Day 1 in Quito

I slept a lot better than I expected last night, given the radical change in climate and the ice-cold shower I took right before going to bed.  I got up at about 9:30 and had a large breakfast of yogurt with bananas, a fried egg, bread with cheese, and cafe con leche with mi familia.  I got to know Danny (23), who plays precussion with a number of bands around Quito and had just returned from Bolivia where he was preforming with his band, "Tambores y otros demonios."  Luckily for me, Danny had brought back some coca from Bolivia, so I was able to try chewing coca leaves.  Before anybody freaks out, let me emphasize that although cocaine is produced from the coca leaf, the leaf itself is by no means a narcotic.  Coca was used as a traditional medicine in the Andes long before the European conquest of the continent, and luckily for me one, of the ailments it is meant to cure is altitude sickness! The leaf was bitter at first, but not at all unpleasant to chew.  The inside of my mouth tingled as the natural stimulant was released from the leaves.  One keeps a chewed wad of leaves in their cheek until their flavor is gone and then disposes of the chewed coca.  The effects of chewing coca have been likened to drinking a cup of coffee, which seems to be an accurate characterization based on my experience.

After chewing our coca Alex and I took a bus into town. Alex showed me the historic district of Quito, which is famed for being the largest such district in South America.  After seeing the Ecuadorian equivalent to the White House (El Palacio de Carondelet) and a large cathedral rumored to have been built by the devil in a wager for an indigenous man's soul, Alex and I moved on to the Mariscal Sucre district, otherwise known to Ecuadorians as "Gringolandia" or the "Zona".  The Mariscal is famed for its clubs and bars and attracts large crowds of foreigners who want to enjoy the night life.

We returned home at 14:30, because Alex had an appointment to teach songs to the new bassist in his heavy metal band.  We had a lunch of chicken and potato soup, pasta with ham, and guanábana juice (which is absolutely delicious), and I have now retired to my room to unpack and fill my closets.  I'm not entirely sure what I will be doing for the rest of the day, but given the multitude of new things I've tried already today (coca, guanábana, speaking spanish nonstop), I'm sure it won't disappoint.  Here are some pictures of my experience so far:

La hoja de coca

Quito from right outside my house

La Virgen de Quito, sporting wings and treading on a serpent

Some funny graffiti on my street

Jugo de Guanábana

Mi cuartel desorganizado