January 28 - People

What was it that Blanche DuBois said?

Something about the kindness of strangers?

Well maybe Ecuador was the place for her.

But it didn't start off so well --

5 hour bus ride with no bathroom, followed by a cab driver who over-charged us by about $15, and the onset of what must have been exhaustion induced illness.

After asking around, we found a reasonably priced hostel in the historical center of the Quito.

And the owner was so nice.

I didn't think much of it, but then we went for dinner and we were met with the same level of kindness from the employees at the restaurant, specifically, the little old man who served us our food and referred to us as his "amores".

Feeling lousy, I retired to our room at the hostel and promptly fell asleep while Maggie and Amanda took a stroll through the city.

Disoriented in this foreign space, they found themselves a bit lost.

Upon asking a policeman for directions, he declared that it was too dangerous for them to be walking around by themselves after dark, took them back to the police stations, and gave them a ride to our hostel.

And who could forget the baker in Latacunga that called around on his personal phone to find us accommodations in a safer part of town at 10:00 at night.

Or the countless hostel employees that checked on bus schedules for us and instructed us in our travels.

Or the local businesses that never failed to give us directions, whether we acted as patrons or not.

"Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

That's what Blanche said.

It's easy to put your blind trust in strangers when you're in a foreign country where you don't speak the language well.

And thank goodness for the kindness of the Ecuadorians.