Thanks for all your messages - keep them coming - its nice to keep in touch. We may not have so much time for "blogging" once we commence our overland trip, but we'll do our best! Thursday 31st May We had a more relaxing day on Sunday after our trip to Cotopaxi. We watched traditional dancing in the "salon de la ciudad", town hall (?). It was the annual dancing competition between local groups which is part of the festival that has be...

Saturday 26th May We've just finished our first week of Spanish School and volunteering. We spent a pleasant afternoon yesterday at our Spanish School Co-ordinator's house, where we helped cook a typical Ecuadorian meal and watched a South Americian film which was partly filmed in Sangolqui (where we are staying). After trying our first attempts at cooking, our Spanish teacher and his wife joined us and he entertained us by singing some South American songs acco...

miercoles 23 mayo Hola Our lessons have begun, we had our third today! Hopefully by next week we may be able to understand some of the locals! We are being taught by Lorgio - I bet you can't pronounce his name correctly! The lessons are being held in the home of the Spanish School co-ordinator where we will be having Salsa lessons and cookery lessons on Friday. We are enjoying the volunteer programme too. In the afternoons we are helping at a centre for o...

We arrived in Sangolqui (about half and hour drive SE of Quito) on Saturday 19th in the afternoon and have been made very welcome by the Hotel owner, Rodriguez, and the representative of the Spanish School, Maria. The hotel is one of the oldest buildings in the town and overlooks the town square and church, and in the distance the mountains. We have spent time on the balcony watching Ecuadorian life unfold before us. Until this evening we were the only guest...