I cannot stand long bus rides any longer. A lot has changed since I last traveled in August. Now that I am making a lot more money it has changed some fundamentals of traveling. My time is now far more valuable than money and so if I can get somewhere faster (i.e. airplane) I will do it regardless of price.  Or to frame it differently money is no longer an issue. Why should I take a bus when I can fly?

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I bussed it back to Quito in about 4 hours and checked back into Centro del Mundo in the old town. I even got the same private room…or closet would be a more appropriate term. Not exactly the accommodation you would get in any normal hotel special offers. Usually you have some space to move! In most cases, at least. At least the company was better. Once in the hostel I chatted with an American couple and a few Chileans. In my notes when I wrote “pretty boring” but have since run into the American couple here in Bogota and have had some great conversations with them. So maybe I was actually the one who was boring the night I first met them?

The next evening during a boring TV watching session I was eying the crowd trying to see if anyone looked like they were up for a night out. Many people are content to stay inside and just talk but to my surprise an Israeli guy, Mark, asked if anyone was interested in going out.  And that’s how I made a great new friend!

Mark (Israel), I, and a Chilean guy Joaquin were a good fit for going out. All three of us had no interest in going out in the “Zona” where all the trendy bars and foreigner filled cheap discos were. We wanted to try the best nightlife in Quito and landed at a club called “CientoOchentaDos” (182) a short taxi ride away. I have never seen a better looking collection of people in my life. This includes discos in Brazil, Colombia, Canada, etc. It looked as if everyone was a model and the three of us could not stop staring.

The following night we found another fun guy from Portugal to make us a group of four. It was such a relief that all of us were on the same page. Cost was not an issue which is a nice thing when it’s pretty common to get stuck going out with other foreigners who would rather walk around for an hour rather than pay a $5 cover to get into a place.

This night we went to another disco outside of the “Zona” which was called Flashback. The name gives it away as it turned out to be a nice disco filled with people in their 30’s to 50’s. It was still a nice place with tons of people and a live cover band playing hits from the 80’s which I can’t pretend I really knew all that well. Being the youngest guy there I was naturally a target for some of the women. One even played the bait and switch game leaving me with her less attractive friend. I can’t believe she really thought she could pull that trick and not expect me to walk away. Regardless it was a great night that ended back at the hostel where the four of us shared stories until 6AM.

On Saturday night it was our last hurrah together. This time we chose another great disco away from all of the cheap backpackers called Juliana. This was more of a middle ground between the previous to disco with most people being in their 20’s rather than 40’s, and a more normal looking group. I quickly struck up a conversation with a very cute student named Diana. We danced salsa and reggaeton together for the next few hours until the club closed.

Overall another great weekend in Ecuador with some great new friends.

One concept I need to follow more often is not to settle. For the past two days I walked about 10 blocks to the only restaurant I thought was open nearby. So for two days I ate disgusting fried chicken. The kind that is so greasy and fat you just want to vomit it up afterwards.

Naturally on the third day I was more curious and walked a few more blocks to find dozens of better choices open, including restaurant’s overlooking beautiful colonial plazas and also KFC. I settled on a filet minon that day.

I met Carolina on Tuesday night in the new town for some dessert. We drove to a café in Guapalo, a bohemian little section of Quito with cobblestone streets and cafes. It was a strange and terrifying night as some of the street lights and traffic lights were not working. As we drove past broken traffic lights it felt a little like playing Russian roulette. We drove down Guapalo but it was not worth the risk of parking the car in the dark because there is a good chance it will get stolen.

Instead we settled on Crepes Y Waffles, a Colombian restaurant chain I have written about many times. It’s that good. We had a nice time piecing together my birthday night. I learned how great Carolina is to go out with. For example, in the last place when I was dancing with one girl Carolina blocked each guy who wanted to cut in by telling them to back off because it was my birthday. Haha!

On Wednesday afternoon I traveled. I went to a tourist town, Banos,  with an American (Arielle) and a Dutchman (Richard). The Dutchman even had the Richard Von in his name making him really, really Dutch in my mind.  On the way to Banos we passed an overturned truck that spilled bottles of some liquid all over the side of the road.

For the second year in a row I spent my birthday in Latin America. Last year in Colombia at a funky restaurant turned disco, Andres Carnes de Res. This year in Quito, Ecuador, starting at a Beatles themed bar called Strawberry Fields.

I celebrated the night leading up to my birthday with Carolina and Juan Francisco. Just 2 people? It might appear that the small celebration meant a quiet night but it was anything but that.

I really have been amazed at how great of a host Carolina has been since I arrived. Big thanks to her. The following is a picture tour of the night because I don’t remember much outside of the photos!

Juan Francisco and I

Gross birthday shot for midnight

Before

Frightened

Really nasty stuff

The Beatles bar had some cool decor

Another flaming shot

Our group

Bar #2

On our way to bar # 3

Bar #3

And the night ended in a 4th place. Overall a great birthday!

On Thursday my Ecuadorian friend Carolina invited me to a friend’s birthday party in Cumbaya, a suburb of Quito. She picked me up from my hostel and we drove to the valley, into a gated neighborhood with some really beautiful homes. This particular home is the kind that makes me reconsider my ideas of owning big possessions. The party turned out to be a small gathering with close friends, family, and then me. It was really awkward.

I really enjoyed Friday. Following work I had a great conversation with the Israeli from Wednesday and because of that I learned a lot about Israel and its people.

Israeli travelers are known as being the worst among travelers. They can be rude, usually hang in large groups, and don’t make much of an effort to meet others. This is a generalization of course.

I spoke with the Israeli honestly and we spent a long time comparing what people are like in Israel and in America. For instance during the first five minutes he offered to let me stay at his place when I go to Israel. Of course my response was thank you, maybe I will some day. The reality is that if I ever did go to Israel I doubt I would actually take him up on the offer. But when we talked about that later on he told me in Israel if someone says that they really mean it. That’s not the best example to summarize how meaningful the conversation was to me but a lot of what we spoke about provided better insight of Israeli’s and why they may act certain ways.

Like Wednesday I led us out to the disco. But this time I had 15 people (Chileans, French, etc.) following as I walked us to No Bar, a popular disco I heard was fun.

It was full of 40 year olds and when I made contact with one attractive girl I shied away because from a distance I could not tell if she looked good from a distance, or if she was older with wrinkles. My loss maybe? I probably at least should have talked to her.

I rounded up the crew and took them to the safe choice, Bungalow 6. We huddled outside for 20 some minutes until everyone decided the $5 cover with a drink included was too expensive. I went in with a German guy and the rest of them left for somewhere else. Both of us remarked how difficult it is to go out in a big group and were relieved to have broken away. By this time in was past midnight and in Ecuador it’s important to show up early or else the best looking girls will already have found someone to dance with for the night. I did meet a few people but wasn’t overly excited about them.

We left at around three AM for some chicken schwarma, the late night food you find in Quito. The German just spent 10 months in Colombia writing his thesis so we had a lot to talk about.

Life abroad is full of inconsistencies. One moment you can dance Salsa like a pro and the next you can barely move.  The same goes for language, meeting people, and so on.

One hobby I really wanted to begin in Ecuador was Salsa dancing. I figured I would find myself private lessons but only when I got here did I realize that deciding anything in advance will create a routine. I can’t have that when I don’t even know what time I will wake up each day. Salsa lessons are put on hold for time being until I feel like I need more consistency during my day.

I’ll keep with the random tangent and mention what an older man from Switzerland told me. In his country, famous American actors like George Clooney make commercials. For instance, Clooney advertises a high end brand of coffee. Can you imagine that?

Saturday night turned into a disappointment because of the strongly opinioned Angela, the old Canadian woman. While having a few drinks at a bar with some other from the night before she asked me what I am doing in Ecuador. I explained that I am traveling while I do my work each day on the internet. When I explained my career consulting business she could not believe it was possible. She called me a liar and told me I have no idea what I am doing. She accused me of plagiarism and called anyone who would purchase something from me an idiot. She asked me what college I graduated from and what grades I earned only to insult me for not going to a better school or earning better grades. All of this from a 75 year old woman.

Of course I was upset at everything she insinuated about me but the worst is to know that someone could develop such a negative personality. I always thought that as someone ages they would appreciate things more and become “wiser”.  This is the type of encounter that makes me better understand what I do not want to become. I wish it did not happen but as I continue traveling its Angela who I will remember when I have the opportunity to be negative like her. I will see her image and remember that’s not who I want to become.

After the drinks we went inside a club and I could stop thinking of what Angela had said. I tried to have fun. I danced with a few people and met a cool Costa Rican guy who came with us to the next place. But for the entire night I could not stop thinking about her nasty attitude.

On Sunday morning I tried a new café to do work though after some time I realized there is no better place than Coffee Toffee. My “office” (couch) at Coffee Toffee is technically outside with a great view. But I did a successful mock interview over Skype with a client and remembered how much I do enjoy them. I surprise myself by how well I interview. I can answer interview questions as an engineer better than a many engineers can haha.

My friend Thierry from the hostel saw me at the café and so for the next half hour I was answering all of his questions about what I do. Preparing for the mock interview and Thierry’s questions meant I got very little work done that day.

What I really enjoy about the area where I live is the amount of restaurants selling international food. For dinner I stopped at an Indian restaurant and got Masala, samosas, and naan for $5.50. The servings were huge and clearly meant for two people. As I walked out with my food I jumped when some small guy tapped me on my shoulder. He worked at the restaurant and forgot to pack the little sauces in my takeout food bag.

I ate my Indian food while watching this really great movie, Five Minutes of Heaven. Afterward I wrote 3,000 words of travel blog material which I wish I could have done as easily as when I had to write essays at university.

And so goes my first week abroad.

Thursday was a wash. Easily the worst of seven days I have spent in Ecuador. While I was feeling perfectly fine, just a little tired, I somehow could not form a logical sentence that day. I ended the night with a few unenthusiastic games of cards with the girl from the U.K. and a guy from Chile.

The Chilean had ridden for nearly 72 hours from Chile in busses. It makes sense that he would willingly do that when I tell you he is here attending a convention for the cult of which he is a member.

That cult is called Herbalife, a pyramid scheme which profits by selling the product to other Herbalife employees.  There is a good article about it here.

“But unlike Amway, the privately held titan in the field commonly known as multilevel marketing, Herbalife is accountable to shareholders and had a highly recognizable figure at its helm. “The growth of the sales force was cultic,” says William Crookston, a professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business Administration. “It became very charismatic and grew very quickly.” As in other pyramids, Herbalife customers have incentive to become distributors, which allows them to take advantage of additional discounts offered by the company.”

And it was not just the Chilean here for the convention. The Herbalife people came from all countries in South America and took over the city’s hotels and hostels. For instance, my hostel was easily occupied by 40 some Herbalife members and just 3 Gringos including myself. It’s normally the opposite for perspective.  I also learned that the same was happening in many other hostels which were fully booked with Herbalife people.

They are a strange bunch.  At all hours of the day you could hear the blender mixing their vitamin drinks, whether it was 4 AM on a Thursday or 4PM on a Friday. Each day at around 5AM the hostel comes to life as all they all wake up and prepare for the convention. Some do workouts full of pushups outside my door while others run up and down the stairs. The one doing pushups like to grunt each time he goes up and down. Each member can be identified by their uniform, of which they either have many of or wear the same one each day. It’s a black shirt, and vest with a green logo. Usually with a Herbalife hat and a few pins attached to different articles of clothing. They also frequent the bars and discos because on a Friday night out I was given two different Herbalife business cards.