Now that I'm a few days removed from Quito, I still don´t know what to think about the place. I probably would have been in awe of it had I just not been in Guanajuato--a city that makes Quito's colonial architecture seem almost amateur (a broad and sweeping generalization that intends to leave out some buildings...). The people in Quito are much colder personality wise--which makes all of the difference with me--and Guanajuato just has that small town charm. Anyway, I spent my last day wandering all over the city, spending most of my time at the Parque Carolina and Fundación de Guayasamin. The Fundación houses the works of Oswaldo Guayasamín--an indegenous painter from Northern Ecuador who just recently passed away. His works were amazing, displaying the full range of human emotion (even his landscapes). As I strolled through the halls and examined his paintings I felt this odd familiarity with his works. And then I figured out that they kind of reminded me of some of my brother Andy's paintings--deep, dark yet colorful, and very very creative. It made me miss my brother quite a bit.
I woke up the morning after (yesterday morning) and knew I would be leaving Quito. However, I had no clue where... When I arrived at the bus stop, I had my options narrowed down, and decided to take the first bus that left. Three hours later, I found myself in a bus station, with the same dilemma. Of course, being the American that I am--full of impatience--I made a split decision and took the first bus to the coast. Later, I found out that it also happened to be the longest bus to the coast...
It was cool though. Driving through Ecuador is an opportunity to experience some of the finest parts of nature that the world has to offer. In one drive, from themountains to the coast, you descend from cloud forests to humid forests to dry forests to banana plantations as the sun slowly drops from its greatest heights off into the distance. Though the ride was long, it was absolutely beautiful. Traveling--the act of moving from one place to another--brings clarity to me and time to think about abstract things. It would have been an amazing experience, had it not been marred by a couple of ignorant Ecuadorians who kept throwing their trash out of the window of the bus. It took about all that I had to restrain myself from smacking this one guy in the back of the head as he tossed out a bottle and laughed... I'm a pretty forgiving guy too, for the most part... Anyway, the situation was made all the more awkward (and slightly confusing) when the guy leaned back in his chair, threw his arms up and tucked his hands behind his head only to reveal a class ring from none other than Washington State University... He couldn't speak English well at all, which made me doubt the ring was originally his, but really?!? I guess its just proof of globalization, or something... I don't know, I'm still really confused...
The bus ride itself also ended up being the personal caravan of our two bus drivers. They stopped to have lunch, say hello to their friends and families, drop off tractor keys to friends, and even pick up their laundry. Nobody on the bus said anything, and I just went with it... It was quite the experience to say the least.
10 hours after departure and I was in Puerto Lopez--a sleepy dirt road kind of town that sits on a hooking bay full of bobbing baby blue fishing boats. Of course, I arrived at 11pm at night, with no reservations, and it was much too dark to tell what kind of town it really was. Luckily, with the help of a local, I was able to find a wonderful hostal not found in any guide book, despite the fact that it has been there for a while. Unfortunately, I think its because the family that runs it--aside from one woman--is deaf. It certainly isn't due to a lack of hospitality. My first day in PL, although a lazy one, has provided for a pretty relaxing experience.
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