Getting mugged in Ecuador and other highlights

Well, I finally got to cross off another thing off my List of Things To Do On This Trip -- I finally got mugged! It was bound to happen, and frankly, I think my dumb luck was running out anyway. I am not really that bummed about it, actually, because I really expected it to occur sooner than later. Actually, I am more surprised it didn't happen in Brasil...

It was Saturday night, and a few of us from the hostel went out to celebrate my friend Maria's (Venezuela) 21st birthday. After getting tanked, I decided to walk back to my hostel alone (bad move) and not two blocks away from my hostel, amidst a crowd of people in the streets, a couple of dudes knocked me down (or did I fall down on my own volition?) and a woman (for crissakes!) snatched my camera from my pocket. The other two dudes took off in different directions, and I chased after the woman. The little shorty had some wheels, even with my alcohol-fueled afterburners, I could barely keep pace with her. I finally almost caught up to her when I suddenly tripped and fell pretty damn hard. I yelled for the people around me to help, "Socorro, ayudame, ella me robó mi cámara!!!" and to stop her but everybody just kind of did nothing, sadly. If this happened in the US, I am sure somebody would have knocked her down, but this was Quito, where a homeless man apparently gets more attention than a tourist being robbed. I eventually gave up, as I saw her pitch the camera down the street to three other guys who all ran in separate directions. This was something they had rehearsed and done before, clearly. Anyway, a police patrol showed up ten minutes (where are they when you need them?) later while I was still trying to catch my breath. We patrolled the streets for a bit, but to no avail. They took me back to the hostel and the first thing Santiago (one of the hostel employees) did after taking one look at me was pour me a large glass of whiskey, which I downed right away, and promptly passed out....

Quito, and especially the touristy area where I was staying in (La Mariscal) is notorious for robberies like the one I experienced. In fact, the very next day, I witnessed another gringo get his wallet stolen on a crowded bus. Five teenagers hopped on the bus and proceeded to squirm and squeeze past everybody rather awkwardly. I was immediately suspicious and kept my hands in my pockets the entire time. On the very next stop, they hopped off and the poor gringo yelled out to his girlfriend that his wallet was stolen. I saw that his right front pocket was slashed open. The kids took off in different directions and sadly, there was nothing he could do, either. Later that night, I went to a bar one block away with two of my buddies from the hostel, and surprise surprise, they got mugged by knifepoint. I left back to the hostel not five minutes earlier...

Enough bad news... Anyway, as many of you know, I have become a fan of football (ahem, soccer, for you Americans) and luckily, Brasil was in town to play Ecuador for one of the qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup. Tickets were sold out, but I paid 30 bucks (face value $15) for a ticket to see them play. Given I had spent over six fun-filled weeks in Brasil, and that I had only spent one night in Ecuador and got mugged, it was a no-brainer as to who I was rooting for. I did not make that obvious to the 40,000 fans around me, of course, lest I be mugged and beaten to a ceviche pulp. Brasil ended up playing horribly, and luckily came out with a 1-1 tie. One of the funny things about being at the game was that after every time the announcer stated the Brasilian players' names and numbers, it was followed by 40,000 people chanting in unison, "Hijo de puta!" (Son of a bitch/whore) What made it uniquely interesting is that a) this would never happen in the US, unfortunately and b) the announcer, in a tacit agreement with the crowd, would wait for the crowd to finish the chant before announcing the next players name and number.

I went to check out "La Mitad Del Mundo," a city aptly named Middle of the World due to its latitude of 0 degrees. I spent two hours by bus getting there, and paid two bucks to check out the relatively boring monument, and as with all touristy sites, was a bit disappointed. However, I had lunch at a restaurant nearby and after I finished, the owner asked me where I was headed. I told him back to Quito, and he offered me a ride back! We chatted a bit about this that and the other, and his 11-year old daughter, Ana Camacho, proudly proclaimed that she would one day beat Venus Williams. I'm rootin' for ya, kiddo... I always like hearing about kids' dreams because it is always refreshing to hear their completely honest belief in what it is they want to do later in life. Chasing dreams-- shouldn't we all do that?

Given that Quito's weather was rainy and cold, and going out at night just didn't seem to be a good idea, I decided to head north to the beach again, to Mompiche and Canoa. I took the bus, thinking I was headed towards Mompiche, but, strangely enough, ended up in Canoa! Canoa is a sleepy little beach town, and extremely cheap. It only cost me $6 for my own room and bathroom right by the ocean, and about $2 for lunch. Strangely enough, a double espresso costs the same as a single at my hotel. Go figure!

I spent four days in Canoa, doing nothing but sleep, eat, read, (No Country For Old Men, en Español...it's taking me forever!!!) and go bodyboarding all day until the sunset. Life is tough!

On my bus ride back to Quito, and during one of the frequent rest stops, I left my book on my seat, only to find it gone when I came back from the john. Just as I was really getting into the book, it gets nicked. I decided I had enough of Ecuador for the time being, and reserved my next flight out to Costa Rica!