You should see this...

Right now there's an ad in the sidebar of my email for 'High quality fashionable Possum knitwear'. D'ya think it's actually knit from possums?

 

I wasn't in such a hurry to get out of Cuenca and ended up enjoying my morning for way longer than I expected to, hence catching a 2pm bus which meant a midnight arrival. The bus ride from Cuenca to Quito confirmed my suspicion that Ecuador has some strange obsession with trash cans made to look like clowns, their gigantic heads sporting gaping mouths where the garbage goes. Interesting. I was glad to get out on the road while there were at least a few hours of daylight left, because the views were amazing. Once again as soon as we were out of the center of town the landscape turned to verdant mountainous agrarian paradise. I dozed off occasionally despite my effort to keep the eyes peeled, watching furry pigs with dirty noses, people working and kids and dogs, and impossibly cultivated mountainsides go by out the window. People here have the coolest hats, like they robbed the 40's of their style except that underneath are long black braids, colorful sweaters or shawls and skirts for the women, and jackets or ponchos with slacks for the men. A picture-perfect place becomes even moreso with local people in the frame. Sometime after sunset I awoke to find one last patch of rose in the western sky; instead of fading to orange or blue it faded straight to black, really a sight with the crescent moon hanging just in the corner.

 

Perhaps it's because I've been at it so long, or perhaps South America is just such an easy place to travel, but it occurred to me as I was rolling into a strange town at midnight last night with no cash, no reservations and no idea of where I was going that I might be getting a little too comfortable with this travel business. (Or is that a good thing?) I found a taxi to take me to an ATM and a decent place to stay, a little ways from where I really wanted to be but the people are really nice.

 

I had some grandiose ideas of what I might find in the morning based on what I saw in the guidebook and heard from other people. But when I walked out this morning and took my first glimpses of Quito, I got the feeling I could be wandering around all day and not find anything worth seeing; it just looked like a gigantic uninteresting city. I started zig-zagging toward what I thought might lead to the historical area till some spires of a church appeared in the distance. Following this I came to a big hill which gave sweeping views over the valley, but still didn't reveal what I was looking for. The church disappeared till I rounded a corner, following once again till I was at the entrance of its spectacular grounds. After snapping a few photos through the gate I noticed a street dropping down to the right, full of color and promise, and was immediately drawn to it. This is where the Wow was hiding! Even the cars, yellow taxis and blue buses added character to the street. Bright pastel buildings with white or contrasting trim appeared to me like fancy frosted cakes. In fact I passed a cake shop afterward and it was true, they were almost identical!

 

Winding and weaving down whichever street looked the most interesting, I realized this place is so full of spectacular views and interesting architecture - this just from the outside, and I know the churches at least have some disgustingly ornate interiors - that it would take ages to see it all. And I only have a day. This would actually be a great place to take a tour (note for the next time) because there's just so much to discover.

 

Well seeing as it's my last day and I'll hopefully seeing a lot of you soon, I thought I'd include some closing thoughts now in case you stop reading. I'm not great at preparing for things - or rather perhaps I am great at putting off dealing with the inevitable until it actually has to be dealt with - but I have in the back of my mind that really soon I'm in for some big changes. I'll be back in a familiar place, for weeks or even months no less, and possibly falling into some semblance of a routine (only inasmuch as can't be avoided). I've got some good stuff to look forward to, but precedent shows that coming back from trips, especially big ones, is kind of traumatic. I've never been good at 'ordinary' life, and reassimilating can be challenging (as some of you already know!). So apologies if I act a little weird, and thanks in advance to anyone who can give a little moral support as I try to re-integrate into some kind of daily life. Oh my goodness I can't believe I just said that! Daily life. Don't worry if I wander around for a while with my head in the clouds like a stoner, it's just re-entry shock.

 

On the last long trip I made a list of things I missed while I was travelling so I'd have something to be grateful for when I got back. This time the list is a lot shorter: hot showers that actually work, vehicle emission controls, blue jeans. Actually any pants that fit will be nice, mine are so stretched out from all the hand washing and drip drying. But the number one thing, of course, is my dear, dear loved ones!!!! You are the one and only reason I ever so much as consider spending any time in the USA, let alone sometimes living there.

 

So since we're venturing to look ahead, what's next?? This trip was a huge piece of unfinished business that kept me from investing in other aspects of life for almost a decade. Now with a big goal accomplished I'm hoping to have the patience to stick it out for a while (though it's sounding very unrealistic at the moment!). I promised my bro I'd spend a couple of months helping out in the shop, which I'm reeeeeally looking forward to. But then there's a dream to follow. I haven't played music in a good 12 years, and any day that I'm actually paying attention I feel it in a big way. So the next goal is to start playing again, find some classes, learn some good theory, do it the right way, and see what happens... There, I put it in writing so there's no chickening out!  :-)  Of course first it means finding a place I actually want to live for a while, and finding a decent job so I can pay for it. Unless something else comes up. Heh heh.

 

Of course this doesn't mean an end to the wanderlust. If there's one thing that travelling for over a year around the globe has shown me, it's that travel is in my blood, rooted in my soul. A writer once commented that she was in the same position with regards to travel as a leopard was to its spots. I second the motion! There are still a lot of empty pages in my passport which need to be filled before it expires in three years, and now more than ever, there are far more places on the must-see list than on the have-seen list. It's a small but big world, frustrating that there's not enough time in life to see and do everything, but then again thank God there's enough stuff to see and do that we don't run out!!

 

As I said I'll probably keep writing here for a while longer, get some post-trip thoughts down and then who knows what next. I'm also planning to put together a slide show so those of you in the North-wet can see some pics if you want. S said I can use the shop; I'll put a notice here when we pick the date, stay tuned! Speaking of which, millions of thanks to Scotty for setting up this page for me!!!! This journal wouldn't have existed without your expertise (and doing all the legwork), and all this stuff would have been stuck inside my head! So thanks!! And I forgive you for putting up pictures of me instead of the ones I gave you of cool scenery and flowers. And thanks a bunch to everyone who's stayed in touch along the way!! Sometimes it even felt like you were along for the ride.

 

Well tomorrow morning I have to get up at the crack of dog to catch my flight to Seattle via Houston. I can't believe it's my last day already. Wow. Better get back out there and enjoy it while it lasts!