Kerri

I still haven't decided what to bring with me, but I'm leaving in less than 24 hours. My mom is driving me to Rachel's house in Palm Desert tomorrow afternoon, where Rachel and I will compare our clothes and other items and I will likely realize I left a lot of important things at home despite spending the past week laying everything out on my bed and trying it all on ten times. Then on Tuesday we'll head to LA to spend the night at her Grandma's since our flight leaves at 6am the next morning, meaning we need to be at the airport at the ungodly hour of 3 or 4am.

So... 4 1/2 hour flight to Miami. I'm so excited to see the airport for an hour and a half, I've always wanted to visit Florida. Then another 4 hour flight to Quito. I should have Spanish mastered by that point, or at least that is the idea of my last minute cramming session on the plane. Then we will be in Quito for the next 3 weeks, a city in the Andes that holds the impressive title of "second highest capital city in the world" at 9,350 ft. I am predicting good times with altitude sickness. Other fun facts: Quito is located 15 miles south of the Equator and because of this the sun always rises at 6am and sets at 6pm. And even though it lies at the equator (equator, Ecuador... get it? hoohoo haha), Quito has a constant mild and cool climate because of its high altitude, so temperatures are usually always in the 60s and 70s. Not too shabby. If we want warmer weather, we can go to a beach or to the hot, sticky, humid, malaria-filled jungle for some more good times. I hope those good times do not entail meeting bushmaster snakes on our hikes or being eaten alive by an anacondas (thank you Dad for that news story). Quito also has a "high danger airport" (I kid you not) because of the thin, cold air that results from its high altitude. That makes me feel really wonderful. I'm hyperventilating now, but I should be feeling better by March 5 at 7:20pm when I am as far away from seat 13B as possible. Oh yeah, and there are some active volcanoes that tower above the city, which should provide some entertainment. The Teleferiqo is an aerial tramway that takes you up one of the hills of the (active) Pichincha volcano.

After 3 weeks in Quito taking Spanish lessons for 4 hours per day and (hopefully) volunteering after classes, we'll do a bit more traveling around Ecuador for another 2-3 weeks before heading to Peru. We don't have anything planned out, but ideally we'll just travel from town to town as we make our way south to Lima, Cusco/Macchu Picchu, and maybe cross the border into Bolivia after visiting Lake Titicaca. Then Rachel leaves for the States on May 25 and I stay on and do something productive in some country until early August. Working with monkeys, working as a travel journalist, teaching English to children, something like that... to be determined

Things I'm worried about... realizing I've brought way too many clothes, running out of money, not learning Spanish, and having my camera stolen (I'm bringing a big Nikon D40 so I can get better pictures on this trip and I don't have to curse my camera for only having a 3x zoom). Cross your fingers it all works out! I will report back soon with some adventures that hopefully do not involve being sick or having something stolen.

Adios!