Volaré!

We all know the poetically cliche definition of insanity: doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. We also all know that I can be a bit insane… Insanely brilliant! Okay, mostly just insane. But once in awhile I'm smart enough, or stubborn enough, to have some success. Okay, my point: I'm going to the Galápagos! I only had to try about a dozen times, doing battle with online tickets, a bank that wouldn't authorize my card since it "forgot" where I was, and belatedly full flights with helpful suggestions re-routing me to San Francisco (tho not back again). Ugh. Qué horror. But (fingers crossed, knock on wood) I finally have a finalized ticket! As 'finalized' as I'm going to get, anyway, before setting foot on the islands. Phew! I'll be there Nov. 1-6, since we have a week off of classes for a mid-term break. (So don't expect any great works of literature that week, but you can be sure there will be lots of stories the following week!)

Juan Carlos has been trying to sell his car, and has been in the "final stages" for about 2 1/2 weeks. He finally did sell it, though, and now he's working out the details to buy one from somebody he knows. He's been driving the potential new car around the last couple of days - a big white pickup. But before the sale is final, he doesn't want to change anything, so he's been driving around with a car that smells like perfume, has Disney princess stickers on the dashboard, and has lipstick and hair clips (he's bald, mind you) in the cup holder. Kind of an amusing image...

The latest in the Rachel vs. Bureaucracy chronicle is uncertain, but hopeful. Our visas needed to be registered with the local immigration office. And they should have been finished yesterday, though we haven't been in contact with Daniela, so we don't know for sure yet. I won't bore you with all the details of the backing and forthing and other arbitrary hurdles and requirements that exist simply because bureaucratic principles breed like bacteria. Just roll your eyes, sigh, pity us a little, and you'll get the gist.

Last Saturday we went to a fun little bar a little ways out of town (in the ritzy suburb). It was pretty fun! There was music playing REALLY LOUDLY, but the atmosphere was laid back. And they had a drink on the menu with Pop Rocks, the fizzy exploding candy! But they were out of Pop Rocks. As well as about half the food menu. That part was kind of a bust. Around 11 they had a live band that played covers of lame American 90s music. And they played it poorly, even considering what they had to work with. So we left after that...

Thursday nights are Live Jazz Nights at one of the coffee shops around the corner, so I met up with Lucas, Rebecca (the exchange intern from Germany), and Lucas's host parents. It was wonderful! Sitting outside on the patio on a fresh, breezy night, sipping a fruity frappe, and listening to interesting, well-performed versions of familiar jazz standards. What a moment.

Yesterday afternoon Lucas and I headed over to the Artisan Market downtown. It's basically a warehouse the size of a city block filled to the brim with booths that start out slightly smaller than the average broom closet, and then get filled with everything you could imagine - cheesy T-shirts to 'traditional' Andean outfits, knockoff Nike sneaks to woven leather sandals, Panama hats in every shade and style you could imagine (remember that Panama hats are actually from Ecuador!), carved wooden manger scenes, clocks, cigars, jewelry... it was a bit overwhelming, actually. Neither of us bought anything, but we generated some ideas for next time. We're going back for a 'field trip' with one of our classes, I think. We also made a circuit of the As-Seen-On-TV market across the street, which I had seen but Lucas had not. Ha ha ha... It's a sight to behold. In the evening, I went out with Juan Carlos to visit a couple of his friends, then out to Las Peñas (the big hill) for a bit. The first place we tried, which he really likes, didn't have live music, which he was hoping for, so we kept looking. We ended up going to a total hipster artist bar, with scenes and random objects painted on every wall, table, and stool, and some of the coolest yet most bizarre light fixtures I've ever seen. The music was eclectic to say the least, but it's a funky little place and we had a lot of fun! I'm hoping to go back there, or to other places around Las Peñas - at night, it turns into The Place To Be, and you can find a joint to fit any style.

Today, October 9, is Guayaquil's Independence Day, so I'm headed over to a neighborhood party for the afternoon. Not sure yet where the festivities will lead, but it should be fun. Independence Day here is much less of an official, patriotic holiday like in the U.S. (In fact, they don't even celebrate a national Independence Day!) But it's more or less an excuse to meet up with friends, dance, explore the city, have fairs and festivals, everything! Here goes!