1. What is your first name: Marc-Anthony
2. What city are you from: Kassel
3. What country are you from: Germany
4. What do you do: Currently working for the German-Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce as an intern.
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Argentina because I think it would be one of the best places on earth to see.  They have everything; food, culture, wine and the Tango!
6. What’s your dream and why: To travel more around the world and find that sweet spot.  Maybe set up a hostel and language school there as well.

FOGG Notes: I seen Marc on the street a couple nights ago drinking a beer.  He attended the same Spanish school I did so I stopped and said hi.  Had my camera with me and was needing a few more people shots for the week, so asked if he would mind doing a few shots.  It was getting dark and found it hard to get a vertical picture of him that was correct (sorry man).  He’s been here now in Ecuador for about 2 months and will be here another 6 months working.  He said he’d like to maybe get a full time position for another year as he really likes the cheap food/beers and the women are lovely.  His building got robbed last week but his apartment was the only one that the thieves didn’t break into.  As Lucy says “This is Ecuador!”

1. What is your first name: Pablo
2. What city are you from: Quito
3. What country are you from: Ecuador
4. What do you do: I have a horse farm now for 4 years and am also a chef.
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Australia because I’ve been to many countries already but not there yet.  I also have friends there and they all say it’s worth seeing.
6. What’s your dream and why: I’d like to to be in an international horse riding competition some day because I love horses.

FOGG Notes: As soon as I saw Pablo and his two huge Great Danes, Anette 10 months old and Astrid 7 months old, I knew I had to get his picture.  I have often said to myself that if you walk around Ecuador with a huge dog no one is going to mess with you.  There are areas in Quito, Ecuador that aren’t good to be walking around alone, esp. at night, but I think Pablo would have no problem going for a stroll at 11 o’clock for a latte with his two pups (after all they’re not even a year old and look at how big they are!).  He said they eat about 90lbs of food per month, which = 1 Ecuadorian chica!

1. What is your first name: Sofia
2. What city are you from: Quito
3. What country are you from: Ecuador
4. What do you do: Grocery store owner called Big Market
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Paris, France because it’s so romantic and beautiful.
6. What’s your dream and why: Paragliding over Quito (with an instructor of course).

FOGG Notes: Sofia runs Big Market across from the street where I live.  I love her store because when I need a little something that I don’t have I can always run across and get it.  No one speaks much English there but they always welcome me with a smile and help me find whatever I’m looking for, after I do my bad Spanish and Charades.  I know with confidence that I never get over charged there just for being a gringo and on a personal-side-note Surty Mart sucks compared to them (it’s a competing store right next to Big Market and the lady who owns it is the only real mean and hateful person I have met while in Ecuador.  I thought it was just me or that she hated gringos but Lucy said she’s just mean to everyone.)

1. What is your first name: Daniel
2. What city are you from: Bristol
3. What country are you from: England
4. What do you do: A nurse by trade but at the moment a traveling violinist.
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Antarctica because I love to travel, meet new people and it would be a major challenge.  I’d sail from the tip of Argentina to Antarctica and hope it would a great adventure.  Plus the fact that I have never been there before makes it all the better.
6. What’s your dream and why: I’m living my dream now!  I’ve been traveling the world for the last 4 months playing my violin on the street for money.  What could be better then that?

FOGG Notes: Every once in a while you run into someone that really inspires you…Dan is the optimum of that.  He wanted to travel for the first time and decided to take off, working for money on the streets playing his violin.  I asked him what he makes on a good day and what was the largest tip he ever has gotten while playing.  ”On a good day I can make almost $15 USD and the largest tip I ever gotten was from a guy who gave me $5 USD.  It was a great day that day!”

After hearing what he was doing I asked a few more questions, because this wasn’t your average street person run in.  He has been to over 13 countries in the last year, starting in Europe and the UK, then Central America and now South America.  He self taught himself Spanish (way better then I, thats for sure) and Lucy said it was actually quite good.  I asked him what was the scariest moment so far on his trip and he went on to tell me about him jumping on a old wooden sail boat from Europe to the America’s.  1/2 through the Atlantic the masks to one of the sails broke (would be like the motor blowing up on a yacht).  They were able to limp it into the Caribbean but it made for a long ride.  I thought maybe he would have said he got robbed in Panama or something but to my surprise he stated that he hasn’t had any problems on the streets at all.  He just goes out everyday, plays for a while for tips and enjoys the rest of his time seeing new things.  What a life huh!!!

Well I was so inspired by this guy and not wanting to be out tipped I gave him $6 for the interview and wished him good luck.  Dan if your back in Quito sometime shoot us a comment below and let us know.  We’d love to buy you dinner, a few beers and hear more of your travel stories.  Dan is going to Banos this week to try his luck up there.  If you see him playing be sure to give him a dollar…he plays some sweet tunes on that violin.  Dan can you play “Devil Went Down to George” at all???

1. What is your first name: Dany
2. What city are you from: Montevideo
3. What country are you from: Uruguay
4. What do you do: Juggling and puppet shows
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: South Africa because the people are different and the culture is great.
6. What’s your dream and why: To have a huge circus and be in it.

FOGG Notes: Dany has been in Ecuador for about 3 months now.  We saw him juggling 3 bowling pins and a ball on the street in the Fosch area of Quito.  I asked him what’s the most he can juggle at one time and he said 5 bowling pins…talent, skill and admiration are all words that come to mind while seeing him.

One of the best things about traveling is trying new things.  I started a little folder a few months back of beers I have tried in different countries.  Sorry to say I didn’t get all them on film but I have been able to enjoy many beers on long nights.  When I do travel I try not to drink my favorite beer (Budweiser) because I can always get that at home.  Instead I always try to order a local brew to experience something new, because after all that’s what traveling is all about, right?

Without a doubt I have to say Germany has the best beers (that’s a no brainer) but have been surprised with beers from Costa Rica, Ecuador, Singapore, plus many more. To be honest, in the last year I can’t recall getting any real bad beers.  Probably the worse beer I had last was in Egypt.  That might have been more because they serve their beer hotter then a July summer but over-all going to a new country and having a local brew tops the list for me at times.

Below are a few pictures of beers I have sampled so far.  This post will be a work-in-progress…

Forget Obligation Go Global…it’s my odyssey!

Beer Chang, Thailand

Tiger Beer from Singapore

Hayward's 5000 Beer from India

San Miguel Beer from the Philippines

Pilsener Beer from Ecuador

1. What is your first name: Maximo (aka: Killer)
2. What city are you from: Quito
3. What country are you from:  Ecuador
4. What do you do: Work as a security guard dog for a business in the Fosch area.
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: To go to the bread store and eat as much bread as I could.
6. What’s your dream and why: To open my own bread store in Quito, providing all K9′s with the opportunity to be able to eat awesome bread like me.

FOGG Notes: Killer is no ordinary dog.  A rottweiler is a mean looking dog but Killer is 2x the size of most.  He looks mean as hell and at any moment would like nothing more then to bite your head off if you mess around in his store.  That being said, he was actually quit approachable and after having his boss translate for us we found him to be very interesting indeed.  The fact that this beast wanted to go vegan surprised us all and he even shook our hands at the end of the interview.

1. What is your first name: Miguel
2. What city are you from: Quito
3. What country are you from: Ecuador
4. What do you do: A cook
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Argentina, because they have great restaurants there and he would like to see them because they are famous for their steaks.
6. What’s your dream and why: To open a restaurant in Argentina.

FOGG Notes: There was actually two of these guys who where working at the same restaurant.  They were a little shy at first about having there picture taken but once I asked their boss if it was okay for them to take a few minutes off, they warmed up.  Of the two, the one pictured was the best photos I got but both were equally open about wanting to move to Argentina and start there own fine dinning restaurant.

1. What is your first name: Dr. Guido Aldas
2. What city are you from: Quito
3. What country are you from: Ecuador
4. What do you do: Dentist for 26 years
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Paris, France; because he wants to see the art, architecture and culture.
6. What’s your dream and why: To travel around the world by boat (but plane would be more practical he said)

FOGG Notes: I actually had some dental work done by him yesterday.  I was a little leery on trying medical facilities (esp dental) in a foreign country) but Lucy said they were good there but expensive.  I knew I had a couple cavities that needed worked on and who knew what else.  So when I went for my appointment I asked 3 questions:

1. What do I need done?
2. How much will it cost?
3. Do you use the novocain generously?

He said I needed 4 teeth worked on (been traveling too much, as it’s been 4 years since my last dentist visit) and that the total cost would be…get this: $100 TOTAL!  I about laughed when he said this and looked at Lucy and said “I thought you said they were expensive?”  She said they were for Ecuador but I’m not complaining because he did awesome work and didn’t feel a thing.  The worse pain I had was when he was cleaning my teeth with the water pick (hate that thing).   If you need any dental work at all while in Ecuador, I would highly recommend!

• Dental Metropoil
• Av. Gaspar de Villarroel E12-104
• 2241-894

1. What is your first name: Hector
2. What city are you from: Quito
3. What country are you from: Ecuador
4. What do you do: Sells paintings on the streets and has a store
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Don’t recall (sorry)
6. What’s your dream and why: He wanted everyone human being to know Christ and be saved

FOGG Notes: This guy was very welcoming on letting me take his photo…but I think he was a little over the top with his speech (and yes it was a speech).  I got an ear full for 10 min about how the whole universe is domed and everyone is going to hell.  He was very out spoken, not shy to express his views and had some great paintings that he was selling.  Nice guy and if I ever decide to buy some art I know where to go.