Good Afternoon, Doctor Jones

Today marked the first day back at Sampere in nearly a week. We missed the first two days back since Carnaval, but there lies the trade-off. Needless to say our instructors were glad to see us back.

I feel much better after leaving Salinas and La Costa in general. Between drinking sea water, and the warm temperatures, my body could take it very well. I suppose I am not that accustomed to traveling. Not that La Costa was the cleanest place in the world. For those of you who've seen the "dirtiest toilet in Scotland" scene in Trainspotting, the few I saw were on par.

Our class went to Homero Ortega Panama hat factory and museum after school one day. Apparently Cuenca is the world's largest exporter of Panama hats. Originally and also called La Paja Toquilla, these hats were made famous by the ubiquitous canal. There were hats for sale at fifteen dollars, and several for as much as three thousand dollars. Who would buy a three thousand dollar hat? I'd just lose it in a week anyways.

I will admit, watching the German speakers in our group try on the hats, I thought about characters in the Indiana Jones series. I know, I'm a dork

At 6:30 tonight, we went to the house of a professor to learn how to make Encebollado de Pescado. Basically it's fish soup. Normally I wouldn't eat something like this, but we used albacore tuna, which has a rather mild flavor. It was actually pretty good. We also made a juice from mora. This is a sour, seedy red fruit that tastes kind of like a rasberry. We blended mora, sugar and water, and then strained the seeds. ¡Que rico!

L and I are drawing near to the end of our time in Cuenca. I'm feeling a little down because of it. It's hard to leave a city that you have become so comfortable with. But that is the nature of traveling. I will miss all of the new friends that I've made in the last four weeks. My family has treated me as one of their own. Everyone has been so hospitable. We are all in a state of transition right now.

Cuenca is not South America, there is so much more to see beyond this city. L and I are anxious to experience what lies ahead. This transitive nature makes traveling what it is. It's about moving around! The excitement, the surprises, it's a complete adventure for us.

As they say... the show must go on.