I guess it’s officially the start of summer in the US with Memorial Day and all. It’s feeling very summer like here in Quito too! Although we don’t have marked seasons like countries in the Northern Hemisphere, the weather does change…now we’re entering into “verano” where we have bright blue Quito skies, cool nights, intense sun. You don’t really sweat because the air is cool and dry, but the sun beating down on you can get intense. Quitenos always wear hats (a habit I’ve gotten into) when they’re outside in the summer. I did a long run over the weekend, I started when it was still a cool morning, but by the time I finished the sun was so strong and just relentlessly beating down on me! The juice stand at the end of the run was perfect! Fresh squeezed orange juice with carrot juice too.

We had Friday off due to the Batalla de Pichincha holiday, so I went to my favorite little town of Banos. Ecuadorians really take advantage of long weekends, the bus terminal was full! Normally you can just show up, hop on the bus and go. This time, I had to wait and hour and a half for the next empty bus. But once I got there it was well worth it. Good hikes, good weather, nice people watching, great massage, good conversations with new friends.

PARQUE CAROLINA-I’ve written about this place many times…part of living in a concrete jungle is having green space. I am very fortunate to live just blocks from a HUGE public park. It’s my refuge when I need to lie in the grass, listen to the birds, stare up at the trees, go for a run without worrying about traffic. During the work week, the park’s a great place to go, but the weekend is THE place for people watching (one of my favorite pastimes). Just a few highlights:

-AEROBICS-So most Ecuadorians are not big exercisers, taking the tranquilo route most times. Weekends there’s aerobics in the park. Mostly “Jane Fonda” type moves, although lately they’ve been adding in Zumba. I’m not much of an aerobics person, I find it kind of boring, but I love to watch! Young women doing the moves, old men doing the moves, little kids doing the moves. The man leading the moves dressed in a  skintight bright turquoise unitard. It reminds me of a bad comedy movie.

-FOOD STANDS-All this exercise is sure to work up an appetite…and the park’s the best place to get good, cheap, food. Really anything you could ever want is there! Healthy stuff like fresh fruit stands, watermelon, mango, papaya, pineapple, fresh squeezed fruit juices, whole coconuts for coconut water. Then there’s the fried meat, mixed with lupine beans, plantains, and potatoes that’s another favorite. There are also ice creams, cotton candy, even giant hot dogs. Really, if you search for a food at the park, you can find it.

-STREET DANCING-If you are a foreigner, it’s easy to stereotype Ecuadorians, but just like in any country, there are so many sub-cultures. One of them is this small street-dancing street culture. It’s mostly 13-14 year old boys doing these incredible moves, I can’t even describe. Some are robotic, but then they flow. They meet up in the park with their boom box and have these informal competition with other street crews. It’s quite amazing to watch them.

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-FAMILY SOCCER GAMES-Soccer is by far the most popular sport here. Although there are tennis, basketball, volleyball courts, the grassy areas are just flooded with families playing pick-up games of soccer. (Then there are the more organized teams with jerseys). I love that everyone plays the game. For folks that by just looking at them seem very non-athletic, they’ve got the moves! I love watching the indigenous women in their sandals and straight skirts making goals J