It feels like I have spent most of the last three weeks on the move. When I woke up on Sunday I first considered the possibility of wandering Quito again and decided instead to simply have a lazy day. What a nice feeling not to have anything specific to do or planned. I puttered around on the Internet, cooked a meal for myself and just generally lazed about.

But of course you know I can’t possibly be completely lazy. I decided to hike up the road to the Teleferiqo. This is a recent cable car installation which goes up to Ruwa Pichincha. The cable car goes from 3000m to about 4200m. From there I can climb to the summit of Ruwa Pichincha at about 4600m. To see how I was acclimatizing, I thought a short jaunt up the hill (it’s actually about a 500m vertical gain from the hostel) and finding out what time the cable car would open the next day would be a good idea.

The plan is to do an acclimatization hike on Monday morning to Ruwa Pichincha and work in the afternoon/evening.

At the top of the hill where the cable car starts is also a giant theme park for kids (Parc Volqan) and the usual tourist mix of shops and restaurants. I’m glad to report that I’m feeling fine at the altitude. My only concern right now are slight pains in my knees. I’m hoping that gentle hiking and walking will strengthen them over the next week. I may even follow Mike’s joking advice before I left and do the Teleferiqo at least once more this week. If I remember correctly 4600m was about the height of Barafu camp on our climb to Kilimanjaro and also the height of Diesel Hut on Elbrus. Definitely worth it for acclimatization considering how easy it is to get there!

Now I think I will partake in the strange canned foods I managed to buy at the supermarket yesterday. I’m not entirely sure what they are but hey, where’s the adventure if I don’t try!

Onwards and upwards!

Have you ever looked at a gothic cathedral and thought, “hmmm, what must it be like to stand right at the top of the bell tower”, well, all you have to do is get on a flight to Quito, Ecuador and climb the steeples of the Basilico del Voto Nacional. It only costs two measly dollars to put your life at risk while you traverse a few iron ladders (no railings) and things like that. Don’t worry, I saw a woman in high heels reach the very top, so I imagine anyone can do it.

That in essence was my first morning in Quito. I woke up early had breakfast with Suse the woman who owns and runs Hostal Toa along with a couple from Germany. Deciding that nothing beats walking around I headed down to the “New Town”. I suspect Saturday mornings are fairly relaxed here. There was hardly anyone on the streets and most of the shops were closed. I did, however, sneak into the graduation ceremonies (if I translated that correctly) of the Israel Technological School. There was a brazilian martial arts demonstration and a beauty pageant of girls and boys dressed in garb from the colonial Spanish. I escaped before anyone noticed that there was a stranger there.

I continued on through to the “Old Town” which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site… but before I got there, I was enamoured by the Basilica and hence decided to climb it and photograph Quito from the very top.

Quito is an impressive city. It sprawls a valley at the foot of the Volcan Pichincha and stretches for miles around surrounded on both sides by steep hills. At almost 3000m, it’s pretty high up there. Apparently people from low lands actually get altitude sickness getting off the plane here.

The Old Town is the colonial restoration of Quito and it is absolutely superb. Narrow streets, picturesque buildings and bustling with activity. Street vendors, street musicians and a giant tourist trap. I decided to trust my Lonely Planet and dropped into a Hare Krishna shop for lunch. As much as I wanted to try the local food, I thought with a month to go, best to ease myself into a meal that I knew was vegetarian rather than trying my meagre Spanish. To be honest, I do not believe I will be vegetarian on this trip, there is so much amazing food that I must try that I shall have to prepare my stomach for the inevitable meat explosion. After all, a culture must be explored through all its food.

The afternoon, I was invited to meet Javier Herrera from Andean Face who was going to help me reach the summits of a few mountains. It is his wife Helma who runs Danielle Children’s Fund with proceeds from Andean Face and from donations. I met a crew of Americans on their way to Cotopaxi and Cayambe. Javier’s introductory slide show to the mountains was spectacular to say the least.

Janius, Ed, I delivered all the clothes and toys to Ine who helps with the DCF. The money I raised from the giant cook-off in Montreal will go to buy shoes for another group of children and families. Ine is most kind and will take me to the schools and areas to see everything first hand and perhaps even volunteer. This is shaping to be a Christmas I will never forget.

I spent much of the evening with Javier, Helma and Ine just chatting and talking about the world, its wonders and its peoples. Meanwhile Javier will plan out a mountain itinerary for me.

There is one decision that I have made. I will not go to the Galapagos. It is too expensive and it is something I would like to experience with someone rather than by myself. So I guess I will have to come back to Ecuador some day!

I must admit that I love taking trains. They may take a few hours but generally speaking the scenery flies past and gives one the ability to reflect on life and the universe while hopefully meet some interesting people. Thanksgiving Thursday was my first train in the United States and it did not start well. The Amtrak Acela Express from Boston to New York which I was to meet in Providence decided that it also wanted Thanksgiving Thursday off. Apparently the train engine failed and had to crawl along at a rather plodding 30 miles an hour. Meanwhile, in Providence they cancelled that train and put me on another. It’s a good thing that I had all day to get to New York.

Finally I did get on the train and as we passed by wonderful New England scenery it certainly did not appear to be heading for one of the largest cities on the planet. However, just as I was getting used to the seacoast with a darkening of the skies as if on cue, the plants were replaced by girders of steel and grim reminders of urban decay as we approached New York from the north.

The goals for the day were to settle into the Hostel that had been suggested to me by my high school friend Tiffany’s husband Steve who just happens to work for Rough Guides (don’t I feel guilty that I chose the Lonely Planet for Ecuador!). I knew that maybe this would be an interesting stay when even the cab driver was confused as to why I was getting out in front of this non-descript building on Bowery street. I assured him that this was indeed the place: The White House Hotel of New York. Let me tell you that you definitely get what you pay for.

On my previous trip to NYC under the tab of my employer, Sun Microsystems, we stayed in what was supposed to be a mid-range hotel in Manhatten. We paid a couple hundred and the room was about 10ft by 12ft including the bathroom. Quite small in the grand scheme of hotels. For $30 the rooms at The White House are barely 6ft by 4ft. Oh and there are no ceilings on the roofs of the “cells”. Let’s just say that sound travels.

Having said that, the place certainly is charming, well-situated and clean, and I would recommend them too! Ear plugs for sleeping are advised though!

After settling in quickly I headed to uptown Manhatten to see Grand Central station, have a peek at the Empire State Building at night, oggle at Times Square and finally meet up with Tiffany, Steve and Tiffany’s friend Mary from Hong Kong. I hadn’t seen Tiffany in fourteen years so there was definitely some catching up to do. This was helped along admirably by a couple of tart mojitos before we headed for a one-of-a-kind dining experience at a place called P*ong. Let me just say this was clearly one of the better meals I have ever had: several delectably fantastic courses paired incredibly with a selection of wines and port. Certainly it will be a meal to think about when I am climbing high in Ecuador.

What next? Naturally, when in America, do as the Americans.

Supper was followed by rather stuffed and sated walk up seventh avenue to the Apple Store for the Black Friday (the day in the US when all the shops have sales and open at ridiculously early hours) sales event at the 24-hour Apple Store on trendy fifth avenue. We made a couple of requisite stops at Rockefeller Center and gawked at the awesome St. Patrick’s Church before joining the thousand or so people in line at the Apple Store. There was a massive cheer as the doors opened at exactly midnight and we all rushed in to the cheers of the Apple Store employees.

Apple sure knows how to do things right.

While I escaped without being lured by the iPod touch, the group of us managed to abscond with a couple of laptops, an iPod nano and a few other accessories. Yes, global economic downturn perhaps, but not at the Apple Store.

What more does one want for a day of Americana than to be feted and dined in New York, stay at the White House, enjoy the company of old and new friends and top it all off with the lavish consumerism that defines a majority of the United States?

I headed back to sleep in my monk-like cell.  Of course later all I could think of was how to lynch the idiots next to me who decided that 3am was a delightful time to have a loudly whispered conversation in a room with no ceiling. I actually had to do something I had not done since sleeping in cheap motel rooms with paper-thin walls… I banged on the wall.

It’s been a most relaxing week surrounded by family. I’ve taught Sung and Liz’s children the Skinamarinkadink song, cooked a bout of Indian type food, had fantastic Korean food cooked by Sung and generally just relaxed. Of course, I’m still working so much of the time has been spent holed up in the bedroom dealing with MySQL-related work.

Now it’s time to head to New York, time to hit the Big Apple see another old high school friend Tiffany and then leave for Ecuador in the morning.

I re-packed everything last night with Liz’s help. She is a master packer. I never knew my backpack could hold so much. All the children’s clothes and toys that I am donating to the Danielle Children’s Fund in Ecuador fit as do all my mountaineering gear.

So far my impressions of Thanksgiving here in the states is one of shopping. Even in these troubled economic times (and perhaps even more so) the emphasis is on the football games this afternoon followed up by lines at stores to get the goods tomorrow morning. As one camera store clerk said hopefully:

“Maybe they’ll learn this year that opening at six in the morning is useless.”

“DId you get any customers at 6am last year?”

“No.”

“Did they change the policy?”

“No.”

“Think they’ll change the policy this year?”

Defeated sigh.

“No.”

So Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the United States, enjoy lining up for sales tomorrow morning.

“Never go anywhere without emergency rations, like candy bars,fruit, and crackers in your pockets; that way you won’t starve if someone locks you in a secret room.” — The Hardy Boys’ Guide to Life, The Secret Panel

So here we are, another great adventure lies before me. This time it is to discover the land of Ecuador in South America. As always my plan is simple. Survive in a country with a different language and culture, climb something really high so I can get a good look at the land and then wander around till someone ships me back to Canada. Simple.

Of course, I couldn’t simply get on a flight to Quito from Montreal. That would be too easy.

The plan is to drive to Rhode Island, stay with my high school friend (from Hong Kong) Sung and then take the train to New York and see another high school friend, Tiffany. Finally I will get on a flight to Quito from New York City.

Anyone who knows me will likely tell you my plans tend to always go, well, slightly astray towards the bizarre. Already I’ve realized that I will be arriving in New York City at Penn Station right in the middle of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade… this obviously has all the hallmarks of a small disaster. Niall and Rebecca suggested I just put my luggage on the side of a street and sit on them till the streets of Manhattan clear up.

I’m not entirely sure how that will go over in NYC.

So Saturday I drove away from Montreal after a hearty breakfast at Ye Olde Orchard on Prince Arthur with dear friends. Thanks greatly to the bartender who kindly brewed us a couple pots of Ethopian coffee that Janius kindly schlepped all the way over. I was buzzing by the time I left.

Which was probably a good thing. After following no more than four detours, two barricades and a partridge in a pear tree to get out of Montreal and off the island (a small miracle I figured), I headed for the Vermont border with a darkening horizon. Sure enough by the time I hit Burlington the snow had picked up and driving was quite uncomfortable to say the least. I wasn’t so much concerned about my car, I have new winter tires and I wasn’t pushing it, but I’m sure the sedan that passed me whose back end was distinctly trying to run away from the front, may not have been as well prepared.

Regardless, I made it to Rhode Island, settled into Sung and Liz’s place, woke up with kids and went to hang out in Chuck E Cheeses for a birthday party. Ah the life of parents There is something rather odd that we find people dressed up as giant rodents to be fun, cute and cuddly. However, Uncle Dups did his best to win tickets from the game machines so that we could reward the kids. Life is so difficult!

I must admit so far this has a very similar feel to my last great adventure when I travelled from London through to Shanghai. Then I started my journey in London with Tushar and his family.

Now I must be away, Uncle Dups is required to run around and play and have balls thrown at him. It is after all an Uncle Dups’ duty.

Oh, you might have noticed the quotation at the top. My friends Iwona and Derek gave me a small book called the Hardy Boys’ Guide to Life. I have decided that I should follow the guide strictly during this adventure. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh Craig, have you decided to run another betting pool as to my demise?

It’s been a pretty busy weekend.

As some of you may have read elsewhere or perhaps seen on Facebook and other such places, I’ve switched jobs at Sun Microsystems and have taken on the task of being one of MySQL’s Community Relations Managers. This of course means that I’m heading off to do some “on-the-job” training in Colombus, Ohio then presentations in New York City, then by train to Baltimore and finally attending Open SQL Camp in Charlottesville, Virginia before leaving the States from Washington, DC. Yup, it’s been pretty busy planning for that…

On top of all that, some of you may also know that I’m heading to Ecuador for all of December. And this is where my weekend became really busy. My friends, Mike, Janius and Ed climbed Mt. Cotopaxi in Ecuador (2007) and discovered some worthwhile causes care of Javier Herrera a mountain guide in Quito. Through Javier  I learned of a school that needs clothes for 5-12 year-olds so we set about trying to either get clothes or money towards clothes for these children since it was an opportunity for me to hand deliver said goods.

Someone (I’d like to claim me, but I might have been inebriated) came up with idea that I could co-opt my traditional Christmas dinners for my friends into a fundraising activity. Within a week, invites went out to everyone I knew in Montreal and suddenly I was faced with the task of cooking for 30 or more people on Saturday. For the record we raised $505 through the event. Thanks to all who donated and/or attended. Your generousity is greatly appreciated.

Now why am I writing all this after the fact (naturally someone is saying “humpf, he never invited me, the jerk”). Well by some measure of luck, the food I cooked came out okay. Some part of the credit has to go to my brother Miuru who made sure I had the correct recipe for the Sri Lankan cutlets which were a giant hit at the dinner amongst the other dishes that I managed to concoct. It was also the dish that took the longest to produce (1.5 hours). So I thought I’d write up the recipe, sadly I didn’t take any photos so maybe one day I’ll actually record photos and better instructions. By the way, I don’t measure anything so I’m sorry to say I have no idea the amounts of spices etc. please think of this as cooking by experimentation and taste and use spices as necessary.

Sri Lankan Cutlets

Ingredients:

Whole Potatoes
Sardines (Portuguese canned sardines), you can omit/use alternative
1 bunch of cut green onion or 1/2 onion
Eggs

1. Boil the potatoes in a pot. Once fully boiled, cool and remove the skin.
2. In another pot, add oil, some fenugreek seeds, a clove of garlic, the 1/2 onion, sardines and fry with spices (not very helpful considering, I’m not sure about the exact spices but I would imagine a mixture of, turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilli powder would work well, or go to an indian/sri lankan store and buy some roasted curry powder). Add salt and pepper as necessary. Get the sardines tasty (oh fantastically subjective recipe).
3. Add in the the potatoes and mash it altogether.
4. Seperate the yolk from the egg white.
5. Once the consistency of the potatoes/sardines is nice and gooey (should be still a bit dry), add the egg yolk and mix to create the internals of the cutlet. Should be nice and thick, pasty like.
6. If you cannot buy breadcrumbs, I suggest going over to Mike’s and using his blender, which is what he did to create whole wheat bread crumbs by blending toasted bread. Worked like a charm.
7. Roll the inside of the cutlet into a ball with your palms, dip in the egg white and then into the breadcrumbs. You may need to roll again to get a nice even texture of crumbs around the cutlet.
8. Repeat 7 until all cutlets are done.
9. Fire up a deep pan of oil or a deep fryer. Get the oil nice and hot. Dip the cutlets into the oil and fry until brown outside.
10. Eat. Or serve and let others eat. Or hide and just eat by yourself in a corner. Or hide the cutlets and eat the corner. Or corner the cutlets and cut the mustard.

If you follow the above and it works, please send me a picture. If the above does not work or creates a hazardous waste, please inform the authorities. If you produce the above and end up with something alcoholic, I suggest reporting yourself to the nearest religion and claim the ability to turn spice into wine. You will make a fortune.

I’ve spent the last day letting the results of the United States Presidential Election settle. For full disclosure, if you haven’t yet noticed, I’m a proud Canadian and I live in Montreal, Quebec. Why then has this election meant as much to me as it seems to have meant to those who it directly affects and who voted?

As I was coming home from my friend’s house last night after Barack Obama had given his acceptance speech and the pundits were poring over every last detail, I noticed that the bars on “The Main” in Montreal were spilling out with people. This was a Tuesday night after all and the Montreal Canadiens weren’t playing, which meant that most of these people had gathered together to watch these elections. No doubt, they too have been moved.

My friend the Towniebastard was glad the American people “didn’t fuck it up”.

To be honest though, we don’t know how Barack Obama will do as the leader of the world’s most powerful nation. So, in a year we may all be sitting around asking the question, “how did he screw up?”. I’m hoping that won’t be the case at all.

I’m not quite sure I understand my own feelings, but the election of Obama means more to me than just what he might do. It is much more about what he has already done and I think that makes me giddy with joy. These elections have been one of the most watched, televised, reported upon, vilified and generally media-filled in the history of mankind. More people around the world have probably heard of this election than any other since apes started walking on hind legs.  This is thanks to never before avenues of communication available to us from the Internet to mobile telephones.

This election may belong to the United States, but they were about us as a civilization. Here was a candidate who walked and talked the language of inclusion. Here was a candidate who was a different colour to the majority, whose race had been subjugated and had to fight hard for all the rights they achieved.

I am a coloured minority in my nation, I understand what it feels like to wonder the question, “if I were fit to lead would people see beyond what I am and see who I am?”.

But even more than that, it is the idea that at this juncture of the western civilization, we are talking about inclusion, we are talking about doing better, we are talking about what it means to be human, what it means to be part of this civilization and what it means to be part of this world. Instead of fighting about what we cannot do, this election was about what we could do, what a nation can become.

The idea of America is great. Its founding fathers were indeed inspired in the constitution. Great nations lead us to a greatness in humanity beyond the borders of those lands. Like in ancient times when great learning spread far and wide from single nations of learning. I wish for all nations to do great things. I wish for all peoples, even us here in Quebec who are about to go into mudslinging between Anglophones and Francophones to start thinking about what they could do together; to see beyond the differences rather than always accentuating the differences.

If a black man whose people were brought to a country as slaves could rise to be the leader of that country, then why must we bicker about small differences in what we eat, how we say things and where our parents came from? Instead we need to see what we can do, what great things we, the current caretakers for this beautiful world, can achieve together.

I hope that as Quebec goes to the polls in December that we look beyond how we can do things separately, and more towards how we can build a society together, how we can achieve greatness in our times and solve the crises that affect all of us. Let us learn from our southern neighbours and what they have achieved there. Let us practice the language of inclusion, opportunity and fraternity.

I’ve lived all over this great country now and as Obama has repeatedly said about the United States, we are not all that different. In fact the similarities far outweigh the differences.