Day 9: Don Juan going to the thermal lakes

After classes I go to lunch with my Spanish teacher. We go to lunch at El Maple, which is good as always. Irina said she hadn’t been there for a while, so it was nice to experience. After that I needed to buy some chocolate for the friend of my fellow student, because it is her birthday tomorrow. Just some small thing. So I go to Kallari to buy some.

The rest of the day I need to get some stuff ready to go to Papallacta. In the night I may go out with Mariela and her friends, but I'm not yet sure if I will. Uhmm, expect a BIG blogpost on monday. (Or tuesday if you live on the other side of the world. :P)

Day 8: 29 April

During the breaks of the Spanish classes, I often speak to one of my fellow students. He and his (ex-girl)friend are going to a place called Papallacta in the weekend. It is supposed to be a beautiful place close to the Amazon with natural hot springs, where you can take a hike, swim, get a massage... a lot of cool relaxing stuff. Naturally a place I’d like to go to as well, so we arrange that I can go with them. We leave on Saturday morning and get back on Sunday evening (so radio silence in the weekend).

Later in the afternoon, I have a meeting with the director of Pacari. He’s late almost one hour, but that appears to be normal (la hora equatoriana) and it gives me time to do my homework. In his office, he seems genuinely interested in what I wish to do, the interviews, etc. and thinks already of some things I could possibly do for the company. There’s just one but: he still has to talk it over with his wife and asks me to call back tomorrow.
After this I bring some laundry to the Lavanderia and sit down to write some stuff. And so ends another day.

Day 7: 28 April

Almost the same as every day. From 9 to 13 Spanish classes. Afterwards I went for a lunch at sakti’s, my favourite . With my belly full, I returned to Kallari to help Mariela with her English again. When I got there, she was still busy in the kitchen, so I sat down with my Spanish homework. Later she comes over (peck on the cheek) and she helps me a bit with my Spanish. Then we shift to English. All the while it was fun to see upcoming volunteers (Kallari chocolate works with foreign volunteers) and dining tourists struggle with their Spanish. Especially the American accent in their Spanish is hilarious. And so we went on for about 2 hours until she had to go somewhere else. So did I: I promised Svenja to send cards, so I had to go to the post office. Mariela and I said goodbye and she told me she’d text me about upcoming events, she didn’t have time tomorrow.

So at the post office, I ask for 10 stamps to send cards to Holanda. More than $ 2,- per card, the lady says to me. ‘okay, make it 5’. Well, I sent 3 cards in your direction, but I will have to limit the amount (sorry Svenja), because it is muy muy caro.
Back at the hotel, I make another call to the Director of Pacari Chocolate and we arrange a meeting for the next day.

In the evening, I decide to go to a tourist bar named Finn McCool’s. While I’m there I order a couple of pilseners, watch football on the screen and bore myself almost to death. I decide that the name of the place has been a wrong choice, that it’s definitely not Chévere (as we say here in Ecuador), pay my beers and go home to sleep. The end... of the day.


Day 6: 27 April

Okay, I lied, Tuesday was quite interesting. I went for a lunch at Kallari, a café near my school, where they also sell locally produced chocolate. Across me are two ladies, apparently belonging to the café, doing math homework. And while I’m waiting for my order, one of them comes over to ask if I know math. I couldn’t help her with that, however, so she went back to her place. But not before asking whether I’m single. And later she even tells me I’m handsome (“eres lindo”).
Anyway, when I explained I’m learning Spanish, she offered me a deal: she’d help me if I helped her with English (because I suck at math). An offer I couldn’t refuse for a multitude of reasons. So after my lunch, waiting for the check, I shift tables and we chat a bit. When her friends leave, I help her a bit with her English homework. When I leave I give her a peck on the cheek (which is custom in Ecuador) and we agree to meet the next day.