August 15, 2015: First Impressions

Things that are, like, a little bit different in Ecuador:

1. Twilight lasts all of 10 minutes, and the sun sets at 6:30 every single night, no matter the season, since we are so close to the equator.

2. Toilet paper doesn’t go in the toilet. It goes in a little garbage can next to the toilet.

3. City smells: Sure, there’s bus exhaust, but there’s also a Eucalyptus grove right next to the highway, and a fresh, earthy smell after an afternoon rain that kind of reminded me of sage or cinnamon.

4. The altitude. Quito is 9,000-some-odd feet above sea level. Therefore, even a paltry amount of walking leaves me breathless and a little lightheaded with my heart racing, even though I am accustomed to walking quite a bit (but way down at sea level, poor limp-lunged, oxygen-guzzling NYC low-lander)

5. There’s an active volcano nearby that is currently, um… ashing?  I don’t want to say “erupting” for fear of alarming my dear readers. I’ve been reassured that, despite my Hollywood action movie-style visions of red-hot magma pouring down the streets and consuming everything in its path, the biggest effects we are likely to experience here in Quito are some haziness and reduced visibility.