Well Seasoned
Four seasons in one week in one gorgeous country? We're not crazy -
we just don't believe that too much of a good thing is too much of
a good thing.
Illustrations by Michael Crampton
As we zip around the cobblestones of Quito's Old Town, stray dogs
saunter along the streets, eyeballing the car. It's past midnight,
and the buildings look deserted, the windows and doors shuttered
tight. Although it's a cool, clear night, few people are wandering
around. But with three friends in tow, two who live in Quito, an
impromptu first-night-in-town stop at the city's main square, La
Plaza de la Independencia, seems perfectly reasonable.
When we first step out of the car, the square seems as quiet and
desolate as the surrounding streets. Three steps later, music that
is big on brass instruments catches up with us. And then we see
them: a pack of tipsy people dancing away to the blaring tunes of a
band stationed atop a
chiva, an open-top party bus, with the
brilliant white Government Palace as their backdrop.
Welcome to Ecuador.
After years of trips around the United States and
Europe (and,
just once, to Mexico), I finally succumbed to my friend Kathryn's
stories of her year in
Ecuador. I persuaded her to fly south with
me (and to play interpreter to supplement my remnants of high
school Spanish) and embark on a quest: With the hazy, slow days of
the seemingly endless swelter of a
New York City summer
approaching, we would chase after a year's worth of seasons (and
adventures) in a week. Although Ecuador is just slightly larger
than
Colorado, the country offers a wide variety of climates and
topography - and it rarely takes more than a few hours to reach any
spot from Quito (though I quickly learned that getting around is 90
percent of the challenge).