This was quite a lesson for me. Little did I know that ma.gnolia was run by just one guy off a couple of Mac Mini servers in some basement. He didn’t even keep a backup. These days, when more and more services move into “the cloud”, we must be careful who to trust with our data. On the one hand, they must keep our data secure and not give it away to others. On the other hand, they must also ensure some sort of adequate backup. And if the services you use don’t provide a secure and stable backup, then you have to do it yourself.

Lesson learned.

I just put together a little map showing our trip:
View Larger Map

It’s at the very limit of what Google Maps can manage but it does give you an idea of what we’ve seen while traveling 6,500km (about 4,000mi) around Europe. Absolutely recommended.

So, if you’re bored and dying to find out what I waste my time on, head on over to my blogroll. The list is automatically updated as I add and remove subscriptions in Google Reader.

While this cannot be a full review, I do have one thing to say: what really sets iPhone apart is all the small details they got right. That the music stops playing when you pull out the earphones; that you can answer a call while listening to music with the touch of a single button; that the screen automatically rotates when you turn your phone; that the keyboard automatically corrects you; and not least the huge hype that Apple has managed to arouse — as that means lots of amazing applications and optimized websites. But more on that later, now it’s back to playing.

Before I came to Ecuador, I had never been above 4,000m (~13,000 ft) of altitude. Back in Mexico, I was dreaming about climbing Iztaccihuatl (5,230m / 17,158 ft) — but that didn’t work out. Between traveling, studying and partying, there was just not enough time for acclimatization or training. Over here in Ecuador, though, high altitude is defined differently than in other parts of the world. Sitting at 2,800m (~9,200ft), Quito is the second-highest capital in the world. Being above 4,000m (~13,000 ft) is nothing — a number of important streets actually reach this altitude. Living in Quito, you are so well-acclimatized that being above 5,000m (~16,000 ft) hardly makes you breathless.

Ecuador also bears some real challenges, though: the country’s nevados are so high that they are glacier-covered in spite of their proximity to the equator. Ecuador’s highest mountain — Volcán Chimborazo — is 6,267m (20,560 ft) high. While we haven’t actually made it onto that icy monster yet, we did climb Ecuador’s second- and third-highest mountains: Volcán Cotopaxi (5,897m / 19,347 ft) and Volcán Cayambe (5,790m / 18,996 ft). Climbing one of these mountains is quite an experience: you get to a climbers’ refuge a day before the climb. There, you spend a restless nap in your sleeping bag waiting for midnight to come around, when you start climbing while the snow is hard from the night’s cold. You spend the rest of the night climbing, waiting for the sunrise on or near the summit. The views are absolutely unforgettable!

Similarly unforgettable, however, is the torture you have to go through to get to the top (or well, maybe not everybody — but I did). Above a certain altitude, your body simply starts shutting down (that’s about 5,500m for me). Taking even one more step seems a close-to-impossible task. I literally had to drag my ass up that mountain half the night, using up every last bit of energy I could summon. But, boy, was it worth it!

See more photos.

CENIT depends on donations to continue to support Quito’s working children! If you can afford it at all, even the smallest amount, please consider giving a donation to this great organization. This is one project we should definitely support! Don’t forget that even small amounts of money can go a long way in Ecuador. Check out how far your money goes! Learn how to donate.

Thank you!

Anyhow, I won’t complain — this also saves me from the usual pre-Christmas panic. Merry Christmas, to the all of you!

In the last couple of weeks I have mainly been teaching the sixth graders. You wouldn’t believe what challenges this involves… I have had to learn how to calculate square roots of five-digit numbers without a calculator; for this, I had to get back up to speed on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division — all without a calculator; I had to explain the movement of the earth in the solar system — movimiento de traslación, rotación y inclinación; I have had to explain the parts of the leave, in Spanish; and much more. It’s fun and it makes you realize just how much one actually learned in school — and then usually forgot.

What really gets you, though, in these first days in Quito is the altitude: at more than 2,800m (~9,200 feet) this place can leave you truly breathless. You really have to go easy, especially with the alcohol (ever had a beer in a plane? that’s how it feels!). It is fun, though, in a way and will surely help me stay fit, as I have to climb that crazy number of stairs leading up to our appartment every day.