¡Hola amigos y familia!
This weekend I visited the Oltavalo market. The Oltavalen people are the closest deendents to the Incas. The women dress in lacey white shirts with beautiful hand embroidery and they all wear lots of golden necklaces, even the toddlers. After bartering I ate lunch at a hacienda 15 minutes away. I tried cuy (guinea pig) which DOES NOT taste like chicken. It was sort of fishy and chewy mmm... not. They also gave us these shots of indigeonous blackberry alchohol. At first I though it was sauce for my rice...I´m glad I didn´t make that mistake. Speaking of mistakes while eating, I learned a very important life lesson a few days ago. Never confuse papas and patas. While papas are compleately harmless potatoes, patas is hoof. Long story short I ate pig/horse hoof soup. Yep. It was interesting, I felt like I was back in biology lab as I investgated the various choped ankle bones, fat globs, tedons, and freaking giant animal tonail. I actually got 3/4 of the soup down before I started to throw up a little.
Now that I suffieciently grossed everyone out I´ll continue. At the hasienda an Otolavan band played all these bank-money instruments while they little precious niños danced. Then the band got in the middle and we all danced around the band with the kids showing us all their moves. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life.
Later I visted the sacred waterfall, Cascada de Peguche, in the Adean highlands. For dinner we ate at this HUGE hacienda, I tried a bunch of new exotic fruits and juices. ¡There was an original Picasso in the master bedroom!
They next day I woke early and ate huevos fritas (fried eggs) y cafe con leche (coffe with milk) for breakfast. I drove then hiked up to the mouth of Cuicocha Volcanoe. The mouth of the Cuicocha had a beautiful teal lagoon with two small islands in the center. It was take-your-breath-away beautiful. We were really hungry and found these small berries that are safe to eat and taste like apples.
We ate lunch a the base of San Pablo Volcanoe at a delicious restuarant. For dessert we had blackberry and guanabana ice cream, yum. Right before we had to leave Mitchell and I jumped in the lake, it was spur of moment and definitly 35 degrees. I was pretty cold on the drive back to Quito but it was worth it to swim in a lake at the base of one of the tallest volcanoes in the Andes.
Right now I believe we are going paddle boating at a park, I should probably do some homework though...I´m planning on pulling a Ferranto and waiting until the last minute.
CHAO
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