In Search of the Southern Cross

We’re currently shivering, sitting in the coldest place we’ve encountered so far. We are in Quito, and although it sits almost on the equator (a mere 23 km away), it’s high enough in the Andes that I’m wearing long underwear. We were sad to leave Colombia, but are very excited for what Ecuador holds in store for us.

We stayed in Popayan through Halloween. Colombians celebrate Halloween more than Ecuadorians and it’s a great holiday, so we stayed for the fiesta. The day was filled with parents taking kids trick or treating through the streets, along with a parade of trucks filled with costumed students and ridiculous paper mache figures of naked people, clowns, and odd ethnic representations… Unfortunately we came across the parade by accident so we didn’t have a camera with us. We sat on the front stoop of our hostel and gave out candy as adults pushed stone faced, shy children towards us. All the kids wear store bought (or rented) costumes and they do most of the trick or treating at businesses along the streets. Tony and Kim, the couple that own the hostel in which we stayed, told us that the costumes are like that because kids are treated as a kind of “fashion accessory” for parents. Megan was amused that the kids only carried a tiny bucket for candy, nothing like the massively oversized pillowcase satchels we used to have.

(I dressed as a Colombian for Halloween... still trying to wash the gel out of my hair)

Soon after we recovered from the festivities, we hit the road South. It’s a sad thing to leave Colombia behind… I feel so lucky that we got to be there and see the country now. Colombia is becoming a destination for travelers, but isn’t a tourist destination yet. We spent two months meeting incredibly friendly people; basking on beautiful beaches; hiking incredible mountains; touring and partying in vibrant cities. We took common sense precautions but felt incredibly safe the whole time. There are still many places in Colombia that are struggling and people that live in desperate circumstances, but we found no reason at all to discourage travel. We were able to see these places before they changed too much, although people say they can see the country changing before their eyes. It’s a beautiful and magical place, and I hope that we’ll be privileged enough to return.

Okay, I’ll stop going on and on. We were amazed when we crossed the border from Colombia to Ecuador. I know I just talked all that praise, but Colombia still has a reputation, and no one checked our bags at the border or anywhere else. Even driving through Ecuadorian military checkpoints they simply checked our passports and sent us on our way. So I guess we could’ve carried that suitcase some guy offered us $10,000 to take to Quito… kidding, kinda. After 17 hours of travel we finally arrived in the big city. Here we feel notably more cautious than in Colombia… 90% of the stories we’ve heard about Quito include travelers being robbed. So we may not use our camera for the first couple of days here, although that’ll change as soon as we get into the countryside. We’re pumped for the mountains, jungle, and beach. There are so many opportunities for adventure packed into this tiny country! Plus, yesterday was the first time in my life that I crossed the equator, so yay for that! Don’t forget to go vote tomorrow, especially if you are voting for Obama!

(Again, blending in with the locals)