From markets to the Amazon

Written by Benita Bruce - GapBreak Ecuador 2009

We have been having Spanish classes for the last week which has been a great help and I feel like I have learnt a lot. I think I will continue doing about 4 hours a week so I can learn even more. I can generally undertand what people are saying but it takes a lot of concentration to be able to reply sufficiently, and I am always really tired after Spanish lessons!

We are currently in Otavalo, a town about a 2.5 hr bus trip north of Quito. It is a gorgeous little town, more indigenous than the area of Quito we are living in, and I feel more like I am in Ecuador now I have seen the tiny South American women rushing around with huge parcels tied to their stooped backs. The town is famous for their Saturday morning market, which is why we came here, so that was this morning's expedition. The market is amazingly huge and everything is so cheap, so it was a lot of fun wandering around the various little streets. The bus trip was also really interesting. Although it was dark by the time we got to the outskirts of Quito, we had to go through the Old Town (which we haven't visited yet) which is a really pretty place, with tiny houses perched on the edge of huge hills and a lot of really nice architecture. It will be great to go there soon and explore it a little bit more.

Because of Easter at the end of this week, we are unable to start our placements until next week, so we decided to go on a trip to the Amazon! This means getting back to Quito tomorrow after lunch, then catching a bus for the 8hr trip to La Agria, where we start our tour on Monday morning. It sounds really interesting and it will be good to get out of the city for a while, as I am already starting to get a little claustrophobic! We will get home on Thursday night, in time for the Easter festivities in Quito, which are meant to be really good. I am looking forward to starting our placement in the following week as well, it should be really interesting.
I think that is about all the news I have for now.
Lots of love,
Benita xx