Our last day began with broken hearts. We were visiting a local orphanage, and we quickly became attached to a little girl and her brother. The little girl was four, but very small, and her brother was two. They were the most adorable toddlers that any of us had ever seen, and we all just wanted to take them home with us. Most of the children that were living there have been taken from their parents, because of abuse. They all need, and deserve good homes. Oh, and another piece of advice, if you're not planning on adopting, do not go to an orphanage; it will rip your heart out. The kids we met absolutely adored Tanner, and I could tell that it killed him that he could not take them home. The little girl kept asking him if he would come back and see her tomorrow, and the little boy ran after him when he tried to leave. Talk about ripping your heart out. I'm trying to tell my parents that we need to go back and adopt that little girl, but I'm not sure I'm getting anywhere with that argument.
The rest of the day was just a blur, as all my thoughts drifted back to those little faces that we left behind. Unfortunately for Tanner, his adventures for the day were not over. He had gone to pick up his phone, and was going to meet us at a restaurant for lunch. However, his taxi driver failed to locate the restaurant, and decided to drop him off at the edge of the city, alone. Therefore, after rightfully refusing to pay the driver, Tanner was forced to walk through an alley, alone, in the streets of Ecuador, as an American, to find another cab that would take him back to our hotel. Scary much? I think so.
Later that night, we flew to Quito; the first flight of many. The driver that took us to our hotel in Quito was a little sketchy, and obviously did not know how to, or simply did not want to, order us a plain cheese pizza. As a result, to our surprise, we ended up paying $30 for a deluxe, meat lover's pizza instead; awesome.
As we were making our way to our hotel, we noticed an uncharacteristically high amount of military presence. We later learned that it was the result of the arrival of the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He was there meeting with the Ecuadorian President, and exploring their uranium mines. Problem? Perhaps.
The next day, yesterday, began at 3 am, something that had become all too familiar to us. Soon enough, we found ourselves in Panama, and had to come up with ways to entertain ourselves while we sat there for 6 hours. As it turns out, there is not a whole lot to do in the Panama airport, who knew? Then we finally made it to Houston; America! Finally! It was nice to be able to speak English to people, and to see a Starbuck's :) Our arrival in Indianapolis was a bit of a climate shock, if nothing else. That day, we had gone from 70's in Ecuador, to 90's in Panama, to I don't know what in Houston, and then finally to 19 degrees and dropping in Indy, nice. Thanks for the WARM welcome, Indiana; not.
Pictures will be uploaded soon! Stay tuned!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Miscommunication, taxi rides, and silver
Well, apparently we received some bad information regarding the youth group at Verbo Church. We were told it was yesterday, but when we arrived, we discovered that it was actually a church-wide service, that would be entirely in Spanish. Since there was really only one of us that would be able to understand what was being said, we elected instead to head over to a friend's house a little early, because we were planning on going there later anyway. Our friend came and picked us up, but the car had one less seat than we had people. Ergo, Sasha ended up sitting on my lap; we had concluded that that would be the least awkward situation. On the way to the church earlier, we were put in the same situation in our taxi, except I was sitting on Sasha. There is no possible way to make that comfortable, no matter how hard you try.
Once we arrived at our destination, we enjoyed a few hours of conversation, as well as re-living our memories from the last week. Our hostess, after being surprised on account of our early arrival, quickly whipped up a delicious meal for us, followed by some tea/coffee. There were key limes served with the tea, and a couple geniuses in our group decided to eat the limes, even after we were told they were extremely bitter. I don't understand guys.....or Sasha.
Wednesday morning, Hudson, Sasha, me, Mrs. Brumbarger, and our new friends, Marco and Maria, headed off toward Chordeleg (aka the city known for it's work with silver). On the way there, we came across the house of a woman who was in the process of making scarves, shawls, etc. How long do you think it takes her to make one of those? Well, that depends on the size of it. First, she has to turn the wool into thread, and dye it if she wishes. Then, she has to tie knots in the thread, and dye it again, in order to create the pattern. To create the dye, she boils walnuts, bean pods, flowers, moss, and a bunch of other things, depending on the color she wants. Once she has all of this done, she is finally ready to weave it into a scarf or a shawl. That part alone takes at least a day or two, non-stop, if she's lucky. After she finishes that, she must tie the ends of the scarf, as to add more detail, and keep it from unravelling. This, again, takes at least another full day. Now, if she decides to add any embroidery, it can take as much as three months to get it finished.
Now, compare that to the States, where everything is done with a machine, and they can make one in less than five minutes. Which would you rather have? The one that everyone else in the world has, or that unique and special one that was made personally for you? I know which I would rather have.
After that, we continued on to Chordeleg, where we spent hours looking at the silverwork. In most of the shops, the people were literally manipulating and working the silver in the back of their shops while we were there. You never see that in the States, and there is a huge difference in quality, also. It goes without saying that I of course made a purchase; I mean, how can you not? (Pictures to come!) I could have spent hours there, but, unfortunately, we had to head back to the hotel for some lunch, where we met up with Tanner.
That afternoon, we went back to the local supermarket to buy any last minute things we would need, then we headed over to the Verbo Church for a birthday party. Sam, a consultant working with Mr. Brumbarger, was celebrating his 19th birthday. The party was supposed to begin at 5, and it was Tanner's job to get Sam there. Of course, they did not arrive until almost 6. That's what happens when there is not a woman involved in the process.
Not long after the party, we headed to our friends' house for some pizza. We all made sure to instruct Hudson to go light on the pizza, as to avoid a repeat of the last week's disaster. Little did we know, our night would also consist of a Jenga tournament, and Youtube surfing. We have met the kindest, most hilarious Equadorian friends that we could ever ask for.
During our car ride back to the hotel, in which we had to fit four people in a seat that was not meant for more than three, Tanner discovered that he had left his phone on the table at our friends' house; classic.
Only one more day in Ecuador! It's sad. Sasha and Hudson are coming down with colds, so please pray that they will make a speedy recovery before we have to get on the planes!
Once we arrived at our destination, we enjoyed a few hours of conversation, as well as re-living our memories from the last week. Our hostess, after being surprised on account of our early arrival, quickly whipped up a delicious meal for us, followed by some tea/coffee. There were key limes served with the tea, and a couple geniuses in our group decided to eat the limes, even after we were told they were extremely bitter. I don't understand guys.....or Sasha.
Wednesday morning, Hudson, Sasha, me, Mrs. Brumbarger, and our new friends, Marco and Maria, headed off toward Chordeleg (aka the city known for it's work with silver). On the way there, we came across the house of a woman who was in the process of making scarves, shawls, etc. How long do you think it takes her to make one of those? Well, that depends on the size of it. First, she has to turn the wool into thread, and dye it if she wishes. Then, she has to tie knots in the thread, and dye it again, in order to create the pattern. To create the dye, she boils walnuts, bean pods, flowers, moss, and a bunch of other things, depending on the color she wants. Once she has all of this done, she is finally ready to weave it into a scarf or a shawl. That part alone takes at least a day or two, non-stop, if she's lucky. After she finishes that, she must tie the ends of the scarf, as to add more detail, and keep it from unravelling. This, again, takes at least another full day. Now, if she decides to add any embroidery, it can take as much as three months to get it finished.
Now, compare that to the States, where everything is done with a machine, and they can make one in less than five minutes. Which would you rather have? The one that everyone else in the world has, or that unique and special one that was made personally for you? I know which I would rather have.
After that, we continued on to Chordeleg, where we spent hours looking at the silverwork. In most of the shops, the people were literally manipulating and working the silver in the back of their shops while we were there. You never see that in the States, and there is a huge difference in quality, also. It goes without saying that I of course made a purchase; I mean, how can you not? (Pictures to come!) I could have spent hours there, but, unfortunately, we had to head back to the hotel for some lunch, where we met up with Tanner.
That afternoon, we went back to the local supermarket to buy any last minute things we would need, then we headed over to the Verbo Church for a birthday party. Sam, a consultant working with Mr. Brumbarger, was celebrating his 19th birthday. The party was supposed to begin at 5, and it was Tanner's job to get Sam there. Of course, they did not arrive until almost 6. That's what happens when there is not a woman involved in the process.
Not long after the party, we headed to our friends' house for some pizza. We all made sure to instruct Hudson to go light on the pizza, as to avoid a repeat of the last week's disaster. Little did we know, our night would also consist of a Jenga tournament, and Youtube surfing. We have met the kindest, most hilarious Equadorian friends that we could ever ask for.
During our car ride back to the hotel, in which we had to fit four people in a seat that was not meant for more than three, Tanner discovered that he had left his phone on the table at our friends' house; classic.
Only one more day in Ecuador! It's sad. Sasha and Hudson are coming down with colds, so please pray that they will make a speedy recovery before we have to get on the planes!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Back in Cuenca
Sunday morning, bright and early, we travelled the 3 hours to Manchala. It was quite a scenic drive, as some of the mountains were luscious and tree-covered, just as all the other mountains we had seen earlier in the week. However, there were also those that appeared to be a bit dehydrated. We were informed that it was the result of a rain shadow. When clouds try to go over the mountains, sometimes they are too heavy, and have to release some of their water, which is why the Andes are usually quite luscious. However, once the clouds are light enough to get over the mountains, they have released almost all of their water. Therefore, they have no more water to release on the other side/section of the mountains, which is why you can go from covered in trees, to covered in dust. Nonetheless, all the mountains are gorgeous.
Once in Manchala, we headed out into the Gulf in our cute, little boat, that thankfully had a cover over it. Still, we had to wear hats and plenty of sunscreen during our boat ride, because the Ultra Violet rays from the sun were so strong there, that they could penetrate the cover that was over us. Remember, we were literally on the Equator, at sea level; it doesn't get much hotter than that. On our boat ride, we rode past a little island that we were informed was the place where all the seagulls make their nests. We also rode past Dead Man's Branch, where it is said, if you stay there long enough, you can hear voices. Kinda creepy, right? We also rode past several groups of fishermen, trying to earn a living. Can you imagine, as a teenager, spending your weekends sitting out on the hot Gulf, for hours at a time? I don't know about you, but I would much rather be sitting in air conditioning, and watching a movie, but a lot of people around the world don't have that choice, if they want to be able to eat.
Our first stop on our boat tour, was a beach. Our original plan was to do some swimming on that beach, but, due to all the recent rain in Manchala, tons and tons of trash had been washed up onto the beach, so we elected not to swim in the plastic bottles. We did walk around a little bit, and discovered dozens of tiny crabs. They were so cute! However, they were much more on the cautious side, to say the least. We could not get within a couple feet of them, and not scare them off. We also saw four different types of Mangrove trees; red, white, black, and another one that I can't remember the name of. After our boating adventure, we headed back to the city, and enjoyed a meal of fried corvina (which is the best fish on the planet).
On our way back to Cuenca that afternoon, we were caught in the aftermath of a banana truck that had busted an axle, or something like that. We had to try and get our bus around the banana truck, with only about 5 feet of road space. Thankfully, our driver, Kleber, is amazing! We all applauded when he got us through. Once back in Cuenca, we enjoyed a luxury that all of us missed from the U.S.; Papa John's pizza! It was good too! Then it was scanning the channels for anything in English, and off to bed.
Yesterday was our chill day. We all slept in, and hung out around the hotel in the morning. After lunch, we went on an excursion to a nearby museum, where we were able to explore some ancient Mayan ruins. Among the things we saw were the barracks of some of the Mayan soldiers, a house that was reserved for only the finest women, that were specifically chosen to be allowed to live there, and then there was a tomb. One of the things we learned was that Sasha gets cell service in a tomb to the Underworld. That's not something you hear everyday. Then we wandered around the local supermarket, where we purchased some essentials that we would need for the rest of the week, as well as some SUGAR!!!! We were also finally able to find some peanut butter! Yes! That, along with some bread, was our dinner last night. Then it was rummy and a little English television, then bed.
This morning, we all went in separate directions. Mr. Brumbarger went off doing all of his work stuff, Tanner was hanging with some fellow American friends, and the rest of us, together with our new friend Maria walked through the city of Cuenca. Our first stop was a museum. One of the displays was composed entirely of Nativity Scenes from all over the world. Some of the materials used were wax, oxen horns, grass, silver, marble, wood, glass, and gourds. It is spectacular to see different countrys' interpretations of the Nativity Scene. After eating some delicious "pan de yuca" which is a type of bread that is made from a local vegetable called yuca, we headed off to a Panama Hat factory. That is really ironic, because all those hats are made in Ecuador, not in Panama, but oh well. We all left that place with hats on our heads, and don't worry, we totally paid for them. Then it was back to the hotel for lunch. We still don't know what exactly we ate, or how much it costed, but it was wonderful, so it doesn't really matter.
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| This is the hat Hudson SHOULD have gotten. I think it's his color. |
Our next adventure was our trip to a few local malls. Surprisingly, they are very, very similar to the malls we are used to in America. Sasha and I discovered happiness in that mall; chocolate-covered strawberries! Oh my gosh they were absolutely delicious! Like happiness on a stick. Anyway, after we got our fill of the malls, it was back to the hotel once again, to meet up with the rest of our group. Tonight, we are going to be attending the youth group at a local church, so that should be interesting.
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| Ancient Mayan tomb.....and Sasha has cell service. |
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Experiencing the True Beauty of Ecuador
It is hard to believe that yesterday, friday, was only our third full day of touring. It seems as though we've been in Ecuador for two weeks already. Anyway, yesterday began with heading off to Malacatos, where we were able to witness the process of breaking down sugar cane, which, as most of us know, has been a task that was long seen as only suitable for slaves, and they had to work in that incredible heat without the assistance of modern day machines. Can you imagine spending all day, everyday, working in those miserable conditions? We should all be thankful that we have never had to worry about that.
From there, we travelled up into the mountains once more (as if we were ever out of the mountains) and headed up to Podocarpus National Park, which was at an altitude of around 2,800 meters above sea level, which is pretty high. It was a definite struggle to get our huge bus up those mountain roads, but thankfully, God blessed us with the best driver in all of Ecuador. Once we finally made it to the top, we spent the next hour drinking in even more of the beautiful nature of Ecuador (there will be pictures to come). Unfortunately, one of our group members was suffering with a large amount of congestion, and the high altitude was making it nearly unbearable for her, so she did not travel with us to the park :(.
After we had seen all we could see, we headed back to Loja for some lunch, followed by a trip to Zamora. Along the way, we came across some spectacular waterfalls, and took the time to take pictures, and for some of us, climb up the side of the waterfall (don't worry parents, there were safety precautions taken; kind of). We then continued on to Zamora, where we stopped at the Bombascaro River. I bet you can't guess what we saw. Do you give up? Okay, I'll tell you. We saw a group of kids, very young kids, jumping off a bridge into the river below. Scary, right? We thought so. There is no telling how far down in was, or how deep the water was, and those are generally two things you want to know before possibly plummeting to your death. However, the kids seemed unconcerned with those things, so we just stood by and shook our heads. When we found a place where we could climb down to the river, we spent quite a while there. There were pictures being taken, rocks being thrown, sticks being fought with, and even one nap being taken. I, of course, ended up leaving the river quite wet, thanks to my pal Tanner.
Our last stop for the day was a beyond gorgeous resort just outside of Zamora. There was a clear, blue, cold, refreshing, swimming pool, that allowed us to have a break from the stress and relax.
This morning, we were originally supposed to be going on a boat tour on the Nangaritza River. However, we would have had to leave the resort at 5 am, and everyone was so extremely exhausted, that we decided to cancel the tour, and spend the morning relaxing by the pool. It was a good choice. Our morning consisted of several once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We were all able to hold a parrot-like bird (I'm not exactly sure what it's called) on our fingers. How many of you have had the chance to do that? My guess is not very many. They talked too; in Spanish. We also got to see how they make cheese. They start with milk, which they get from the cows that live on the resort, then they add in some secret ingredients, and thicken it up. They then boil all of the water off of it, so that it is as pure as it can get. I love cheese, and I have never had more delicious cheese in my life; trust me. Then, of course, we did some more swimming. I had just taken a shower, a delightfully hot shower, because I thought we were leaving soon, so I was originally not going to go swimming again. However, I realized that I will have plenty of opportunities to take showers in the future, but I will not have that many opportunities to swim in a pool, in the rain, in Ecuador. Plus, there was a water slide. Coincidently, the first time I was in the pool, and the last time I was in the pool, were the result of my buddy Tanner thinking it would be hilarious to throw me in. I should have seen that coming. Anyway, after we got dried off, we took a quick trip up to the resort's tilapia farm, as well as seeing all the cute, little guinea pigs that had no idea they would soon be somebody's dinner. It was really sad.
From there, we headed back to Loja for some lunch; KFC all the way. The next part of our day was spent in the bus, as we travelled back to Cuenca, but we had movies, so that made it better. Distance wise, it was not that long of a trip, but when you're driving through the Andes Mountains, in some pretty intense fog, and all the idiots are out driving, it tends to take a little longer. However, we made it eventually, and enjoyed one of the only good, wholesome meals we have had this week, at our hotel. Then it was showers, sunburn gunk for some of us, and now its time for bed. Tomorrow morning, at 7, we head off for the beach. Now, that will be practically the hottest place on the planet, as it is on the Equator, at sea level, so that should be fun. Time to break out the SPF 150! Just kidding, but actually that might be what we need.
Adios Amigos!
From there, we travelled up into the mountains once more (as if we were ever out of the mountains) and headed up to Podocarpus National Park, which was at an altitude of around 2,800 meters above sea level, which is pretty high. It was a definite struggle to get our huge bus up those mountain roads, but thankfully, God blessed us with the best driver in all of Ecuador. Once we finally made it to the top, we spent the next hour drinking in even more of the beautiful nature of Ecuador (there will be pictures to come). Unfortunately, one of our group members was suffering with a large amount of congestion, and the high altitude was making it nearly unbearable for her, so she did not travel with us to the park :(.
After we had seen all we could see, we headed back to Loja for some lunch, followed by a trip to Zamora. Along the way, we came across some spectacular waterfalls, and took the time to take pictures, and for some of us, climb up the side of the waterfall (don't worry parents, there were safety precautions taken; kind of). We then continued on to Zamora, where we stopped at the Bombascaro River. I bet you can't guess what we saw. Do you give up? Okay, I'll tell you. We saw a group of kids, very young kids, jumping off a bridge into the river below. Scary, right? We thought so. There is no telling how far down in was, or how deep the water was, and those are generally two things you want to know before possibly plummeting to your death. However, the kids seemed unconcerned with those things, so we just stood by and shook our heads. When we found a place where we could climb down to the river, we spent quite a while there. There were pictures being taken, rocks being thrown, sticks being fought with, and even one nap being taken. I, of course, ended up leaving the river quite wet, thanks to my pal Tanner.
Our last stop for the day was a beyond gorgeous resort just outside of Zamora. There was a clear, blue, cold, refreshing, swimming pool, that allowed us to have a break from the stress and relax.
This morning, we were originally supposed to be going on a boat tour on the Nangaritza River. However, we would have had to leave the resort at 5 am, and everyone was so extremely exhausted, that we decided to cancel the tour, and spend the morning relaxing by the pool. It was a good choice. Our morning consisted of several once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We were all able to hold a parrot-like bird (I'm not exactly sure what it's called) on our fingers. How many of you have had the chance to do that? My guess is not very many. They talked too; in Spanish. We also got to see how they make cheese. They start with milk, which they get from the cows that live on the resort, then they add in some secret ingredients, and thicken it up. They then boil all of the water off of it, so that it is as pure as it can get. I love cheese, and I have never had more delicious cheese in my life; trust me. Then, of course, we did some more swimming. I had just taken a shower, a delightfully hot shower, because I thought we were leaving soon, so I was originally not going to go swimming again. However, I realized that I will have plenty of opportunities to take showers in the future, but I will not have that many opportunities to swim in a pool, in the rain, in Ecuador. Plus, there was a water slide. Coincidently, the first time I was in the pool, and the last time I was in the pool, were the result of my buddy Tanner thinking it would be hilarious to throw me in. I should have seen that coming. Anyway, after we got dried off, we took a quick trip up to the resort's tilapia farm, as well as seeing all the cute, little guinea pigs that had no idea they would soon be somebody's dinner. It was really sad.
From there, we headed back to Loja for some lunch; KFC all the way. The next part of our day was spent in the bus, as we travelled back to Cuenca, but we had movies, so that made it better. Distance wise, it was not that long of a trip, but when you're driving through the Andes Mountains, in some pretty intense fog, and all the idiots are out driving, it tends to take a little longer. However, we made it eventually, and enjoyed one of the only good, wholesome meals we have had this week, at our hotel. Then it was showers, sunburn gunk for some of us, and now its time for bed. Tomorrow morning, at 7, we head off for the beach. Now, that will be practically the hottest place on the planet, as it is on the Equator, at sea level, so that should be fun. Time to break out the SPF 150! Just kidding, but actually that might be what we need.
Adios Amigos!
Friday, January 6, 2012
God's creation....and a few surprises
Our first day in Cuenca began with a tour of the ETAPA facility, which works to purify water for the city. We learned how everything worked and just how important it is for the prosperity of the city. We were also able to explore the studio of a local artist that we met on our stay. It's amazing how well he was able to capture the beauty of God's creation in his own way. It really made us stop and really appreciate all that God has created.
We then had a well deserved nap, followed by a long car trip to the town of Saraguro. It was dark when we finally arrived, and we were all a bit uneasy about environment we had just entered into. We were originally going to spend the night with a family of locals, in order to get the best understanding of their culture. However, we quickly discovered that there were too many obstacles when it came to that idea. For instance, the famly we were supposed to stay with had no idea that we were coming, so they had no dinner ready for us. Also, we would have had to lug our bags 50 yards uphill in the mud in order to get to their house. Overall, it seemed safe enough, but as a group we decided that the hotel would be a better option. We stopped at a small restaurant on the way, and ordered some chicken soup. Sounds pretty routine, right? Wrong. The broth was pretty tasty, but I scooped up a piece of the chicken on my spoon, and with a shocked and disgusted look on my face, I discovered that it was a chicken foot!! Gross!! It goes without saying that i then stopped eating the soup, and elected to wait for something a little more appetizing. Don't worry, there were plenty of people there to capture my freak out moment with their cameras, so there will be pics to come, if you're lucky. I will never look at chicken the same again.
Our next day was a real eye opener. We started by visiting the shop of a local hat maker. It is amazing how much time and effort goes into each hat that is made. It is not a quick process. It was a truly humbling experience. Think about it, there are people all over the world that will spend the rest of their lives making hats, and they do not know anything different. They have never had the opportunity to decide whether they would rather do something else with their lives. On the contrary, in America, we have the opportunity to choose any kind of career path that we desire, and that cannot be predetermined for us. The other amazing thing about hat makers in Ecuador is that everything they use is natural; nothing is man made. They use wool from sheep, wax, water and other natural ingredients. How many businesses in America only use natural ingredients? Close to none. That sure gives us something to think about, huh?
From there we went back to Saraguro to do some shopping. Finally, something I was good at. It was there that I experienced yet another aspect of Ecuador that was amazing and humbling. I was focused mostly on the jewelry portion, and I was amazed at how inexpensive it all was. I mean this was good quality, homemade, stunning jewelry, and I never paid more than $2 for anything. I almost wanted to pay more than they were asking for, because I felt like it was worth so much more. Then I thought about America, where absolutely eveything is over priced, and a lot of it is of a much lower quality. It is truly sad to see effort and succees over looked on such a big level.
Our next stop was the beautiful city of Loja. We were able to explore some extravagant churches, as well as enjoy the local cuisine. The last thing we did in Loja was walk through the botanical gardens. Wow, is all I can say. I had no idea that there were so many unique plants and flowers in the world, and every single one of them displays the magnificance of God's creation. I have pictures of almost everything, but the pictures hardly do them justice. It was raining the whole time we were there, but the rain drops only further illuminated the brilliance of every species.
Our final stop of the day (yes, there is more.....we were tired) was the small town of Vilcabamba. We stayed at a gorgeous hotel. It was like 8:30 when wevarrived, and we were starving, so we started driving around looking for a pizzeria. After about 7 stops, we finally found it. It was owned by a man that was originally from Richmond, Virginia. I cannot tell you how nice it was to see a fellow American, and talk in English. However, by the time the food arrived, my stomach and I were not on the best of terms, and I elected to skip the pizza. Perhaps it was a good thing I did, because later that night, while I was dealing with my own stomach problems, my dear friend Hudson was suffering much more than I was. It was so bad that Hudson's roommate and brother, Tanner, ended up sleeping outside the girls' room in a hammock, while it was raining; poor kid. Most of us were up until between 3 and 4 in the morning, and we had to get up at 7. We were not happy people. Thankfully, our various illnesses were resolved by the morning, and we were ready to go.
There is still a whole other day to tell you all about, today, but I will spread this out for you a little.
Please continue to keep us all in your prayers!
We then had a well deserved nap, followed by a long car trip to the town of Saraguro. It was dark when we finally arrived, and we were all a bit uneasy about environment we had just entered into. We were originally going to spend the night with a family of locals, in order to get the best understanding of their culture. However, we quickly discovered that there were too many obstacles when it came to that idea. For instance, the famly we were supposed to stay with had no idea that we were coming, so they had no dinner ready for us. Also, we would have had to lug our bags 50 yards uphill in the mud in order to get to their house. Overall, it seemed safe enough, but as a group we decided that the hotel would be a better option. We stopped at a small restaurant on the way, and ordered some chicken soup. Sounds pretty routine, right? Wrong. The broth was pretty tasty, but I scooped up a piece of the chicken on my spoon, and with a shocked and disgusted look on my face, I discovered that it was a chicken foot!! Gross!! It goes without saying that i then stopped eating the soup, and elected to wait for something a little more appetizing. Don't worry, there were plenty of people there to capture my freak out moment with their cameras, so there will be pics to come, if you're lucky. I will never look at chicken the same again.
Our next day was a real eye opener. We started by visiting the shop of a local hat maker. It is amazing how much time and effort goes into each hat that is made. It is not a quick process. It was a truly humbling experience. Think about it, there are people all over the world that will spend the rest of their lives making hats, and they do not know anything different. They have never had the opportunity to decide whether they would rather do something else with their lives. On the contrary, in America, we have the opportunity to choose any kind of career path that we desire, and that cannot be predetermined for us. The other amazing thing about hat makers in Ecuador is that everything they use is natural; nothing is man made. They use wool from sheep, wax, water and other natural ingredients. How many businesses in America only use natural ingredients? Close to none. That sure gives us something to think about, huh?
From there we went back to Saraguro to do some shopping. Finally, something I was good at. It was there that I experienced yet another aspect of Ecuador that was amazing and humbling. I was focused mostly on the jewelry portion, and I was amazed at how inexpensive it all was. I mean this was good quality, homemade, stunning jewelry, and I never paid more than $2 for anything. I almost wanted to pay more than they were asking for, because I felt like it was worth so much more. Then I thought about America, where absolutely eveything is over priced, and a lot of it is of a much lower quality. It is truly sad to see effort and succees over looked on such a big level.
Our next stop was the beautiful city of Loja. We were able to explore some extravagant churches, as well as enjoy the local cuisine. The last thing we did in Loja was walk through the botanical gardens. Wow, is all I can say. I had no idea that there were so many unique plants and flowers in the world, and every single one of them displays the magnificance of God's creation. I have pictures of almost everything, but the pictures hardly do them justice. It was raining the whole time we were there, but the rain drops only further illuminated the brilliance of every species.
Our final stop of the day (yes, there is more.....we were tired) was the small town of Vilcabamba. We stayed at a gorgeous hotel. It was like 8:30 when wevarrived, and we were starving, so we started driving around looking for a pizzeria. After about 7 stops, we finally found it. It was owned by a man that was originally from Richmond, Virginia. I cannot tell you how nice it was to see a fellow American, and talk in English. However, by the time the food arrived, my stomach and I were not on the best of terms, and I elected to skip the pizza. Perhaps it was a good thing I did, because later that night, while I was dealing with my own stomach problems, my dear friend Hudson was suffering much more than I was. It was so bad that Hudson's roommate and brother, Tanner, ended up sleeping outside the girls' room in a hammock, while it was raining; poor kid. Most of us were up until between 3 and 4 in the morning, and we had to get up at 7. We were not happy people. Thankfully, our various illnesses were resolved by the morning, and we were ready to go.
There is still a whole other day to tell you all about, today, but I will spread this out for you a little.
Please continue to keep us all in your prayers!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation...
Well, yesterday sure was a long day. Wake up call at 3 am, followed by 4 flights totally about 9 hours of actual flight time. We had to deal with some minor health issues among the group early in the morning, but after that, it became struggle just to stay awake. We all know those airplane seats are extremely comfortable; I mean you get to tilt your seat back a whole 2 inches! Wow! Anyway, after playing musical chairs on the airplane a few times, we finally arrived in gorgeous Panama City. We went with some very Godly friends to see the Panama Canal. Yes, you heard that right, my friends and I have now seen the Panama Canal up close and personal, and we have pictures to prove it (I also learned that one of my friends really likes to pose in pictures, haha, I bet you can't guess who!) After visiting the Canal, and the museum where we learned how it was built, we headed off for an authentic Panamadian dinner, before heading back to the airport. Also, just so you know, even caesar salads are better in Panama, it's amazing. We were all disappointed to have to leave that beautiful city behind, but we were excited to finally reach our destination. Therefore, we set out on our last flight of the day, during which I happened to totally cream my besties Sasha and Tanner at rummy :) On a more serious note though, we finally arrived in Quito, Ecuador, and drove to our hotel for a total of about 3 hours of sleep. Yippee. Then, to top it off, our alarms didn't go off, so we all had about 20 minutes to shower and be ready to go. I of course, being the genius that I am, got the knobs in the shower mixed up (because they were referring to the Spanish words instead of the English) and ended up taking a quite icy shower, literally. However, I was not alone in my "blonde moment". I was joined by my oh so very intelligent friend, Tanner. Haha, I love my friends :) In spite of our various setbacks in the early morning, we did manage to arrive in Cuenca, Ecuador. There will be much more information concerning our first day in Ecuador to come, so stay tuned! And keep us in your prayers!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Ya'll ready for this?
The time is growing near, very near, to my international adventure that I will remember for a lifetime. I'm heading out tomorrow morning, at 3 am I might add, with a few close friends, and some adults that will try to keep us out of trouble. First stop, Houston. Now yes, you're right, Houston is still part of America, but we have to start somewhere. Stop #2, Panama City. See, I told you, now it’s international ;). Anyway, we have a 9 hour layover in Panama City, so we will be taking a field trip to, maybe you guessed it, the Panama Canal! Pretty cool, huh? Well I think so, and hopefully there will be some pictures to come! So after we drink in the culture of Panama, and maybe take a nap in the airport, we leave around 11 pm for our final destination; ECUADOR!!!! We will spend about 10 days hiking through the Andes Mountains, sailing along the Nangaritza River, traveling along the Amazon River, and hopefully doing some shopping at a local silversmith's shop (of course, after we ditch the guys). So I hope ya’ll will follow along with me, whenever I get the chance to post anything else. It turns out, there are not a whole lot of villages in Ecuador that have wifi; crazy, huh? Anyways, I’ve still got some packing to do so I’ll talk to ya soon! Please keep my friends and I in your prayers!
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| Andes Mountains! |
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