Christ! I just got tear-gassed!!!

Oh man, welcome back to Ecuador. I'm not in this country for two hours and I get pelted with the tear gas.

I checked into the hotel and went up to an old favourite internet cafe to catch up with the world. When I get there the main street has no cars. There are cars everywhere in Latin America, so a street without them is a sign of trouble.

The municipal bus drivers went on strike, and the police responded with tear gas. I landed myself in the middle of this by complete accident. "Oh listen to that! Fireworks." Nope. Gas canisters.

Fortunately I didn't get in the direct line of fire, but the wind picked up the gas and sent it my way.

That stuff burns like you wouldn't imagine. Man. The guy next to me said, "cover your face, it will help." Sure enough I take my black hooded sweater and wrap it around my head. It did help a little, but not much, and then I looked more like a damn villian than a lost gringo. So at that point I hi-tail it before any billy clubs show up.

Good grief. What a welcome back to this country.