Internet Café

I haven't had much to write about within the last week as I have returned to Lima where I once resided for nearly 5.5 months bartending. The 2 German female bartenders whom I trained have moved on with their travels and have headed to northern Peru. Michal, the Jewish American from Philly is currently bartending while Amani, the Argentinian is the guarder of the stock and the cash drawer. I was told that there were significant problems with missing beers and depleted alcohol so I think there was suspicion that the former tenders of the bar were deciding to drink for free- woops! So my recent dilemma is what I will do for my last 2 months here (holy crap i've been in South America for 6 months!!). I would like to go explore a new city, but it is difficult for me to have an official job because I don't have a work visa for Peru. I would work in a bar again- I still have an opportunity to be the bar manager in Arequipa at The Point Hostels, but the position is not available for another week or 2 and I can't quite afford to just hang out in Lima doing nothing. I realize now I should have done a short trip to the amazon jungle, but I also got sick 3 days ago with some kind of stomach bug so i need a toilet near by every or so. I'm finally feeling better from that! There are also a few programs where I'd like to volunteer but programs either ask you to pay them, spots are currently unavailable (it's good they have an abundance of volunteers), or they need a minimum requirement of more than 3 months. Yet another option was to go back to Cusco, the tourist city used to get to Machu Picchu to work in a hostel in exchange for my room and board. Welp, the cost of a room there is 12 Soles ($4.52) and the work I would be doing is cleaning bathrooms, the kitchen, and making beds. For 6 hours a day. In exchange, I would also have an abundance of non English-speaking hippie friends, ongoing drum circles, and a behind the scenes look at such a cultural and fun city. I decided not to go to Cusco. There's a local bar owner who wants me to work in her bar here in Barranco with my knowledge of both English and Spanish, my awesome personality, and my dangerous good looks. However, I've done the whole Lima thing so I am not interested in staying here. So now I am back to square one! Life is tough isn't it?

On a side note, funny story; About 2 months back I was in Miraflores and was asked by a young man if I knew where he could find an internet café to which I replied no, and somewhat expected him to move on. Contrary to my expectation, this young man proceeded to ask me where I am from, what kind of music I like, if I like Peru, how long I've been here, how long I'm staying, what I like so far, if i've been to any concerts, where else in Peru I have traveled to, if I came alone, if I have a boyfriend (you get the gist). I was reluctantly answering each question and was clearly annoyed so i didn't understand why he didn't get the hint. He asked me for my number to which I replied no and he rode off (we was riding alongside me on his freaking bicycle). Preface; In Miraflores (an area in Lima known for being uppity and ritzy), it's not uncommon for young Peruvians to hang out there looking for gringos (who are very wealthy compared to the standards of living in Peru) to meet, date, fall in love with, eventually marry, and have an instant ticket to their spouse's rich, gringo country. I am approached on a regular basis. Sometimes by really attractive people- but I know what their goals are and I am not interested in developing anything more than friendships. Last week when I got back to Lima I was walking around Barranco getting some fresh air and an ice cream scoop when I was approached by a man on foot who asked me if I knew where he could find an internet café. HA! I looked over and guess who it was!? When we made eye contact, buddy stuttered 'uhh nevermind' and power-walked off. Awkward for him! Too funny.

Home Sweet Home

I managed to sleep for about half the time during my 14 hour bus ride from Piura to Lima which was preceded by an 8 hour bus ride. I took some motion sickness medicine that made me drowsy and came in and out of small naps. I purchased a ticket on the first level of the bus which is just like first class bus style. I had a big comfy black leather chair and 2 air conditioning vents! My seat was equipped with a foot rest that extended from the seat in front of me. Upstairs is not air conditioned and there are 4 seats in a riow with an isle down the middle as opposed to only 3 seats in one row; 2 on one side and 1 on the other. I was willing to pay the 140 Soles for first class ($52.83) instead of 90 Soles. When we arrived in Lima, I noticed that I had a difficult time putting my usually gliding flip flops on my feet and upon looking down at my not so beautifully painted toes, noticed that my legs and feet were insanely swollen! What had happened!? I didn't do any more walking than usual? I didn't sleep on my legs in a strange way, but I did have an increased number of mosquito bites. What else could it be? My blood is either overwhelmed by the bite marks left on my bronze skin, or I am suddenly allergic! I calmly entered a cab and took the 20 minute ride back to The Point more worried about making it to pee in time rather than my sickly looking trump of a body. I checked back into the place which was my home for 5.5 months as if I was starting all over again. I peed just in time- whew! I had the choice between a 9 person dorm or 6. I went with 6 unless I can possibly move back into the staff room. I don't necessarily expect my bartending job back, but could possibly be in luck considering the 2 German bartenders whom I trained are leaving on Sunday. I don't want to get sucked back in to the lifestyle of The Point Lima because it's important to me to have a change of scenery and to learn about a new place for my last 2.5 months in Peru. I need to be around less gringos/English speaking people and being up in the mountains on the outskirts of town would be a nice place to relocate. I might even take that bar manager job I was initially considering- considering it'll give me the chance to have some income. So. I checked into a 6 person dorm, took a shower for the first time in 3 days and brushed my teeth for the first time in 24 hours. Oh happy day! I had a hot shower with lots of pressure- such a delicious reward after a long trip. After I got dressed, I went into my old room, the bar staff room, and crawled into bed with my platonic husband Robbie and proceeded to kiss his sweaty cheek. Big mistake- it was sweatier than I thought and I immediately wiped my mouth on his sheets. He unenthusiastically opened his eyes and smiled at the site of my curly wet hair and me exclaiming 'buenos dias! Robbie, i'm home!' Rob smiled at me even bigger this time and told me not to worry about his lack of enthusiasm as he had gotten into bed just an hour ago. It was 7:30am. I assured him that we had much to catch up on having not seen our best friends in 3 weeks! I exited the muggy room and headed for a farmacia to deal with my expanding limbs. I walked to the nearest open pharmacy with little to no problem moving around except for some tightness in my feet from the swelling. I was one block away when I slipped on a pile of doggy poop and fell down to my knee. I recovered with grace but was frustrated that I had just gotten out of the shower. I asked the pharmacist for a towel or some TP to wipe the poo off of my toes which had now spread to my foot and my shoe after some more walking. Good thing Stan told me it's good luck. Otherwise I would not be a happy camper. Luckily there is not a mess that a little soap and water won't fix. I explained to the pharmacist my symptoms and because I was pain free there was no need to see a doctor. I was given 3 days worth of antihistamines (in exchange for money) and was on my way! I came back to the hostel, parked my swollen butt outside in the garden with my laptop and a mug of chamomile tea (known here as as manzanilla), and observed as each backpacker slowly came out of their rooms. I journaled for you all to read about my life the past few days and hopefully I'll get sleepy in a few hours and take a nice nap before celebrating the weekend and Carnaval, Lima style!

Hold Your Horses!

Our horseback riding excursion began at 11:20am with José Luis, our 26 year old tour guide who owns the 15 horses in his stable where he rents them out for anywhere from 2 hours to 30 day horseback riding trips. For $30 (Ecuador uses U.S. currency) Emily and I paid for a 6 hour horse trip with lunch included only to find out we could have gotten it for $20. Oh well! We decided it was worth far more than what we paid so it didn't bother us. Let me start by saying that I am by no means an experienced rider. Not even close to intermediate. I would put myself in the category that comes before beginner- as in I have been on a horse 4 times in my life, not including the time when I was 8 and I fell off a pony at a birthday party and didn't get back on a horse for 14 years. This was Emily's first time  ever on a horse so we would be sharing a special moment of facing some fears together! Luckily I had some recent practice at our family reunion this past August going horseback riding but it was very low key and just 2 hours. Emily and I rode for 6.5 hours in the end and boy did our butt cheeks feel it afterwards! Sitting on a chair was difficult. The breathtakingly spectacular views often times kept me speechless, but also had me repeating in amazement 'I can't believe how beautiful it is here.' Almost 3 hours into our tour, we stopped and got off of our horses to hike down to our lunch spot- a waterfall! The steep climb down made me worried about the climb back up but I had no idea what kind of visual treat I was in for ultimately making the excruciating climb back up totally worth it. The huge waterfall splashed down onto the large rocks resting at the foot of this natural beauty. We sat down on the damp ground within a mist of the waterfall. Wedged between hamburger buns, placed our salad of shredded carrots, lettuce, tuna from a can, and mayo. This mix made a surprisingly delicious lunch. An apple and a bottle of water to wash everything down was just what my hungry tummy needed! We finally faced the steep climb ahead of us to get back to our horses; Corazon (heart), Mil Amores (A thousand Loves), and Tequila (no explanation needed). José Luis explained to us that his 15 male horses have all been castrated to help manage the aggression they would otherwise have with their manhood- especially around female horses owned by other small town touring agencies offering horse trips. Our ride back to town with gorgeous views of mountains and valleys dusted with just a few clouds creating hundreds of different shades of greens felt like riding along a backdrop. It was difficult to believe that a) such incredibly remarkable places exist and b) I was actually in South America riding a horse with my good friend Emily who was my neighbor at the University of Maryland! Our experience was magical and something I will never ever forget. We took one last picture when we returned to town just before 6pm and dismounted our horses. Ouch! I remembered having a sore tush from my 2 horse ride at my family reunion in West Virginia, but nothing like 6.5 hours of riding and getting off of the horse just three times. Luckily I remembered a trick from West Virginia to take pressure off of my knees by pushing foreward with the balls of my feet on the stirrups. Thank goodness I used it because my knees minimally hurt and my soreness went away after just 20 minutes. We tipped José Luis and Emily gave him her phone number so we could meet up for a beer later. He never did call us- probably because he doesn't usually get girls' numbers, even though this was completely innocent. It worked out fine because we were exhausted. I changed hostels to a place much cheaper. At my first hostel I was paying $25 per night for a private room and bathroom, but only because a dormitory wasn't available ($12 per night) when I checked in. Don't get me wrong, my room was lovely- I just can't pay that much. That also worked out because I had food poisoning for the first 25 hours after arriving in Vilcabamba. Well the morning of horseback riding Emily and I met 3 gringos having breakfast at a restaurant outside- 2 young cuties and Al; the late 50 something year old man who looks like the offspring of Gerry Garcia and Hagrid from the Harry Potter series. Although his appearance is a bit, well, big and hairy, he is a very sweet man who has been around the world and has held some fascinating occupations i.e. prison guard, taxi driver, bouncer. After telling the guys which hostel I was staying in, Al laughed at me telling me I was staying in the most expensive hostel in town! Al told me that a dorm in Valle Sagrado is $4 per night. It's not an extravagant hostel but it has the basics; hot water, a kitchen where I can cook (always a plus in a hostel because many have just restaurants not available for personal use by guests). After bringing my belongings to my private room for $7 a night, hot water in a communal bathroom, and wifi that was just put in last week, I realized that the family-like community of a hostel where I moved was a fantastic decision! Emily and I went with Al to grab some dinner at Charlito's- a gringo- owned restaurant one block from the center. I ordered the soup of the day which was potato lentil and delicious! And what was listed as 'camote con queso' which means sweet potato with cheese. I thought it sounded delicious (which it was!) but it turned out to be a giant plate of sweet potato french fries. Luckily my friends and the 3 new people who joined our table outside had no problem whatsoever assisting me in finishing the abundance of food I had ordered for $3.75. I love Ecuador prices in American dollars where as I have trained my brain to think in Soles in Peru, although I did find it difficult to bring my currency thinking back to dollars after being in Soles for 5.5 months! I'll be heading back to Lima this week and I really look forward to thinking back in Soles! The day after horseback riding Emily I did a bit of walking and stretching as our bodies were stiff and then went to The Juice Factory where I bought a delicious smoothie with kiwi, banana, pineapple, and spinach! Who would have thought such a bright green smoothie with an interesting combination of ingredients would be so incredibly delicious and sweet!?  After our smoothies we came back to my hostel to sit in the garden and chat and along came Al with Sonke who was looking for his brothers Olaf and Hendrik. These 3 brothers are 29 year old blonde hair, blue eyed German triplets! Oy vey! Emily, Al, Sonke, Hendrik and I sat on Al's patio of his private room and chatted in perfect English occasionally saying things in Spanish to throw in some practice for Sonke who is learning and Hendrik who is intermediate. Al is fluent and Emily and I are advanced. We spent the early afternoon and evening sharing beers, stories, and yoga stretches to help loosen the muscles in our backs and boy did it help relax us! The third brother, Olaf came to fetch the boys to go down to a bar, Dacapo for a performance as they are all musical. Sonke chose to stay behind and set me up with another dreadlock on the bottom half of my hair while the other 2 went on to set up. After 30 minutes of knotting my hair into a neat dread, we all walked down to the bar to join the others for some more beer! I knew I wasn't going to last long as I had been slowly drinking since 2pm and it was now 9pm. I was happily tipsy and decided to share a beer with Emily and listen to the German triplets serenade the audience with music in a language I think 3 people of the 15 in the room could understand. Although I didn't understand it, I sure did enjoy it! Emily and I went back towards the center of town to part ways and went to bed at 10:30pm. I woke up ay 8am to meet the triplets and Luis- Olaf's friend from town (Olaf has been living in Vilcabamba for a few months and loved it so much that he invited his 2 brothers who are still living in Germany to come out and see him and this beautiful town so they hopped on a plane and came!) and we went on a 2 hour hike up a mountain to Luis' friend's cabin in the woods to go camping! By the time we rounded up the troops and all of our supplies, we made the uphill hike for nearly 2 hours stopping every 30 minutes or so to give our legs and lungs a break and to observe our magnificent surroundings or an incredible spider in it's web (I know my mom and uncle howard are cringing as they're reading this) while keeping our distance so as to not anger them. We came to a river where a bridge of logs had been set up- one log for each leg and there was no way in hell I was going to walk across a river of medium rapids on 2 balance beams so I opted to forge the river and Sonke came along for moral and physical support. He came with me either because I was the only girl in the group and he wanted to make sure I made it okay, or he has a thing for me and he wanted to make sure I made it okay haha! Either way I was flattered that I didn't have to make this scary journey alone. Luckily I made it with my waterproof shoes still intact and the only tragedy being that my shorts got wet. No problemo because I brought pj pants and a sweater for the cold night ahead of us! We finally made it and somehow I seemed to be covered in significantly more mud than everyone else! We turned on the water pump and I was able to wash off my legs and feet and change into my warmer clothes. We started a fire, did some resting and stretching, took a nap, and went on an afternoon hike observing nature and marveling at the views. Our camping adventure was probably the most rustic thing i've done since I was in GirlScouts about 14 years ago and it surprisingly didn't bother me as much as it used to. While we ate dinner around the campfire, we saw cows and horses wandering around from the semi-nearby farms and mooed back at them every so often. The Germans do surprisingly good impressions of cows! The walk back down the mountain yesterday morning was much easier and faster than going up as it took us half the time! We rinsed off in the same river we approached beforehand with the bridge but managed to find a different route so we could avoid the nerve-racking journey across 2 poles. After returning to town around 11:30am, we went to the organic market where we found out that most of the good pickins were gone by 8am! We bought some great fruits and veggies and went back to Rafael's house- another friend of Olafs where the triplets were staying for free. Sonke the chef made the equivalent of what I consider potato latkes with potato, sweet potato (the sweet potatoes here are purple and sweeter than the orange ones!) carrot, red onion, egg, flour, salt, pepper, fried in oil and I made my favorite kind of salad; tomato, avocado, red onion and i threw in some garlic because everything is better with garlic! It ended up like a really chunky guacamole because I don't think the person I made in charge of cutting my avocados realized that I wanted cubed avocado, not mashed like guac. Oh well! It still tasted delish. We sat down to finally eat around 3pm and enjoyed each other's company. We even invited over Luis for lunch to thank him for helping us with the hiking/camping. We spent the rest of he day relaxing and exchanging conversations amongst the diverse crowd in English, Spanish, French, and German! By 9pm on a Sunday we realized we were getting hungry! Luckily Rafael and the triplets had loaded up on tons of fresh ingredients  from the market that we didn't use up for lunch so while people went off to do their own thing in town, the 2 chefs (Sonke and I) began letting their creative juices flow and each prepared a dish. Sonke made a reduction of the veggies we had an abundance of; cabbage, onions, broccoli, and he threw in some pineapple and sweet potato. It was an interesting mix seasoned with cumin, salt, pepper, basil, and thyme. He also made some fried german bread. It was made with toasted corn flour, water, wheat flour,  and sugar and topped with freshly made cheese from the local farm. I took carrots and sweet potatoes and boiled them until tender. I then sauteed onions and an apple until caramelized and pureed it in a blender. I topped it off with some milk and my sweet potato & carrot puree was a huge hit. It's so fun when you're surrounded by 3 men and they all give you the nod of approval of being a fabulous cook! We sat down to eat at midnight and I could barely finish my food! I went back to my hostel at 1am and fell right asleep. I was awakened at 7am by the banging of the construction of an outdoor roof over the patio. I'll be going to sleep early tonight and catching a bus tomorrow to begin my journey back to Lima. I have to take a 1.5 hour bus ride to Loja, then 8 hours to Guayaqil. Then I'll have to figure out how to get back to Mancora/Tumbes in northern Peru so I can fly to Lima on Thursday rather then the 18 hour bus ride! I have some time sensitive matters to attend to in Lima in the next 5 days so I can't spend almost an entire day on a bus after all of m initial traveling back! I'll miss Ecuador but I am thrilled I came up here!

Montañita y Mas

The 10ish hour bus ride to Montañita wasn't so bad. We arrived around 6:45am to the rainy town on a Thursday morning and were a little taken aback by the drunken people still walking around the streets that were obviously occupied with plenty of partiers seeking a good time in Montañita. Reception in most hostels didn't open until 8:30 or 9am so we had a while to waste while waiting to book a room. After inquiring about room prices and realizing the rooms were a bit out of our price range ($25 per night per person) we walked away from the hustle and bustle of the popular places and found a quaint hostel called Balsa y Tortura that was $30 per night per room during the week, then $50 during the weekend. We were hooked up with a room for 4 with a bunk bed and a double because they didn't have any rooms available for 3 until the next night but they were willing to take the business. We were welcomed with white sheets covered in mosquito nets and immediately regretted not bringing malaria pills! I quickly claimed the double bed as I had been working very hard while very exhausted to communicate with everyone in Spanish while Holly and Tash didn't really speak much and felt I deserved the spacious bed to myself. Our hostel included wifi and hot water which are sometimes hot commodities, although considering the horrifically hot climate in Montañita, I was looking forward to cold showers. I made sure to wear plenty of sunscreen on the beach and didn't get burned at all! Just softly coated with a bronzy color- i'm being asked more and more if i'm Brasilian! I might just start saying yes, until one day someone starts speaking to me in Portuguese! Montañita sure is a party town. We had wonderfully fun night at Hola Ola (hello wave) for ladies night which was a $5 cover and all you can drink for 2 hours (orange or cranberry juice, sprite or coke, rum or vodka) and ladies could walk to the front of the line! After my 2 frozen passionfruit margaritas before Hola Ola, I didn't feel the need to drink much more but I figured after 2 more drinks i'd get my money's worth. Five drinks later I was a happy camper shaking my booty with Tash, Holly and Jo, the other English woman who Tash and Gary picked up while exploring town! Jo is a hoot and is a 35 year old who looks 27! Amanda from New Zealand also joined us and someone else in the dorm where she was staying. We went to bed at 3am after dancing the night away and slept until about 10am when Tash, Holly, and I went for breakfast. I had a delicious veggie omelet that came with herbed potatoes and a salad of tomato, lettuce, and onion. I also ordered a banana, strawberry, pineapple, lemon, and orange smoothie hoping all the vitamin c would help reduce my slight hangover. Success! We returned from breakfast, changed into bathing suits and went to the crowded beach. After 3 hours of re applying sunblock and jumping through the luke warm waves, I decided to walk around and explore for a bit. After walking past more and more hippie artisans and surfers I started filling my head with an idea I had been pondering more and more lately; getting dreadlocks. I got 1 while living in Lima and have been adopting more and more practices of a more simple lifestyle and rasta way of living. I got some price quotes and decided to start the process! In the end I only got half of my head dreaded- the bottom half, but I am super pleased and I love the way it looks! My beautiful curls still rest peacefully on top and I think my new hair style fits the young woman I am turning myself into day by day. And don't worry- I already showed the fam when we skyped on Friday for shabbat! Hariel, Jason, and Jason's girlfriend Lauren love the look and all think I should finish the job. Fran on the other hand feels differently- but who can blame her? She's a Jewish mother. When we were wrapping things up in Montañita, I thought I would be going to Quito to see Emily as I was under the impression she would be there until the 11th of February. Well it turns out she was starting her job on the 11th and had a bus ticket to leave Quito to go down to Vilcabamba (yea, i know) to start working on an organic farm. She had been teaching English in Quito but her program was failing and so she decided to leave and make the most of her last 60 days in Ecuador. Luckily the $5 bus ticket I bought from Montañita to Guayaquil gave me the freedom to book a bus ticket to wherever I wanted to go next in South America. After our 3 hour bus ride to Guayaquil, buying my $10 bus ticket to Lojas, and an 8 hour bus ride followed by another 1.5 hours to Vilcabamba, I would finally arrive to see Emily who would be arriving about 30 hours after me. I bought my ticket and then a turkey sandwich. When I transferred buses in Lojas to head to Vilcabamba, it hit me- the turkey sandwich=no bueno. I rushed to the front of the bus and asked the driver's sidekick for 2 plastic bags, a second one for extra measure. I then proceeded to throw up for the next 1.5 hours to Vilcabamba. Thank goodness no one was sitting next to me but I don't think anyone appreciated listening to me vomit at 5:30am on their way to work. I was dropped off at a corner and asked for Hostel Margarita only to find out it was just 1 block away! I rang the doorbell, obviously waking up the receptionist who answered in her bath robe only to find out they were full. I just wanted to set my bags down and throw up again. I was referred to Jardin Encodido, just another 2 blocks away and lugged my duffle bag, tote bag, and purse with a broken strap to the front door. After paying for a bed in a dormitory and walking through the garden, we found out that the dorms were actually full. We walked back to reception so I could pay for my next option- a private room and private bathroom for $25 a night instead of $12 in the dorm. In the end i'm happy I upgraded because I spent the next 24 hours either in bed or on the floor puking my brains out. I had a home remedy of tea from the kitchen. Whatever was wrong with me I got out of my system by the time Emily arrived from Quito on her 12 hour bus journey. I met her in the plaza and we came back to my hostel to sit in the garden and chat! After a few hours of catching up we went to grab lunch. For $2 we got almuerzo; maracuya juice, soup of the day, and a piece of chicken with rice and salad- yum! We spent the rest of the day resting, booking a horseback riding trip, and catching up on life. From our bus rides and food poisoning we felt the need to take it easy. And speaking of taking it easy we're waking up early for yoga at 8am tomorrow! After all these bus rides and staying in bed for 24 hours on a mattress that could be mistaken for bricks, I need to stretch my body out! Adios amigos and sweet dreams!

Singin in the rain

Our day started off smoothly yesterday upstairs in the cafeteria drinking strong coffee and having a fruit salad! I chatted with a Canadian couple in their 50's who have been exploring South America for the past several months. The woman shared her bread and peanut butter with me and then I noticed it was 10:05am and I was late for our excursion! We went across from the hostel to the excursion agency to get a briefing on the vehicles and a map as we didn't pay extra for a guide. There was 1 ATV available and 2 buggies so we hopped on while it was drizzling and took off! We picked up speed once we left the town and started heading up the mountain. After about 20 minutes of driving and waving to the passerbys, we arrived at our first destination- zip lining! Maria set us up in our gear while the rain got harder and heavier. I was surprisingly not nervous, just excited to go head first on my belly down a 1000 meter zip line over rough rapids. The view was beautiful but I should have worn my sunglasses- not for the sun because it was raining cats and dogs, but for the rain! Zipping down the wire made the rain hit me pretty hard and it hurt! I landed safely and we hopped into the car of Maria's brother who drove us back up to where we left our vehicles. We continued on our journey in search of waterfalls and the famous volcano speeding down the road at about 80 kph through tunnels and around curves. Every once in a while we'd get a line of cars trailing behind us but we were good about pulling over slightly to the right so they could pass us. At 11:45 am, only 1 hour and 45 minutes into our excursion, my ATV broke down- and just 5 minutes after Tash claimed that her buggie was acting funny. I broke down in someone's entry way to their restaurant (thank goodness- or at least I thought so). I hopped off my POS ATV, and began walking in the direction we were headed hoping to find that Tash and Holly noticed I was no longer following them. Before I took 10 steps, the owner of the restaurant came running after me yelling at me to move my vehicle from his driveway. He mustn't have noticed that I am a woman and that my ATV weighed nearly 1/2 a ton. I pointed to the 2 other unblocked entry ways to his restaurant (keep in mind there was NO one parked in his lot) explaining that I wasn't going to move my ATV if his non existent customers can use the other free entry ways. He was not to pleased and started yelling louder. I decided to cooperate and let him know that I was not strong enough so if he wanted it moved, he needed to help me. He didn't hesitate to come get the ATV out of his driveway. I walked towards the girls for about 5 minutes and got to a tunnel. I had no idea how long it was, so I opted to walk back to the restaurant where I left my ATV with the ATV nazi. I whipped out the cell phone that the woman with the agency gave me in case of emergencies and attempted to figure out how to make it work without any characters on the buttons which had clearly been rubbed off after 8 years of use- that's how old this cell phone model must have been. After only 10 minutes, the girls came to fetch me and I was still unsuccessful with the cell phone usage. I frustratingly asked the Ecuadorian man to assist me to which he replied that I was out of range. I then asked if I could please use his phone to which he replied 'for $1.' I was appalled! You're charging me $1 to make a 30 second phone call. I threw a fit about how expensive my phone call was going to be and he came back with an attitude that if I didn't want to pay, he had no problem with me not using his phone. Ugh! Wy can't people just be genuinely friendly and helpful!? I aggressively placed a Sacagawea coin in his hand (Ecuador uses U.S. currency because their currency has failed miserably) in his hand. The man didn't seem to appreciate my aggressiveness and threw the coin back at me! I decided to play nice considering we were stuck on a mountain in the rain without any access to a phone. We made the phone call to the agency and after waiting for 1.5 hours and telling Holly she wasn't wallowed to buy a snack from the nazi, our rescuers finally arrived! Even though I asked if the vehicles would be ok in the rain, it turns out they act up if it gets too wet. The woman pushed some buttons and twisted some knobs and told us she'd follow us back to make sure we didn't break down again. Tash had gone back early because we had 1 working vehicle and she had been sick all morning. So for $35 for a 3 hour activity, we only actually used half of the time for adventures and were laughed at when we asked for a partial refund. Tash had gone to bed in hopes of sleeping off her illness and Holly and I went to the Turkish mineral baths to shower our skin with goodness. The Turkish baths overlook a beautiful waterfall and we enjoyed 30 minutes of relaxing until the facility closed for cleaning before reopening in the evening. While walking back to the hostel we passed about 89 places offering massages so we checked out some prices. We decided that $25 dollars and 80 minutes of massages, reflexology, and facial scrubs was a pretty good deal and chose to indulge ourselves! After 80 minutes of heaven, we went back to the hostel to shower and relax before going to dinner. I skyped with Hariel for the first time in over a month and got lots of updates about her job in the hospital and all the babies, her roommate drama, and school! I love my sister! We went to Samurai Sushi for dinner where a native Canadian living in Ecuador decided to open a sushi restaurant with an Ecuadorian twist. It was delicious! We came back to the hostel to find 2 new English blokes in Tash and Holly's room and we chatted about travels for a while until Gary, another English bloke convinced us all to go to The Leprechaun, a popular bar for backpackers with a bonfire in the garden. After a pineapple margharita and a beer, we walked back to the hostel and went to bed at 1am! It was such a lovely evening with friends. Tash Holly and I have an 8 hour ride bus this evening at 7:30pm to Montanita, Ecuador to spend a few more days on beautiful beaches before going up to the capital, Quito where my friend from UMD is currently volunteering. Life is good =)