Just tell us about the last time you traveled out of the country (whatever country that may be) and tell us some things that you remember.
I'll start. Okay, first of all, I'm not much of a traveler. It's expensive, and I like to stay where I'm comfortable usually.
Anyway...
I just came back from Ecuador. I was there for about a week with my mom. We visited my uncle in Quito. I didn't really want to go to be honest, but since my dad recently had a surgery for cancer, and my mom needs a little help to get around sometimes, my parents asked if I would. They paid for the trip, and it wasn't that bad over all, so I'm glad I went.
Things I'll remember about the trip:
All of the street vendors and performers at different intersections. For sale, there were
-soccer balls
-fruit
-phone cards (used with cell phones)
-DVDs (Happy Feet copies were going for 80 cents)
-Christmas decorations
At one intersection, there was this man with no legs below the knees who was going around car by car asking for money.
At another intersection, there was this little boy (about 4 years old) doing cartwheels at the red light. He would then go around asking for handouts.
The horrible traffic and roads. Lights don't mean very much at all, and pedestrians do not have the right of way EVER. Many roads in the city are paved, but as you get to the outskirts, some are cobblestone, and some are just plain dirt. There were so many cars and taxis, and hardly any lane markings. On one main thoroughfare, which was going up a mountain, between your car and the mountainside there was a two-foot wide, four-foot deep ditch, and it wasn't a ditch like you're thinking either. The side of the road just stops, then drops straight down four feet. No guard rail. We drove up that road at night, in the rain, in my uncle's beat up pick up that stalls. I prayed quite a bit on that trip.
Video game stuff -
At one little electronics store the Slim PS2 went for $230. It included a controller and a chip to play "real" games and copies. They didn't carry any original games though.
Games - at one store PS1 and PS2 bootleg games were $1.00! "Real" PS2 games were $1.50. The only difference I could tell between the "Real" PS2 games and the copies was that the "real" ones were in fatter DVD cases. They were clearly just copies too. One place, kind of like a Best Buy I guess (called Compuland, I believe) had some original (really real) X-Box games for sale. One was faded by the sun and went for $67.
I didn't buy any of those, but it was interesting to see how rampant pirating is. I mean, you could find any DVD for sale for 1.00 or 1.50! I don't know where one would go to buy the originals. Oh brother! That was something.
Visiting my mom's (and uncle's) missionary friends . It was such an encouragement to be around Christian people who, in the midst off all of the hustle and bustle of life in Quito (not to mention poverty), just laugh and enjoy life, trusting that God will provide for their needs. It was a real reminder of how far I've strayed from my relationship to God lately and how much I take for granted.
Alright, well, as you can see, the trip is still fresh on my mind.
Well, have you gone to any other country? Where? How long were you there? What do you remember about your trip?
I'll start. Okay, first of all, I'm not much of a traveler. It's expensive, and I like to stay where I'm comfortable usually.
Anyway...
I just came back from Ecuador. I was there for about a week with my mom. We visited my uncle in Quito. I didn't really want to go to be honest, but since my dad recently had a surgery for cancer, and my mom needs a little help to get around sometimes, my parents asked if I would. They paid for the trip, and it wasn't that bad over all, so I'm glad I went.
Things I'll remember about the trip:
All of the street vendors and performers at different intersections. For sale, there were
-soccer balls
-fruit
-phone cards (used with cell phones)
-DVDs (Happy Feet copies were going for 80 cents)
-Christmas decorations
At one intersection, there was this man with no legs below the knees who was going around car by car asking for money.
At another intersection, there was this little boy (about 4 years old) doing cartwheels at the red light. He would then go around asking for handouts.
The horrible traffic and roads. Lights don't mean very much at all, and pedestrians do not have the right of way EVER. Many roads in the city are paved, but as you get to the outskirts, some are cobblestone, and some are just plain dirt. There were so many cars and taxis, and hardly any lane markings. On one main thoroughfare, which was going up a mountain, between your car and the mountainside there was a two-foot wide, four-foot deep ditch, and it wasn't a ditch like you're thinking either. The side of the road just stops, then drops straight down four feet. No guard rail. We drove up that road at night, in the rain, in my uncle's beat up pick up that stalls. I prayed quite a bit on that trip.
Video game stuff -
At one little electronics store the Slim PS2 went for $230. It included a controller and a chip to play "real" games and copies. They didn't carry any original games though.
Games - at one store PS1 and PS2 bootleg games were $1.00! "Real" PS2 games were $1.50. The only difference I could tell between the "Real" PS2 games and the copies was that the "real" ones were in fatter DVD cases. They were clearly just copies too. One place, kind of like a Best Buy I guess (called Compuland, I believe) had some original (really real) X-Box games for sale. One was faded by the sun and went for $67.
I didn't buy any of those, but it was interesting to see how rampant pirating is. I mean, you could find any DVD for sale for 1.00 or 1.50! I don't know where one would go to buy the originals. Oh brother! That was something.
Visiting my mom's (and uncle's) missionary friends . It was such an encouragement to be around Christian people who, in the midst off all of the hustle and bustle of life in Quito (not to mention poverty), just laugh and enjoy life, trusting that God will provide for their needs. It was a real reminder of how far I've strayed from my relationship to God lately and how much I take for granted.
Alright, well, as you can see, the trip is still fresh on my mind.
Well, have you gone to any other country? Where? How long were you there? What do you remember about your trip?
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