El Panecillo y Centro Histórico

Today I've decided to go sightseeing after Spanish class. The end of my class is usually at 16:30 but it always finishes later. Nevertheless I was out of school around 17:00 and took the Trole bus (electro bus with a dedicated lane) to the historical city center. The center is really beautiful. The government has really put effort in polishing up the city. Many historical buildings are renovated or are in progress. The whole city is well illuminated and there are just a few places where its highly recommended not to go. By incident I have walked around in these areas and it was perfectly safe. From time to time I met some people who were surprised to see a gringo at night walking around.

After walking around in the city I decided to go up a mountain close to the city center. Its called el Panecillo and has on top a statue called "la virgin de Quito". Of course I didn't pay attention to the guides and locals recommending avoiding going up by foot. Going up the stairs was like hell for me! The little hill was at the end 200m high and the top is over 3000m. But after arriving at the top it was great. Feeling dizzy and elevated without drugs ;) I've spent some time at the hill until it was dark. Then I went down to the city center where I've again walked around and had a look at the colonial buildings.

Tomorrow is Friday and weekend is coming up. I didn't yet decide to stay in Quito or make a short trip to the surrounding villages and volcano's - Let's see what comes out!

First days in Quito

After arriving on Sunday I didn't have much time to explore the city. I was busy attending Spanish lesions. My schedule is 4 hours at the morning and 3 at the afternoon. After so much Spanish the my brain hurts. But I already have learned a lot. The lesion is 1:1. That means one teacher one student. There is no time to relax but this method is most sophisticated.

Today I made a big walk through the city. Quito has a historical part with colonial buildings and a new part - called "Gringolandia". There are no ruins from the pre-Spanish times left! The weather is most interesting here. First of all you have all seasons in one day and second is the crazy weather. At one side of the street in can rain and when you cross the street the other has sunshine. You must be prepared for every weather condition here. The temperatures are quite constant. All the year between 9 and 14 degrees Celsius. People also ask me here if I don't need a jacket ;)

First Impressions

After arriving in Quito I had to look for a place to stay and a Spanish school. Both was quite easy to find and I'm now staying in a simple hostel for two weeks and visit the school around the corner. It's the Crisóbal Colón Spanish school. They have a 1:1 student teacher system and I've already met a teacher. Her English is just a little better as my poor Spanish. So I expect to have a hard time.

The weather here is cloudy and raining and between 9-12°C. After all not so bad for an altitude of 2850m. Tomorrow I will check out the city and see if I can take some interesting pictures.

Back To School - In Ecuador

Ecuador: This is the country where I will try to improve my lousy Spanish. Because I need more practice I've decided to go to school - and only to school without being disattracted! At least two weeks are planned to attend one of the over 80 language schools in Quito.

The journey will start in Graz where I get into the train to Vienna and then to the airport. With Iberia I will fly to Madrid and stay there over night in an airport hotel. At Sunday noon I will take the plane to Quito. I have good memories of such an airport hotel in Madrid. A few years ago at such a stay, the hotel staff forgot to scramble the adult entertainment channel - It only was blocked in the morning - as far as my red eyes could recognize.

The Tough Guy Competition

Tough Guy claims to be the world's most demanding one day survival ordeal. Certainly, it has cause for that claim.

The original, held in Perton near Wolverhampton, is organised in England by former British Army Officer Billy Wilson, who claims nobody has ever finished the entire course according to his extremely demanding rules. Taking place in mid-winter (at the end of January) and summer (at the end of July), Tough Guy consists of an "eight country mile" run followed by a very muddy, very cold assault course which includes such obstacles as crawling under barbed wire, running over burning bales of hay, swimming in underwater tunnels and crawling through underground pipes.

In January 2006 some 4515 competitors entered, but only 3235 are recorded as having completed the course in times ranging from 1 hour 17 minutes to over four hours. At various points on the course and throughout the day, competitors are encouraged to shout "Yohimbe!". The organizer, Mr Mouse, claimed in a 2007 newsletter that this is a Zulu battle cry meaning "My dick's bigger than yours", originating from the use of the bark of the Yohimbe tree as an erectile stimulant.

The Tough Guy event has raised money for the Horse Sanctuary at Mr Mouse Farm for Unfortunates since 1986

Erwin, Hannes and Harald have been our three brave runners. They have done a great job finishing the run under three hours. The conditions have been perfect for the run. Nice weather with sun but not too hot. It was an extreme challenge but successful and without any losses. The run has been documented by the loyal fan crowd: Lydia, Petra and of course me. We have shot many pictures from the race to have every painful obstacle documented.

After this challenge there is only one open question: Where will be the next extreme challenge for our heroes - and will Richard ever join?

Gallery:

Tough Guy, July 2007

Turkey, a road trip

After Paris and a week in Germany I've decided to go on a short travel again. Turkey is one of the countries I have already been many times. I love the mixture of culture, history, religion and of course the people.

My starting point was Side – Its location is on the southern coast near the villages of Manavgat and Selimiye (75 km from Antalya) in the province of Antalya in Turkey. Side was one of the most important trade centers in its time (6th century BC).

From this great place I've started three trips:

• City of Manavgat
• Pamukkale
• Cappadocia

Pamukkale

Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site and attraction in south-western Turkey in the Denizli Province. The ancient city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle". It can be seen from a great distance, eg. when driving down the hills on the opposite side of the valley to the town of Denizli, which is 20 km away. Pamukkale is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which enjoys a temperate climate over the greater part of the year.

From Side it was a two days trip to Pamukkale including a night in the village of Pamukkale. I've chosen to take an organized tour because of the great price of the package. If you can resist the shopping opportunities on such organized trips it’s really a good deal. On the way back we also visited a remote village to visit a mosque. After that we had 10 minutes time to explore the city. That was time enough for me to get invited to a marriage parte with food and drinks. It was great to experience the hospitality of the village people - without being able to speak English!


Cappadocia

I have been in Cappadocia before - It was a travel organized by the government of Turkey and the Austrian Journalist Club. One of the main reasons to come back is the great nature and the great history of this region. First traces of settlements can be dated back to 6500 BC! King Croesus, Alexander the great and early Christian leaders are linked to this area. There is too much to tell about this area so I recommend everyone to get an own impression.

The tour was very professional organized. The guide could answer all kind of questions and gave us a lot of background information. On the way to and back from Cappadocia we have visited the city of Konya - one of the world's oldest cities, with excavations revealing settlement from as early as the 3rd millennium BC. The early Christians Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas preached here.

Gallery:

Turkey, July 2007

Fête De La Musique, Paris

The Fête de la Musique is a festival taking place on June 21. It's also the summer solstice most of the time. It began in France and has since spread to over 130 countries and 400 cities all over the world. The international development of the Fête de la Musique is the result of the firm implication of French cultural networks outside of France and local operators.

The idea was conceived by French Music and Dance director Maurice Fleuret for Minister of Culture Jack Lang in 1981 and first took place in 1982.

It is the occasion of a mass celebration which has grown more and more successful over the last two decades.

Its purpose is to promote music in two ways:

• Amateur musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets. The slogan Faites de la musique (make music), a homophone of Fête de la Musique, is used to promote this goal.

• Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public.

• This is one of the only nights in the year where, under French law, there is no sound restriction at nighttime. One can party on without being bothered by neighbors calling the police.

For me this was the perfect opportunity to visit my friends Caro and Loïc in Paris. Since my last visit they are now a happy family with a great little boy called Lucas.

For me this was the perfect opportunity to visit my friends Caro and Loïc in Paris. Since my last visit they are now a happy family with a great little boy called Lucas.

Caro and her cousin Andreas have accompanied me to the grand concert at the Hippodrome d' Auteuil with an audience over 100.000 people. Over 30 bands and singers have been on stage like: Yannick Noah, Shy'm, Vitaa, Kamini, Mika, Avril Lavigne, Calogero, Christophe Willem, la troupe le Roi Soleil, David Guetta, Laurent Voulzy, Bob Sinclar, Tokio Hotel Christophe Maé, Clara Morgane ...

It was amazing to see what's going on that day in Paris. Coming home was just a bit tricky - because of the masses going home we decided for a nice walk through the city. Almost an hour later we arrived exhausted but happy at home.

The rest of my stay was also great. Beside of the great time with my friends I have visited the musée du quai Branly. It's a brand new museum and has many expositions of the culture of the world. I was lucky to go there because outside it was raining all the time.
I have also visited a sports event in the parc de la Villette. It was the finals of the mountain bike big air contest from Nissan. International riders could prove in the contest their skills in jumping over big hills of dirt and performing tricks. It was exciting to watch the tricks and to see what's possible to do with a simple bike.

Overall it has been again fantastic to visit Paris and I look forward to come soon again - latest at the next fête de la musique.


Gallery:

Fête de la Musique, Paris