Lucy Rose's South American Adventure: Quito, Ecuador

I had mixed emotions, I was starting this mad journey with no idea who I was meeting, where I’d be staying and what gigs I’d be playing. I was excited but of course I was nervous. During all the planning, I never wanted to admit this but the butterflies were and still are very much there. I’ve never done anything like this in my life but I’m pushing myself to be brave, see more of the world and meet people that will hopefully teach me something about myself.

The first leg of the journey was a flight to Madrid, where we stayed a night in a hostel - the only accommodation that I’ve paid for over the next two months. The next morning we flew to Quito which is approximately 2400 metres above sea level. From my first nights experience, that's enough to make you lose your appetite, feel very breathles, nauseous and unable to sleep. I anxiously waited for my bags and that moment when I would walk through the doors into the main airport and see Sara. Sara contacted me back in September, asking me to come to Quito. She's the only person I’ve ever met before who is part of this journey.

Sara came to my Berlin show in October while she was studying there, knocked on my dressing room door and told me all the reasons why I should come and play music in her home country. It felt impossible to say no. I’m so glad I said yes. There she was waiting for us, smiling, both of us as excited as each other. I’m not sure who it was more surreal for. I spent the next six days living with Sara and her family: her daughter and her mother. They showed us all the sights, we had come during an important time: it was Holy Week and people were celebrating everywhere. The “Great Almighty Jesus Procession” on Holy Day was more than impressive, seeing the hundreds of Cucuruchos dressed in purple hooded outfits walk around the town for three hours in intense heat.

Another day we drove two hours to Otalavo, a town of indigenous native americans which was so beautiful. We spent the morning walking around the market, had lunch in a local restaurant and spent the afternoon at Laguna Cuicocha which is a crater lake at the foot of Cotacachi Volcano.

Sara also drove us three hours on our last day to Baños to see an active volcano called Tungurahua. As some of you know, my plan B if music didn’t work out was to study geography at UCL where I deferred my place for as long as I could - so this really was a dream come true. To stand so close to a volcano which could erupt at any moment was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. At the very moment that the photo below was taken, we heard extremely loud bangs/pops which we soon realised was coming from the volcano and as I turned around I saw red lava flowing down the sides, a moment in my life I’ll never forget.

Not only did Sara show us around her beautiful country - which she is so proud of - she also booked me two gigs during my stay. The first of which was at Club Liv where I learnt a lot about the ‘party’ side of Quito. There was only a small crowd of 30-40 people but all I could see knew all the words to my songs. How on earth do these people know my music? It was more than surreal. The following evening I had my second show at Z Lifestyle Gallery which was putting the show on in their garden. It was probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever played a gig. The garden overlooked the whole of Quito, lights glistening everywhere and little camp fires around the audience which was so much bigger than I ever expected and completely silent. During my show there was an artist painting on a canvas my journey around South America and other artist had written a quote from my first article on one of the gallery’s walls.

You could tell the gallery was a real hub of creative activity, supporting mainly local artists in not just painting, but music, hat-making and chocolate-making. After the gig I met many who had come to see me play. Some had flown from other cities in Ecuador and it emphasised how important it was that I had come to play in this beautiful place. The biggest cheer of the night came after I said that I was going to go home and tell all my musician friends in the UK that they had to come to Quito and play music. People here really want the music scene to change and grow so more international artists can come and play music.

Most importantly, this crazy idea worked: a fan whom was a complete stranger booked me two great gigs, where anyone could come and see me play, invited into her home and took great care of me and Will. I’m not a hugely emotional person, I try to keep it all tucked away but saying goodbye to Sara and her daughter Julia at the airport really upset me. These wonderful people had gone above and beyond to make sure Will and I had an incredible time in Quito, not just by showing us round but they welcomed us into their home with open arms. I helped with Julia’s homework, fed the cats, spent every hour of each day with this family and I truly felt part of their beautiful family.

It was awful to have to say goodbye to people I had begun to care so much about, not knowing if I would ever see them again. But I know I will return here and play more shows as the years go on. This definitely won’t be my last tour around South America.