Creepy Crawlies

It`s been raining here in Cuenca for many months. Although the sun is making more of an appearance these past few weeks, and the rain isn`t QUITE as ferocious as last month, it still rains everyday for at least an hour.

One thing I`ve noticed lately is that many disgusting and gigantic bugs have been sighted down by River Tomebamba, AND climbing up The Escalinata (stairs, at the top of which I live). Though a lot of them are getting killed during their pilgrimage up the stairs, a whole lot more are now crawling around where PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIVE! Ick. When I first got to Cuenca in September, there were no bugs to be seen. It`s a city. I would see the occassional cockroach or fly, but bugs of the scary giant variety were non-existant. Now though, I frequently have to cross into the street because huge-ass beetles the size of my HAND are sitting pretty in front of my door, or a tarantula is trying to hail a cab. The moths here are the size of BATS. I didn`t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I once made fun of a friend for an entire month who was traumatized by a moth in his bathroom. Little did I know he was NOT exaggerating the size of the buggers, until I got caught in the bathroom with a moth/bat myself, unable to get out in time.

I never thought of myself as scared of bugs. Granted, I`d rather not have them crawling all over me, but in the past, I was the one who was brave enough to kill a spider on the wall or trap the cockroach that got in. But these ones, they`re HUGE. Monsterous. Dinosaur-like. The thought of one of THEM creeping along my neck or up my leg is enough to give me the heebie-jeebs for a week.

Mom, send bug spray.

Breaking News

I`m not sure how much of what is going on in Columbia is getting to the Canadian newspapers, but the shit is in the process of hitting the fan here in South America.

Apparently, some members of Columbia´s largest rebel group, FARC, was seeking asylum across the border in Ecuador, when the Columbian army raided Ecuador and killed 17 guerrilla fighters, as well as their head honcho, Raúl Reyes, this Saturday. Reyes was wanted by Interpol for crimes against humanity, and FARC is a notorious terrorist group.

The result of the military attack on Ecuadorian soil has resulted in some very hot heads, and threats of war between Columbia and Ecuador, along with Venezuela (Ecuador`s leftist ally). The border between Ecuador and Columbia has been closed, and Rafael Correa (the President of Ecuador) has announced that he was intent on severing all diplomatic ties between Ecuador and Columbia. Military troops are being sent to the border, and military presence in and around Ecuador is more evident since the attack over the weekend.

Columbia is accusing Ecuador of getting involved and supporting FARC, while Ecuador denies any untoward behaviour. Because Ecuador and Venezuela have leftist leanings, the American government is quick to side with Columbia in this dispute. If, in fact, the three countries go to war, Columbia is certain to have the US backing it.

Hopefully, things will cool down before it gets too out of control. Keep watching the news, and pray for a non-violent resolution.

Drowning in Cuenca

It`s been raining for a week. And I`m not talking about just a little rain. I`m talking rivers flooding, mudslides over highways, eternally wet clothing rain. The kind where sometimes you have to put your hand over your mouth so you can take a breath. The kind that after the first five minutes, the water on the street is coming up over your shoes. My one pair of jeans are so constantly wet, they`ve started to mold. I`ve started wearing flip flops because all of my shoes are squelchy and my socks are soaked within seconds of putting on shoes. The wooden front door has sopped up so much water, it has swollen shut, and I have a minor panic attack/spaz everytime I try to get in or out (can anyone say "fire hazard"?). And I`m oh so tired of it!!

The thing about living on the equator is that sometimes the rainy season comes multiple times in a year (I think global warming also has a hand in it as well...). So, even though I arrived in Cuenca in September to rain everyday for a month, that wasn`t enough for Ecuador. The torrential downpours apparently will continue on for the next few weeks.

Can`t wait.

A vacation from a vacation

This past weekend was Carnival in Ecuador, which, as previously mentioned, is a country-wide water fight. Desperate to avoid it, some friends and I decided to get out of the country entirely, and try our hand at Peru. We climbed on a bus on Friday morning, and made our way to the border town, Huaquillas, 5 hours south. Climbing off the bus was like entering a different world. We were instantly hot and sticky, and in what I could only imagine was a market in China. And although the people looked and spoke Spanish, I was convinced that it was China, none-the-less. There were fruits and vegetables everywhere, people pushing ox-carts piled high with fish and oranges and clothing, and men riding bikes with carts attached. Taxis and tuk-tuks were everywhere, and the rules of the road were apparently non-existent. It was chaos.

We were under strict instructions not to talk to ANYBODY, because EVERYBODY would try to rob us, yet on all sides, we were mobbed by men trying to get us into their taxis. It was all very overwhelming, since we didn´t even know what direction to walk to get to the border. Finally, we ended up in front of a police station, and decided that perhaps we could trust them, and we ended up getting into two tuk-tuks the policeman recommended. The guy seemed trustworthy enough, and took us to the Peruvian border, 4 kms away. We all piled out, and immediately piled back in, after we were told we had to go to the Ecuadorian border to get our exit stamps. So, back through the market, back through a parade of water balloons and shaving cream, back to where we started, into another cab, to the Ecuadorian border, 10 km away. This border was just a shack on the side of the road. I wonder how we could´ve missed it?? Anyhow, armed with our exit stamps, we made our way BACK to the border of Peru, through all the muss and mess of Huaquillas, and were FINALLY allowed into Peru, after an hour and a half of mass confusion.

We arrived in Mancora, a beach town in the north of Peru, at around 8pm, 11 hours after we started our journey (we were told it would take us 7-9 hours...). We found a hostel, found some much needed food, and I went to bed while the others went to find the nightlife in Mancora. The next day, we got up, and spent the day on the beach. And the next day. And the next day. It was amazing. The water was warm, the sun was hot, and vendors would walk along the beach, calling out their wares, so you didn´t even have to get up to get water or food. In the evenings, we would walk along the market stalls, admiring the jewelery, sarongs, books, and clothing, before we ate dinner and went out dancing. The best part was, I didn´t get involuntarily wet the whole weekend!! I love Peru! Ooh, and the other best part was the four gorgeous women I was with, they made the trip so much fun, we all got along splendidly, and had some amazing and at times vulgar conversations. Good times.

The ride home was a lot more productive, since we knew what we were doing, although we did end up in a deserted parking lot with three sketchy men (they wanted money to sneak us across the border...don´t ask!). However, not two minutes after getting my passport stamped in Ecuador, I got hit by a water balloon!! Stupid Carnival....

I wish I packed a super soaker...

In Ecuador, the people celebrate Carnival by throwing water balloons and buckets of water at each other. And although Carnival isn´t technically until February 3rd, most people think that starting right after New Years is a good idea. Thus far, I have been hit with five water balloons, and aimed at countless times. It is a war zone here in Cuenca, and as a gringa, I am a worthy target. I have to be on constant lookout, because the balloons can come from anywhere. People stand on rooftops and balconies and pelt passerbys, or children hide behind doorways, or teens ride around in cars, chucking them out windows. Let me tell you how wonderful it is to get hit in the face or the stomach by a balloon thrown from a car going 50 km. I have bruises. Also, it´s less than ideal to arrive at work to teach 15 teenagers, shirt soaked and clingy (even worse if you got hit in the nether-regions...). I´ve heard horror stories of getting hit in the back of the head with a frozen water balloon, or pelted by 15 balloons at once.

Apparently it´s only going to get worse.

Braving Baños

There is a volcano in Ecuador that is threatening to erupt any day now. Most of the neighboring villages have been evacuated, and the others are on high alert. So what does a group of adventure-seeking gringos do? They get on the first bus headed for Baños, one of the villages closest to the volcano that has not been evacuated, for a front row seat.

There is much to do in Baños. From river rafting to horse back riding to canyoning to sitting in the thermal baths, there`s something for everyone. We arrived at 7am, after taking a night bus from Cuenca, ready to pack in all there was to do. But first, we slept.

The first day, Kristi and Bryann took off on ATVs to discover the countryside, while Vince and I decided to spend a few hours in the thermal baths, before heading up to check out the zoo. It was pretty relaxing, although a dirty affair, since ash spewing from the active volcano seemed to cover everything, including us. The zoo was all animals from Ecuador, like the leopard, the capybara (world`s largest rodent, or ROUS, if you want to go that route!), the Galapagos Turtle, and many many birds. My favorite were the parrots who said, "Hola, Como estas?" and then proceded to laugh in a freakily accurate immitation of a woman. It was bizarre. Unfortunately (FORTUNATELY) the serpent zoo was closed.

The next day, we rented bikes and biked 16 km to Rio Verde, where we made many stops along the way. First, we watched Kristi and Bryann jump off a bridge, bungee-style, then we took a rickety cable car to a waterfall. We rode through tunnels and along cliffs, until finally we got off to hike down to this amazing waterfall, where there was a outdoor restaurant, overlooking the vista. To get there, we had to cross a suspension bridge, which warned that there could be no more than five people on the bridge at once. Not very reassuring! As we were exhausted by this time (there may have been tiny hangovers involved from the previous night...), we chucked our bikes in the back of a truck and got a ride back to Baños, just in time for a dip in the baths, a meal, and an excursion to see the volcano up close. Unfortunately, it was raining and overcast, so there wasn`t much to see, and it was freezing, but the four of us were crammed in with a busload of Ecuadorians who were chanting "Canelazo!" (an Ecuadorian alcoholic drink), and singing their heads off to the spanish pop music that is incessently playing everywhere you go. Although it was raining, and we couldn`t see the volcano, it was a pretty decent night.

On Sunday, we decided to go canyoning, which is basically harnessing yourself up and rapelling down waterfalls. We climbed down three waterfalls, wearing wetsuits and helmets. The first two were good practise for the motherload. Basically we climbed down about ten feet, and then hung in our harnesses, zipping down at our leisure for the last 50 feet, under the waterfall. It was amazing and terrifying.

If that wasn`t enough, when we got back, we decided it would be a good idea to go back to the bungee bridge and all try jumping off it. It was the freakiest sensation, as you`re standing up on that bridge, looking death in the face and saying, yup, I`m gonna jump. Against everything my brain and body are telling me, I`m going to jump. And although it took me a few times to work up the nerve, I did it. And it was horrible and amazing and scary and awesome. There`s an instant between when you jump and when the rope tightens when you are freefalling basically towards your death, and all sorts of thoughts go through your mind. The biggest one for me was, "What the hell did you just do?!" Anyhow, once we all did it, apparently we got a free jump, or a doubles jump off the smaller bridge (yeah, why did I do the bigger bridge first? I dunno, I`m an idiot?!), so Vince and I braved it a second time and jumped off together, which wasn`t nearly as bad as the first one. We conquered our fears and now can laugh about it. Holy cow.

PS -- The volcano didn`t blow it`s top by the time we left on Sunday evening. I`m not sure if I`m disappointed or relieved.

Feliz Año!!

I came back from Vilcabamba just in time for New Years. The bus ride from Loja to Cuenca was slowed down by many obstructions in the road, in the form of small children in various costumes (the Grim Reaper, Spiderman, army men, skeletons, etc) barricading the road with ropes and bricks and themselves. I didn`t quite understand until we got closer to Cuenca, and lined up on the side of the highway were dummy after dummy, stuffed with newspaper and fireworks, ready to be blown sky high in the name of good fun. It seems that in Ecuador, children dress up in costumes and blow things up.

I got together with my roommate, her boyfriend and a few other teachers, and we walked around Cuenca to see what was going on. Nearly every house had a dummy outside their door, and a lot of neighborhoods and community associations put their resources together to construct elaborate scenes depicting various messages (mostly political). Ten foot high replicas of the president, George Bush, sharks, green men, cars, among other things were on the explosive agenda. There were firecrackers and sparklers for sale, and your mission was to find the greatest scene and place yourself there to watch it`s demise at midnight. At around ten minutes to twelve, all the neighborhood children rushed these sculptures and demolished them, dragging down the dummies, and kicking the hell outta them. Then the adults joined in, getting out all their frustrations from the past year. At midnight, the city went up in flames as each pile was ignited in a huge fireball. I nearly lost my eyebrows, and it looked like a war zone. Except everyone was cheering and kissing each other (I managed to escape, although most of my friends were not so lucky). Though I`m sure it was a terrible blow for the ozone layer, it was a very interesting way to ring in the new year!