My 'Round the World' travels!: Ecuador

Had a lovely time in Lima and stayed in the hostel that I had previously stayed in. Befriended a girl, Vanessa, that worked in the hostel and she was a wee doll. She took me around loads of places in Lima on days off and I got to meet her family and she took me to mass one Sunday! It was a wee bit different from home - obviously the language, but there's a lot of kissing and holding hands that goes on. Had a great time there, but decided to leave Peru and make my onward journey to Ecuador.

Caught a decent bus for the 30 hour trip up to Guayaquil, Ecuador. Of course, we had to get off at the Peruvian border before entering Ecuador. Our bags were removed and placed back on the bus. We were all ready to go, when one immigration officer got onto the bus and asked in Spanish, 'Who owns the pink travel bag?' - Well, of course it had to be mine. So off I went, had to open my bag; they asked if I could speak Spanish - I replied yes haha. They found an illegal tin of tuna in my bag that apparently wasn't 'declared' at customs; then they proceeded to smell my hair-dryer and open hair dye in my bag and all the other contents in it. Maybe they thought I was a drugs mule or something. I look like a total scrag after a year of travelling.

Finally made it to Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador and stayed there for a day and a half. This city has been known to be very dangerous, but they're trying to clean up the image. I didn't wander out at night, but it was nice and pretty along the Malecon during the day. Two days was enough there so then jumped on a bus heading towards Quito, which was another 9 hours away.

I'm at present in Quito - a beautiful city in the middle of Ecuador. I really like it here - lovely people. I've been at a Spanish language school for the last week and have one more to go. I just couldn't stay away from learning all those verbs again. It is a 'sister school' of the one I was at in Cusco and I'm staying in the residence here, so I can just roll out of bed in the mornings and head to classes next door! It's great. The teaching is a bit different and there's more homework. I didn't like the homework at first, but now I'm realising that the stuff is actually starting to go into this dumb brain of mine.

I've met so many great and crazy people here and have been enjoying days out after studying; jogging in a huge park here, going for lunch, a couple of crazy nights out with the locals, visiting the sights in the city and more recently going to La Mitad del Mundo - the Middle of the Earth. Of course, I had to lie on both sides of the equator, see the water running differently at each hemisphere, balance an egg on a nail (myself and my friend were able to do this and received a diploma). Now we're doctorates of eggs on nails - great for the CV.

When I arrived home in Ireland after being in Thailand, I was given a wee cannister of my aunt Anne's ashes to take with me on my travels. She knew she wasn't going to be around when I was home and knew I wouldn't be back for the funeral and she said she wanted to travel a bit with me and be left somewhere nice and warm. So I decided to spread the little bit of ashes at the centre of the earth, between the two hemispheres, where it was nice and warm. So not only has she travelled miles with me, picked up a new language, nearly got arrested etc, she now lies at 00, 00, 00 - near the line of the equator, near a flowering bush, beside a little blue church there. I think she'd like it there.

So Quito, as I said is a beautiful city, but supposedly dangerous also. On my first day arriving here I saw someone being robbed - of course I took the wrong street, so quickly turned back. There is the local bus called the 'Ecovia' - it's basically like a street metro, with people shoved in like cattle. A few students in the school have had their bags slashed (without even realising) but it's mainly theft without serious injuries. I've been grand. The school here tries to scare the b'Jaysus out of you telling you not to take certain taxis etc, but I've been fine and have enjoyed speaking Spanish to the wee taxi drivers. Of course, they ask you all the time, if you're married/single etc...my answer is that I'm married - so much easier, as I've learnt from previous situations that if you say you're single, then they want to practically marry you!

However, last night here in the residence where I'm staying right next to the school I nearly crapped myself. Basically the school is like an old colonial type building and my residence is attached to it. There is a guard on 24 hours a day. Last week there were 9 of us here, now there are only 2 as the rest of the students have gone back to the US. The front entrance door to the residence is always left open (and has to be - no idea why). Even though there are cameras here, the wall isn't too high so anyone can get in.

I decided to go to bed at around 10.30pm as I was tired from my weekend to La Mitad del Mundo. I locked my bedroom door; as I always do and double check that it's locked before getting into my bed. I obviously dozed off, but was awoken 30 minutes later as I heard this kind of creaking noise. I opened my eyes and looked up and realised that the door to my room was open.

I nearly s*it myself. I thought maybe I'd left my keys out in the living room and someone had got in and found them, but realised that they were beside my bed. I jumped up quickly and shouted to see if someone was there, before quickly closing the door. Right, I jumped out of bed...put my bra on (didn't want to be bouncing all over the place...and if I died, I didn't want to be braless haha), threw on my tracksuit bottoms and lifted my straighteners (as my weapon of defence) to hit whoever it was over the head!

I walked to the door, armed with my black weapon, heart pounding, and opened the door. The place was in darkness and I couldn't see anyone. Made my way, with the other girl living here, to the security guard, speaking to him in Spanish about my door! He thought I was going bonkers, as he said there was no-one around and they would've been caught on camera. The place was checked and there was no sign of anyone or any disturbance.

So I went back to bed; lodged a chair up against my door, straighteners by my bed and managed to get some sleep. Have no idea what happened - I'm now thinking either there is some sort of ghost here or either I was sleepwalking or something hahaha. I think some of the ones here think I'm nuts after that!

I've another week left here and due to leave on Monday. I have no idea where I'm going yet, as I haven't decided what to do. One girl I've met is going to Columbia, but she's taking a 30 hour bus to get there and will be flying home five days after that. Thinking of going with her to see Columbia for a bit, but I really like Ecuador, so I may just stick around for a bit.

May have to stay here a bit longer than next Monday anyway, as my shingles have decided to make a re-appearance in my right eye again. I was getting the usual symptoms that I had in Cusco, and Sandra took me to the eye specialist here last week. Apparently the symptoms were the sign of the virus starting to re-emerge again, so I managed to catch it before it got any worse. Again, another expensive bill (it's much more expensive here in Ecuador than in Peru. Quito is so modern, it is ridiculous, to even think of this place as being in a Third World Country) and medication, but it is worth it in the long run.

Tomorrow, I've to go and see the specialist again with Sandra (who has been brilliant with me..she's kind of like an Ecuadorian big sister, as she won't let me go on my own and has been translating everything properly for me, so probably would've been lost without her) to see how my eye is. I feel fine as usual and he has no idea why it has returned so quickly, but has told me the usual. I'll have this virus dormant in my body for the rest of my life and have to live with it...and that's exactly what I'm going to do for now.