Otavalo market and Cuiocotcha lake

A colleague from work Claire, organised a day trip for all the new staff at BSQ to go and visit Otavalo market and Cuiocotcha Lake. On the way we crossed the equator for the first time so we had our picture taken straddling the equator line. We also had a go at balancing an egg on a nail on the equator, it actually works! We then carried on until we reached the town of Otavalo. It is renown for its weekend 'poncho' market, which is the biggest in South America. The vendors all wear traditional costume and the goods are all so bright and colourful. They sell lots of clothes made out of alpaca wool along with hammocks, ponchos and other traditional Andean goods. After the market, we headed to the Cuiocotcha lake, named after guinea pigs who have been found on the island in the middle of the lake. The lake has been formed in the crater of a volcano and we took a boat trip around the island. As you navigate around you can actually see bubbles of sulphur rising up from the volcano.

Guernsey Girls reunion

Having accepted the job in Quito, I spent the next few months e-mailing Sadie, an old friend who I used to play badminton with back in Guernsey! She has been in Quito for over 4 years and is married to a lovely ecuadorian guy from Quito, called Leo. It is great having them around and we've spent lots of weekends with them seeing lots of the sites in and around Quito. It's scary, but Tom and Leo are so similar - they obviously don't look anything like each other, but they are so similar its scary! Below are some pics of our first night out with them.

Our new apartment in Miravalles

After spending a week looking around apartments in the valley south of Quito, we eventually chose one between Cumbaya and Quito. It was not exactly what we expected to put it mildly. It has 3 bathrooms and a toilet and the largest lounge-diner I have ever seen! The views of Cotopaxi (snow-capped volcano)on a clear day are amazing. The landlords are parents at the school and Antonella their daughter is lovely and in Year 8. If anyone wants to come and visit there is more than enough space, it is more like a 5 star hotel than a house!

Quito, our new home!

We arrived in Quito after a long long flight. We were met at the airport by a colleague from work and taken to a hotel in Quito near to La Parc Carolina. We spent the first few days walking around the city and getting to know our way around. We spent some time looking at flats and saw a total of 9. None of them were what we expected as they were all modern apartments not dissimilar to our place back in London. Anyway after a while we decided on a flat that was between Quito and Cumbaya.



One of our first nights out in Quito was really bizarre. We were invited to a friend of Sadie's Korean wedding! It was all very unusual. Whist the couple were saying their vows, everybody was chatting and after the buffet meal people starting taking the table decorations and leaving...we were one of the last to leave.