Doo doo de doo doo, Guanabana

It's the next day and I think I've acclimated to the altitude. Maybe now I can say something a little more coherent about our first few days in Ecuador - I think last night's entry was just gleeful rambling!

We spent the morning walking around the craft market in Quito, checking out the stripey sweaters, the alpaca ponchos, the wonderful wall hangings and rugs. We bought handfuls of fingerpuppets in every possible shape - the wicked witch of the west, marge simpson, a lion, a gnome, a snail, a lizard with another lizard on its back. We're hoping to come back when we have the van and get some small paintings. There were some lovely watercolors, and interesting abstract paintings. It was the calmest market we've been in yet - there was no music, no chickens, just peace and quiet. Most amazingly, when we told the vendors that we were solo mirando, just looking, they said 'o, ok' instead of trying harder to sell us something. I don't think I had realised how much the hot chaos, the body armor and machine guns of Central America were stressing me out. The Andes are chill in every sense - vibrantly green, cool mountain air, and a real sense of calm.

I'm surprised how many kinds of fresh fruit juice are available in such a cool mountainous climate. But then I suppose that Ecuador has everything, from hot coast to cool mountains to Amazonian jungle, so it's probably not hard to get the fruit. I had guanabana-coconut for breakfast, guanabana for lunch, and guava for dinner (I tried to get guanabana again, but they didn't have it). And when I say fresh, I mean that you hear them turn on the blender after you order it. The juice is pure fruit, so thick that a straw will stand up straight in it - as thick as a really good milkshake. Douglas has discovered a new favorite fruit, called tomate de arboles, or tree tomato. It looks like a roma tomato, but pinker, and it tasted like a cross between...passionfruit and papaya, maybe? amazingly good. We bought some whole ones for the train ride tomorrow, so we'll try to take some pictures.

We took a very sedate and scenic bus ride this afternoon from Quito to Riobamba. Isn't that a great name for a town? Riobamba. It's a bit less happening than it sounds, but still has a vibrant evening scene. Everyone in town, I think, is out eating ice cream or window-shopping for cell phones or getting groceries, or making out in the park. Busy, busy, busy.

The bus ride was scenic, as the road went straight south between the two Andean cordilleras. There were mountains and volcanoes on both sides. The mountainsides are farmed incredibly high up the mountains, so they look like they've been spread with very green patchwork quilts. Another very striking visual is the indigenous women in their fedora-like hats. I wish I could look that stylish in a man's hat. Pictures soon.

Tomorrow morning we are waking up early to take the train down the Devil's Nose. The train tracks were apparently very difficult to build, and are billed as the Most Difficult Railroad in the World!! It's a 5-hour ride, and we'll ride on the roof of the train to get a better view. There are handrails, I think, so hopefully we won't fall off.

Last night at dinner, we were at a somewhat fancy restaurant, having palm heart ceviche and sangria and fried mashed potatoes. There was live music, too, two guys playing guitars and pipes, traditional Andean music. We were munching away and half-listening to the music, enjoying it, and then I realised that I recognized the song - they were doing an ABBA cover! Fernando, on Andean pipes.

Tomorrow night we should be in Guayaquil, the port town where La Tortuga should arrive on Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully we will be able to pick her up without hitches... keep your fingers crossed for us!!