February 20th: Carnaval!!
So today I took a walk around town. I walked from my house to Mariscal and then from there I just wandered down Amazonas until I saw this pretty big church off in the distance, so I decided to wander off in that direction. It went inside the Basilica, the Basilica del Voto Nacional. It was really beautiful inside! And then I found out I could climb the towers, which to my surprise I did. They provided some great views of the city, but we're pretty scary to climb up. First, I climbed up about 6 flights of stairs before getting to the first tower. To climb this tower I had to walk across this plank like thing to this ladder, it was a bit wobbly, but I made it. I of course I thought I was done, but no. There was yet another set of ladders to climb, but these ones weren't really over anything and were a bit rusty. It was so scary! When I finally got to the top, I jumped onto the floor and was just so happy that I had made it! It was so high!
After that, I found the stairs to the clock/bell tower, and thought that I was done climbing up about 3 times. But then I saw a circular staircase and climbed up that, and then I was in the clock. And then I looked up and saw some more stairs, and then a ladder. I thought I was done, because I was up really high and had a great view, and then I realized there was another ladder, that I climbed and then another and another. After about the fourth ladder I basically got to the top. Up here was crazy! The floor was some steel beams covered with fence, I climbed up here and then climbed outside the actual tower! So I was on top of the bell tower, on the very top of the basilica, and I did it all by myself! This was a pretty big feat for me, because I am mortified of heights and the whole time I was so nervous something was going to break of that I was going to fall...but in the end, I got some pretty spectacular views of Quito, so it was worth it.
After my journey to the top of the Basilica, I went in search of the Centro Historico. And since its Carnaval, I was on the lookout for people throwing water balloons and flour, according to the guidebook that's what they do and no one is spared. So I'm walking down this random street, and there's this hoard of boys behind me, and I was looking all around at the apartments and on the street for people who I thought might throw something at me...So across the street in the back of a pickup truck I notice this little boy with a water balloon, staring at me, we make eye contact and I'm like "Don't do it!" So I keep looking back over my shoulder at this kid as I pass, when I notice the kids behind me, and suddenly they throw flour at me! They missed, pretty badly actually, and I turned and looked at them and was like, haha, leave me alone. So then we get down to the corner and the same kid throws more flour at me, I was like, OMG you're so funny! Congrats, you hit the gringa with some flour! So I turn and start clapping, and then the kid takes more flour and attacks me with it and throws it in my hair! Ughh, at first I was pissed, but then I just laughed it off and was pissed I didn't have anything to throw back at them! And then I was walking down the street and this truck drove by and sprayed me with silly string! I was like wow, I'm an idiot, a gringa walking down the street here is pretty noticeable and there for an easy target. (After that I went and bought some silly string, so that I could fight back next time!)
The silly string shooting, flour and water balloon throwing has commenced, so now I'm ready to get this party started!
February 22: AmbatoàParade, Torros, Party
So we woke up bright and early this morning to go outside and watch the parade! It was about 2 hours long and it was awesome! The crowd was completely llena de gente, and there were people everywhere selling everything, from silly string, to beer, cotton candy and chairs. It was crazy! So right before the parade started, the police came over to where we were sitting and startd beating this woman! Because she was trying to sell silly string, which technically, it's not legal to spray that, or throw water balloons, or eggs during Carnaval, but everyone does it anyways...and it's crazy!!
Anyways, so then the parade started around 9AM, so we started drinking then too. There were about 15 or so floats in the parade and each of them had a Reina de something on top of them. And each float was flanked by students dressed in costumes, dancing all around. How it works in Ambato was that each colegio in town made a float and then choreographed music and dances, but they also each had some theme to work with. There was like a modern hop-hop group, a traditionally dressed group and a ton of others. It was really cool, oh and also, there was this like drumline, there must have been at least 100 guys playing the drums, it was ridiculous and super loud, but totally awesome!!! So stuff like this went on for about the next 2 ½ hours, and I loved it! It was great! Watching a parade is never going to be the same!
After the parade, the streets were once again flooded with people. This time, they were going crazy with the silly string and water! The whole time I was walking, hoping not to get sprayed...but of course, they got me! It was a lot of fun to get them back too!
So, as the afternoon rolled in we were just chilling in the hotel until 3ish, when we went to the Plaza de los Torros...to see a bull fight! I was so excited! I've always wanted to go to one, but have never had the chance!
At a bullfight, first there are about 6 "helper matadors" that just play with the bull for a little bit and get it riled up. Then after doing that for awhile, these two guys come out on horseback, and their horses are all decked out in medieval looking armor and blindfolded. So these two guys have spears too, and what they do is stab the bull, just behind the shoulders, then after they've gotten them pretty good (sometimes its scary though, because the bulls tackled the horses a couple of times), they run off and these other two dudes come out with these baton things, and they run at the bull and then jump and plunge the batons into the spear wounds, trying to get them to stick of the bull's side. Then the real matador comes out, with his red blanket (the helpers had pink ones) and he plays with the bull for a little bit, and of course everyone is screaming olé, everytime the bull runs past the matador. And of course, the matador is trying to show off for everyone and gets on his knees and does this crazy back bend stuff, which was pretty cool. After playing with the bull for long enough, and tiring him out, the matador stands directly in front of the bull with the blanket, mesmorizing it, draws his sword, takes aim...and plunges the sword right down along the bulls spine. (This of course, is very difficult, and only one of the matadors did it right the first time, haha, then he got both ears.) Once this is done, the bull is too basically, the helper matadors come back out and shoo the bull into a corner, where it lays down and dies.
Okay, so depending on how well you kill the bull, you get a prize. And the prize is...one of the ears! It's pretty funny, after the bull is dead, this guy in another funny looking costume cuts off its ear, (if you did a good job), and then presents it to the matador. The matador, full of pride and with his prize then takes a victory lap around the stadium, as people throw flowers, hats, and alcohol as part of the celebration. Every time this would happen I just kept thinking how it was like one of those tshirts that says "I went to such and such place, and all I got was this lousy tshirt" except in this case it was more like "I just risked my life, and killed a 400 kg bull and all I got was its' ears." Haha. So the bull fights are usually 6 bulls, 6 matadors...but of course, the 5th bull we had was literally the bull that wouldn't die/worst matador ever! When the bull first came out, it just didn't want to play, but they kept going and the matador tried, not once, not twice, but four times to stab the darn thing! So then, the whole plaza starts screaming and yelling at I'm not sure who, like the chancellor or something of the bull fight, saying how much he sucked and the bull, and how he needed to change the bull ASAP. After about 30 minutes of this, he decided to give us another bull and to wrangle up the one that just wouldn't die. So, we got to see 7!
The whole bull fighting thing is pretty grotesque and cruel, I imagine that PETA would go crazy if they saw it! But it was pretty cool to see, and is something else, besides the language that really reflects the Spanish influence here.
So that night, we went to this crazy fun discoteca! There's not much more to say about it, besides the fact that this place was awesome. We were out until like 3 or 4 and then went back to my friends cousin's house to stay the night.
February 23 Ambato to Baños to Quito
So today we went to this town called Baños, which is this little but famous town that has all these crazy adventure sports that you can do, like whitewater rafting, ziplining, and puenting...it's also right next to Tungurahua, which is a volcano that erupted in 2006 (it was smoking when we were there, aka it was having some friatic explosions, which are like a 0-1 on the VEI). Seeing the volcano smoking was pretty cool, but we were really in Baños to go puenting. There is a bridge for evacuation, called Puente San Francisco. A very ingenius tour company utilizes this bridge for what is known as puenting, pendulum jumping, or swing-jumping, whatever you want to call it. So this is pretty interesting, it's like bungee jumping, except you don't bounce, the cord only goes so far and once you fall far enough you start swinging like a pendulum...so it's similar, but a lot different though because you are hundreds of feet above a rushing river/rocks and trees.
So to do this, you strap on a harness, that is held together in a couple of places by carribeaners, and then you climb up this little ladder to this piece of shet metal hanging over the edge. Meanwhile, there is a crowd that's formed/is forming waiting to watch you fall/freak out! So you're standing on this piece of sheet metal attached to this harness, with a crowd of people hoping you freak out, having this random dude holding your hips, as you slowly but surely walk out to the ledge. As you get to the edge, you think you've gone far enough...but oh no! You gotta have your feet hanging over the very edge...at this point adrenaline is rushing through your body, as you wonder how safe this really is and question if this was a good idea and really worth the $15...and then you just go for it! And you plummet downward into a freefall that lasts 10 or so seconds, but is one of the most exhilarating experiences ever! It's amazing! Your whole body is just flying as you're screaming and freaking out and then they turn to shouts of laughter and enjoyment as you realize how freakin' cool this really is!! But the ride isn't over, then you start swinging back and forth, like a pendulum and celebrating your latest accomplishment. It was so cool!!! So much fun! I definitely would go back to Baños just to do it over again! Next on my list is definitely bungee jumping, base jumping and sky diving...but I will wait to do those until I'm in the States, where I think it will be safer!
February 24à Old Town
So today I was back in Quito, roaming the streets with my bottle of silly string...it was hysterical! A couple of friends and I went to Old Town and my friend, unsuspectingly walked past an open bus window and was sprayed right in the face with some silly string! If course, us gringos always fight back, so as he walked in the other direction, I ran over to the bus and sprayed the later right in the face/mouth! It was hysterical! I was dying of laughter, she was totally blindsided by my sneak attack! The bus driver was even laughing at her!! Haha, point gringos!!
So as we sat watching the little kids chase the pigeons in Plaza San Francisco, we saw a pretty intense water/silly string battle going on in the street. These like 40 year old men saw a car with an open window, so they ran up to it, and threw water in the window...one guy's hand was stuck in the window as he ran down then street trying to get the cars occupants! It was crazy! I didn't want them to have all the fun, so I grabbed my silly string and chased these guys down the street and got them pretty good. But then, they turned around and started chasing me! So I took off down the other way and this random dude tried to stop me! It was crazy! It reminded me of the time Brad chased me during Springfest when I hit him with the pie and I ran around the quad as he chased me, and everyone was watching...except this time I managed to get away!! Oh man, it was so much fun! Then on our walk home we dodged a few water balloons, and got a few couples with the silly string, shoot, it was so funny! Oh and then we shot my friends maid with the silly string right in the face!! (We were getting her back though, because she threw water on him when he was coming home from school.)
Carnaval is so much fun! I totally loved it!!!
