Category Archives: Quito

Eurotrip

Moving, Quito, Travel, Uncategorized

Recap time!

The antique/dump place was as good as I wanted but didn’t dare to hope for! Chairs, sofas, tables, frames, mirrors, toys, books, knickknacks, small boxes filled with clock faces/cogs/keys/etc and you name it, en masse! Evreything was covered by a fine layer of dust and in the backyard they were building new furniture! It was awesome! We found a little sofa in wood, a sofa table and a few small things and I was very happy and want to return as soon as I can. Today I found and now I need a ladder and some folding chairs. And damn me if I’m getting new ones!
Later, that same Saturday, we went over to new friends, J&C, who we got in contact with through our (mine and Ola’s) Spanishc teacher in Chicago. Just when the cab left us and drove away, I realized that my phone was still in it. But Ola was the saviour, as usual, and with the help of Finding my IPhone, C and another cab driver, they got my phone back, after just around 30 minutes pursuit. Meanwhile, me and J had started drinking. 3 bottles of red, some kind of local baileys and rum later, Ola and I took a cab home, around 11.30-12. During the Sunday we didn’t do much. Ola nursed a hang over, I was bored.

Monday. Traveling started. We landed in London Tuesday afternoon, got to the hotel, dumped stuff, went to the London TW office, got an invitation to launch, which we didn’t knew about before, but was really interesting. I’ve heard, read and seen the speakers on YouTube before, but it is another thing to see them IRL. It brings context on a whole other level to sit 10 meters from a Jesselyn Radack, who talked about how she exposed torture and the breaking of national and international law and therefore had lost her job and became blacklisted. “Radioactive” as was the word she chose. And she, by far, didn’t have the worst experience. After that, it was pub and, finally, food. Had good company at the table, talked a bit to Annie Machon & Ray Govern, who reminded me of John Hurt when he played the Doctor. He laughed when I told him.

Wednesday. Woke up with av face that felt sore, Ola long gone to the office. Rambled around Oxford and Cavendish Street, spent £60 + on Illamasqua make up, had a small anxiety attac over the money spent, walked up to Selfridges, looking for a watch for Ola, took the train back to Holborn, looked for Ola at the office. I had apparently just missed him. Continued to Forbidden Planet, asked for TOME, they didn’t have it, walked around West End some more, back to the office (Ola still gone) and then met up with Missy T at Russel Square. I haven’t seen her since the good-bye party before we moved to Chicago 4 years ago. Fun time. Then finally, Ola is done with work and we two take a walk up to King’s Cross and our old water hole, Mediterraneo. A good thing when you go to or order from the same place 2-3 times/week for 6 months is that when you come back, 6 years later, they still remembers you. We chitchatted a bit, and got garlic bread on the house with the food and a glass of limoncello with the check.
Then we headed over to Brixton, more precicely to , the workplace of Missy T’s husband whom I’ve never met before. Unfortunately Missy T couldn’t come by. But we had a good time anyway, and I’d really recommend the place. The Crown & Anchor’s thing is to never get more than one barrel of each beer and then swap it out for something else.

Thursday. Slightly hung over, met up with Sharkbait for a late and long lunch. Walked around some more, met with Ola and showed him the watches that I liked. He liked one, but it had a leather as the wrist band. Early dinner in Soho, at the vegetarian pub where I had a burger. I ALWAYS go for the burger if I can eat it. Most often when there’s a burger, it’s soy based and I can’t have it. Sad sad.

Friday. Rise and shine at 4.30am. First thing at the air port, 6.20: “Your flight is canceled. We have rebooked everyone on the next flight to Hamburg, at 10.55.” Ola flipped, since he’d miss the meeting which was our only reason to go to Hamburg. Of course, on top, the flight we got on was delayed for about 30 min. But as soon as we got in the air, I fell asleep. In Hamburg Ola got to the meeting in time for the last 40 min, meanwhile, I ate. Came to the hotel and slept until Ola woke me for dinner. Back at the hotel I crashed around 8.30.

Saturday. Got to sleep for around 11h, had breakfast and coffee, went to the train station, had more coffee, got on the train, fell asleep whiten 5 minutes and woke up in Berlin. I’ve have been out some today, went to checkpoint Charlie and looked at the wall. My hip hurts when I walk and I don’t feel in an ideal mood for touristing tomorrow. But at least I’m (mostly) staying atop of the coma with coffee.

Tiny steps

Moving, Quito, Uncategorized

I really need to get better on updating. I used to be really good at this, once, about 10 years ago. I wrote entries almost every day.

Anyway. I came back to Quito about 3 weeks ago and haven’t done much since. But after many delays and random shit, we’ve got a few bookshelves. We found them at . Finding furniture is a little bit tricky when you’re from Sweden and very used to buy everything and anything at IKEA. But there’s no IKEA in the whole of South America. Vivi told me it’s because Kamprad thinks the taxes are too high. I don’t know about how true that is, but it makes life hard. It doesn’t make it easier that the most popular style here seems to be bombastic and showy, lot of big leather couches, glass- and marble tables, massive wood stuff and things like that.
I want to go and look at furniture at the Santa Clara market, but I am not comfortable to go the by myself, being a girl, not speaking the language and looking very gringa. And for the last 2 weekends, the office has had events which have had Ola working. And on Sundays, most stores in the market are closed. But hopefully, next weekend, we’ll be able to go not only there, but also to Cumbayá! We’ve heard about a second hand/furniture dump store there that sounds pretty interesting. I have been wanting to go there since December!
Then there’s a stretch of street with a lot of stores that sells a few minutes with a car away from here. Another place I’m not comfortable walking alone. But it would be nice if we found another bookshelf there, the one we already bought is ok, but could be a little wider.

Ola has been working hard in his room now for a while, with music equipment and i million of cords and whatnot. Hopefully he’s happy with the result. Maybe we can move the whiteboard in there today and get it out from the hallway… And maybe, maybe we can start looking where to put all our frames and and wall decor

Hello, please help

Moving, Quito

Before I first went to Quito this summer, I spent some time finding a FB group for goths and alternative people in Quite. At their wall, I asked for a guide who spoke a little bit English and was willing to take me and Ola around. I ended up with Majo, which was like winning the lottery. Not only is she in our age, she speaks pretty good English, knows everybody, is funny and intelligent and could answer Ola’s every political question. Unfortunately for us she got a scholarship while we were here and is now in Barcelona since a few months. But since she’s so awesome, she hooked me up with her mom (While she was here. She took me to he grandma’s place where I met not only her mom, but her grandma, her grandma’s sister and her moms friend) and with her sister.

Today for the first time ever, I spoke with her sister on FB, explaining in bad  Spanish that we are looking for a place to rent in Batan. 30 min later she and her dad picked us up. Neither of them speak English but  for the next one and half hour they took us for a cruise in Batan, looking for “to rent” signs. No luck,  but we really like the area.

I also followed my Spanish teacher’s (in Chicago) advice and contacted his friends who recently moved here from D.C. asking if she and her family would be interested to have a coffee with us. I feel slightly like I’m trying to get a date 5 minutes before the bar is closing.  But whatever, any contact is worth a try (Well hello there, beautiful, you don’t look like you sleep on the street, can go home with you? Please???)

Also, with some help from Rebecca, we turned on the washing machine. Soon we’re off to dinner with her and Panchito at a Chinese restaurant. I’ll bring my EPI-pen ad hope I won’t die.