Questions

Well, I'm back from the third funeral of the year, and am sorting images from the Galápagos. Since it's Sunday, I talked with Mom this morning. She's caught up on the blog now -- probably the number one reader and fan! -- and had some questions. If she has questions, someone else probably does too, so here are some answers.

Q: (really more of a statement) It's got to be hard to travel by yourself, and pick things to do and then figure out how to do them.
A: It can be. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. Sometimes I have places in mind -- I heard about a museum or a place, or I read about it in a guidebook, on the Internet, in an article. Sometimes I just find a cab and tell them that's where I want to go. If it's not in the city, I'll ask at the hotel, or ask at a travel agency. Sometimes my friends recommend places, and either tell me how to get there or go with me. That often makes it much easier and much more fun too.

Q: What kind of money do they use in Ecuador?
A: Good question -- I certainly didn't think to mention it. Ecuador changed to the U.S. dollar some years ago. It's still a source of contention in some areas, as there's a feeling of a loss of independence associated with it. They actually use dollar coins much more frequently than dollar bills, which I like a lot. They use our coins, but also have their own quarters, nickels and dimes, as well as a fifty-cent piece.

Q: What are banks and schools like? Are they similar to here?
A: I can't speak to these very much. Since my trips have been short -- 3-4 weeks -- I haven't set up an account or anything like that. (If I go back for several months, I might change that.) My bank experience is limited to ATMs. Before I go, I contacted the credit card I would use for any purchases and the debit card I planned to use for hotels and cash withdrawals, so that they knew I was away and would be using those cards, as well as how I expected to use them. Most ATMs now are linked. Two years ago, the big local bank in Quito would not read my card, but I'd found several bigger banks that gave me no trouble. I used those same banks this time. Since I was in a big tourist area too, I tended to use the machines in the more open areas with armed guards present, just for added safety. As to schools, again, I haven't been, but this is a topic I talked about with numerous friends, as I'd heard things before my trip. President Correa has been working to improve services and opportunities, modernize the country, and reduce corruption. He started with the military, then moved on to the police. (Recall the coup attempt when I was there last time.) He also has addressed some issues with the education system. All teachers now are required to take and pass certain examinations that are designed to demonstrate their knowledge and ability to teach. This is an attempt to reduce the cronyism and improve the efficacy. While corruption still exists, everyone I spoke with thought things were greatly improved and continually improving.

Q: Your photos are so beautiful. Ecuador looks so lovely. The plants, the landscapes.... Where are the people though? How come there aren't more pictures of you and of your friends?
A: Ah, the tough question. I dislike having my picture taken -- I don't feel that I'm terribly photogenic. As a result, I tend not to take photos of people. Partially it's that I like landscapes, partially that I take better landscape photos, and partially that I don't want to inflict the camera on others. If I'm at a distance, I'm more likely to have people in the photos, since it's less personal. But with my friends, yes, I failed that. We talked about it several times, and sometimes I didn't have the camera with me, other times that I just forgot about it until it was too late. So in Quito, there's a photo of me with my professor, but not with anyone else, although I did things with many people there. There are a couple from Galápagos, actually, but more because my tour participants insisted on taking my camera from me to take photos. Guess I'll have to go back to fix that.....

And one quick update. I got home to find a package from DHL which held a check from LAN. I did, in fact, get a full refund on my ticket. So I did it!! And hopefully I'll get to reschedule that trip soon with my colleague Ramiro to see some of the wonders of his country.