Week 3: Part 3- the final installment. Day trip to the "beach".

On Saturday, Gaby, a coworker, and her boyfriend Dario, wanted to take Tamara and I to a nearby town called Misahualli.  It was a 30 minute taxi ride away and an incredibly interesting way to see how people really live out in the country.  

Here homes are either cinder blocks on the dry side or wood huts built up on stilts on the river side.  

This is what a typical school looks like. All windows are just bars, no screens. 

 Apparently, one typical dish involves these little squirmy dudes on skewers. Hakuna Matata! 

We opted for the tilapia cooked in the maito leaf, served with yuka. It was tasty but lots of bones and a slimy head. :)

Swimming in the river was wonderful, but the current was strong, so we just waded.  

These boats carry people up and down the river. They used to be the main method of transportation until the "highway" was built.  

The monkeys rule this beach, and are known to run off with people's cameras, water bottles, sun glasses... anything they can get their hands on . 

Check out this dude's balancing skills!

No wonder they aren't afraid of humans... 

At one point this truck pulled up full of chickens and hens and people gathered around to take their pick.  Not sure how much they were going for. 

My definition of a good day- swimming in the river, followed by a game of pool with salsa music playing, and the Real Madrid soccer game on in the background!!

Speed racers!! 

All in all, this past week was jammed packed with lots of adventure and memory making! The time has gone quickly, but I will say the honeymoon phase is fading.  The reality of 11.25 more months is sinking in.  I'm sure that a lot more adventures and stories are to come! I appreciate all of your emails, comments, "likes" on facebook, and truly would love to hear from any and all of you about whatever you want to share. Big or small! It's nice to still feel connected even though I'm far away!  Stay tuned! 

Week 3, Part 2- My new "normal"

Part 2: I wanted to throw in some pics that show a bit more of the day-to-day of my new life here.  

Empanadas are the typical treat around here. Fried bread with cheese in the middle, and sugar on top.  YUM!! 

And this is Jenny. She's 18 and from the midwest. She's here in Tena for 8 months as part of a cultural exchange program before she heads off to college.  I may still be the oldest, but I'm not the tallest anymore.

These decorations just appeared on the pedestrian bridge one day, and have stayed since. They are parrots made out of old car tires.  

My new favorite fruit: granadillas. Think pomegranate seed covered in tapioca with a citrusy taste.  Somehow delicious. 

The hospital has an intramural soccer and basketball league so I joined a soccer team with my co-workers. Each team had to get uniforms made and have a "madrina" represent their team. Basically, it's a pretty girl who stands in front of your team and is judged by some panel. 

Here are the madrinas... ours is the 3rd from the left. 

And our madrina was crowned Queen of the Tournament! 

Not to toot my own horn... but I played pretty dang good, and now have a reputation within the hospital as the "goleadora". Rumor has it that the teams are saying they just have to mark the "gringa" to win.  Even during my zumba class on friday, I said how tiring one of the routines was, and some girl I don't know said "good, get tired so you can't play soccer!" :) 

Here is some evidence from my soccer game- and the evidence left by pesky mosquitos. Definitely a "new normal" that I don't love. Too bad the sun hasn't helped with the whiteness yet. ;)

 Street food is everywhere, and is usually questionable.  For example, these chicken feet.  No thanks. But the sweet bananas with cheese are delicious! 

This is Rafaela, my "little sister". She can't seem to pronounce my name so she calls me "ñaña" which means sister in quichua, the indigenous language of the area.

Here is my brother Juan Francisco. He likes to act like he's too cool for school, but he is a softy. Such a sweet kid and easy to get along with.  

The new normal wouldn't be complete without some bugs... These moths are HUGE and beautiful when they are not flying around your head. 

 Ants are everywhere and show up in a second if there is something worth hauling away. This one impressed me as it carried an entire fly off all by itself.  I decided not to sweep that one away, he was working way too hard.  

In Ecuador, bus drivers have no fear. This is not a one-way highway... this is a bus passing a car in the rain. No big deal. 

 These next few pictures I quickly snapped as I was riding the city bus to work one morning.

Typical "big street".

Typical store fronts with houses above. 

Produce markets line the streets, and are usually the best deal for some good fruits and veggies. 

I like this mural. It says "Reproductive rights- we have the right to not be kicked out of school for being pregnant".  Definitely a relevant issue around here.  

To be continued.... Part 3: the final installment- day trip to the "beach".

Week 3, Part 1- Venturing out of town

Week 3 has been packed and has gone by quite quickly!

Last weekend we had a 3-day weekend due to some holiday that no one seemed to know exactly what it was. Who cares, though, right? :)  My best answer would be that it was Independence day for one of the larger cities in Ecuador. Anyhow. The other volunteer from the clinic, Tamara, and I went to a town called Baños for the weekend. It was about a 3 hour bus ride out of the jungle and into the mountains.  Read: windy roads!  Here are some pics...

First adventure on the buses out of town. There doesn't seem to be a speed limit, or bus stops. Just flag the bus down and tell the bus driver when you want to get off. 

First view of the town, beautiful gorge with waterfalls over the cliffs.  

 Procession through town, women serving a cinnamon drink out of the back of the truck to the people watching.  Make note of the hills in the background...they'll come up a little later. 

There is a volcano just outside of town, after all.  So when in doubt, follow the big green arrows. 

View from above (from up in the aforementioned hills) , I think this is the first time we were cold in 3 weeks! 

Tree house with a totally reliable swing. ;) Not much of a view though, due to fog rolling in. 

 We decided to hike back down, but that involved a wrong turn heading up towards the volcano as clouds crept in... 

Then we met Jairo Sanchez, who works the land in these hills and was able to help us navigate the many trails that the locals use.  

The virgen de Aguas Santas greeted us at the end of the hike, with more beautiful views of the city....

...and at least 500 uneven stairs to get down.

Baños, as hinted in the name, is known for it's hot springs, fed by the waters of the volcano. Hair caps are obligatory, and quite attractive. 

We rewarded ourselves with pizza and beer for surviving the day of travels, hiking, getting lost, and treking across/through/above town. 

 DAY TWO:

We rented bikes and road the "Ruta de las cascadas", trial of the waterfalls.

At each waterfall you could cross by cable car or zip line, we chose cable car. 

Favorite part of my day was lounging in the refreshing river above the falls! 

More cable cars, more amazing views! 

Best fish I've ever tasted! Fresh out of the river!

After we'd refueled, we hiked to the Pailon Del Diablo waterfall (Devil's cauldron). This was part of the trail. 

A cauldron, it was! We got soaked! 

We ended this hike with Jugo de Caña, sugar cane juice. Straight from the cane! 

Funny that no one really explained that they way back to town was in the back of a truck... in the rain. At least we had our helmets. 

Then came the evening... Everyone was in the streets, blasting music from there cars.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! 

DAY THREE:

Canyoning- which means repelling, zip lining, sliding down waterfalls, and looking really good in wet suits.

Since we were the only two picked up from Baños, they ushered us quickly onto the bus from the side of the road (rather than entering the bus station like they are supposed to). We're assuming they gave our seats to some other people they picked up along the way because we sat on the bench behind the driver for the whole trip home.  Although it was less leg room, the view was awesome, and we enjoyed the conversation.

The best part was ending the weekend with this beautiful gift of nature that extended all the way down into the river.  Amazing!