Back on Track

The dynamic traveling duo are back on track. After a naseating night that cost me my favorite pair of pajama pants and my only pair of thermal bottoms, I woke up feeling much better. Thank goodness.

Today Rachel and I explored the city of Cuenca. This city is a real treat with its cobblestone roads, old fashioned churches, and bustling marketplaces. We began the day at the shop of the famous 80 something year old Panama hat maker, Alberto Pulla. I say he´s famous because Rachel assures me he is, but I have to admit, I had actually never heard of the guy or even a ¨Panama hat¨ until I dove into the Ecuador guidebook a couple months ago. Anyhow, I tried on a hat and posed next to this famous dude for a photo but did not buy a hat. Sorry, sir.

After a quick stop at the hat shop, Rachel and I meandered through town to the market. On market days, the roads are blocked and rows and rows of street vendors line the streets. Women stand nose-deep in mounds of bananas, peaches, mangos, radishes, cabbages, and carrots. In other sections women cook up and serve boiling soups and stews. In yet other sections, vendors sell exotic animals, embroidered goods, and junk, for a lack of a better term. Shoppers cram into the narrow alleyways creating extreme chaos and excitement. I love it.

In the afternoon we visited a museum dedicated to the various ethnic groups of Ecuador. It was informative...the handful of English descriptions that existed that is. I must say, though, Rachel and I are doing a stellar job of assimilating to the culture. We have started interchanging English and Spanish, and we have completely trained ourselves to throw our toiletpaper in the trash can next to the toilet and not in the toilet. Fortunately for our other 2 roommates, and the Somerville recycling department, we don´t intend on continuing the tradition when back in the states.

After fully experiencing the joy of Ecuadorian bus travel, Rachel and I decided to fly back to Quito from Cuenca and boared a flight at 6:40 pm tonight. Americans have a lot to learn from Ecuadorian aviation standards. First off, you are always served food, regardless of flying time. Second of all, airline personnel open both the back and front doors when boarding and deplaning the aircraft. Thirdly, you are able to take anything and everything on the plane with you...how scandalous to carry a weapon as deadly as a water bottle on a plane! The only thing I don´t like about Ecuadorian aviation standards is the fact that the pilots don´t seem to brake at all before landing so when you hit the ground you feel as though you are going to jet straight out of the airport and into town. After zoooming at 500 mph on the ground for 5 minutes they eventually come to a halt. I´m glad they have long runways to accomodate this.

Our latest flight back to Quito from Cuenca makes flight number 11 for this trip alone. The best flight was the one from the mainland to the Galapagos last week. As we soared over the water and began our hasty, abrupt descent onto the island, the non-english speaking flight attendant muttered something in Spanish and then said ¨...please use the lifevest under your seat for flotation.¨ I glanced around me in a panic as did all of the gringos. Many started to fidget and reach under their seats. I wasn´t sure if I should wake Rachel to have her adorn a lifevest, but I couldn´t help but notice that the spanish speakers didn´t seem at all alarmed. I quickly put two and two together and realized that the flight attendant had simply read the wrong line of her flight attendant instruction card. What a mean and traumatizing Ingles error for us Gringos.

Tomorrow Rachel and I are headed to the center of the world, or the ecuator. There´s a neat little museum there. Now that we´re in the capital for a day, I´m hoping to grab a good bite to eat--deep fried guinea pig just didn´t cut it tonight.