again, sorry for the terrible format! but enjoy if you can ignore that... I really love it here, minus the part where the people I love aren't here with me... but despite this, the adventure has already been so incredible and it is just beginning...
a few lovely things from 2.6.13, our first day in peguche:
-the bird nest directly outside our hotel window, perfect for just watching the morning dove-type bird keep her eggs warm...
-fun new food with endless street food options to explore (tho we've already had one in our group sick enough to miss an entire day and another few with a case of travelers you-know-what, so I'm being smart and faithfully taking my daily probiotic, which is working like magic :) -knock on wood- as well as continuing to make good judgements about what I eat... for the most part)...
-adorable perros everywhere, which you can only pet when dr. w is not looking, otherwise he freaks out!! (don't ask how I know)... I only pet the clean nice ones tho, (please don't worry mother)...
-this morning's travels to see the mat weavers and explore a traditional home of the indigenous people, complete with guinea pigs (future food for the household) running around the floor of the "kitchen" (near the fire), where they will later meet their toasty fate. still haven't decided if I'll give guinea pig a try (a staple protein in the diet here), they are all squeaking and super cute and I have mixed feelings - more on the guinea pig's role in this culture to come... oh yes, it gets way better than food...
-the special treat we stopped for on the way to otovalo called cherimoya, with these big black seeds and sweet white meat, so delicious!! and perfect for seed spitting contests...
-our visit to the lake with massive mountains on all sides. this is where the reeds to make the mats are collected twice a year... there was an old man in almost nothing from the waste down washing his potato bags in the lake... c'est la vie (oh wait, that's french)...
-the green mountains towering over every horizon and occasionally disappearing into the clouds... crops run up until the terrain gets too steep to plant. it is breathtaking everywhere you look here...
-our tutorial on making alpaca goods, which was given by an 80 year old man and his wife, who complete the whole process in the traditional way, skinning the alpaca they raise, washing the wool in the lake, combing/cleaning it with these bristle brushes (which I tried, and embarrassed myself, because they make it look wayyy easier than it is, like they've been doing it for nearly 80 years or something ;) and they work sitting on the floor all day!!)... the next step is to roll it into a loose long string, I guess you could describe it, and that is then twisted and put on a spool with this manual wooden machine they turn with one arm and feed with the other, and finally the wool is used on the loom to create beautiful and incredibly soft scarves, blankets, hats and clothes... oh em gee it was amazing to see and be a part of the entire process...
-private Spanish lessons, very fun, a little frustrating, and always comical. I still rely a little too heavily on french, which is where my mind goes as soon as someone speaks to me in a foreign language, but turns out the similarities are enough that it is probably more useful than not...
-my favorite dog here (see photo of large white pup in instagram) who decided he wanted to eat my shoe tonight... when it was still on my foot, as I was entering my hostel room - anne rescued me.
-the freezing shower... because I would never willingly choose to take one but when there's no option it is a great way to remind yourself you're alive! :)
-the dinner celebration we had for Eddie's (dr. W's son's) bday including live local music and a piñata and cake, which was conveniently timed with Leah's bday, a girl in our group... it was a celebration!! minus good booze, because all they have here is pilsener and it is worse than bud light and my refined aka stuck up portland beer taste makes it impossible for me to enjoy even a sip of the local stuff...
that's all for now!! xo
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