Sept 1st Quito--only 2 days here

1 Sept 2009
Outside someone is playing local flute, sounds a bit like a tin whistle, a simple tune, this I the first time I heard it, what I usually hear is the devil’s music from the nearby gym which opens at 0600. At the moment I am sitting in bed at 10 pm typing on Kathleen Mary Hall’s PC. She &other volunteers have gone to Mariscal Sucre, otherwise known as gringolandia, to dance and drink the night away.
Mariscal is part of the newtown in the north of Quito, where all the gringos and gringo companies flock because they need the trappings of modernity. Just below it is oldtown which has the trappings of the Spanish heritage , the government, the churches. Above it all La Virgen reigns down her blessings from the hill known as El Panecillo (the little bread loaf). From the south of El Panecillo all we can see is Virgen’s behind and the south has all the trappings a developing country,(suspend all standards ye who enter here) unregulated building, horrendous footpaths, buses billowing black smoke giving world class pollution, street traders in traditional/quasi traditional costume mostly selling food designed to gives the gringos the galloping bog rots, umpteen phone shops and lots of security personnel.
The family with whom I am staying is a loving, interested, educated family. Rosi, Roberto & two sons. Rosi provides a cooked breakfast, and a very big lunch and in the evening a light supper of coffee/tea/juice and some form of bread, perhaps with fruit. Rosi & Roberto work very hard, they manufacture electric showerheads with an inbuilt water heater on the premises. The manufacturing process includes using molten aluminum poured into moulds. This part of the operation takes place beside the washing machine and involves a barrel, some sand, a gas cylinder, a match, temperatures of 700 degrees, jeans, trainers and a tee shirt. Repeat (suspend all standards etc) The internal electrical parts are assembled in the living room by Rosi, further unseen manufacturing operations take place upstairs in Pilar’s living quarters with Pilar’s help. Pilar is Roberto’s sister. The word sister here may mean step sister because of distinctly different the skin tones. Pilar’s other job is selling jugo (real fruit juice) in the mornings in the local park. The living accommodation has other unique features for example the shower can provide hot water from a locally manufactured showerhead and strangely the power source is external as the wiring comes in through the window. The manner in which it is connected to the showerhead …… suspend all etc. I have not figured out the topography of the building yet
Oh my god , the buses----. There is an electric trolly-bus system which seems very organized running on dedicated roads, haven’t had the pleasure yet. The other buses----no numbering system—you must read the multiple destinations pasted to the windscreen. However to help you a gentleman hangs out the door and shouts at persons on the footpath the destinations of the bus. This is a necessary part of the process since there are no bus stops, and so you hail and board the bus at any point on its route and similarly you may alight wherever you wish. Gringos do find the system a tad trying, but at 25cents a trip what complaints can a gringo have? (Yes the word gringo is used quite a lot)
The weather--- nothing too remarkable except for the potential for sunburn/sunstroke. We are on the equator up at 2850 metres and have clear skies from early morning, so far it clouds up a bid in the pm and is somewhat chilly in the evening. I need a hat & a high factor sunblock.
The mountains yes pretty high , particularly to the east and on day I got a glimpse of a snow-capped volcano to the north.
The projects—next installment