Well I've made it back to Quito. It's been raining constantly all day. I'm not in Minnesota, but after leaving the Amazon, well damn, wool socks weren't such a bad idea.
I'm living with some interesting Quiteños this week. Sr. Manolo is a master painter. The house is filled with his masterpieces. Sra. Zaida hails from the coast, and as the Ecuadorian stereotype goes, can cook just about anything. Fresh cheese, bread, delivered unpasteurized milk. She knows the gamut of Ecuadorian cuisine and has a story for ever dish. She's making me Seco de Pollo this week. I'm excited. Their children are musicians, painters, and sculptors. I'm living among artists.
Ok, here's a quick recap of the rest of my Amazon trip.
On Friday afternoon, Jose brought us to a local Quechua community. It is a village of two extended families. We were brought inside the house of the town matriarch and given a lesson on Quechuan lifestyle. We sampled chicha, a fermented drink made from yuca (an Amazonian root that tastes a lot like a potato). I didn't drink too much as it's not refrigerated, and the body needs time to acclimate. Jose told me its what Quechuans usually drink, especially at parties. And that it causes one hell of a hangover.
On Saturday, we lashed five inner tubes together and went floating down the Río Anzu -- Jatunyaku and Anzu merge to form the Río Napo. Who's gone tubing down the Amazon? Bizarre, but overall a fun experience. The river was pretty cold, a surprise. Then a leisurely day turned hectic as we passed several rapids before calling it quits.
That night a camera crew showed up and started filming this twenty year old German girl named Linda. I learned that reality videos featuring young girls abroad are pretty popular in Deutschland right now. Strange. Her Scottish friend started comparing the U.S. military to FARC, so I retired pretty quickly. I definitely do not support the actions in Iraq. I suppose I'm am weary of being implicated with Iraq by nearly every European I meet. This is going to happen, though, so I need to get used to it. All I can say to my countrymen is that our vote counts (hopefully) for more than other foreign citizens given the disproportionate power the U.S. wields in the world. Get out the vote. Avert the tragedy that's befalling our country right now.
I got back to Quito on Sunday afternoon. L and I settled back into our Quito home. Besides playing catchup here, I have been planning our schedule for the last two weeks in Ecuador.
Quito has a lot of museums to offer, the Mitad del Mundo, and forty plus churches. This week we're going to cram that in. Then we'd like to go to Otavalo on Friday. I'm told it has a huge market on Saturday mornings, as well as waterfalls, mountains, villages, and so on nearby. Next week we're probably going to Pastocalle, a village two hours south of Quito to live with an indigenous family. Technically called community tourism, L and I will be helping with a farm and other rural activities.
Thanks again, Academía de Español Quito. This trip was a serious windfall. Recommendations to everyone. NRCSA definitely has done their homework with this program.
I read about NIU today. I don't understand why this is turning into a perennial tragedy. There's a girl at the Spanish academy who usually attends there. She was stunned. My heart goes out to them.
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