Volunteering - Our last week

Our time at the San Roche preschool/daycare is quickly coming to an end. It has been such an amazing experience. The children can be so sweet and loving. Every day when I arrive, I am a greeted by a chorus of holas and ciaos and followed by hugs. 

They smile and are open to learning. We work on puzzles and building legos. I have been able to teach them how to put the puzzles together and find similar pieces of legos to fit together. 

Their puzzles are missing pieces and their legos are broken, but they don't care and enjoy the learning process. 

They enjoy dancing and singing songs. I have been able to teach them Simon Says, Freeze Dance and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. 

We even got to celebrate the January birthdays with the children. 

And then you get so caught up in the moment and the children look up at you and smile, and only then do you notice that they have no teeth or rotting teeth. 

That their clothes do not fit or have holes or are just filthy. 

And then I remember that these children have little to nothing. 

And I give them an extra hug or rub on the back because they are children. 

I recently closed my indoor park for children who are nearly the same age. I brought some of the mini notebooks and bubbles with me and the kids love them. 

It means a lot to know that My Kids Clubhouse was able to share some love with these children. 

When I return to San Diego, I plan to prepare packages to send to the school. The teachers need pens and pencils and they love my Renew lotion. The kids need extra clothes, backpacks, art supplies, puzzles, dvds and those rope walkers. 

I am hoping to make an annual package to send to the school. If you would like to make a donation, please email me at mykidsclubhouse@gmail.com 

The "real" Mitad Del Mundo

When you are in Quito, you will quickly discover there are probably half a dozen places claiming to be the Mitad del Mundo or the equator half the world. We checked out 3 of them. One was very scientific on the road to Otavalo, one is just outside of Quito with a giant statue and the other is behind the second one and looks like a little village.
I will touch on all 3 and then you can decide for yourself which one you would like to check out or perhaps you will check out all 3 like we did.
The first one we visited is on the road to Otavalo and our tour stopped there. It cost $2 each person and a guide gave a 20 minute presentation about the equator and the solar system. Very scientific and very interesting. The donation/charge goes to maintain the site and to the scientific organization to continue their research.

The second Mitad del Mundo is about 20 minutes north of Quito. You can take a bus from Ofelia bus station or find a bus in the city that says Mitad del Mundo on it. The bus will cost you about 40 cents. To get to Ofelia, you probably want to take a taxi that will cost you $5. You may be able to find a taxi to take you all the way to Mitad del Mundo for $15-$20. Once there, you can buy a partial pass for $3.50 or a full pass for $7. We just bought the partial pass and walked to the monument. There were also some dancers and stores selling souvenirs with surprisingly reasonable prices. Interesting about this Mitad del Mundo is that people say it's actually in the wrong place and not on the equator at all.

The third Mitad del Mundo is behind the second one. If you exit and walk north about 1/2 block, you will see the sign for Initian Museum. Turn left and walk up the dirt road. The museum costs $4 per person and I personally think this one is worth every penny. There is a 1 hour tour included in your entrance fee. Take the tour. The tour is given in English and Spanish.

The Initian Museum or the "real" equator

The guide explaining cultural traditions of the Indigenous people

The guide will explain how the Incas and Indigenous people lived, show you replicas of their homes and then take you to the "real equator". On the line, he will show you how water spins different directions, ask you to balance an egg, walk a straight line and explain why this happens.

This is a video of the water draining on the equator

                      This is a video of the water draining north of the equator. Can you see the difference?
The bottom line is there are many different places to stand on the equator and each comes with its own experience. But whichever one you choose, the fact that you get to stand on Mitad Del Mundo is just amazing. Enjoy!

Day Trip To Mindo

Quito is so central that there are lots of day trips just hours away. One of those is the small town of Mindo located in the nearby cloud forest.
You can get to Mindo by private car, day tour or by bus. Private car is about $50 each way. Day tours vary by company though we found most tours went to Mindo on Fridays. We took the bus which was surprisingly easy, quick and comfortable. The bus leaves from the northern bus terminal Ofelia. A taxi to Ofelia costs about $6 and you should ask the driver to drop you off inside the terminal. The area around the bus station is not safe. You can only buy bus tickets at the ticket office at the Ofelia bus station, but the bus schedule is online. We recommend you arrive at the bus station 30 minutes early to buy your ticket. You can only buy your return ticket at the office in Mindo. We recommend you buy it immediately upon arrival. We took along toothbrush and toiletries just in case we couldn't get a ticket to return and ended up spending the night in Mindo. No problem though.
The 2 hour drive to Mindo is beautiful as you wind through the mountains and into the clouds.

Main plaza in Mindo

Main street in Mindo

There are lots of restaurants, tour companies and souvenir shops on the main street and around the plaza. There are also numerous hostals in Mindo if you want to spend the night. Some activities in Mindo include ziplining or canopy, river rafting, a chocolate factory tour, orchid gardens, butterfly farms, bird watching and hiking to waterfalls. The tour companies along the main street can arrange any tours for you. I would recommend spending at least one night in Mindo. We only spent the day and we could have used more time and would have enjoyed having a hostal so we could relax in a hammock and enjoy the quiet of this small town.

The chocolate tour at El Quetzal

In our day there, we toured an orchid garden, ate Quinoa pudding and ice cream and took the tour of the chocolate factory. We found both tours to be very interesting. The orchid garden was located near the football stadium. It cost $3 per person and a guide showed us at least 30 different types of orchids.

Beautiful orchid

Tour of the chocolate factory

Quinoa pudding with mango and banana ice cream at Mishqui Quinde next door to the chocolate factory

We also took the tour of the El Quetzal chocolate factory where they make Mindo chocolate. It cost $10 per person but included not only the 1 hour tour, but tastings of different chocolates and toppings, cafe or chocolate tea, one of their world famous brownies and a cup of pure chocolate. I can't say enough about how great this tour was. You can also buy chocolate and coffee in their store at the factory.
We ate lunch at a pizzeria just off the main square which was very reasonable and tasty.

If we did this trip again, I would recommend spending the night in Mindo. There is a 6pm frog concert at Lago Mindo that I would have liked to participate in. Also on the way back to Quito, the bus goes right by Mitad Del Mundo and it would make sense to hop off the bus there to tour the Initian Museum at Mitad del Mundo. Check my next post for information on this wonderful hidden gem.

Visiting Quito

Quito is noisy and smoggy, but it also has a certain charm about it. We are living in Quito for 3 weeks while we volunteer at a daycare/preschool. I talk about our volunteer experience and our accommodations in other posts.

This post I want to talk about Quito. Like other big cities, I have visited, I would recommend only a few days in Quito and then using it as a base for daytrips outside the city like to Cotopaxi, Mindo, Otavalo and Los Banos. The Basilica in the old city is amazing to visit. You must climb the narrow stairways to the top to look out over the city. You need to buy two tickets at the Basilica, one to see the inside and one to climb to the tower. 

The Basilica

The amazing stained glass windows inside the Basilica

The view of Quito from the tower at the Basilica

You can easily walk the 6 blocks to see the  La Iglesia de La Compania de Jesus. This church is covered with gold on the inside. There were a number of tours going on inside when we visited so we were able to listen in and find out some of the history. It's an amazing church. There is also a small museum attached. There is a charge to visit, but they offer student discounts. There are different prices for foreigners and Ecuadorians though no one checks your passport. 

Speaking of passports, there are numerous warnings in Quito from just about everyone about pickpockets. We were advised to carry a copy of our passport instead of the real thing just in case. Also seasoned travelers know to wear their money etc. on them and not in a purse or backpack. Be careful on the buses too especially the crowded ones. By the way, the buses cost 25 cents per person per ride. There is a half price discount for students under 16 years old. 

We did not visit El Panecillo. If you decide to go there, we were told to take a taxi due to a large number of thieves hanging out on the stairs to climb up there. 

There are numerous plazas in the old city and a number of churches to visit. We walked through the Plaza de la Independencia below on our way to the Basilica. But we will be going back to the old city this weekend and I will add another post then. 

Plaza de la Independencia in the old city of Quito

Another view of the same plaza in the old city of Quito

Day Trip Out Of Quito

Much of the handicrafts you see in Quito are made in a town called Otavalo. We decided to take a daytrip out of Quito to visit this town and the largest open market in South America. The best day to visit is Saturday. The market actually starts early around 6am with a live animal market. I have heard that this is not for the faint of heart, these animals are being sold for food. We decided to skip this part of the market and arrive later around 11am.
You can get a public bus to Otavalo from Quito for just a few dollars, but I have heard that it is often very full. Otavalo is a 2 hour bus ride so be prepared if you go by public bus.
We booked a one day tour with Ecuatraveling.com. They have 5 stars on Tripadvisor and replied to my email within minutes. Betsy was excellent at answering my questions and sending me an invoice so I could book online.
We left Quito at 7am from Plaza Foch. The bus was small with just 17 people from all over the world; Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and the United States. The bus was new and very comfortable. One driver and a bilingual guide named Omar. Omar had a lot of stories and good information. There was also a supply of fresh water on the bus.
The first stop was at Mitad del Mundo. There are several Mitad del Mundos near Quito. This is the scientific or real one. The one closer to Quito we are told is for tourists.
We paid $1-$2 for an informative tour about the equator and astronomy. No demonstrations of water spinning different directions, but good information about how we all see the world the wrong direction.
Second stop was in Cayambe, a town known for biscochos or biscuits that you eat with dulce de leche and cheese that comes wrapped in a banana leaf. It is delicious and I highly recommend stopping here.
Next, we stopped at a vista Mira Lago to see the view and to purchase Panama hats for cheaper than in the market. They demonstrated how they make the hats and the different types of hats.
Then it's off to the Otavalo market for shopping. Bargaining is a must here and it's a great place to buy all your souvenirs to take home. There are jackets, scarves, mittens, socks, hats, hammocks, jewelry and much more. You could spend hours here shopping. Be sure to take an extra bag to bring home all your goodies.
After the market, we headed to the town of Cotacachi for lunch. Cotacachi is known for its leather shops and all along the main street are leather shops. Lunch was included on our tour which was a nice touch. It was a traditional Ecuadorian meal with a soup, entree (chicken, fish or meat) and juice. There was also a bowl of popcorn on the table to munch on.
Our guide, Omar, suggested buying some ice cream at the local shop after the meal. The ice cream is more like a sorbet. We tried Taxo flavor which is a local Ecuadorian fruit. It was delicious.
Last stop on this tour was Cuicocha lagoon. It is a volcano that erupted 300 years ago and then filled with water and fell in on itself. It exploded again 100 years ago and two islands appeared in the middle of the lagoon. I wouldn't make a trip out of Quito just to see the lagoon, but it was a nice stop.
The day tour cost $50 per person which included lunch. We had to pay for the entrance to Mitad del Mundo and for the bizcochos which cost $4 approximately depending on what you ordered.

Gorgeous view of Cayambe Volcano 

We are standing on the equator at Mitad del Mundo

Bizcochos with dulce de leche and queso in Cayambe

The largest market in South America in Otavalo 

The Laguna Cuicocha

Volunteering in Quito continued....

I want to share with you our experience volunteering this past week at the preschool/daycare in San Roche near Quito. The Simon Bolivar school (see link in my last post) offers volunteer opportunities at a variety of different places in Ecuador including the preschool, a hypnotherapy ranch, a medical clinic and in the Galapagos.
The experience at each locale is different, but allows you to help the people of Ecuador with projects that need to be completed. It also gives the volunteers a chance to really get to know the culture and people of the country.
For me and my daughter, the experience so far volunteering has been eye opening to say the least.
First, we take public transportation into one of the poorest neighborhoods in Quito which was a bit frightening at first, but after a week, we are feeling more comfortable.
I am working in the 2-3 year old classroom and my daughter is working in the older 3 year old classroom. First impressions, kids are kids. All the boys like the cars. All the kids push and hit each other. They are all super sweet and adorable. The teachers work very hard. The kids get 4 meals while at school, awesome. The kids brush their teeth while at school, awesome. The kids do art, dance and play outside, awesome. The teachers work very hard and are super nice.
Second impressions, the kids get 4 meals a day because this may be the only food they get in 24 hours. The teachers will literally force them to eat because this may be their last meal. The kids brush their teeth at school because many of them have black teeth. They have black teeth because their parents feed them lots of candy to keep them quiet while they work and don't make them brush.  The kids push and hit because their parents don't teach them how to treat each other nicely.
Most of the teachers at this school try very hard. They plan educational lessons, but do not have the training to educate special needs children or to discipline the children properly.
I do not have a background in special needs education, but I believe one of the children in my classroom is autistic with sensory issues. I am trying to assist him as best I can because it is frustrating to watch the interaction he has with the teachers. The teachers obviously have no special education training. I tried to talk to one of the teachers about this particular child and his needs and she had no idea what I was talking about.
My daughter is trying to plan activities daily so the children do not watch television as an activity. We have watched the children sit for almost 2 hours in front of the television watching short videos. She is also going to decorate a space that can be used as a health center. The doctor comes every other Wednesday to check the children.
The school lacks some basic first aid supplies. The playground equipment is broken and the playground is littered with trash because the older kids think it's funny to throw their trash on the ground. The school also lacks extra clothing for the children and pencils.
We are hoping to collect a lot of these things when we get home to send back to the school.
I'm posting some photos below, but I'm not showing the children's faces.
The bottom line is we are helping this school tremendously in the form of extra hands, but hopefully we can contribute some long term benefits as well. The school and children are sure to leave a lasting impression with us.

Volunteering in Quito

So I love travelling for free or almost free. I usually travel using a combination of points and miles for flights, hotels and car rental. Then maybe a cash back or travel rebate card for booking tours. But about 8 months ago, my high school age daughter approached me about volunteering abroad for her 11th grade internship. I thought that would be great for her so she started researching.
The number of opportunities for high school students to volunteer abroad in January that don't cost a crazy amount of money are very limited. So my daughter suggested I go with her to open up more possibilities.
With that in mind, she found the Simon Bolivar School in Quito Ecuador. I am including a link because so far I'm very impressed with this program. They have been around for a number of years and offer both volunteer opportunities and Spanish classes. The cost is very low. They donate a large portion to the volunteer organization in the form of supplies. They charge a minimal administrative fee. They also pay the host families. And they also appear to be very responsible and take great care of their volunteers.
My daughter is interested in a career working with children perhaps as a speech therapist.
The program placed us in a government run daycare/preschool in the center of Quito, but in a primarily indigenous community. We work as teachers aides in the classrooms. Most volunteers work 8am-1pm, but since my daughter needs hours for her internship, we are working 8am-4pm.
A driver with the program met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. Then picked us up the next day and took us to our host family. We chose to live with the host family so it would be more of an immersion, but they also offer apartments.
The following day we met at the school for an orientation and an interview with the director of the program.
The next day, a representative from the school took us to the volunteer opportunity to introduce us to the people we would be working with and to show us how to get there by bus. Very helpful since our volunteer opportunity is not in the best neighborhood. The market below is next door to the school.
So if you are looking for a unique inexpensive experience i.e. volunteering and living with a host family, this might be the way to go.

The daycare/preschool in the San Roche neighborhood

The 3 year old classroom at the preschool/daycare in San Roche

First Night In Quito

We spent the first night at the Hilton Colon Quito which I paid for with HHonor points. I had opened a Hilton visa card with a sign up bonus. It had a low minimum spend and since we are planning a trip to Peru in August, I thought Hiilton points may come in handy. The Hilton Quito was just 20,000 points. I earned 100,000 points with my sign up bonus so I thought this was worth it. It was a very comfortable room with 2 double beds, clean and a nice bathroom.
The best though was the view of the Virgin Mary on the hill and the Basilica. See photo below
It is also very well situated next to the Parque El Ejido which has an awesome Sunday mercado with artists, musicians and craft/food vendors. See photos below. We tried the banana con queso, but we didn't care for it.
We didn't have a lot of time so we will have to go back next Sunday.
Ecuador appears to be quite inexpensive and it uses US currency making the exchange easy.
This morning we chose to eat at the Hilton and a full breakfast plus espresso and hot chocolate including tax and tip was $15.04. I'm sure we could have eaten cheaper had we walked to a bodega.
The biggest issue with Quito is the altitude. Everyone talks about it. We took altitude sickness pills 24 hours before arriving and so far, feel fine.
By the way, you need to drink bottled water in Ecuador.
Tomorrow, I'll talk about why we are here and how you travel for almost free in Ecuador.

We arrive in Ecuador

The flight from the US to Ecuador is pretty easy and quick though all the flights go through Atlanta, Miami or Texas depending on which airline you choose. We had lots of miles on Delta so a layover in Atlanta was on our schedule.
The Atlanta airport is HUGE! There are 5 terminals with a "plane train" running between them. Every terminal has different food choices. Starbucks is in Terminal C if you are a coffee junkie like me. I have experienced several layovers in Atlanta before and I always have to go to a different terminal to catch my next flight.
I took a photo of the Ecotrash compactor because I thought it was interesting.
I had collected so many Delta miles due to opening a Delta Amex card with a sign up bonus and then going on two family trips where I earned miles on Delta. To be honest, it's not my preferred airline. I don't think they are very generous with award seats and availability.
All international flights arrive into Quito around 11:30pm so 5 flights arrived at the same time to go through customs. Since they do this every night, they were quite efficient and we were done by 12:15am and on our way to Quito.
The Quito airport is 40 minutes from the city center and it was pouring rain. See the photo out the car window.