Our First Week: A Warm Welcome to Loja

Technically we haven't made it through the first week yet but none the less, here is a wrap up of events so far.

We arrived late Tuesday in Guayaquil, Ecuador's second largest city. Customs was a breeze but we did find it interesting that they checked the body temp. of everyone deboarding the plane with a heat sensing camera and a 50" flat screen t.v. We were told it was for swine flu.

Anyhow, since we had some hectic days in preparing for the trip, we treated ourselves to the posh (for Ecuador) stylings of The Hampton Inn. They had a porter waiting for us with a little sign, (It was nice to have someone there to help with our giant bags etc.) who promtly ushered us to a waiting car and then off to the hotel. Guayaquil is a large city, but the area we stayed in was very well kept. Not much in the way of trash and very few sketchy looking characters. Almost everyone was nice to us with the exception of the man charging the "Gringo Tax" when loading our bags on the bus to Loja. Actually, he wasn't very nice to anyone, so yes, everyone has been very nice to us "Gringos." Favorite place in Guayaquil may have been the Parque de Iguanas. They were everywhere in the trees, on the ground, serving as perches for the pigeons.

Our bus ride to Loja was very, very long. Although it was enjoyable to see the countryside (banana farms, rice fields, cacao trees, chicken barns), not sure I would recommend the bus ride if you are prone to car sickness. the roads through the mountains are winding, and the bus driver continues to drive 50 miles per hour around the curves, passing as often as possible. Surprisingly, there are quality (although narrow) paved roads in Ecuador.

Again, we were greeted by a "Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Oblas" sign when we arrived in Loja with a school van to take us to our place. Our apartment is within the home of the school director - a 3rd floor apartment with a beautiful plant filled atrium and a small terrace in each room- Spanish style. Fried plaintains three meals a day. Love it! Ben's gut is adjusting to meat again... lots of it. Our home even came with a 7 year old companion- Juan Pablo. He enjoys holding Ben's hand when we take walks. On our first evening in town we were treated to a tour of the local sights including terrifying traffic intersections, the poor section of town and a couple of nice vistas. All the while listening to hits from the 80's and Cher's greatest hits.

We also got a tour of the school we'll be working at. It is very well kept and looks to be quite organized. She showed us the intended baseball field as well which is about the size of our back yard. All the homeruns will be good for their egos.