The Adventures of Philip

Monday, January 14, 2013

Volcanic Paradise

Not much to report about today!

We lounged around this morning, went for a walk to the river, played on a playground, and ate lunch.

The more exciting part came in the afternoon when we headed up to the baños. For ONLY $10 we were able to gain access to a spa primarily focused on natural relaxation. We sat in the most amazing sauna before climbing into a hot pool of mineral water from the volcano. Wow... I don't think I could have been more relaxed. Oh wait, the wine definitely made it even more enjoyable!

After hours of soaking, we dried off, then headed up to the edge of the caldera just in time to see the sun set over Cuenca. Wow. It was pretty neat to stand on a volcano and stare directly into the fault.

When we arrived back at Melita's we has the most amazing taco dinner. I am going to have avocado withdrawal when I return to the US.

Hasta pronto!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Guinea Pig: número tres

Hola mis amigos!

If you are a vegetarian, then stop reading this.

Since before coming to Ecuador I have wanted to try "cuy" which is the Quechua word for Guinea Pig. Today my wish came true!

Olivia, Melita, Melita's family, and I went to the best cuy restaurant in town! We were invited into the kitchen to see how the cuy is prepared, and it was awesome! I will post a picture of our meal below... Man, who knew guinea pigs taste so good! It sort of reminded me of rabbit, but pork too! What an experience! Interestingly enough, after I saw the live guinea pigs, so I am glad it went in that order, otherwise I dont know if I would have been able to try it.

After lunch we took a drive over to the area Melita's family comes from in Cuenca. We met many members of her family - all extremely nice. There may be a language barrier, but it was clear from their body language that they are incredibly kind. They later provided us a wonderful dinner.

After spending some time with her family we headed up into the mountains to go on a zip line course. I was going to take no part in that... BUT... I thought back to that moment in Croatia when I jumped off a cliff into the Adriatic Sea, and I knew I would regret not giving it a try! So, I got all geared up, and off we went. The first few stretches were small, and essentially practice for the cross mountain treks. Going from one mountain to the next... What a rush! I am so incredibly glad I went.

The days are flying by!

Cajas National Park - David Guetta - Hibernation

Well, I think I'll start where I left off. Again, apologizes for grammar and spelling, posting from my phone can be difficult (frustrating).

So, Friday morning we headed for a "busetta" which is their way of saying "Silver Bullet" (for those of you unaware, my minivan is the the Silver Bullet). The busetta was adorned with campaign goodies for Correa, so I was happy. :)

The busetta ride to Guayaquil was a bit scary! The driver had a lead foot, and the roads had to conform to the bends of the mountains, so I was thanking GOD I had taken Dramamine. About half way there we stopped a little all purpose shop for a snack and a pee break. I presume it was because we were so high (literally in the clouds) that caused the rain, but it was still relatively warm.

After departing the Busetta, we were chauffeured to our hotel "La Fontana" in the center of Guayaquil. All three of us were not enthralled by the city. It was not nearly as beautiful as Cuenca, and we didn't really feel safe. We grabbed dinner, then headed to David Guetta's concert.

The concert was officially supposed to begin at 8:00pm, so we were there, in line by 6:00pm. The opening DJ started at about 9:00, then a few more played until 1:00am... At this point I was ready to leave. My stomach had turned against me (no I was not sick from alcohol, I had one rum and coke hours ago), but then BAM' David Guetta was on, and he was AWESOME! By the time we got back to the car I was really not feeling well at all. We made it back to the hotel at about 4:00am. We all passed out (then I spent a few not so pleasant hours in the baño).

I felt better when we finally woke up at 11:00am. We then began our journey back to Cuenca!

Our busetta driver on the way home drove much slower (THANK GOD). He gave me Correa bumper stickers for my Silver Bullet back in NY! I was able to get some cool photos on our way home, which did not lack excitement. Another busetta has gotten a flat tire because he hit rocks that had fallen into the road from the mountain. Our driver got out, and helped him change his tire. Not long after we saw a large (I presume cargo truck) truck, which has flipped, and slid off the road. The driver explained that these roads are not meant to be driven on quickly, especially when wet (which made me grateful I survived the first leg of the trip).

We were dropped off back at Melita's house at which point I thought I needed to take a nap. The plan was to nap, wake up and do all of the homework/PHA Inauguration work I've been unable to do so far on the trip. Well, fail. I woke up from my nap about four hours later, and just decided to wake up early to do the work. So, I slept from 6:00pm, to 7:00am today.

I've managed to do a lot of what I needed to do, so I feel a lot less stressed.

At 11:00am we will be going to Sunday Mass! I am pretty excited! I'll post pictures below from the concert, and Cajas!

Friday, January 11, 2013

LIFE ON THE EDGE - no laptop

Well, it's way past my bedtime, so please excuse my grammatical errors.

Just a little update on my adventure...

Today was my first full day in Ecuador, but we actually landed here in Cuenca yesterday evening.

Cuenca is Ecuador's third largest city (Quito is the largest - we were there for a few hours in the airport), and I will be staying here primarily for about a week.

Today we (Olivia, Melita, and myself) went into town to the craft market. WOW! A lot of absolutely stunning products. I had my heart set on a specific kind of Ecuadorian shirt I saw Ecuador's President, Rafael Correa wearing. I found one! I'll share a photo later, and go into more detail about Correa.

We walked around the historic city's cobblestone streets for a while gazing any the beautiful architecture, then had lunch at a pizzeria. Oops, I forgot to mention we had ice cream with alcohol in it... Yum.

We ended up on a bus tour of the city by mid afternoon (we started the day late - we were all too exhausted to get moving this morning). The tour gave us a glimpse into the history of Cuenca, and a wonderful view of the city from a point called "Turi" which is a Quechua word meaning looking point. The Quechua people are indigenous to Ecuador and produce the most beautiful pieces of art, like the shirt I bought today.

Before heading back to Melita's we decided to visit a lady she thinks of a s a second mother. I'm so glad we did! She was incredibly sweet, hospital, and patient with my 101 level Spanish. She gifted me a bottle of wine as we left - I was touched by her kindness.

After going back to Melita's we were doing some planing, and I mentioned going to a David Guetta concert in Guayaquil (Ecuador's second largest city - a bit south of Cuenca). The idea stuck, and we've got the ball rolling! Up early tomorrow to head to Guayaquil! It's going to be over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, so I am going to be happily melting! :)

Back to Correa! He is the president of Ecuador, and for many reasons I find him to be awesome! He is incredibly courageous, and his policies have improved and stabilized Ecuador. We met someone affiliated with his political campaign (he is running for another term) who told us he will be hosting an event in Cuenca early next week - I will be there. I am so incredibly excited! Melita's father seems to think I'll be able to meet him! I can't imagine... Correa this week, then Obama next week? Two world leaders in my presence in two weeks? Who am I? Hillary Clinton? I could get used to this.

Anyway, I love Ecuador. I love the people. I love the food. Love. Love. Love. Traveling is such a great experience... The world would be a better place if more people from varying cultures were able to experience a way of life different than their own.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Someday Your Life Will Flash Before Your Eyes - Make It Worth Watching

Well, here I am getting ready to begin another adventure. I started this blog less than a year ago to document my big adventures. Around this time last year I had been on an airplane once, I had been to one other country (Canada, aka my backyard), and less than a handful of states. Jeepers, a lot has changed in a year! I've now been to more countries than states within my own country, and I am about to make that gap grow even larger as I embark on another adventure.

At 6:10 this coming Monday morning, Olivia (my best friend) and I will hop on a bus headed for NYC. After reaching NYC we will board a train headed for Long Island, where we will stay with a very kind family friend for about a day. VERY early Wednesday morning, we will hop on a plane bound for Ecuador. For those of you not familiar with Ecuador, see the map below.

We should be in Ecuador around 7:00 Wednesday evening - God willing. Olivia and I will be staying with our friend in Cuenca, Ecuador for just over a week.

This is a big deal for many reasons, starting with the fact it will be my first solo trip (I mean solo in the sense that I am doing the planning). There are no professors, no uncles, or no parents buying my tickets, setting the itinerary, etc. It will be my first time in a primarily Spanish speaking country, so I am going to get to put my education to practical use! The list goes on...

I am very excited, but I also have to own my other emotions. I am nervous. I usually over think just about every situation, so there are a million "what ifs" going through my mind. What if we get delayed, or stuck in another country? What if I get sick? What if Olivia gets sick? What if Spanish 101 wasn't enough to get by? What if Chavez passes away, or is unable to attend his own Venezuelan inauguration? Will that throw the area into instability? - As you can probably imagine, this is stressful, but I am certain God will be there for us, so everything will be okay.

Traveling has brought me so much! Exposure to a very different culture is an absolutely outstanding experience, so I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to do so again. I feel SO blessed to see my best friend experience this for the first time. I also feel blessed to be able to stay with my Ecuadorian friend and her family. Their kindness and hospitality will be a gift to Olivia and I that we can never repay.

I will update the blog periodically throughout the trip.

Hasta pronto (see you soon)!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Bosnia-Herzagovina

These past few days have been very interesting!

A few days ago our crew traveled up to the Imperial Fortress to meet with Bozo Buric.

Mr. Buric defended Dubrovnik during the conflict that insued after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Bozo Buric was involved in the tourism industry prior to the conflict, and had no military experience. He gave us a detailed presentation of the military dynamics of the attack on Dubrovnik. The JNA (Yugoslav National Army), which had become the military arm of Serbia, dramatically outnumbered the small fleet which was protecting Dubrovnik against the JNA advances. Dubrovnik suffered major structural damage, and was completely cut off from both water and electricity for many months. During the presentation Mr. Buric mentioned how much more determined one is if they are protecting their home, and I couldn’t help but think I would feel that way if Madrid was attacked. I never considered myself military material, but if it came down to protecting my home there is nothing I wouldn't do. The men fighting for their city were around my age, so standing in the fort thinking about how they must have felt really hit me. The attack on Dubrovnik was more symbolic than anything else, and the ultimate goal was to damage the psycie of the citizens, which backfired on the Serbians dramatically.

The following day we had two guest lecturers come to our class, the former mayor of Dubrovnik, and an everyday citizen living in the Old City when it was being bombed. Nikola Obuljen (former mayor) told us about his views on the breakup of Yugoslavia, the conflicts following Croatia’s independence, and the damages Dubrovnik recieved during its numerous attacks by the JNA.

Marina (perhaps incorrect spelling), now 33, was only 12 years old at the time of Dubrovnik’s worst bombings. She described what it was like to live in Dubrovnik at the time, the fires, bombings, deaths, fears, etc. Her family all survived, but not everyone walked away that lucky.

Today we traveled to Bosnia-Herzagovina (the area most affected by the conflict) to visit an NGO (non-governmental organization), and Mostar (a city in Bosnia-Herzegovina).

The NGO was pretty interesting! The man we met with discussed the purpose of the NGO, the difficulties they face (mainly financial), and who finances them (the US Embassy in Bosnia is a donor). The NGO brings together Bosnians from different ethnic communities (Serbs, Croats, and Muslims) at a young age to expose them to the other groups in a positive and safe setting. Teaching these children at a young age to intermingle and form friendships across ethnic lines is very important in preventing conflicts in Bosnia-Herzegovina's future. The NGO also protects endangered wildlife species (donkeys, vultures, and Bosnian cattle dogs).

Visiting Mostar was not exactly enjoyable, but it certainly was a learning experience! Almost immediately after getting off the bus I was emotionally disturbed by very young children begging for money on a busy street. It was probably 100+ degrees and these kids had no shoes, or adult supervision... Bosnia needs Child Protective Services. I know you are not supposed to give beggars money, but one VERY young boy pushed me over the edge, so I gave him all the change I had. I wanted to pick them all up and take them home with me... these innocent children deserve better. An experience like that certainly puts other things in perspective, I don’t think I will be complaining much in the near future. I keep thinking to myself “I am blessed”, so there is no need to complain, it could be worse, and for some people it is MUCH worse. I wish there was something more I could have done for these children... I will definitely have them on my mind for a while.

The photos below are in no specific order.