Quito - Day 6

Sitting at the big table at the hostel. Lots of conversations. The couple from Australia were drinking all afternoon and are the loudest.

Again I took dinner here at the hostel. Five dollars for a great meal tonight of Thai food -- started with wonderful letture wraps and followed by a main course of rice and a Thai chicken gumbo.

Gotta say, I am more adeventuous in eating than I ever imiagined. This morning was a guacamole sandwich made with delicious sweet bread. Lunch was at an outdoor cafe in the newer part of town -- where I ran into one of my fellow hostel-goers. A neat computer programmer from Norway.

He spoke about the differences he sees between Scandinavian countries and USA. He said it seems obvious that a society wouldn't want any proverty. He says its better without it. He said people are less interested in stealing if they have their basic needs met.

Getting to the new area required me to head off in a completely different direction of Quito.  I got a general idea and then -- just headed out. Got lost several times but not once freaked out. I knew enough of the main cross streets now that I could get around.  And it worked out.

One more day in Quito and it will have been a week in Equador. Feels fine. Not nearly as much a sense of loneliness -- but that may also be in part to making new friends here at the hostel.

Saturday I take a flight across the country -- down the length of the Andes to Cuenca. At 200,000 people, it's exactly ten times smaller than Quito.