American Teacher in Ecuador

Arriving in Quito My second time in Quito started out a little rough, as did the first time when I puked all night.  This time, I arrived at the Quitumbe bus station from Banos.  I'd forgotten to check to see what the taxi fare to the Mariscal Sucre area of Quito should have been ($12) so when all these people ran up to me at the airport, yelling out, "where are you going?"  When I told them Mariscal they said $12! $12!  I said no, I want a taxi with a taximeter.  (This is what Lonely Planet insists you do.) So I went outside to the taxi area and waited for an open taxi.  A family nearby asked if I needed a taxi and I said yes.  They flagged one down for me and let me have it.  They were being helpful, the guy calmly asked where I was going, and I told him.  I asked if he was using a taximeter and he said "of course, it's the law" like I was some kind of criminal.  I felt absolutely safe and secure. A half hour into the ride, when t...

I'm not sure if it was the buildup, then the letdown, or if I'm comparing this to living in Mexico 15 years ago, but I can't seem to get into the groove here.  I'm not particularly having fun and I can't put my finger on why. A big reason for this is that I got either altitude sickness or food poisoning on my only day in Quito, and lastnight I was up sick most of the night.  This surprised me because when I went to Cusco, Peru, where the elevation is 11,000 feet, I didn't get sick.  Quito is 9,300.  I took Diamox both times.  So what the... Anyway, so my hotel in Quito was called the Hotel Villa Nancy.  It was about $27.  Here is a pic: The Nancy was in the Guapolo district of Quito, high on a hill above downtown, far away from anything.  Except the coffee shop next door, called Miele.  They served a nice breakfast but I was surprised that the price was almost the same as the U.S. But the funny thing was the mini-bar, which cracked...