Alvaro and I left for the bus to Quito at 9pm. I took medicine for motion sickness and to be able to sleep for the 9 hour ride. Around midnight we were stopped by the police in a place I didn’t recognize. Everyone on the bus except women with babies had to get off. The women and men were told to make separate lines to be checked for weapons, drugs, etc. The police checked the women’s bags and called in reinforcements to check my passport since I was the only white person in the line. The men had to line up next to the bus to be patted down, one by one, and most had to leave their backpacks in the luggage compartment.
In Quito, we arrived at Alvaro’s family’s house, freezing and exhausted. Later that night, we went out in the Mariscal district with three of Alvaro’s brothers and two friends. Being the only girl in our group, I danced with everyone at least once. For the next few days, I relaxed in the house in Quito. We took trips to the textile market in Otavalo, the historic district in Quito to buy shoes, and the internet and photo-printing places down the street.
Once inside the airport, I struggled to fight back tears and carry my bags, which were full of 5 pairs of shoes and new blankets from Otavalo.
This week I found mold in my laundry bag, near my suitcase, and consequently on some of my clothes. Now everything is hanging up in my room to try to avoid any new little black spots. The main problem is the humidity. It rained nonstop for the last two days but we are beginning to get a few patches of sun again.
The other day I was walking to Bunche with Alvaro and his brothers and we saw a 6ft-long snake, curled up and missing a head. It had a black and white pattern and was as thick as my fist in the middle. After everyone argued about how long it was, Alvaro picked it up with a stick and threw it in the bushes.
Each time I walk on the path to the volunteer house, about 3 toads jump away. They are mostly about 2 inches long along their backs but some are as big as 4 inches. Once, when walking to Freddy?s, I saw one that was as least 6 inches long. It sat in the road without moving as I shined my flashlight on it and then walked away.
There are always pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, or horses running around here. Some mornings there is a white crane which flies and lands gracefully near the shrimp ponds, across from the volunteer house. I always try to get a picture but am never close enough.
Each time I take a carro (a pickup truck) to and from Muisne it is a different experience. Yesterday, the truck was almost full (18 people) so I stood in the middle among a sack of something and some backpacks. There was a group of women who exploded in laughter every few seconds the entire way to Muisne. On the way back, about 20 people stood up in a carro that didn’t have any benches in the back. We were full, as they say here, and still kept picking up more people. Alvaro and his brothers jumped on as well, riding outside the truck on the side (there is a rack for people to hold on). When we got close to the station, I banged on the roof to get the car to stop, and climbed up the side of the truck and jumped off because there was no other way to get off with all the people. A few days ago, Alvaro and I got on a carro that was filled with yellow containers of water for washing clothes. I stood up while he hung on the tailgate and at every bump in the road a little bit of water splashed on us.
Flea’s puppies get cuter and cuter each day. She has two that are at the station and they are old enough to really resemble their parents (the brown one looks like Flea and the black one looks like Alvaro’s dog, Otilino). Sometimes she will run in circles or play with plastic bottles and they will chase and bark at her. They sleep below the volunteer house and make little barking noises when they yawn. Each time I come downstairs they are lying in similar positions or next to each other, and when they wake up they wag their tails and roll over to have me rub their bellies.
