Quick stop in Lima en route to Quito

Well, I made it, despite almost missing my flight by an entire day by misreading the departure date and time (note: leaving at 1:30 in the morning of the date on the ticket means that date, not the following date).

As I mentioned in my previous post - I had a 7 hour layover in Lima, and decided to venture out. I met an older Panamanian guy on the plane who was really concerned for my safety because of what he´s heard of Lima. He said he was concerned about going in on his own, then when he heard I was planning to do that, he had to go with me. Then another guy we were sitting with from Savannah, GA jumped in on the conversation as well - they were really nice. It ended up that the Panamanian gentleman couldn´t come into Lima due to visa restrictions, then Brant, from GA, offered to share a ride to his hostel, and he ended up coming with me to the part of Lima I wanted to check out - Miraflores (right on the ocean). That part of Lima was great, and there were handgliders over the cliffs. For future reference, if you are in Lima, check out ¨Vista al Mar¨restaurant, and try the ceviche - muy bueno!

Well, my impression of Lima is mixed. So, the city itself was way more 'advertised' than I expected. The signs for stores and malls were huge, and there were big lights and signs everywhere. There was also a lot of dust and empty buildings, it almost reminded me of the scene in the future in Idiocracy (sans the piles of trash everywhere).

Our cab driver was awesome, and my Spanish got a major work out that first day. He took us to the hostel, then Miraflores, and offered to pick us up and bring me back to the airport. He was super nice, and even gave me his cab number for any return trips. The ride to (and from) the airport was long due to traffic, but by the end we were really talking a lot, which was fun. Speaking of traffic, it was similar to that in the Philippines ' no regard for lanes, other cars or buses, it was pretty intense! But that´s the way things are there.

Now, I´m in Quito and it´s absolutely beautiful. I've been lucky with the weather, I checked before I left, and it said rain for days. But it´s been sunny with beautiful blue skies over this long narrow city between the mountains. It´s gorgeous. And the buildings in Old Town show the Spanish colonial influence (as well as the numerous churches and cathedrals). The hostel I´m staying in is extremely quaint, and luckily quiet (I´m just a bit over the crazy party hostel days). Anyhow, I´m so excited to start my research, meet with the students, and even with a few Ecuadorian contacts who work with American college students doing service. For now, still getting acquainted with the city, and my Spanish... hasta luego!