Maisa and I had spent just a few hours in Miami on the trip out to England, but this time round we would have a couple of days out there. Apart from looking around the city and meeting back up with Maisa's godmother, for me especially, my time in Miami was to be used to buy just about everything I needed......and I needed a lot. Most of my clothes had now fallen apart so a new wardrobe was ultimately required but also, after having my glasses stolen in Ecuador, I also needed a new pair of specs too. Then, for purposes of work - well, and fun - I also wanted to buy a laptop. These things were somewhat cheaper in the States than both England and surprisingly, in Ecuador too. While living is very cheap in South America, electronics and imported clothes are particularly pricey.
Because of the time difference we arrived in the afternoon. Then we met up with Maisa's godmother and her daughter who both welcomed us with food and drinks. They were Ecuadorian but had moved over to the States a few years ago. The apartment they owned was very small but a friend of theirs was away so we were invited to stay in her place. I think Maisa found it a bit of a shock. Although there are some beautiful apartments in Miami, blocks and towers of places, this was rustic living at its best. The place had bars covering the windows and inside was the smallest lift that never seemed like it was going to work although it always somehow did. The apartment itself was just one room (with bed, kitchen and living area) and a side bathroom. I thought it was quite authentic living if nothing else. That night I was taken to a place to buy my laptop - of which I am very happy with.
On our main day in Miami, we all headed off to Dolphins Mall. The place is huge. In a day, I don't think we covered the entire place which just appeared to go on and on. I bought everything I needed and more that day. We also passed through the pretty Coral Gables and spent the rest of the time wondering around various parts of the city on the train with Maisa's designated family. I wanted to see more of Miami, or at least more in more detail, but I had been to this part of the world a few times before, where I played the tourist part to perfection - so I had seen a lot in this part of the country already. For that reason, I was happy to just do our shopping and very little of anything else. Although it was winter, Miami was still sweltering hot and despite the fact that Maisa was loving it, I was trying not to sweat away my entire bodily fluids the entire time we were there.
After just a couple of days, we departed Miami for the four hour flight back to South America.......and just like we had never been away - we were back in Ecuador!!!
Saturday 31 March 2012
Miami (USA)
Saying Goodbyes - Once Again
On the Saturday before we left, Maisa and myself again met up with Henry and Grace......and then absolutely everyone else. As well as me leaving again soon, it was also my good friend Rob's birthday and leaving party too. He was soon to be heading off to Australia and New Zealand for five months and I was really happy about it. He is one of those people who is designed for travelling, yet he has never built up the courage or money to go. Now finally he had both and so was off. Along with all my cousins, all my friends, friends of friends and people that I'm sure I had only met one time, somewhere - it turned out to be a great party. Located in a pub (with dance floor), it would be my last opportunity to see all my cousins and friends before I would head back off to Ecuador for some foreseeable future. It was a great night - of drinking, dancing and a lot of laughs. At the end things got a bit emotional as I said my goodbyes. I really have come to hate the goodbye part and this was equally as painful. It was great to see everyone again though and I made a promise to myself that it wouldn't be another two years before I returned home again.
On our last day the goodbyes continued. I said farewell to my very good friend Darren and his girlfriend J. They had been away in the States and were just back in time to have lunch, catch-up and then wave us away again. We said goodbye to Henry and Grace which was even more heartbraking for Maisa who had to say goodbye to her sister, as she was heading back off to Canada until the following June. Then the family goodbyes commenced. I chatted with everyone before saying farewell to my grandmas, my aunts, my cousins and my sister. The next day was the perhaps the hardest of the lot. Maisa and I had an early'ish flight, so at 6.30am on the Monday morning I said goodbye to my parents. It is too long to be away for two years just to return for 18 days and then go again. I need to be back more regularly and/or for a more prolonged period of time. That, I have to do!!!
Maisa had really loved the trip. She loved meeting with all my family and friends. She loved all the things we did and seeing the city of London. I think the only thing she found difficult was the weather. It was actually a mild winter this year but for Maisa (who loves the sun and the heat) London was pretty chilly in December. Actually, where I usually run around in shorts and a t-shirt until at least as low as -6 degrees C, I also found the cold pretty hard to handle. Being away in the equator sun for two years meant that I was just not used to it anymore. For me the trip was amazing. It was great to introduce everyone to Maisa and obviously to see all my family and friends again. Up until that point I felt really happy about the whole home visit, but once I returned back into life in Ecuador I realised one thing - I just didn't spend enough time with my friends and family!!! Yes, I saw everyone a great deal - but just not enough. Whenever I am outside of England, I always tell people that I love London, that it is the best city in the world.......and yes that is true, but actually what I mean is - it is an amazing city because it is home to all my wonderful family and my best friends, it is home - to me. Next time I return, I'm not going to do too much in terms of sightseeing and activities - I'm just going to spend time - with all the people that I love.
After saying goodbye to my parents, taking a last stroll around my family home, driving through Southgate for the last time in some unknown amount of time and then crossing the entire length of London, we finally made it to Heathrow airport. That morning Maisa and I took the 8 and a half hour flight to Miami - where we would actually be staying for a couple of days!!! For us, it was back to the sun.............
Saturday 24 March 2012
The London Adventure Continues
Maisa and myself had just over a week left of our London adventure, although it proved to be the busiest of the lot. A few days after New Years Eve, Henry and Grace returned to Henry's home in Tunbridge Wells. As Maisa had not seen another part of the country apart from London and as I had not visited Tunbridge Wells since I was a kid - we decided to spend one night with Henry in his home town. Tunbridge Wells is a pretty little place that reminds me a lot of Hamsted. It has that same look about it. Henry's Mum and Dad made us a nice dinner before the four of us headed off to a local pub. It turned out oddly to be another small reunion. Henry's friend, Alex, who had worked at the Secret Garden with Henry during their time in Quito and who I had made good friends with, turned up for a small pint. But as well, I had also worked at the IG in Ecuador with a young lady called Elena, about a year and a half ago, where she did some volcano volunteering. She lived in London but just so happened, had headed up to Tunbridge Wells to meet a friend that night too - so she came to the pub also. We all chatted about the old days in Ecuador and about all our future plans of which no-one had any set in stone.
The following day, Maisa and myself left Henry and Grace and everyone else we had met in Tunbridge Wells and headed back to London. Maisa enjoyed the train ride back, which took us by some very typical English country-side. That night I was very excited. It was the first time in just over two years that I had been to a Spurs game. The last game I went to was the famous 9-1 thrashing of Wigan - a kind of game I hadn't seen before and probably wouldn't see again.......at least not for a very long time. I had naturally kept up with my beloved team for the entire time I had been away in Ecuador. It's one thing that will never change. It doesn't matter how many miles away I am from White Hart Lane, I will always be keeping up on the state of the football team I have supported all my life. Football in Ecuador is okay, but it's just not the same. The atmosphere, the quality, the stadiums - nothing compairs. For Maisa - it was obviously her first English game and I don't think she really knew what to expect. With us was my Father (who I had traditionally been going with since my first ever game - Spurs Vs Nottingham Forest, when Paul Gascoigne scored) and my Mother - who over the last few years, had become a huge fan. It was exactly as I hoped, the walk through the park, the packed out streets of blue and white, the smell of cigarette smoke and burgers, the narrow turnstiles, those first few steps out - exposing 36,000 people all cheering on our boys. To top it all off, Spurs won 1-0 against West Brom. It wasn't a great game - but it would do. Maisa really enjoyed the whole experience also, especially stepping out into the ground and the atmosphere when we scored. For me, it was just amazing to be there again!!! COYS!!!
After some more London sight-seeing the following day, we had a planned trip to see the West End theatre show - The Lion King. Maisa and I met up with my Father and Sister in town and first went to a very strange restaurant. If you have never been to Sarastro on Drury Lane - it is worth a visit if nothing else for the decor. It is one of the oddest looking restaurants I have ever been to - brilliantly decorated and all in the name of fun. The food was good too. Maisa particularly enjoyed the manic theatre style of the place. We then went off to see The Lion King. I can't even remember the last time I went to a London theatre show so it was nice to be back. We chose The Lion King because we thought it would be more visual and not too complicated for Maisa, who's first language is not English. It certainly was visual. The show was fantastic - two hours of colour, singing and story telling. It was very cleverly done and the whole thing was a lot of fun and as such, everyone really loved it. I also still have dreams about the half-time interval ice-cream!!!
Over the next few days Maisa and I did a lot more sightseeing. We toured the British Museum - displaying pretty much everything that my nation had stolen over the years. Boy did we steal a lot. We also went further along the Thames River and took photos of the famous Tower Bridge, before wondering out to further parts of London, including two shopping trips to the quirky Camden Market. Just a few days before our trip was to come to an end, Maisa and myself along with my family went to a very fancy restaurants. Galvin at Windows is located on the top floor of the Hilton Hotel in London's very expensive Mayfair area. The Michelin-starred restaurant certainly didn't disappoint. It was an amazing experience. The food, the service and the quality of everything was just incredible. To top it off, it had a 360 degree view of London as far as the eye could see. This was dining - in very high style. All of us were also very well dressed (even for me) and all looked beautiful of course. It really made for a magical evening.
I know all my family (and Maisa too) really enjoyed that night, but for me - it was even more special. Firstly, just to be with my family after being away so long really is a wonderful thing. Yes, I had already spent two weeks with them back in London but that night it was the realisation that soon I would be leaving again, that really made it more emotional for me. Secondly, to eat this sort of quality food after coming from a country where most meals cost US$2.50 and you're never quite sure what sort of animal you are actually consuming - is always a great thing. Don't get me wrong, some Ecuadorian food is great - often very tasty and being cheap is no bad thing. For example, they have amazing fruits. I am still discovering new fruits in Ecuador, things you just can't find in England or other parts of the world - for this, Ecuador is blessed. However, some things about Ecuadorian eating really bugs me. They often don't eat vegetables. For me, something green is essential on any dinner plate but out there they just don't eat them. It is not like they don't have vegetables - they have them, I've seen them - but no-one puts them in their gob. I have always wondered what exactly is happening to all the veggies in Ecuador - maybe using them as some sort of biofuel or something. If they are doing this - I will recommend them using the Brussel Sprout - which could produce enough gas to launch a rocket!!! In replacement to the vegetable they will just add another carbohydrate. So, typically a meal will consist of - some meat (or fish), rice (always rice) and then potatoes too. Ultimately, there's enough starch in an Ecuadorian meal to glue together the Great Wall of China!!! The other thing, is the variety - there isn't any. People will eat this meal of meat, rice and potatoes pretty much every day for years. I used to wonder why they didn't get bored but actually it's the opposite - if you take an Ecuadorian away from this food, they crave it. On two occassions Maisa actually cooked meat with rice and potatoes because she hadn't had it in two weeks. It worries me. All in all, my point is - I often miss English food (or at least the variety of English food) and this meal in Galvin at Windows was the top of variety. Yum. I would also at this point like to personally thank my parents for forking out a small fortune for that fine dining experience as I know for a fact the cost of that meal could have covered the wages of the entire Ecuadorian army for a year!!!
When all of us stepped out of that restaurant and into the cold London winter, I realised that Maisa and I had just two days left in England........and unfortunately for us (well, me especially) those days were all about saying our goodbyes....................
Saturday 10 March 2012
New Years Eve & The Arrival Of 2012!!!
This New Year was an interesting affair. Over the last few days my parents had been away and in their replacement, Henry and Grace had been staying in my family home with Maisa and myself. Those two however, had booked tickets to a concert for New Year, of which Maisa and myself weren't particularly interested in. I had already seen Kasabian live (in a muddy field at Glastonbury in 2005) and Maisa isn't really too keen on that type of rock music. Unlike most years that I remembered, my boys had all scarpered off in different directions too. They were all doing things seperately and so it was left to Maisa and myself to entertain ourselves for New Years Eve.
After a day of resting, we eventually got ourselves ready and headed out for something to eat. Restaurants were not overly full and thus we didn't have too much trouble getting a table at most places, at least local places anyway. After some delicious pasta and a few glasses of wine, the two of us headed out into the mayhem that is central London on the last night of the year. The plan was to go and see the fireworks. They are usually pretty spectacular and I had actually never been into central London on NYE to see them - I used to just always watch them on the telly. London was chaos. Trying to get to a decent part of the river (near the London Eye) to obtain the best viewing spots were long gone. I think you had to queue all day to get those places. I'm sure I read on the news that one person had just stayed in the same spot since last years event, so they didn't have to bother fighting the crowds this time around. It is possible I dreamt that news report though.
After being led half way across London by the local police, battling with hords of people, we finally made it to a spot on the river - directly opposite the Oxo Tower. The fireworks WERE pretty spectacular despite the two of us being quite far from the main action. Also, by the end there was so much smoke from the first fireworks that you couldn't actually see the last ones from where we were. Still, it was fun to be out in all the madness and it was certainly something very different to what Maisa is used to on New Years Eve. We then took the very long walk back to King's Cross Station before heading back home. There we had a few drinks and waited for Henry and Grace, who soon returned. We finished the night off with further drinking before eventually collapsing on our beds.
It was nice to finally spend a New Year back home in London and to spend it with Maisa too. I still couldn't believe it was already 2012. Supposedly to some this coming year is the last that we will all have on this planet however, I was too busy to start thinking about the end of the human race at this moment in time. This coming week would ultimately be as manic as my last............and any thoughts on man's demise would certainly have to wait for now!!!
Saturday 3 March 2012
The London Adventure
After the mayhem of Christmas day, Maisa may have thought that it was time for a rest, but the week that was to come would ultimately be just as busy. While we did slow down for a few minutes, the next 7 days ended up turning into more family and friend encounters and a full London tour, all at the same time.The day after Christmas saw Maisa and I, along with my father head up to Alexandra Palace, which has great views over most of London. It was a place I always remember going to as a kid so it brought back good memories. On the way we passed one of England's most expensive roads - The Bishop's Avenue, which has some of the most expensive houses in the world. Some are so large, i'm sure they can be seen from space!!! Maisa's expression was certainly one of wonder. We saw more of my family across the week, including a reuniting with my cousins, but from my mother's side. It was great see them all after just over two years, and find out about all their adventures, which as it turned out had been taking place all over the world too.
We also met up with my good and oldest friend Michael, who was accompanied by his girlfriend Lauren. Before we met up I needed a new UK passport though, as mine had completely run out of visa pages. After all the trouble I had in getting even simple documents in Ecuador I just assumed that anything beaurocratic would now be a nightmare. It took me 10 minutes to submit my documents and four hours later I had a new passport. My faith in such matters has now been restored - well at least until I returned back to South America!!! When we met up with Michael and Lauren - we were ready for some sightseeing. We went to Picaddilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and along the famous Thames River. Obviously I had seen such sights an uncountable number of times in my life but for Maisa, it was a whole new experience. I think the thing that impressed her the most was the architecture and how old everything was. She would ask me as we walked down Regent Street questions like......"when did they have the time to build all this stuff???". I explained that London was a very old city and that there was plenty of time to get everything erected.....plus also that we have very quick trades-workers here..........yeah right!!! That night we met up with the rest of my friends for a birthday meal. It was Ricky's birthday and everyone was there for it - well everyone except Naddy, who was still hungover from Christmas drinking. Maisa got on particularly well with Michelle Ryan - my friend Chris's movie-star girlfriend. It was great to catch up with all the boys again and realise that they hadn't changed at all. In fact they never do, which is why I love them all.
The next day my parents went off to Europe for three nights, so Maisa and I had the house to ourselves. We were however, to be having guests to stay. Over the next four nights, Henry and Maisa's sister - Grace, were coming over. We met them that night and went to the famous Hard Rock cafe in central London. I can't remember the last time I went to a Hard Rock but it was nice to be a real tourist in my home town. The next day we all met up with my sister and Jody. We went into town to see some more London sights but also - to go on the London Eye, something that I hadn't done up until that point. It is incredible how little most people do in their own back yards - yet go off to another country and you end up seeing it all. I think I know New Zealand and Ecuador for better than I know England.....at least, I have certainly visited more places within those countries than I have in my home country!!!
After a 4D show and some queing, we got on the Eye. It took about 30 minutes to go around and the views over central London were amazing, even with the drizzly weather. We later headed down the river to see some more. We walked past the Globe Theatre and stopped in the Tate Modern Museum. Inside the huge building is a small bookshop, where Jody has published material. I think Maisa was temporarily star-struck when she realised she was standing next to a published author!!! Amy and Jody then left us - to continue work on their new house. It was great to go out with them both, to spend some time even sightseeing was nice for a good catch-up. We later had a pub lunch in the famous drinking house of The George, where Maisa had her first English fish 'n' chips meal. That evening we all met up with some old friends that I had met in Ecuador. Most lived in London, but others had come from Germany and even Sweden for this little reunion. It was good to catch up and talk about old stories from Quito and life in the Secret Garden Hostel. Most of them couldn't believe I still lived there.
When Saturday popped up - we were all knackered. It had been almost a week since Christmas day but, we had to keep going. It was the last day of the year, 2011 was coming to an end and we had some partying to do.................
