Cuenca, Ecuador

I like Cuenca, Ecuador, and I'm not alone. There are all kinds of expats here. It's a popular place, with a price tag to match. Rather than rely on our Lonely Planet Guide for lodging, we asked our taxi driver for an economic recommendation. He brought us to the backpacker mecca section of the city, on a cliff overlooking the riverwalk; there were half a dozen options within one block- it was perfect. The friendly owner, Wilson, gave us a tour. We dumped our bags and set off to explore the city. We enjoyed what we found:

Historic section, off the Calle Larga (large street)

Riverwalk

Orange climbing flowers, as seen from the popular riverwalk

Ladies here love their hats (even the babies are fashionistas)

Historic section

Flower market

Judicial building- love the stone work!

Streets of Cuenca

Saturday art market

Wish I could fit this in my backpack. I'd store my eggs on the counter for display, and convenience.

Need something that cures all your physical ailments? (see next pic)

The answer for all your physical aches and pains, for only $6

This town knows how to party! Wish I had room in my pack for some wild heels. Then again, I'd probably pull a Bridget Jones/SJP on the cobblestone.

Most of the stores here are mom and pop shops, but if you need a little bit of everything, there are markets of assembled mom and pop shops with everything at one stop. Belts, shoes, socks, underwear, hair accessories, fruits and veggies, meat, eggs, baskets, flowers, etc, etc, etc all under one roof.

This town knows how to party! Wish I had room in my pack for some wild heels. Then again, I'd probably pull a Bridget Jones/SJP on the cobblestone.

While you're at it, don't forget to pick up a scoop of lard...

We loved everything except for the pet shop. Naturally, I wanted to take all of these lil' fellas home with me, but I was sad to discover that they were from a puppy mill :-( Now I double want to take them home with me.

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Welcome to Ecuador

Bienvenidos a Ecuador! It was a successful crossing from Cajamarca, Peru to Loja, Ecuador. No machine gun hold-ups, no bribes or scams across the border, and no explosive diarrhea (can't say the same for the kid behind us, but he recovered well, and we all thank Dios for the windows which prevented us from vomiting). We'd powered through 19 hours on a bus. Yeah, us!

No man's land, the border between Peru and Ecuador

Ecuador is beautiful. At the border, we were greeted by green terraced rice fields followed by pink wild-flowers and green ceiba trees. I could kick myself for not getting pictures of them. They were stunners. We rolled along enjoying hours of sunny, green hillsides covered with fat, happy cows.

No man's land, the border between Peru and Ecuador

It's nearly impossible to read while driving through the Andes, so we entertained ourselves with my ipod. Having familiar music keeps me happy.

Occasionally, we'd pass through a town and marvel at the sights. One of my favorite sightings was a lunch section on main street with a showcase of the 3 little piggies. If we hadn't filled up on lentil soup in the town before, we may have stopped in and shaved off a chunk.

Later, in Cuenca, Ecuador, we were in search of supper and found a local super market (supermarkets in the majority world are more like vender stalls, collections of sole proprietors, rather than traditional, Western big box stores). When we saw the fruit stalls, we knew we were on the right track. Then we saw the weiners, followed by the legs of beef and whole chickens. We were getting close. We looked upstairs and found the perfect supper: a big piggy!

We ordered a plate of the good stuff with a side of cheesy potatoes, then asked if it was okay to take a picture of the head. The ladies motioned "go ahead" while a local guy came near and said, in Spanish, "Everybody comes to eat, but the gringos want a picture with the head (insert eye rolling)." Mark and I understood and thus we busted out laughing which caught the guy by surprise. I don't think he anticipated us understanding Spanish :-)

For our night entertainment, we picked up some DVD's at the bargain price of 4 for $5. Surprisingly, they were all in English. We had to laugh a few times during "The Lone Ranger" because dark shadows crossed our screen, just like in the theater, to get their popcorn or use the restroom. Good luck, Hollywood, on collecting royalties for those copies. Our hostel had a rooftop living room, complete with a hammock (which made me really happy- my buns needed a break after sitting on busses for so long). The windows overlooked the lighted riverwalk and river down below which we had scouted earlier in the day. It felt good to finally be somewhere. The city has a lot of historical charm, which is probably why there are so many expats here. It's a pretty town for walking, so I'm sure I'll post pics soon.

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Outgrowing the backpacker lifestyle

Another 4 1/2 hour bus ride.... with each mountain that this bus wraps itself around I'm given a new level of awareness: I'm outgrowing this lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I still love seeing new places, but I'm losing the thrill of doing it on a backpacker's budget. I'm tired of things like the 19 hour bus ride that took us from Peru to Ecuador, not because it wasn't beautiful, but because my neck and back and bum are sore from sitting, being jostled around like a semi-driver for nearly a full day. I feel very fortunate to have crossed 34 countries off of my "to visit" list, but I'm ready to start seeing other countries by flight rather than bus, by moderate range hotels rather than budget hostels, by nice organic meals rather than chicken and chips.
I can't remember a trip where I've missed the familiar things of "home," until this one. I miss my Tempurpedic bed and pillow. I miss lemon water out of the fridge. I miss getting ready in the bathroom where there's a spot to set my curling iron and a full mirror to put on my makeup, rather than a tiny little palm-sized compact. I miss showering without sandals. I miss laying out on the beaches in Hawaii. I miss my family. I miss natural, well-balanced meals with a piece of satisfying dark chocolate afterward.
I encourage anyone to see another country by whatever means possible, but the fact is that most backpacker travelers are in their 20's, unmarried or recently married. Of course, there are exceptions- generally, they're without the buoys that kept their rough edges rounded off, socially awkward, needy for social interaction, full of opinions. All this to say, I'm getting older, and I feel my backpacker travel days coming to a close. I'm ready to settle in, throw down roots, stop living out of a suitcase.
The perks haven't all gone missing. There are perks to living out of a suitcase, things like having a small number of options to pull from when getting dressed each day, which helps me get ready quickly. I get my fresh laundry folded by professionals, and I haven't had to wash dishes in months. The closest I've come to making a bed is stuffing a sleeping bag in a stuff sack. And, my husband has even started carrying my luggage up the steps at the hotels (look away, ladies, that's some powerful woman porn).
But, when I add it all up, there's just something fading. The joy of travel and exploration that used to be in my heart is just fading. I didn't think I'd feel this way, but I'm ready to go home, settle in, find a job, and get to work.

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10 Gallon Hats and Cuey in Cajamarca, Peru

Well, you know you've arrived somewhere awesome when you come across a hat like this, especially on such a lil' fella. We've since seen it all over town. It's like the closer we get to Mexico, the more we start to see 10 gallon hats. It's fantastic... partly because it means there's sun outside again. No wonder the Incas worshipped the sun.

And, you know you're not at home anymore when you see guinea pig for sale on the street. It's both fascinating and revolting for me. I want to be respectful of varied tastes; I just don't want any kids to be scared of their auntie who eats childhood pets. Something about the furry lil' critters just seems wrong to me; I'm sure I'd feel differently if I was raised around guinea pigs as food rather than pets.

Mark tried 1/2 a fried cuey (I'm simultaneously ashamed and proud of myself for trying a bite). It tastes like tender, greasy chicken. There's not a lot of meat on the bones.

I instead opted for a boiled mixed salad, asparagous soup, and cedron tea. I go back and forth with trying salads. Technically, the bacteria from the water (if your salad gets washed) can cause stomach bugs.... so can the poor hand-washing. I've gotten both on this trip. Sometimes I'm willing to risk it, and other times, I stick to the cheap deep fried meat on a bed of rice. Lastnight, I wasn't too worried because I'm already on a regimin of cipro for an existing stomach bug. I've been sick on this trip more than any other trip (4 times: elevation sickness in Bolivia, a head cold in Machu Picchu, a 1/2 day lost to the bano in La Paz, and most recently, a stomach bug I picked up somewhere around Lima). Most trips, I get one bug and call it good. I'm not sure why this trip is special. I use hand sanitizer and wash my hands. I don't lick my fingers. It's just one of those things, the price of admission to visit cool places, I guess.

We enjoyed Cajamarca as it is less touristy than other towns, partly because it's off the beaten trail. We enjoyed the hot spring baths, and the Combes Mayo (pre-Incan canals carved into rocks) were cool, but we'll be leaving Cajamarca tonight. We'll board an 11pm Flores overnight bus bound for Chiclayo, on our way to Piura, the border town for Ecuador. We're making our way toward Lajo, en route to Quito. We've heard some border crossing horror stories, so we chose the route that sounded the least problematic, but we always appreciate prayers for safe crossing. We're also still in negotiations about whether or not we'll stay in South America for another semester. I'm not thrilled about the uncertainty of it all, so I'm looking forward to Quito where we're going to feel out the opportunities for volunteering and see if it's a city we'd like to stay in for a few months. As a reminder, due to travel, we may not have access to wifi for a couple of days, so it may be a few days before I'm able to post another blog. In the meantime, feel free to email or Facebook or post a comment. I always enjoy getting mail.

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Los Banos Del Incas (Cajamarca, Peru)

We rolled into Cajamarca (Northern Peru) off a 16 hour overnight bus ride from Lima. First class bus rides allow for a few hours of shut-eye, but it's the kind of sleep that leaves you feeling hung-over the next day, so we generally try to take it easy, first day off a bus. We decided to hit the Banos Del Incas, a natural hot springs 6km outside of town.

We found the baths easy enough, but navigating the site was a bit confusing. There are two sites. The first is for kids and families. It has a water slide and kiddie pools. The other is for adults and families. It has bungalows, private jacuzzis, massages, a sauna, and a pool with diving boards. The grounds have fountains and hot pools (at a scalding 71C, 160F, they're not for swimming). We bought tickets for the pool and a private shower, but couldn't tell where the pool was or where to shower afterwards. After asking around, I eventually figured out that what we really wanted was the private baths (hot tubs), so I went back out to pay for additional tickets. All said and done, it cost us 16 soles ($5 USD), but I would have happily paid much more than that.

A friendly, helpful gentleman noticed that I was clueless and offered to help. "Would you like an orientation?" "Actually, I want the private pools." He pretty much held my hand through the ticket line and then back through the site where Mark was waiting. Sometimes there are perks to being a female in a chauvinistic culture. Thank you, Kind Sir. We arrived at a long hall with many closed wooden doors. Each door had a dry-erase board that listed a time on it. We later realized that was the time they started the bath. Each bath lasts 30 minutes. The staff cleans every tiled hot tub after every bath (thank goodness, I could relax without worrying about catching some rare skin malady). They start the water with the perfect temperature and let you know how to adjust for hot and cold. The bath has 4 steps down and fills surprisingly quickly. We snapped a couple of pics, washed our hair, and settled in to let the steam work its magic. By 15 minutes, I was completely overheated and had to step out onto the steps. Mark lasted another 5 minutes past me. It felt so great to finally get heated up because although it's been summer in the States, we've been experiencing winter here in South America. In fact, it was so pleasant, we're talking about going back again tomorrow.

Hot pools, not for lounging (a scalding 71C, 160F)

Private bath

Photo op, while the pool was filling

Inca shrub

Inca king, Autahualpa

Placard explaining how Pizaro captured the Incan King at the hot pools

After the banos, we wandered outside and found snacks. The fresh orange and pineapple juice was tastey. Mark tried rubbery cow intestines on a stick (topped off with a potato)- to be honest, most of it got fed to the dogs. My personal favorite was pacay, this long green bean pod/fruit that grows in trees. They slice the edge off to peel it open. You eat the white, fleshy part and leave the beans inside. It's lightly sweet, like cactus, and very refreshing.

What grows on trees and is my new favorite snack? Pacay!

Eat the white part around the seed (don't eat the seeds). It's lightly sweet, with the texture of a light banana, and tastes like a cactus- delicious!

For more on pacay (including how to eat it), check out this guy's blog:
http://archive.peruthisweek.com/blogs/features/2260

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