There and back again, again

I´d like to start this one out, for all me Ali G fans out there in the getto and Staines, to report some infomation which I has forgotten. Da name of da bus company in Belize, is none other than Batty Brothers Bus Co. Me thoughts this was well inappropriate but me and the julies rode anyways.

And now, back to your regular english update. Friday afternoon we left quito and headed north to a town called otavallo with the hope of attending the best market in ecuador. we arrived after a long but beautiful ride to find out that the hostel we had planned on staying at was booked and the other ones we walked by were as well. so, when in doubt, stop for lunch. we ate at the pie place, though, no pie, this time. and then headed off to find a hostel. found a nice room with no lock and half a door nob and a window view into the hallway a few blocks away. the beds were comfortable and the staff nice, so no worries. after checking in, we wandered around town for a while. ther fruit and veggie market was fantastic. mounds upons mounds of fruits and veggies. avocados, pineapples, oranges and peppers, grapes and watermelons. after japan, it is nice to see fruits and vegetables that arent worth thier weight in gold. did a bit of shopping, saw lots of street performances, and enjoyed the small town atmosphere.
that night, we went back to the pie place and had a big dinner, and, yes, pie. apparently the place is famous for its pies. critically acclaimed would be more apt. but, i wont turn down pie, so...
the ladies, tuckered out after a long day of, um, doing stuff, decided to turn in, whilst i wandered the streets. far from alone though. seems like half the town was out on the streets and there were concerts in the bus station parking lot and in the main square. rhamba and modern latin music. trumpet and guitar type stuff. excellent. real fun.
the next day, we woke up at the crack of mid morning and stumbnled outside to see that the market had completly enveloped the whole town. what once was naked store fronts was now covered with stalls selling blanets, wall hangings, hammocks, all sorts of wovens and clothing, and most importantly, sunglasses and finger puppets. we all bought shades because we were sorely lacking (2/3 of which are still intact at the moment). and then we all bought small finger puppets, because i saw no reason not to. i have a new finger lion, amy a panda, and erica a monkey (with a banana.)
after many hours of succesful shopping or abstaining, we packed it in and decided to move, to a similarly small and quaint town named Ibarra. we stayed in this beautiful hostel which must have been a mansion at some point. the rooms were all surrounding a big courtyard. they were big and clean and the stff was so friendly. in ibarra we wandered around and saw yet more churches. went to a relativly chic place for dinner and then began the walk home before amy had a karaoke craving which was only put off by a few games of pool. erica won both games (but refused to play the drunk men downstairs who had called winners). we scooted out and somehow agreed on karaoke which clearly was destined to be nothing like japan. and it wasnt. there were about 10 people in the bar, and they were pathetic. to be polite. the only guy who was decent was the one who sang the song of the mariachi. (maybe i just liked him cause i like the song). then came amy and my turn. we didnt have much of a selection. there was a travolta-newton john duet named "Grease Me" which i had a hard time of convincing amy to sing. so we settled for, according to the book, Elton Johns version of Gangstas Paradise. (which went incredibly simialr to the original rap!) i rapped and amy sang. and let me tell you, despite what the score on the karaoke machine said, we kicked ass.
then we went to bed.
the next day we wke up at 6 so we could be at the train station at 7 so we could buy tickets for a train. but the office didnt open until about 8 and the train didnt leave till clsoe to 9. but, we didnt get seats in the train. we got seats on the roof. the very front of the roof. (which was our plan all along. its a tourist train and the best views are from the roof). so, there we are, first chugging through town clinging to the roof and then out into the mountains along cliffs over not so sturdy looking bridges and through numerous cow fields. just beautiful scenery. fresh air. adreneline every time we entered a tunnel that had no visible ending. fun fun fun.
when the train stopped, hiked back up the tracks to the road, flagged down a bus back to ibarra, got our bags, ate lunch, and got a bus back to quito which left us about 200 miles (exaggeration) from where we asked. so we hiked across town and now we are back in quito. again.

i have a new spanish phrase book. (much to amys dismay). it has some choice phrases which i have been told i am no longer alowed to say in public. we also learned that while amy has been asking where to catch the bus in castillian spanish, in south american slang she has been asking where can i "bonk" the bus. good times.