The Ecuadorian shuffle

I awoke at the wee hours of the morning today.  I had my friends from Quito visiting for a few days and we decided to wake up super early and catch the sunrise at the local hot springs.  Now, getting to the actual hot springs is like anything you do in Ecuador an adventure of sorts.  We planned on getting a taxi and arriving there well in time for the sunrise.  What this transpired into is being told that you cannot actually call a cab until 7a.m.  Although a big ole` taxi van passed right on by us with heeps of people!  Then we walk around 2-3 miles to read the signs wrong and have to go back the other direction.  At this point we were hoping that the clouds would disappear so we could actually see the sunrise.  Then we had dogs barking and chasing after us for a spell.  Approximately and hour or so after we left the hostal we arrive at the beautiful hotsprings minus the sun!!  This is the Ecuadorian shuffle with many road blocks or detours in between your goal and what actually happens.  I am glad that we were rewarded with this particular journey and the hot springs were wonderful.  I am enjoying the company of my traveling friends from Quito.  We all gathered last night for movie night at the Bib.  I fell asleep and woke up to a room full of people that prior to 11 days ago I did not have the pleasure of meeting.  It was a strange reality to wake up to and moments like that make you realize the you are a long ways away from mi casa.  While living in a foreign country especially one like Ecuador comes with its daily challenges I do not miss home in the ways I would have anticipated.  However, the two things that I will revel in once I return are my perfectly made chai tea from Starbucks with steaming hot milk, and having a consistently hot shower that I wont have to rush through because at some point it will turn cold.  I have endured more freezing cold shower than you can possibly imagine.  I am getting to be a champ at washing and rinsing in a big way!!!  I start teaching my English classes today and look forward to the new challenges that will bring.  In the meantime back to my Ecuadorian shuffle...wish me luck!