Day 18 - Quito

Nightbuses. what a rediculous idea. Someone, somewhere, said to their boss "I've got an idea. why not run buses at NIGHT, so people can sleep on them". What a great idea....

so, we jump on the bus, watch some slick american film in spanish, say goodnight to each other and close our eyes. At 3am, despite still not being asleep, the driver turns the lights on for people to jump out for a fag. Then we proceed along mountain roads at 100mph, rocking from side to side, not getting comfortable. My new clean-shaven neck is stinging from the shaving rash, my eyes are bulging from the bags under them. It was pretty horrendous. The first on many nightbuses. Great.



We hopped into a cab, arrived at our new hostal where (because the rooms were busy) slept on the lounge sofas for 2 hours before being shown to a dorm where we slept for another 5 hours. We're staying in Casa Bamboo, which is wicked. It has a kitchen, so sam and I went out and bought loads of food for the week. The kids here are all really friendly as well, and from all over the world. Its a different sort of backpacker too - more hardcore, more long-term. Its nice.



We've spent most of our time here getting WASTED. Last night, for example, 6 of us downed 4 bottles of rum. I then drunkenly phoned my boyfriend, who didn't answer. and then was sick in the communal toilets. It must be the altitude. We're planning on staying here in Quito for another week, so I'm gonna start hunting for some spanish lessons later on. But tomorrow, we're off to the actual equator, where apparently you can flush the toilets and the water doesn't swirl away, it just drops right down the tube. Wicked.

Its a funny time. I think because we're not moving on now for a whole week, the homesickness thing is starting to kick in. I'm missing the boy, and missing hanging out with everyone after going out. I'm missing good music, and missing the familiarity of food and transport. I mean, its not rubbish. I love it here. And I'm not even once thinking about ditching this. But I think when you're not trekking up mountains and bussing across whole countries or swimming in the sea, its almost like you're at home. Just without loads of the good bits. Saying that, I'm having a ball. Our ecuadorian mate Maria is taking us out tomorrow night, and I'm trying to convince her to take me out to a techno night on saturday. and if I start my spanish lessons tomorrow or thursday, I should be feeling more productive and more eager to get to Peru, in a week.