So today I’d arranged a late breakfast for 8am. Of course so when the small earthquake woke me at 4am with the walls trembled. The entire room was shaking a bit. After a few minutes it stopped. When I checked later it was “only” a 4.5.

Of course this a topic of conversation between Laura at breakfast. She’s like that’s no EARTHQUAKE, Just a little tremor – she still woke up upset because she’d been caught in a big one I think 16 or 26 years ago when she lived on the coast so she’d worried. Her kids slept right through it.

So maybe I hadn’t focused on how many active volcanoes Ecuador has. Or that I’ve already seen one of them.

We did discuss how the home help in Ecuador was about $400 per month.

So after this morning I went upstairs, blogged and did some spanish. In 2 hours Laura showed up to go to quicentro – thes mall. We pick up Amy, Laura’s niece so she can practice her English.

We went to Moviestar to get my phone working. It was interesting as you get a number and then you have to wait for that number to come up. Its setup like an Apple Genius Bar almost. So what happened is that my phone is out of money because it’s been a week even since I got it 4 days ago. le sigh. I go to the machine, pay the cinco Dolaris (5 USD dollars) and then test my phone with Bethany and Renee.

We have lunch in the cafeteria. So I get talking to Amy who I had met the other day. I thought she was like 19-21. She isn’t. She is 16. It was a surprise. We discussed lots of things such as voting, drinking and driving is 18 in Ecuador. They don’t have anything ‘Statutory” – you either break the law or not. We discussed how you could get married in some states young with parents consent and they were horrified. We aloss discussed the machismo issues in Latino culture – they couldn’t believe the harassment laws in America existed. It was nice that if you marry and split the wife has rights (unlike China etc). Little cultural things throw me occasionally – like her and her cousins have her fingers painted but Laura doesn’t like that (my age), Laura also things tattoo’s send a message. The younger culture disagree. It was funny to hear Amy go “I convinced my father in my new school as I was only girl who didn’t have colored nails”. Father’s and mothers come up a lot. Every stereotype about Latin families in my experience so far appears to have some validity.

Off to the Basilica we go. So we get to the Basilica and go in after paying our $2 for me ($1 for Ecuadorian) and go up the towers. There are 2 little souvenir shops up there. We go out side and take some lovely photos. I then decide to go up to the condor tower. Because I like to risk death everyday.

First you walk across this little wooden bridge (the bridge of doom), then climb a steel ladder. There is nobody deciding how many people are on the little bridge at a time, or how many people are allowed to climb up at a time, so several times on at least the bridge you have to pass each other. On the ladders you are patient. Almost all the non Ecuadorians are panting on the ladder due to the altitude and exertion. Could be fear.

On passing each other on the bridge – 2 Ecuadorians, no problema. Una Ecuadorian y Gringo. Well its a little tight. All the while the bridge is creaking because it is not used to a gordito gringo.

I climb the steel ladder to the first level. People at least wait for these things. Take some pictures. Then again I go, I got this and climb the next ladder cross a little steel landing, and up the following ladder to the top of the condor tower. I have to pass people on the small landing. I am pretty sure my bag took opportunities with lady. There wasn’t a scream as anyone fell so that‘s something. Lots of los siento’s and Gracias’s. I take some photos and climb down. I seem to be the only one who faces the ladder to climb down – then again – the bars on the ladder are about 2-3cm which means only the fronts of my toes are on them. I am holding onto the steps not the railing because I am not sure it will hold with me. Get down to first level, Trip on a wire just hanging across, but the little yellow tape should make you feel better. I survive. Climb down again, across the wooden bridge of doom. I find Laura and Amy who had more sense and are gift shopping and eating chocolates.

Then we escape to a Taxi and home. I would have take the Autobus but with Amy felt a taxi was better. The taxi didn’t have their meter running but Mamacita Laura took care of that quick.

Its a common trick to defraud gringo’s – or the meter is ‘broken’.