June 11th – 10:12pm
Today was our first day off after a week of walking and tracking Frida and Enrique.
Sarah and I walked an hour away to the town of Apuela where there is an internet café, so we could send news home. It was nice to hear from home even if it was only for a little bit. Strange experience though. A little Ecuadorian girl was like sitting behind me watching me type and trying to see what I was doing. She also kept poking me which was a little strange. I just ignored it and focused on my e-mailing.
Today, I felt so much better as far as stiffness and sore legs go. So, that was nice. I think my body is getting used to walking 15 miles a day. Even on our day off, we walked over 4 miles.
In Apuela, we saw another dead pig. This time, it was really just a head and its organs. It was pretty gross and was pretty much exposed to the open air and insects, making me realize that not eating very much meat here is actually quite a good thing.
While we went to Apuela, the boys went to another village called Nangulvi which has zip-lining and hot springs. Glad I didn’t go, because they said they spent most of their time walking in circles because they couldn’t find the zip-lining place. Plus, they said the zip-line was only about 30 seconds long. It might be one of the last things I do. Plus, it seems Jack might of gotten some bad water because he’s been feeling sick since he got back.
Today is a special day in Pucara, because the local restaurant Mexicano is only open on Saturdays. It was definitely a cultural experience. They make this alcohol call Puro, which is fermented Sugar Cane. I tried it mixed with Sugar Cane Juice and was really, really gross, but while in Ecuador, do as the Ecuadorians do. Haha. They also make Sugar Cane candy which we got to watch them make. The basically make like a Sugar Cane caramel. It was pretty good. Definitely strange though.
For those of you that don’t know, Roasted Guinea Pig is a delicacy in Ecuador and until today, I wasn’t sure if I was going to try it. I think you have to take it for what it is. Dan ordered a whole Roasted Guinea Pig and said that anyone who wanted to try it could. Soooo. I did. I took the smallest bite in the world and after that, I couldn’t even stomach anymore. The scene is pretty intense. It’s like the entire animal with its head and teeth and little paws and everything. It was actually really disturbing. I will definitely never do it again- ever. No one can say I didn’t embrace the culture, because I definitely did. No matter how disturbing it was.
Everyone but Jack tried it. Jack is a vegetarian, so it was definitely out of the question for him. But he didn’t make a big deal out of it, which was pretty cool. I’ve also learned something new about the boys today. Jack’s favorite word in the entire world is “Nice”. He says it about everything. I also learned that Dan can drink an entire pitcher of disgusting Puro. He took it like a champ. Just so you can get an idea, the Puro tastes a lot like really sweet whiskey and again, it’s really gross.
Learning how to be an Ecuadorian can be quite difficult sometimes.
With Love and Andean Bears,
Ashley
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