I arrived yesterday in Vilcabamba, or the Valley of Eternal Youth. I tried to get up and out of Cuenca early enough to make it to the farm last night, but of course, I chose to sleep in instead. As I was leaving the hostel yesterday morning I arranged to share a cab to the bus station with 3 people, 2 of which were also coming to Vilcabamba. When the 2 Vilcabamba bound (Amara and Jeff) arrived we hunted down a hostel (the first two places we tried were full) and then found a place to relax and have a beer.
Later that night I celebrated Thanksgiving with a French man who lived in Canada and an American woman who has lived in Nicaragua for the past 4 years. We had black bean soup (yum) and vegetarian curry (I have no idea why I thought this would be a good choice...it wasn´t)and a glass of wine. We had some great conversations ranging from the negative side effects of the birth control pill and the state of women`s rights in America to spiritualism and reincarnation...best of all, Jeff the Frenchmen picked up the bill!
When I got to town yesterday I asked around for Tina who runs the farm I am going to as I heard she might be in town. Usually, arriving to the farm involves taking a 45 minute bus ride from where I am, followed by a 45 minute hike. It would have been nice to make the trek up there with her. However, I was told Tina had already left town. This morning I overheard someone at breakfast talking about meeting a woman named Tina...I butted into their conversation and it turns out that Tina is still in town and is meeting people to go up to the farm at noon. She had been traveling for the past month and has apparently collected quite a few would-be farmers along the way and there is much to be done so I will be heading up with them today.
So, this is officially my last post for a while as I will not have electricity or any modern conveniences at the farm. I will have a sweet pàir of $8 4x4 rubber boots that I bought in Cuenca though. I am told they are the best and will not only protect me from mud and rain, but snake bites as well!
Wish me luck and I will check in when I can...otherwise I will definitely be in Lima Peru on December 26th to meet Mike at the airport.
¡Hasta Luego!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
No matter my mode of travel though Latin America I always feel like there is so much more to do, see, experience and I always feel like I am missing out on it´s true essence. The next time I travel here I don´t think I am going to try to do so much....or I am going to give myself a hell of a lot more time to do it.
I am here for 6.5 months, but the majority of my time will be spent in one place, on farms, in a specific area of a specific country. I feel like I am missing so many things, stays in the Amazon, trips up vocanos, train rides through the Andes, and so much more, just so I can ´get there.´ And then once I´ve arrived there I will be, in one place, for 3 or 4 weeks. I know this was my goal for this trip, to learn ancient organic methods of argiculture and ´live´ in a community for a little while, but I can´t help feeling like things are too structured or something. Everything I do and every place I choose to go and how long I stay is dependent on the next placement I have arranged.
Honestly, I am glad I am doing the trip this way and hopefully my Spanish will benefit enormously from being in one place for so long. Hopefully I will learn/do some really cool things that other travelers who saw all the sights didn´t get to learn/do. But I know I will feel some sense of regret and disappointment when I return and someone asks me if I (insert amazing experience here) and I will tell them no, I couldn´t/didn´t do it because I had to get down to my next placement.
There is just never enough time. I already know that I must come back again. Maybe that is the remedy? Just keep returning until I feel that I have seen it all? What is my compulsion to do such a thing anyway? I want the experience of traveling without an expiration date but seem incapable of planning such an experience for myself.
It`s supposed to be all about the journey right? Why am I always so focused on the destination?
.......................................
In a land that depends upon bottled water for drinking, how is one to make the least environmental impact while traveling? Water tablets? Buying the largest bottle reasonable?
Thoughts? Comments?
I am here for 6.5 months, but the majority of my time will be spent in one place, on farms, in a specific area of a specific country. I feel like I am missing so many things, stays in the Amazon, trips up vocanos, train rides through the Andes, and so much more, just so I can ´get there.´ And then once I´ve arrived there I will be, in one place, for 3 or 4 weeks. I know this was my goal for this trip, to learn ancient organic methods of argiculture and ´live´ in a community for a little while, but I can´t help feeling like things are too structured or something. Everything I do and every place I choose to go and how long I stay is dependent on the next placement I have arranged.
Honestly, I am glad I am doing the trip this way and hopefully my Spanish will benefit enormously from being in one place for so long. Hopefully I will learn/do some really cool things that other travelers who saw all the sights didn´t get to learn/do. But I know I will feel some sense of regret and disappointment when I return and someone asks me if I (insert amazing experience here) and I will tell them no, I couldn´t/didn´t do it because I had to get down to my next placement.
There is just never enough time. I already know that I must come back again. Maybe that is the remedy? Just keep returning until I feel that I have seen it all? What is my compulsion to do such a thing anyway? I want the experience of traveling without an expiration date but seem incapable of planning such an experience for myself.
It`s supposed to be all about the journey right? Why am I always so focused on the destination?
.......................................
In a land that depends upon bottled water for drinking, how is one to make the least environmental impact while traveling? Water tablets? Buying the largest bottle reasonable?
Thoughts? Comments?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Steam baths to waterfall spray...
Today was a wonderful day.
At 9am I went to a Steam Bath treatment. This involved sitting upright in a chamber, locked in, with only your head sticking out. Much like a magicians lovely assistant before she gets sliced into pieces. You sat this way while your chamber filled with steam for about 5 minutes, then you were released and walked to a basin filled with icy cold water and a towel. You took the towel from your right foot up your leg and to you chest, repeated on the left side, then both legs up to your chest, then left the left side again, this time including the arm, then the left side and arm, and finally you open the towel and rinse your back, each time returning the towel to the basin. Then you returned to the chamber for another 5 minutes followed by another rinse with the towel. This water repeated a total of 3 times, on the final rinse they dumped the entire contents of the basin over you. After the 4th session in the chamber you were led to a reclining tile chair, the seat of which was filled with cold water. You sat in the chair rubbing your lower stomach in a clockwise direction (in order to stimulate the bowels), while someone spalshed cold water all over your body. Then you returned for the final steam session after which you were sprayed with ice water shot through a pressure hose as another sort of massage. Then you were done. Afterward I was a little lightheaded and my arms felt like I had spent an hour lifting weights (not that i know what that feels like) but I also felt very rejuvenated...all for $2.75
After breakfast I rented a bike for $5 and rode 20k through a route that passed several waterfalls, ultimately ending at Pailon del Diablo, but not before getting caught in a downpour. Pailon del Diablo was the biggest on the route and in order to see it you had to hike down the mountain. It was really breathtaking and I think I finally realized exactly where I was. It was the ultimate end of my trip.
At 9am I went to a Steam Bath treatment. This involved sitting upright in a chamber, locked in, with only your head sticking out. Much like a magicians lovely assistant before she gets sliced into pieces. You sat this way while your chamber filled with steam for about 5 minutes, then you were released and walked to a basin filled with icy cold water and a towel. You took the towel from your right foot up your leg and to you chest, repeated on the left side, then both legs up to your chest, then left the left side again, this time including the arm, then the left side and arm, and finally you open the towel and rinse your back, each time returning the towel to the basin. Then you returned to the chamber for another 5 minutes followed by another rinse with the towel. This water repeated a total of 3 times, on the final rinse they dumped the entire contents of the basin over you. After the 4th session in the chamber you were led to a reclining tile chair, the seat of which was filled with cold water. You sat in the chair rubbing your lower stomach in a clockwise direction (in order to stimulate the bowels), while someone spalshed cold water all over your body. Then you returned for the final steam session after which you were sprayed with ice water shot through a pressure hose as another sort of massage. Then you were done. Afterward I was a little lightheaded and my arms felt like I had spent an hour lifting weights (not that i know what that feels like) but I also felt very rejuvenated...all for $2.75
After breakfast I rented a bike for $5 and rode 20k through a route that passed several waterfalls, ultimately ending at Pailon del Diablo, but not before getting caught in a downpour. Pailon del Diablo was the biggest on the route and in order to see it you had to hike down the mountain. It was really breathtaking and I think I finally realized exactly where I was. It was the ultimate end of my trip.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Avenue of the Volcanos
I took a taxi to the bus station this morning. When I arrived I started asking for buses to Baños and before I knew it I was sprinting with all my gear after a man who was running after a bus that had already started to leave. He got the bus to stop and load me on. There are buses for Baños leaving every 10-15 minutes on several different companies, so running after a bus is unnecessary, but they really want the business.
I began traveling south toward the Avenida de Volcans. It´s impossible not to notice the difference in landscape since leaving Colombia. Gone is the heat and rolling hills filled with grazing cattle, spotted with palm trees. Instead I see towering volcanos and mountains on all sides, coniferous forests, and cold nights. The local people have also seemed to transition from raising cows to growing vegetables. Sheep, llamas, and shaggy cows climb the mountain sides and indígena women carry babies slung over their shoulders, wrapped in shawls and traditional dress, while the short Indian men trot down the streets in their felt hats and wool ponchos.
I am now at a hostel in Baños, a town set in a valley and surrounded on all sides by volcanos and waterfalls. I am much more at ease in smaller towns, and with the exception of Mexico City, I never enjoy the urban areas in Latin America. This is a really pretty and peaceful place to spend a few days, even if the streets are filled with idiot gringos driving souped up go carts.
I spent the afternoon comfortably strolling about the small town and got a feel for the place. There are a couple of nice parks and a pretty plaza facing the basilica. There´s a central market with local handicrafts and food stalls and plenty of street vendors interspersed amound the multitude of storefronts offering tours to volcanos, waterfalls, jungles, white water rafting, bungie jumping, and more.
Baños, meaning ´bath´ in Spanish is known for its thermal springs, mineral baths, and spas. Researchers have known for years about the healing qualities of water after studying animals who seek out warm water and mineral baths when they are sick or injured. One of these mineral baths was located at the foot of a waterfall not far from my hostel. I saw it on my exploration earlier in the day at after learning that it was open until 10pm I decided to take an after dark dip.
For only $2 I went and relaxed for about an hour in the hot springs. The water is murky from the high mineral content, but it is nice and hot, and very calming. Next to the larger bath there was a smaller one, about the size of a standard hot tub, except this one was filled with icy cold water from the falls. I spent my time transitioning between the two pools, as was the custom. Jumping between the hot and old pools was exhilerating and the setting, with the sound of the waterfall next to you and the rain drops falling upon you, was outstanding.
I began traveling south toward the Avenida de Volcans. It´s impossible not to notice the difference in landscape since leaving Colombia. Gone is the heat and rolling hills filled with grazing cattle, spotted with palm trees. Instead I see towering volcanos and mountains on all sides, coniferous forests, and cold nights. The local people have also seemed to transition from raising cows to growing vegetables. Sheep, llamas, and shaggy cows climb the mountain sides and indígena women carry babies slung over their shoulders, wrapped in shawls and traditional dress, while the short Indian men trot down the streets in their felt hats and wool ponchos.
I am now at a hostel in Baños, a town set in a valley and surrounded on all sides by volcanos and waterfalls. I am much more at ease in smaller towns, and with the exception of Mexico City, I never enjoy the urban areas in Latin America. This is a really pretty and peaceful place to spend a few days, even if the streets are filled with idiot gringos driving souped up go carts.
I spent the afternoon comfortably strolling about the small town and got a feel for the place. There are a couple of nice parks and a pretty plaza facing the basilica. There´s a central market with local handicrafts and food stalls and plenty of street vendors interspersed amound the multitude of storefronts offering tours to volcanos, waterfalls, jungles, white water rafting, bungie jumping, and more.
Baños, meaning ´bath´ in Spanish is known for its thermal springs, mineral baths, and spas. Researchers have known for years about the healing qualities of water after studying animals who seek out warm water and mineral baths when they are sick or injured. One of these mineral baths was located at the foot of a waterfall not far from my hostel. I saw it on my exploration earlier in the day at after learning that it was open until 10pm I decided to take an after dark dip.
For only $2 I went and relaxed for about an hour in the hot springs. The water is murky from the high mineral content, but it is nice and hot, and very calming. Next to the larger bath there was a smaller one, about the size of a standard hot tub, except this one was filled with icy cold water from the falls. I spent my time transitioning between the two pools, as was the custom. Jumping between the hot and old pools was exhilerating and the setting, with the sound of the waterfall next to you and the rain drops falling upon you, was outstanding.
Friday, November 21, 2008
23 Km South of the Equator.
After 26 hours of bus travel over a 48 hour period, I finally arrived in Quito, Ecuador. I planned to leave Medellín, Colombia at 11pm on 11/18 and take a direct 18 hour bus ride to Pasto where I would stay the night before heading to the border the next day. When Esteban, his brother, and I arrived at the Terminal de Transportes however, we were told that the bus company was not taking people directly to Pasto because of the rioting that had been happening due to nearly the entire population losing their life savings in Pyramid Schemes. They said that during the day it was fine, but arriving there at night when most of the rioting was occuring was more risky. The suggested I take a 9 hour bus ride to Calí instead and then I would have no trouble getting a connecting bus to Pasto. I didn´t understand what the difference would be between going there directly or stopping in Calí and then getting another bus, but what did I know?
So I bid farewell to Esteban and his family who hosted me graciously for a month and borded a very very cold bus toward Calí. I slept most of the way wrapped up in my sleeping bag and despite the cold and my paranoia over getting my bag ripped off I was pretty well rested when we arrived in Calí just before 8am. I went to the ticket window for the bus company I was riding and inquired about a ticket to Pasto or Ipiales, the border town 2 hours further. They said that the next bus wasn´t leaving until 9pm. There was no way I was sitting in that bus station for over 12 hours waiting to take an 11 hour bus ride. Frustrated, I sat for about 15 minutes trying to figure out what to do. The bus station was still mostly closed when I arrived, but the longer I sat more businesses and restuarants opened and people appeared shouting out destinations and trying to get your business. I started walking and got no more than 20 feet before someone asked where I was going and I was led to a bus leaving for Ipiales in 45 minutes. I bought a ticket which I think they overcharged me $5 for, but I didn´t care because I just wanted to get moving again. I had a quick breakfast though I wasn´t hungry and headed back to the bus.
The next 11 hours were spent on a smaller, less comfortable, un-airconditioned bus. Luckily the windows opened for fresh air and as we were mostly traveling through the mountains, the temperature was fairly comfortable. On the break between Pasto and Ipiales the only people left on the bus were myself and Liliana, a 25 year old Ecuadorean woman and her 4 year old son, Ari. Liliana struck up a conversation with me and we talked (in Spanish!) for the next two hours until Ipiales. We decided to share a hotel for the night for $5/person.
In Calí, Ari´s luggage was stolen from the compartment under the bus so we spent the morning buying some new clothes for him in the Centro, had some breakfast, and then took a taxi to the Colombian border. Liliana invited me to come stay with her family at their beach house in Manta, 8 hours from Quito, but I think this will have to wait for another trip. Ari took a liking to me and told his mother that she was his Mamí and I was his Mama. Liliana said that when I leave Ecuador I will be leaving a son behind. Her family has two houses for sale on the beach...a 4 bedroom with a garage for 40k and a 2 bedroom, totally furnished, motorcycle/scooter included for 18k...any takers??
The border crossing was very quick and painless, though I am very sad to see the discontinuation of the passport stamp. Yes, you still have record of your travels but it´s printed manually, instead of the nice unique stamps often with handwritten entry/exit dates. We walked across a bridge to enter Ecuador and then went through a simple entry procedure, took a taxi to the nearest town where we stopped for lunch and then hopped on a bus with no air conditioning and no openable windows for the next 6 hours. I thought I was going to suffocate and get violently ill in the closed, cramped, conditions.
Once we arrived in Quito we said goodbye and I took a taxi to some weird German themed hostal for the night, finally arriving at 9pm on 11/20. It was absolutely freezing. By that I mean it was like 50 degrees, but after being tropicalized and without heat it was enough to send me to bed completely bundled up.
This morning I woke up and was really on my own...unassisted. All I wanted to do was hide in the hostal all day and then take the next bus straight to my first WWOOF (www.wwoof.org) placement to avoid having to do anything alone at all. Eventually after nursing a pot of tea for a good hour at the hostal while reading a lended guidebook I eventually worked up the nerve to take the trolly into the Old City. Once in the Old City I didn´t know what to do so I pretty much walked in circles around the main plaza for hours terrified to take out even my point-and-shoot camera after reading about all the muggings in the guidebook that morning. I managed to direct myself to a vegetarian restaurant for lunch and finally took a couple pictures in the plaza.
Since 2000, the official currency of Ecuador changed to the US dollar. If you ever wondered where all the $1 coins are circulating...I found them. It´s strange to see how far American money can go. A $6 cab ride for instance usually doesn´t get you more than 10 blocks, here it takes you half way across the city. It´s nice to have a currency I understand, but bad for me because I am very aware of exactly how much things cost.
Tomorrow I plan to begin heading South. Rather than one long bus ride to my first placement near the border with Peru I am going to work up the courage to stop in a few destinations so I can experience the country instead of just see it pass me by through the window. First stop - the tallest active volcano in the world? Or maybe the thermal baths? Traveling alone will take some adjusting, but I´m sure I will get the hang of it eventually.
So I bid farewell to Esteban and his family who hosted me graciously for a month and borded a very very cold bus toward Calí. I slept most of the way wrapped up in my sleeping bag and despite the cold and my paranoia over getting my bag ripped off I was pretty well rested when we arrived in Calí just before 8am. I went to the ticket window for the bus company I was riding and inquired about a ticket to Pasto or Ipiales, the border town 2 hours further. They said that the next bus wasn´t leaving until 9pm. There was no way I was sitting in that bus station for over 12 hours waiting to take an 11 hour bus ride. Frustrated, I sat for about 15 minutes trying to figure out what to do. The bus station was still mostly closed when I arrived, but the longer I sat more businesses and restuarants opened and people appeared shouting out destinations and trying to get your business. I started walking and got no more than 20 feet before someone asked where I was going and I was led to a bus leaving for Ipiales in 45 minutes. I bought a ticket which I think they overcharged me $5 for, but I didn´t care because I just wanted to get moving again. I had a quick breakfast though I wasn´t hungry and headed back to the bus.
The next 11 hours were spent on a smaller, less comfortable, un-airconditioned bus. Luckily the windows opened for fresh air and as we were mostly traveling through the mountains, the temperature was fairly comfortable. On the break between Pasto and Ipiales the only people left on the bus were myself and Liliana, a 25 year old Ecuadorean woman and her 4 year old son, Ari. Liliana struck up a conversation with me and we talked (in Spanish!) for the next two hours until Ipiales. We decided to share a hotel for the night for $5/person.
In Calí, Ari´s luggage was stolen from the compartment under the bus so we spent the morning buying some new clothes for him in the Centro, had some breakfast, and then took a taxi to the Colombian border. Liliana invited me to come stay with her family at their beach house in Manta, 8 hours from Quito, but I think this will have to wait for another trip. Ari took a liking to me and told his mother that she was his Mamí and I was his Mama. Liliana said that when I leave Ecuador I will be leaving a son behind. Her family has two houses for sale on the beach...a 4 bedroom with a garage for 40k and a 2 bedroom, totally furnished, motorcycle/scooter included for 18k...any takers??
The border crossing was very quick and painless, though I am very sad to see the discontinuation of the passport stamp. Yes, you still have record of your travels but it´s printed manually, instead of the nice unique stamps often with handwritten entry/exit dates. We walked across a bridge to enter Ecuador and then went through a simple entry procedure, took a taxi to the nearest town where we stopped for lunch and then hopped on a bus with no air conditioning and no openable windows for the next 6 hours. I thought I was going to suffocate and get violently ill in the closed, cramped, conditions.
Once we arrived in Quito we said goodbye and I took a taxi to some weird German themed hostal for the night, finally arriving at 9pm on 11/20. It was absolutely freezing. By that I mean it was like 50 degrees, but after being tropicalized and without heat it was enough to send me to bed completely bundled up.
This morning I woke up and was really on my own...unassisted. All I wanted to do was hide in the hostal all day and then take the next bus straight to my first WWOOF (www.wwoof.org) placement to avoid having to do anything alone at all. Eventually after nursing a pot of tea for a good hour at the hostal while reading a lended guidebook I eventually worked up the nerve to take the trolly into the Old City. Once in the Old City I didn´t know what to do so I pretty much walked in circles around the main plaza for hours terrified to take out even my point-and-shoot camera after reading about all the muggings in the guidebook that morning. I managed to direct myself to a vegetarian restaurant for lunch and finally took a couple pictures in the plaza.
Since 2000, the official currency of Ecuador changed to the US dollar. If you ever wondered where all the $1 coins are circulating...I found them. It´s strange to see how far American money can go. A $6 cab ride for instance usually doesn´t get you more than 10 blocks, here it takes you half way across the city. It´s nice to have a currency I understand, but bad for me because I am very aware of exactly how much things cost.
Tomorrow I plan to begin heading South. Rather than one long bus ride to my first placement near the border with Peru I am going to work up the courage to stop in a few destinations so I can experience the country instead of just see it pass me by through the window. First stop - the tallest active volcano in the world? Or maybe the thermal baths? Traveling alone will take some adjusting, but I´m sure I will get the hang of it eventually.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Colombia, Part 2
On my visit eight years ago, the trip through the mountains would not have been possible. At that time the roads were overrun by FARC and were unsafe to travel for fear of kidnappings. President Uribe has fought hard against FARC and has been very successful, though there is still much work to be done and the country is still very crippled from spending years under their control. In the few weeks that I have been here I have seen the release of one of the thousands of hostages held along with a dissenting member of FARC who is now under government protection. When an event like that happens while you´re in the country it´s happening in, it makes everything very real.
We took a trip to Cartegena the weekend before last. I visited the city last time I was here and have always remembered it´s colonial beauty. Because the roads were so unsafe last time, we took a short flight on a small propeller plane. This time, we woke a 5:30am to take the bus. The trip took about 6 hours and the bus was freezing. Even though Esteban warned me that it would be cold I found that my jeans and sweatshirt was not enough. Next time I will follow the lead of the locals and bring my sleeping bag. In Cartegena we went to a wonderful Cuban bar. A live band was playing salsa viejo, the old traditional salsa songs. It was dark and smoky and hot. The mojitos came out from behind the bar steadily throughout the night while everyone danced the night away. Everyone, of course, except me and Esteban. In the taxi on the way back to the bus station it began downpouring. Before I knew it the streets were completely flooded. There´s no infrastructure here. That means no sewers, than means no drainage. I asked Esteban where the waste goes. Probably the ocean, he said.
I´ve been spending most of my time following Esteban around through his daily tasks at his cattle farm. We wake up and do crunches and hop in a cold shower. Then breakfast is prepared for us. Afterward Esteban usually has to run some errands, sometimes I go with him, other times I read or watch CNN or old episodes of 90210. In the afternoon lunch is waiting for us. We gorge ourselves and then take a nap. Sometimes we go swimming or horseback riding. Later, there might be a cattle auction, then it´s home for some more relaxing, reading, guitar sing alongs, then dinner, then TV, then reading, then sleep.
Esteban has Direct TV at the farm so I have been able to keep up with the world. I watched the Phillies win the World Series, and last night I watched them tally up the votes and announce Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. It´s a strange sensation to be so connected and yet so disconnected at the same time. It´s an exciting time for the United States and the world at large and if he can only accomplish half of what he hopes to accomplish we will still all be better off.
I´ve been trying to connect with people in Ecuador so I can begin the more adventurous portion of the trip. I have had a very gentle re-introduction to South American life. Esteban has guided me lovingly and has planned and arranged everything that has needed to be done so far. I´m trying to remind myself to enjoy this calmand accept his assistance, because soon, I will be out there on my own, without translation, determining which freezing bus to get onto, and finding myself in countries I´ve never set foot in before.
We took a trip to Cartegena the weekend before last. I visited the city last time I was here and have always remembered it´s colonial beauty. Because the roads were so unsafe last time, we took a short flight on a small propeller plane. This time, we woke a 5:30am to take the bus. The trip took about 6 hours and the bus was freezing. Even though Esteban warned me that it would be cold I found that my jeans and sweatshirt was not enough. Next time I will follow the lead of the locals and bring my sleeping bag. In Cartegena we went to a wonderful Cuban bar. A live band was playing salsa viejo, the old traditional salsa songs. It was dark and smoky and hot. The mojitos came out from behind the bar steadily throughout the night while everyone danced the night away. Everyone, of course, except me and Esteban. In the taxi on the way back to the bus station it began downpouring. Before I knew it the streets were completely flooded. There´s no infrastructure here. That means no sewers, than means no drainage. I asked Esteban where the waste goes. Probably the ocean, he said.
I´ve been spending most of my time following Esteban around through his daily tasks at his cattle farm. We wake up and do crunches and hop in a cold shower. Then breakfast is prepared for us. Afterward Esteban usually has to run some errands, sometimes I go with him, other times I read or watch CNN or old episodes of 90210. In the afternoon lunch is waiting for us. We gorge ourselves and then take a nap. Sometimes we go swimming or horseback riding. Later, there might be a cattle auction, then it´s home for some more relaxing, reading, guitar sing alongs, then dinner, then TV, then reading, then sleep.
Esteban has Direct TV at the farm so I have been able to keep up with the world. I watched the Phillies win the World Series, and last night I watched them tally up the votes and announce Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. It´s a strange sensation to be so connected and yet so disconnected at the same time. It´s an exciting time for the United States and the world at large and if he can only accomplish half of what he hopes to accomplish we will still all be better off.
I´ve been trying to connect with people in Ecuador so I can begin the more adventurous portion of the trip. I have had a very gentle re-introduction to South American life. Esteban has guided me lovingly and has planned and arranged everything that has needed to be done so far. I´m trying to remind myself to enjoy this calmand accept his assistance, because soon, I will be out there on my own, without translation, determining which freezing bus to get onto, and finding myself in countries I´ve never set foot in before.
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