Some of the highlights form the last few weeks:
Guapalo-
Some of the major roads in Quito are named after important historical dates, 12 de Octubre, 6 de Deciembre, and 18 de Septiembre, just to name a few. Someone explained to me in my first few days that most of those dates were significant in Ecuador’s struggle for independence. Apparently most towns also have their own day in which they gained their independence. There is a little area, kind of like a suburb of Quito, called Guapalo, and every year they have a big festival to celebrate their independence. Luckily we were in Quito when it happened. We climbed down a long rock laid road, past houses staggering on the steep hill, and shops with their lights on. With each step your toes slid to the front of your shoes, and you tried not to think about the hike back. When we got to the plaza there was a band playing brass and string instruments, smoke rising from the food tents, and hot canalazo being sold along the back wall (canalazo is an alcoholic cinnamon drink). Some people were dressed in costumes, and masks. At one point we noticed that in the center of the plaza, around what might have been a tall flag pole the people had started running in circles- not unlike the characters in Alice in wonderland before the flood comes. The people were close together, purposefully bumping into each other, and praying not to be the poor person who trips and gets stampeded. My friends and I ran in, arms linked tightly in an attempt to protect each other from the violence. Every so often the circle switched directions, which only made people excited about the circle running all over again. I was wearing some flats that kept getting stepped on from behind. A few times I lost my shoe, but knowing the area of the circle I lost it, would found it on the next round- except the last time, when I actually lost one, but found a hat that I ended up wearing as a shoe the rest of the night. See picture. At some point during the night fireworks starting going off right over our heads; I felt the sparks hot on my skin, and my friend’s shirt had a hole burnt through it. When the circle wasn’t going we danced to the music, and shouted, VIVA GUAPALO!
San Clemente-
San Clemente is a small pueblo outside the city Ibarra. There are only about 700 people in the town, or 150 families. They are all indigenous, and their way of life is completely different from anything you would find in the city. The women wear traditional Incan clothing, and the men wear panchos. All the milk we drank was from the cows in the back yard, and the eggs were “de la casa.” We were able to stay with host families in San Clemente for three nights. The parents in our host family, Mateo and Magdelana both spoke Spanish and Ketchua. They had four kids: Inty, which translates from Ketchua to Spanish as sol, and to English as sun, Sumac, which is the Ketchua word for beautiful, Sabina, and Edison. Their house was two stories, but the upstairs wasn’t finished for people, and so the only things that lived there were guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are important animals in festivals, and most families try to raise them, because a few times during the year they are very valuable- both as symbolic gifts, and culinary delicacies. While we were there we had the opportunity to celebrate with them, and learn about their calendar, and the way they view nature. They view themselves as a part of nature, and do a lot to try and preserve that connection in a rapidly changing world. We made food with them by digging a big hole in the earth- the earth in their ideology is feminine. Then we heated rocks, which normally are masculine, but because they were porous were feminine, and laid them in the hole. Then we layered potatoes, corn, and other vegetables over the rocks. Then we added more hot rocks, and food. On top of the hole we laid a cloth, and dirt then let it cook for two hours while we danced around the mound, and played instruments. The food was great.
Mindo-
A few weekends ago we went to a little river town called Mindo. While we were there we went to a mariposario, which is an enclosed area where they keep butterflies. In Ecuador there is an insane amount of different butterflies, and it was really neat to see them up close. Later we went hiked a bit until we came to some waterfalls. They were beautiful, and the best part was that we were able to jump off of some of them. There was a man working there who showed us where to jump, and went fist, then we followed. The highest one we jumped from was about 35 feet, and the shorter one was 12 feet. The water was freezing, but it was incredible. I think that scarier than the jump was the tiny old ladder we had to use to climb back up. We also went tubing down a river, but that was pretty tame.
This weekend we are taking a group excursion to the Amazon! I am really excited, and I have heard that we get to bungee jump while we are there…!
