So long Central, hello South!

My flights were just fine. Its turns out in other parts of the world they still award such luxuries as free snacks, meals and drinks on planes.  whoa.  Although I did utter a few obscenities when security nabbed one of my many multi-tools.    Yes, the one with the foldable spoon, fork, corkscrew, and knife (it´s a butter knife damnit!)

So, I arrived in Quito, Ecuador.  Ecuador: roughly the size of New Zealand.  Quito is a small capital city, built in a valley, with an intricate, affordable, and often confusing transportation system. I like riding the bus in the morning when all walks of life board the bus charged for their busy business day. Not to mention their are so many different styles- most Ecuadorians are relatively fashionable, yet still there are a good percentage stuck in the 80s, 70s and possibly even 60s.  …yikes.   Quito is basically divided into two parts: the old town and the new town.  New town is a huge financial district with vast spanses of park, however dryly maintained.  Old town is filled with colonial architecture, crazy churches and a little more flare.

view from hostel

old town

Also, Quito boasts great food specials.  One can find a flavorful, hearty and homemade lunch for around $1.50 …and yes, we´re on the dollar.  The price is right, and the fact that they use spices basically kicks Central America in its patoot.

Almuerzo.

Please note the pink ice cream in the top left.  It tasted like that bubblegum elixir we used to take when we were sick as kids.  Sounds gross, but it was great.  This meal also came with a great big bowl of soup.

yay

Yesterday I caught the tourist trap and went to la mitad del mundo to look at the equator.   After getting ripped off at least three consecutive times I found a nice science museum where they had some interactive experiments.  One was, of course, which way does the water flow down the drain.  Which, if you don´t know the answer to, write me an email.

exciting...eh?

I´ve got a good video, but perhaps next visit.

it´s like…i´m human…

Tired of not being able to reach me whenever you want?  Tired of waiting for that one phone call?

 

Well, now, South America offers YOU your own chance to call Michelle!!!!!

(OMG, really?…how?)

 

All you have to do is dial  (593) 08-4241363

……and I should be there, on the other line

 

Yes, its true. For a limited time only, please call me.

I got a phone and I a little chip, this whole things foreign to me, so it´s even more comical in español.  But, I gather that I´ll be getting a new phone number for each country, so you all will have to give me some leeway time in between countries.  …is leeway really a word?  jeez.

ok. gotta go.

PS….tell G&G!

up!date

 

I’ve got some new pictures below, but also check out my updates on the Music, Outreach, Faces, and newly added Reads pages.

There’s some good stuff.

As you wish

Yep. view from hostel

insecto de oro....si, existe

neato

banana forest

find the yellow house

This i took on one of the Lost and Found hikes.  After two-four hours of twists and turns, slips in the mud (the rainy season), being chased by various insects, and generally getting in touch with nature, the hikes dump you out onto the main road.  You can catch a glimpse of the altitude if you can make out the yellow building among the clouds.  The 10-15 minute hike up, usually takes about 20 minutes the first time if you´re a chick hauling a heavy backpack.  Here, my main inspiration was Cory Mack kicking a forest fire´s ass and through the fleshy sweat I ended up making it with all my belongings.

leaf eater

Giant walking stick + Hollie

Rocky the kinkajou + Daniel

Our feature here is the rescued kinkajou, Rocky.  He´s very precious and playful..imagine a cross between a monkey, a racoon, with a little bear face. 

Rocky hangin out in the dorm

Rocky loves Andrew

Andrew showing me those bedroom eyes

Andrew and Patrick, the totally rad owners…

P-RAD aka Patrick + Michael

camp

the only place in panama with hot water

home base

the Morpho Butterfly...gets down

These beautiful butterflies are supposedly rare, but the Lost and Found is literally littered with them.  They hang out there pretty much all the time.

On Cune´s farm….

me, julie and liz b

Susana

Sunday

Cune and coffee

Gettin Wilderbeast points like its my job, son

Hopefully that´s satisfying.  I´ll see what else I have.  One more day here in Luna´s Castle, busy with errands that I´m not doing today seeing as how its Sunday, everything´s closed and I´m hungover from Halloween.  Then I´m off to Ecuador.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

one lonely beastie i be

So Santa Catalina was kinda a bust.  Don’t get me wrong it was still a nice stop, but I didn’t get to dive Isla Coiba… without Liz B, I ain’t no thang.  Alas, there were not enough people to necessitate a dive in such circumstances (aka the rainy season).  So intsead I went surfing.  Nothing like getting beat up by the ocean.  No seriously, I’ve never liked something so much that I suck at.  One day I aspire to be the surf babe champion.  Here in Santa Catalina, I met many a surfer babe and stayed in Cabinas Rolo..a wonderful recommendation.

I got back to Panama City late afternoon, with just enough time to feel lost on the Diablo Rojo (the cheap, intimidating local bus), buy some fresh produce, and return to my lord and savior…Luna’s Castle.  Here, I will make home base for the next four days until I fly out to Quito, Ecuador.  Perhaps a day trip to an island, a visit to the museum, a big Halloween party or just days filled with coconut water, whatever they be, I am here, happy at Casco Viejo.

PS-

‘Tis quite a bummer about our dear Chris Cooley.

 

As the popular saying goes…perhaps next season.

one more cup of coffee

Hey ya’ll, down from the mountaintop, said goodbye to my buddies, Andrew and Patrick.  The Lost and Found is a fantastic spot, these kids have done well.  Standby for pictures.  However the weather atop the mountain was quite rainy and dareisay…cold.  I had a little taste of Portland winter afterall.  Now, in the valley below…it.is.really.hot.

I’m off to the surf town of Santa Catalina for a few days to renew my tan, catch some waves…yeah, totally, and dive Isla Coiba!  Suckers!!!!!!

 

I hear internet is scarce, but I’ll be sure to make some phone calls….

SUPER GREAT NEWS!

Super Great News everybody!  The family´s coming to visit for Xmas!  YES!

We will meet up in Lima, Peru and take off for Cuzco and Machu Piccu!

Nothing beats holidays with the fam, and since I got snowed in and bummed out last winter, I´m really appreciative and lucky to have a family that will come down to South America and get all crazy adventurous with me!

Thanks guys!  CAN´T WAIT!  (bring a football)

where i´m at….

Volcan Baru

This is my view every morning.

Cune and his cafe

These pictures might be a little skewed as they are runner´s up for the coffee table book i´ll be putting together for this organic farmer, Cune.  This will be a long-term-work-in-progress that Andrew, Patrick (the owners of Lost and Found) and I are very excited about.

Passionfruit.....yes!

sugar cane juice

Lost and Found Volunteer House

Cune, the man.

Ok. Sorry, that´s all for now.  I left the ´real´hostel pics back at the house.  Soon, my child, soon….

Lost and Found

Hey all.  After a few days mending my wound in San Isidro, I literally had to run for the bus to Panama.  The bus driver shook his head that he wasn´t stopping and I screamed in spanish, ¨but i have a ticket!!!¨ and then looked over to the guy who sold it to me who wore a shit-eating grin laughing hysterically.  Only then did I realize that everything was ok, it was just a little grino joke.  The bus driver stopped, shook my hand and helped me with my bag.  hee hee all of us at the  bus station had a good laugh.

 

Made it over to Panama after a nice 3 hour halt at the border.  Apparently their lights went out and they couldn´t run passports anymore.  So it took them 3 hours to decide to write them by hand…c´mon guys…get it together.

Then found myself in the forest again, arrived at Lost and Found Ecohostel where I´ll be volunteering for about two and a half weeks.  This place is pretty amazing, besides being in the middle of a cloud forest jungle, they are the deepest owners of property in the Fortuna Reserve.  The owners, Patrick and Andrew (Canadians), have a very interesting story.  Here I´ll be taking on such duties as: improving their library, helping them develop ideas to maintain and improve their business adventures, welcoming and informing guests, hiking and maintaining paths, and we´re working on an idea where I´d be binding a coffee table book for them in the next few years.  Making some long term plans.   So for the next week I´ll be visiting Cune, a local producer of organic coffee ( one of the only in the area) and documenting his story. 

The area is beautiful mountains, Volcan Baru, lots of wildlife, many butterflies, and in the evenings I get to play with their rescued kinkajou, Rocky, who is quickly growing on me.

Oh yes, and all the free coffee I want…which, may not be such a good thing…for those of you who´ve seen me overload on coffee.

Also, foosball tournaments, bonfires, and much book time.  It is the rainy season so their can be slow days..but I am very thankful that I got those hiking shoes…Thanks Fink.

Pictures to follow…