November 28, 2024 By Cassandra Johnson
I am going to write more once I get a new charger for my laptop (right now, I am composing some loose thoughts on my phone notepad). I must say, it is easy to take some circumstances for granted like having a full keyboard..😃
Today, I walked from my new Quito hostel to the Internet Cafe to do some Internet surfing and possibly the side hustle I sometimes do when I’m not translating. Teaching English.
I had spotted this Internet cafe the first day I checked in here and thought it would be a good alternative to work from instead of my phone. At that time, the owner/storekeeper responded to me: Just 0.70 USD an hour. Well, I added the “just” and translated the conversation to English here.
The first hostel I had here in Quito was not far from this one, so a lot already looked familiar from the 2nd day I arrived in Ecuador on the 23rd, and it was easy to find myself back in some part of the historic center, once I finished “working” at the Internet cafe. I was tapped out, missing my own computer, and prepared to go to one of the many panaderías to get some economical baked goods for this particular breakfast or lunch.
The stop there was a nice paragraph to the day however, along with the surprise deal at the cafe the night before, meeting and catching up with other travelers, in a way, all after the not-too-long trip to get here, arriving around dusk from the bus terminal after about a 45 mini taxi ride with the driver, David, that I befriended on the way.
Ar the cafe, a professor (he told me his occupation) first came in to sit next to me, bringing up his file with the help of the owner and they went through some effort to properly print his document. They were so casual, familiar-like and kind.
The professor wished me a good day, almost forgetting to close out his files. The owner reminded him teasingly that it would not be his fault… Not too much earlier, he also advised me to watch my backpack, which though it was in the seat with me, being behind me, he had a very good point.
I set it down in front, beneath me, under the chair.
My second day back in Ecuador, I realized I could really get used to this place.
I visited Guayaquil, Ecuador for a few days in 2019, so I feel like I have a lot more to see. This time I am starting in Quito after getting off the bus from Tulcan, the Ecuadorian city that borders the Colombian city of Ipiales (I decided to spend one day and night) in Ipiales. I will write more about my experience in Ipiales later). By this point, I had taken two other buses from Medellin to Bogota and Bogota to Cali.
My time in the latter cities was quite abbreviated considering the approximate 2 and 1/2 months I had stayed in Medellin. Primarily, I just really enjoy Medellin, Colombia. Additionally, I was not really feeling the idea of spending my income on a flight plus baggage at the moment. I recalled my bus trips in Peru and Bolivia in 2010 and 2011 and thought this could be something I could reprise again. I was right.
When I flew to different cities in Mexico most recently and back to the US, the costs just felt like so much, too much, compared to what I was accustomed. It is nice to catch a break that I can use towards mixing up my stays between hostels, hotels and AirBnBs…
more to come, more on my stays, more to share
more on appreciating your time with me.
Thank you😉