I'm going to Ecuador

prepare to be insanely jealousized.

Day 1
Leave Baton Rouge
We will arrive in Quito and spend the night in the beautiful Villa San Francisco hotel. This is the courtyard:


Day 2
City Tour, Afternoon Lecture and Salsa Lessons
We will begin with a tour of the beautiful city of Quito. Quito is rich in culture and history. The city was named a Cultural Heritage Site for its classic colonial architecture and 16th-century religious art work. There are numerous vista points throughout the city that provide breath-taking views of the Andes. The tour will include a cable car ride to the Pichincha volcano.

We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in plaza de San Francisco

and then head back to the Villa for an afternoon lecture followed by salsa lessons. We will conclude the day with a New Years Eve party.

Day 3
Afternoon Lecture & Salsa Lessons
We will ease into the day with an afternoon lecture. In the evening, we will head back to the dance floor for more salsa lessons.

Day 4
Mountain Bike Ride, Afternoon Lecture, & Salsa Lessons
Day four will begin with a mountain bike ride through the Interandean valley, along the old railroad runway.

The trail descends into the Chiche river canyon and through numerous tunnels. This is one of the local’s favorite day trips because of its spectacular scenery. We will head back to the villa for lunch and an afternoon lecture. And then its back to the dance floor for one last night of salsa lessons.

Day 5
Lecture & and PM Activity
Day five will consist of a lecture and some stimulating activities.

Day 6
Flower Plantation and Cuicocha Lake Hike in Otavalo
On the morning of the 4th, we will head to the Otavalo area, also known as “the province of the lakes”. The area is named after the Otavalo Indians who are famous for their weaving. Since roses are Ecuador’s most well known export, we will begin with a tour of a local flower plantation. We will have lunch by the Cuicocha Crater Lake

and then hike along a portion of the crater’s rim. Later that day, we will check into the hotel, freshen up, and reconvene for a cozy dinner by the San Pablo Lake.

Day 7
Otavalo Market Day
We will enjoy a day of shopping at the famous Otavalo market.

The market is renowned for its exotic selection of meats, vegetables, and ponchos. It will take you several hours to see it all! We will have lunch in the near-by town of Cotacachi followed by more shopping. Cotacachi is well known for its leather crafts. At the end of the day, we will head back to Quito and have dinner in the Villa.

Day 8
Rafting the Blanco River
An early, hardy breakfast will prepare us for the highlight of the day: whitewater rafting down the Río Blanco River! The river winds along the western slopes of the Andes and into the coastal tropical region of Ecuador. Prepare to get wet!

The day will end with dinner at the Villa.

Day 9
Morning Lecture, Flight to the Beach & Alandaluz
After a morning lecture, we will fly to Manta, located along the central coast of Ecuador. A bus will be waiting to taxi us to the exquisite Alandaluz Eco Hotel, located right on the beach.

We will arrive in plenty of time to enjoy a little sand and surf. Then it’s back to the hotel to cheer for the Tigers in the BCS Championship.


Day 10
Morning Presentation, Los Frailes Beach
Our day will begin with a presentation from a local business owner. Then we will head to the Los Frailes beach for more fun in the sun. The beach is part of the Machalilla National Park.

At the end of the day, we will drive back to the hotel for dinner.

Day 11
Isla de La Plata
We will begin this action-packed day with an early departure to the town Puerto Lopez. Upon arrival, we will board a fleet of motorized boats and embark on a two-hour tour along the coast. Our destination is Isla de La Plata, a unique island paradise that supports a healthy colony of exotic birds.

Once we reach the island, we will take a hike and even do a little snorkeling! In the afternoon we will head back to the hotel.

Day 12
Afternoon Lecture & Farwell Dinner
After breakfast, we will drive to Manta’s airport to catch the flight back to Quito. In Quito, we will do some last minute shopping and then return to the Villa for our farewell dinner.

Day 13
Papallacta Hot Springs
The day begins with a drive up the Eastern slopes of the Andes. Once we reach an elevation of 13,200 ft, we will begin the decent down to the natural springs of Papallacta, located at the entrance of the Amazon basin. The rest of the day will be spent soaking and relaxing in the hot springs. We will spend the night at a resort near the springs.


Day 14
Papallacta Hot Springs and Back to Quito
We will enjoy our last morning in Ecuador with a second dip in the hot springs before heading back to Quito. We will have lunch at a local restaurant in the Villa and then prepare to leave.

Day 15
Arrive in Baton Rouge Read more!

China Souvenirs!

Here is a bunch of the stuff I bought. A few things are mine, but most is for other people.

Tea…chrysanthemum, jasmine, and green


Panda thimble (my mother collects thimbles)


Panda cell phone charm (those are huge here)


Wood earrings


Hong Kong shot glasses


Another purse


Oympic tshirts (and in the lower corner is my “I climbed the Great Wall” tshirt)


Silk robes


Silk panda tie for my dad


China keychains and magnet


Long necklaces (they double around). I couldn’t decide what color I liked, so I bought three.


Pearls for my mother in a silverish-lavender color (I missed her birthday)


Hong Kong tshirts


Some Chinese hanging thing that’s going on my rearview


Strands of beads and pearls that need to be restrung with clasps. The pearls match the bracelet, earrings, and ring I bought at the pearl market in Beijing, and the beads I just thought were fun looking.


Cloisonné ornaments


Louis Vuitton change purse/keyholder


Chopsticks with silk slipcovers


DVDs


A fat happy Buddha


An extendable pipe


Magnets from the Shanghai Museum, since mother is obsessed with blue & white china


Tea mugs (there’s a strainer inside) that change design when filled with boiling water. One becomes a panda picture, the other has a landscape.


Horse scroll, one of two I bought (for my three-day-eventing roommates)

I join the ranks of people who buy them “horse stuff” because of their job/hobby. Read more!

June 23

We had originally planned to sleep late, but went ahead and woke up early so we could farewell the rest of the group that was leaving. Ate breakfast, but then slept for a few more hours. Went back to the cloth market, this time to pick up Jenny’s custom made dress. We also found cute coats we liked, mine a lime green peacoat.



Jenny and I originally wanted to schedule manicures and pedicures at the hotel. But someone else had gone and said it was a joke of a service, so we once again looked towards our guidebook for help, this time in the pampering department. There were a number of spas recommended in the French Concession, and we decided on Dragonfly.



There we had the most amazing hour-long shiatsu massage, and then hour-long foot massage…for a whopping $35. Heaven. Then back to the hotel to brag to Pete and decide on dinner.

We decided on Azul again, and it started pouring in the cab on the way over. We got a little soaked in our run to the restaurant, and Pete managed to stub his toe pretty badly as well. But at least we made it, and it wasn’t crowded, and there was so much to look forward to. With only with just three of us we got a pared down version of the last meal at Azul. Hummus and Mediterranean eggplant dip for appetizers. Garlic fries, mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus for sides. Mushroom risotto and oxtail gnocchi for entrees. And a pitcher of the blackberry sangria. Delish. Again.

Read more!

June 22

Test! First our teacher had each person speak what Chinese they knew. On the spot we weren’t really able to come up with much, but he didn’t mind us just listing words so we said all kinds of random things. Then our test was a few multiple choice questions, and then answering questions based on a passage. Also writing what characters we know (not many) and counting to 10. I don’t think I did too bad at all, not that it’s really counting for anything.



This is the MBAs on the steps of our huge building


This is the huge building


We stopped in some of the campus gift shops to pick up Fudan University tshirts, and I also took a few pictures of the university gates and the huge Mao statue.





Later we went to Old Town again, as it’s become our favorite area, mostly for shopping. A few of us bought more pearls (I got some more earrings) and I finally picked up some pashminas. I hadn’t bought any yet, and while they’re not really my thing, I figure they could be someone else’s thing. Then we headed back to the cloth market because I had to pick up my shirts sometime after 2pm. Picked those up (yay they fit) and cabbed it back to the hotel, where we had dinner, packed most of our stuff, and went to bed.

Also, random picture from last night’s Thai dinner
Read more!

June 21

This was the last day of class pretty much, since we take a test tomorrow. We went over two Chinese poems, and wrote our Chinese names on the board in characters (Mali is Chinese for Mary).

This is the class with one of our teachers, Li Laoshi.

Ben is missing from this picture because he doesn’t come to class, and I’m crouching down so you can see Burton’s face.

During break I wrote down lists of all the gifts I bought, and who they go to, to see if I missed anyone and need to buy more. I think I probably do. Luckily some of my family is coming here in a month, so they can buy their own damn gifts :)

We were supposed to take an afternoon excursion to Yu Gardens, but it was just raining a bit, and very smoggy, so Jenny and I might go tomorrow instead. Lounging around and watching TV was divine.

I also decided to go check out some of the stores again, and picked up a few more DVDs and two really cute dresses! They rarely have stuff in my size since, well, Chinese people aren’t my size. But I found two that actually fit, they’re adorable, and they were (my favorite quality) cheap!

Got back to the room, craving French fries. They aren’t on the hotel’s menu by themselves, but come with the burgers, so I figured it was probably possible to get them by themselves. I called in two orders of fries with ketchup to room service, and minutes later we got two good-sized bowls of delicious deep fried goodness. Heaven.

I wore one of the new dresses to dinner. We decided to go with Thai, but picked the restaurant that’s at the same location as Hazara and Face (the Indian Restaurant and bar we visited another night). At Nan La Thai we ordered spring rolls, satay, cashew chicken, and red, green, and yellow curry. Everything was delicious, as we’ve come to expect from most restaurants here. Bellies full with food and drinks, we had another round out on the patio, and then cabbed it home, since we have a test in the morning. Read more!

June 20

In class today we found out that we have a test on Friday. Awesome.

After class, Frank, Jenny, and myself headed over to the Superbrands Mall (for the third time). We had lunch at Thai Thai, which is in the food court, but is also mentioned in out guidebook as being decent fast food Thai, and it was. Then we took another cab to the cloth market.







When we were in Beijing a lot of people had suits and shirts custom made, but I really didn’t want to spend the money on a suit (great a price as it would be, I already have 4 or 5). I had considered shirts, but figured that since I’d be in China for a whole month, I could probably find them elsewhere if I decided I wanted them. Well, I decided I wanted them. I tend to have trouble with button ups staying buttoned, so I figured a custom made shirt would be nice. So we rode to the cloth market, and I picked a booth that had shirts I liked (basic button up) and picked out three fabrics (white, navy, and a pinkish color) and got measured. The shirts are going to be 70 yuan a piece (roughly $10 each) and I can pick them up on Friday.

While at the cloth market, we had a celebrity sighting!! If you are familiar with the now-cancelled series Firefly, or the movie Serenity, you may recognize this guy. I’m a little pink, because I was completely embarrassed in asking for a picture. But he was perfectly nice, and even took the one armed shot himself, stating he “was a professional”. If only he knew how much of a pro I am at the one armed shot as well.



His name is Nathan Fillion, and he played Captain Mal. Frank saw him walk by, and then spoke to him a little later. He’s in town for the Shanghai Film Festival. We spoke to him for a few minutes, suggested a bar/restaurant we had really enjoyed, and met what I assumed to be his girlfriend.

As for our own dinner, we were planning on going to this restaurant called Afandi, which is Middle Eastern. Unfortunately, both of our taxis did not end up at the same place. While we were waiting for the others to arrive, we took a look at the menu. There was no English, but plenty of pictures, and a large number of dishes appeared to be animals floating in bowls. Mostly fish, but there was an entire turtle in one bowl, and another had what could have easily been an iguana. That turned us off a bit, and the fact that we couldn’t communicate to ask what the other dishes were. And people in the other taxi still hadn’t shown up, so we ended up walking out. We found our friends down the street (their driver just dropped them off and pointed a direction) and we settled on another restaurant that had kebabs and naan. It seemed promising, but ended up a disappointment. Nothing was horrible, but nothing was great, and I ended up losing my appetite. Not the end of the world though.

Back at the hotel I watched So You Think You Can Dance episodes on YouTube (it’s a reality show/dance competition that I’m missing) and ate a cream cheese filled pastry that Jenny brought me. I also drank several orange juice-pineapple juice-vodka drinks, since there’s only a few days left to finish the huge bottle of Absolut that we bought duty free in the airport. Read more!