozzos

Late July brings with it some friends from home, here to see me off in style.  Truthfully, the (mostly) newlyweds are coming for two weeks to get  the classic “best of” package, including a visit to the Galapagos.  I welcome them into the city in style, then send them on their way for a week to one of nature’s most famous playgrounds.  However, on their return, we get some quality time back in Ecuador’s most popular Eco-adventure city: Banos.  I’ve already written about the city in the past, so just pics here.

Tom and Steph meet Finn McCool's

Tom meets Blady

Me and Saskia, about to cross the gorge

Tom successfully retrieves a napkin

Inside the cave leading up to the biggest waterfall in Banos

The four of us on the bus back to town. The alternative is to bike back, but since our initial ride was entirely downhill, the return trip didn't sound as fun.

The newest rage in Banos: pendulum jumping. Similar to bungee drops, though one end of the rope is tied to the opposite side of the bridge, leading to more of a swinging fall than a dead drop.

Eimear, me and Saskia at one of Finn's many spontaneous sing-a-longs. This picture most likely takes place during "Total Eclipse of the Heart"