Tai Chi and Traveling

Hello all
Writing from Quito. It is our third day here, and so far it has been really nice. We got in at about 3AM the first night and found a hostel, but then switched to the hostel that Margot´s friend is staying in called the Secret Garden. It is really nice, and has paintings and mosaics everywhere, as well as an awesome view of Quito. We have spent the last few days going to the top of Curch towers, exploring the city and finding really awesome, cheap markets to spend way too much time and money in :). We have met people from ALL over the world, and it has been fun to hear of everyone´s travels.
Thats a thing I´ve noticed here. "how long have you been traveling?" is one of the most common questions I/we get asked. It seems as if its this Thing, this lifestyle or club you join so you can talk to other "travelers" about where you have been and what you have seen, etc... And I get it, I mean I have LOVED traveling so far and will deffinately do more as time goes on, but- arent we always traveling? It seems that its almost not enough to just stay put, but to be constantly on the go. Around the world! To see everything and everyone possible. And why? Why do we travel? For the stories or pictures or experiences? What GOOD are we doing by simply seeing how other people live their lives, eating their food, buying their things, and then talking to other people who are doing the same thing? And why do we care, anyway?
This one guy said yesterday that he thought South America had more "Soul" than Central America. Margot, who has traveled extensively in both places, basically bit her tounge trying not to rebuttle. I found this whole thing interesting also because the guy who made that claim doesn´t even speak Spanish. And I thought about this for a while. Because you can get along just fine in a country whose language you don´t speak/understand, but to judge a country on their lack of Culture when you don´t even understand all of it??? When you don´t Understand the radio, the songs, newspapers, conversations, sitcoms and talk shows, how can you judge a culture? And why even bother in the first place in going there knowing you don´t understand? Is it to gain understanding? Maybe, he was taking intensive Spanish lessons...
Anyway, on another note... For months I had planned on going into the Cloud Forest of Ecuador with this organization. It was the cheapest thing I saw (at only $65 for a week of food and lodging) and seemed good. So, we went to the meeting at 10:30 yesterday (well, 11 because of our Cab driver...) and were under the impression that we would meet and go to the forest and start work. BUT, we went and were told that the bus didn´t leave until 5:30 PM. huh, ok so we´ll...do something until then. Also, we didn´t have rubber boots. Well, we will just work in what we have and tough it out. Then, the total cost came to $268. but, 65 plus 65=....? yea, $265-each. What!? I guess there is aa $200 "processing charge" or something that was not at all clerly defined on the website. and since that is way out of our price range to just spend on ONE thing, we declined and walked back to our hostel. So damn, no cloud forest for me... But more time in Colombia instead. !!!!!
But, everything happens for a reason, right? Back at out hostel we met a LOT more people, and this morning I did Tai Chi with an older man who was sharing our same dorm. It was really nice, and he said some really neat things. We got to talking about Tai Chi and dance, and he described it as being soft on the outside, and hard or firm on the inside. Also, after our lesson (7 AM) I sat down to eat breakfast, but he waited for a few hours to Clean his stomach out. He described the stomach as the most powerful organ we have, the one that controls all. And that, once you have control over it, you can be free. Or something like that... :) But still, I like the sentiment. Especially as I am about to make my way into Colombia and work on this farm. I think that will be a very good process for me. I´ll let you know how that all goes, obvio... Thats about it for now- I may actually pay a visit to your hemisphere today as the equator is very close! So, I´ll be close... Stay well and be well.
Chau Chau