Addresses Needed...

So I know some people probably want postcards and what not but I, being my typical self, forgot everyone's addresses back in the states. So if you would like to get a postcard from me from somewhere along my travels, shoot an email to emailz@gmail.com and give me your address already. I can't promise that I'll send tons but I'll do my best to send what I can when I can. Out.

Espanol Otra Vez...

Well it's time to face the cold hard truth: my Spanish is terrible inadequate. so today I start the first in a series of intense Spanish lessons. Tow hours today and then four hours each day after that until Chris arrives. I'm hoping the classes will wipe the mental cobwebs away from the language center of my brain that holds the three years of knowledge I acquired during high school but that was over a decade ago. So I'm not sure if I'm diluding myself. I won't know until I try; so try I will. What I do know is that I won't survive very long without even a basic command of the Spanish language. Wish me luck...

Rediscovering My Words...

Well I finally found a writing instrument which means I can begin penning entries into this journal again. It's strange, trying to recount my experiences into words; where once it was as routine to me as breathing. Like a knife dulled from unuse and neglect, now I find myself fumbling and groping for the proper word or phrase to adequately convey the moment I want.

And what to write about? So much has already happened in so little a span. Should I write about my fears and trepidations? Because what sane person could leave behind their entire world and not have a few of those. Will I be able to survive on a continent where I barely speak the language. Will I be mugged and lose all my belongs. What will it be like in a year when I return home. Home... it now consists solely of a 45 pound red pack strapped to my pack and whereever my two feet happen to be.

Or maybe I should write about all the great people I've already met. There seems to be a special bond and kinship traveller's share that allow them to instantly accept and trust each other; almost as if we were kindred spirits that luck or fate, if you believe in that type of thing, has brought together for the briefest of intervals. A few days or a few minutes; it seems not to matter. Names are hastily exchanged, email addresses are swapped on scraps of white paper, and plans are made; sometimes months in advance. Not since my first few weeks of college have I met so many new and varied souls. Everyone is so eager to cling to each new relationship but just as willing to let it go.

Or should I write about Ecuador and its people, the little of it I've seen up till now. Tarquin, the owner of the hostal, swears Ecuadorans are an honest lot and I find nothing to malign his perceptions. The natives I have met are friendly and generally eager to converse with and help foreigners. In stores, if they don't have exactly what you're looking for, they have no qualms about directing you to another store. The city of Quito itself is nestled snugly into three mountains and the valley below. From the terrace of the hostal in Old Town, the Bascillica, a cathedral built in the Gothic tradition, dominates the skyline. And to the left, the Panecillo Virgin, a towering statue composed of 7,000 pieces of aluminum looks over the city in constant vigilance.

So much to still do and see, after which I'm sure I'll once again arrive at a dilemna about what to write.

Alive and Well...

Hey, just in case anyone was wondering I'm alive and well. Right now I'm posting this from an internet cafe down the street from the hostal I'm staying at in Quito, Ecuador. It was an ordeal just to get here and I'll post more on that later. But for now, I guess I just wanted everyone to know I'm still alive and doing well. I've already met a bunch of cool people and have begun to make plans to venture forth and explore more of this beautiful country while I wait for Chris to eventually get here. I haven't taken many pictures yet but when I do, I'll definitely post them up. Though I've been told I need to go to a different cafe to do that in because this one has a slow uplink. Anyway, gonna go get some dinner now. Check back later for more updates.