Ecuador

Day 1- Arrival

"¡Chevere!"

During my senior year of high school, three exchange students came to study and spend  a year in the United States. Their names were Rayassa, Marius, and Daniel. They came for the countries of Brazil, Norway, and Ecuador respectively.

A classic. 
Great photo of Danny taking a pk during one of our Rutland High school soccer games our senior year. 
We won this game, by the way.

I have kept in touch with Daniel since then, and had the opportunity to visit him and his family in Quito after my trips to Colombia and Peru!

7/4

Daniel was at work when I arrived in Quito, but thankfully his dad Carlos was able to pick me up from the airport. We went to the house of Daniel's parents where Carlos and I watched that afternoon's World Cup match. As the afternoon progressed, I began to meet more of Daniel's family. First, his mother got-off of work. Then we went to pick-up Alejandra, Daniel's 4-year old daughter, who was at her other grandparent's house. Later, Daniel and his wife Angiel finished their work days, and we were all together.

Alejandra made this trip extra special.
She was a lively, sweet, and an awesome little girl.
She called me "Churrito," which comes from 
the word "churro" meaning "curly." (-> my hair)

That first evening we visited the Centro Histórico of Quito. First, we had a tour of a church, La Compañia, which was established by the Jesuits. The interior of the church was gold plated and very elaborate. So elaborate and special, that pictures were not allowed inside the sanctuary. I did manage to snap a photo outside the front entrance, and in another room that had a collection of bells once used by the church.

 As we walked toward a restaurant downtown to have dinner, a few party buses pass by.

We concluded the night at a very nice restaurants called Vista Hermosa, or "Beautiful View."

Upon entering the restaurant, we took an elevator up to the top. Situated on top of one of the buildings downtown, was a nice open patio that allowed for great views of the city at night. There was a live band and heating lamps between the tables (as the wind made it pretty chilly). The food was good and reasonably priced- especially considering the ambience! I tried a new beverage called canzedola, an alcoholic drink served hot. I think it was like a hot, fruity wine. The first few sips were nice considering the chilly weather, but I didn't drink much more. 

(Earlier) Before picking-up Angiel and Daniel from work, Daniel's parents and I made a quick visit inside of the 

Basilica del Voto Nacional.

My World Cup Experience!

O Dia Chegou!
(The Day Has Arrived!)

I was fortunate to be able to acquire a WC ticket for Costa Rica vs England! The match was played relatively close to where I'm living in Brazil. The USA's group games were in the north of Brazil, a long way away, and by the time I began the search for tickets, most if not all of the USA's matches were already sold-out. The match was held in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. It was not my first preference of a match to attend, which was a USA game, or second preference, which was the Round-of-16 match between the winner of Group A vs runner-up of Group B... but I was happy to be going! (No complaints here).

The weekend leading up to the match, I had yet to actually receive my ticket. When I purchased it from FIFA's site, there were two options offered: 1) receive it by mail, or 2) pick-up in a FIFA official ticket distribution center. I opted for the second option. So I arrived a few days early in Belo Horizonte in order to pick up my game ticket and spend a few days in one of the host cities.

Belo Horizonte is a big city, much larger than where I live in Itajubá. I arrived in the downtown area late Friday night, and checked-in to my hotel. It was a nice room and I enjoyed my brief stay there. The complementary breakfast given there was good! That Saturday morning, when I went down for breakfast, I actually met two Argentinians. The city was blue and white that weekend because Argentina was playing in the stadium there. Brazil's neighbor was out in full support.

After breakfast and starting to re-tune my ears to Spanish, I caught a taxi ride to the nearby mall... where I was going to pick-up my Golden Ticket!! The ticket distribution center was located on a higher level, in a parking lot of the mall actually. It was decorated and there were several attendants there. I spoke with one (who complemented me on my Portuguese) and I received my game-day ticket and ticket holder manual that accompanied. I asked for the manual in Portuguese, so as to be more authentic and for practice. It contained a lot of useful information: a description of what to expect, how fans were expected to behave, specs on the different stadiums, and more. I was one happy boy that morning.

I passed the next hours strolling around the mall, checking out the different shops. In the food court, there was a projector and big screen televising the World Cup coverage. 

Next on the day's agenda was to visit the "FIFA Fan Fest" in Belo Horizonte. Every host city of the World Cup has a public venue within the city where fans can go, enter for free, and watch the matches on a big screen amongst others. I had read about this place and wanted to check-it out! So I walked across the street to the metro station, hopped on, and five or six stops later found myself at the "Expominas" station. From there, I walked along a detour that circled around the facility to the front where the lines gathered to enter.

This venue was indoors and nice. At the front was a stage where the MC spoke and bands played between the matches. Behind the stage was a big screen, so that all could see. There were free activities from sponsors located near the back with food and drink vendors lining the walls. It all made for a festive environment and I enjoyed watching the second half of the Argentina game and Messi's clutch goal on the big screen. I stayed around for the first half of the Germany-Ghana match too.

I like that FIFA and the World Cup sponsors erected these places within the host cities. For those who weren't able to acquire a ticket, at least they could still have some of that World Cup experience and attend one of these Fan Fests with a group of friends and enjoy the beautiful game on the big screen, along with music, food, and drink.

Successful Day! :-D

Game Day

On the way to the stadium, passed by these guys.
The security in case things got crazy.

Fast-forwarding a little, and it's Tuesday, June 24th. Costa Rica is set to take on England in the Mineirão soccer stadium in Belo Horizonte. I arrived about two hours before the kick-off time at 1pm. 

Just outside of the stadium were a myriad of things to see and do: displays by various sponsors of the World Cup, food and drink vendors, and the official FIFA fan shop. As I walked around, it was awesome seeing so many people sporting their favorite club or country's jersey, carrying flags, taking pictures with other people (who were not necessarily supporting the same team), and everyone just having a good time. 

I was wearing my Costa Rica shirt I had purchased back in 2012 when I studied abroad there. On more than one occasion I was asked if I were Costa Rican or Brazilian. [Yay for blending in!] 

Coca-Cola in many languages.

Goalie posing by a Brazilian chocolate company.

Official Fan Shop. Waited in the check-out line for about half an hour!

The atmosphere within the stadium was unlike anything I had ever experienced before! 

Costa Rican fans had a cheer "Ole....Ole, Ole, Ole....Tico....Tico!" The English fans also had group cheers, but they weren't as easy to understand. 

Proof- I was in the building!

Going in to the day's match, Costa Rica had already qualified for the next Round-of-16, whereas England had already been knocked-out and was heading home. Therefore, there was not much riding on the game. The game's result would not have any impact on the group standings. I feared that this would impact the quality of the match itself. I don't know if it did or not, but the game was not much to watch. A few half-chances here and there was about all the game had to offer, and it ended in a tie 0-0. 

Not everyone was a good sport. This guy was booed and
an English fan got up in his face about it,
the closest thing I saw to a fight.

The fans and atmosphere in the stadium made this trip worthwhile and unforgettable!

Último Día en Colombia

"All Aboard!"

30/06

El Tren de la Sabana

This morning we walked to the nearby train station, Usaquen. There we all got our tickets and grouped up. Mrs. Burlison had invited some of her family to go as well, so we were 12 altogether.  

On the train, foods were offered and different musical groups performed in the coaches. One of the bands that played was a typical Colombian band, called Papayera. 

It was nice and added to the enjoyment of the train. It was a scenic ride. The mountains and landscape were nice, but there were also some views not so nice- like seeing the homes of the poor in Colombia. 

The area we passed by reminded me of the Favelas in Brazil. 

When the train reached the last station, Zipaquirá, we disembarked. There, passengers who had bought the ticket previously, like me, could go visit the Salt Mine Cathedral. I boarded a bus with Mrs. B's daughter and two of her nieces, and we set off to the salt mines.

Once there, we only had an hour to explore. Unfortunately we weren't able to see it all because we had to be back at the bus stop by a certain time. Once inside the mine, there were carved out sections with large crosses. 

As we walked along the big underground tunnel, we passed the different sections that each represented a station of the cross. After the last station, the tunnel opened up in to a big room with various levels. There was an even bigger cross against the end wall, and statues of angels. The colored lights added to the beauty of it all.

The Cathedral is known here as the "Primera Maravilla de Colombia."

After making it back to the bus and joining back up with the others, we went to lunch in this restaurant that had live music. The name of the place was "Donde el Pollo Canta," which means "Where the Chicken Sings." In this case, the chicken was a man who sang upstairs, where the tables were situated. 

He sang some classic Colombian tunes, and it was very much like a karaoke. It was a great cultural atmosphere, and the food was really good as well. 

From my time here, I have seen and eaten a lot of avocado. Some pieces were served with the salad at this restaurant. Colombians like their avocados! I do too.

There was more music for the trip back. This time, we heard from a new group. Two guys: one with a drum and the other with a stringed-instrument and pipes. They played some music of the different countries represented by the passengers, Brazil, Mexico, and of course- Colombia.

Before reboarding the train to head back to our original station, I was standing by a statue where a daughter and mom were taking photos. Waiting for my turn, I overheard them speaking and recognized the language as Portuguese! We began conversing (in Portuguese don't you know) and turns out not only are they Brazilian, but they also know the city where I'm living, and the mom is living in Pouso Alegre, a city I myself have visited various times! The daughter also knows about AIESEC and participated in an exchange previously. She now is living and working in Colombia as a Portuguese-Spanish translator. Cool stuff! Man, it's a small world. 

4o Día en Colombia

28/06

In the morning I went to the central Market with Mrs. B's mom. There, she bought a variety of vegetables and fruits to carry to Linda's house (her daughter- Mrs. B's sister). Linda had invited us over to watch Colombia's match versus Uruguay later in the afternoon. 

In the market I saw a few foods I had never seen before. 

There was a vast variety of things.

Back at the house, I watched the first half of the Brazil versus Chile match, and what a way to start the knock-out phase... with a penalty shoot out! After Brazil squeaked by, I'm not so sure about their chances of making it to the final. Chile nearly had that one. But I know my Brazilian friends were happy and relieved.

We ate lunch at Linda's and watched the Colombia vs Uruguay match. 

Colombia played well! James Rodriguez had 2 goals. The first one was a beaut! A volley off of his chest that grazed the keeper's finger tips before deflecting down off of the crossbar behind the goal line. The second goal was also great, an excellent example of teamwork with nice passing. I wore my Colombian jersey and rooted for Colombia today.