Yesterday we took a short trip to the "Middle of the World!" There are actually two places you can visit the equator because one of them, the huge monument, is a bit off the equator. We visited the real one at the Museo Intiñan. It was a really fun day! Before we got to the equator experiments, we started our tour learning about the indigenous people of Ecuador and how they used to shrink human heads because they believed the head contained the spirit of the victim. We also saw some big snakes and spiders native to Ecuador, and even saw the fish that goes up your urine stream if you pee in the water--yikes! We learned about their weapons, their tombs, their food (guinea pig), and their homes.
We then did the experiments, like trying to walk the line of the equator, balancing a raw egg on the top of a nail, and watching water drain in different directions in the north and south. The water draining and the egg balancing were cool simulations, but sadly, they weren't actually real...
That's the "penis fish" in that jar Mike's holding.
A real shrunken head!
Someone of the Wuaorani tribe, which nowadays are part of modern society.
A weapon of the Wuaorani tribe; it's a blow gun.
A replica of an ancient indigenous tomb, shaped like a womb on purpose.
The line of the equator.
Horizontal and vertical sundials, both showing it's 4 pm. They were pretty accurate, it was 3:50 pm.
Mike is in both the northern and southern hemispheres at the same time!
An original choza, or hut, from around 1875.
The inside of the choza.
Here we are proudly showing off our diplomas, since we successfully balanced the raw egg on a nail!
We decided to go back to Mindo this weekend! This time we went to the mariposario to see butterflies! There were soooo many of them fluttering around! It is just amazing to see how perfectly they're designed. Some of the cocoons are shiny like gold so that they look like water droplets, and others look just like leaves! It was really peaceful and warm in there, and we even got to have some eat out of our hands. They love bananas. Check out the picture of them resting on the wall. They look like owl eyes! So amazing!
We love the food in Mindo! Grilled corn with a mayonnaise spice sauce and parmesan cheese, quinoa burgers, homemade coffee ice-cream with the amazing brownie, arazá fruit milkshake, and a burrito!
Mike did some ziplining at the mirador! Great views and he loved it! He even did the Superman! While he did that, I took a little hike and breathed in the fresh air. To get there, we rode in the back of a pick-up truck at about 60 mph with a puppy at our feet! Yikes!
Of course, I found another cute kitty cat to pet, and we loved hanging out on the balcony at our hostel in the hammocks!
On the way home last night on the bus, everything was going fine until we got into Quito and a crazy motorcyclist decided to cut-off the bus. We ran over his motorcycle with the bus, and he rolled out of the way thank goodness! Crazy! Once we found out he was safe, we just went right on our way. Only in Ecuador...
On Saturday morning we took a short one hour or so bus ride to Latacunga with some other volunteers for the Mamá Negra parade and festival. It was a bit hectic (imagine Black Friday shopping) waiting in line for the bus! Everyone was heading to Latacunga from Quito, and so the process was not as organized as usual. People were hitting each other and swearing, and we had to push our way onto the bus so that we could all stay together. The police got involved when one man complained he was hit in the head. Then shortly after, a woman slapped the bus driver! What drama!
When we arrived around 10 am, we first saw an open-air market, and a ton of people walking around by foot. We had to ask around, and found out the parade had actually already started at about 9 am. This was the longest and biggest parade we had ever seen! The people dancing in the parade were probably so tired by the end of the day! We actually didn't see the end of the parade, but it ended around 4 pm and the festivities went all through the night!
This festival happens every year on the second Saturday of November. It's a huge cultural celebration that combines Incan, Spanish, Mayan, and African cultures. It began as a celebration of the Virgen de la Merced, or the Virgin of Mercy, who is the patron of Cotopaxi. The people believe that Latacunga was saved from volcanic eruption after praying to La Virgen de la Merced. At the end of the parade is the Mama Negra on horseback, who is actually a man dressed as a woman, that combines the Virgen de la Merced with African deities. The crowd gets sprayed with milk and water, and candy, wine, and alcoholic beverages are passed out freely during the parade.
Our host family has a place in Latacunga, so we headed to their house in the countryside and stayed the night. It's so peaceful there! We were awakened by a rooster crowing, and it was a clear morning, so we could see the snow-capped Cotopaxi volcano in the distance!
On the bus to Latacunga!
Lots of people used umbrellas for shade.
Yes, that's a pig! ...and chickens! There were a lot of these!
Today Mike and I went to Calderón (just north of Quito) to see how the locals celebrate Day of the Deceased in Ecuador! It was an awesome cultural experience! When we arrived at about 10 am, we noticed there were a ton more people walking about the town than in South Quito. Many people were carrying flowers and were dressed nicely. First we went to the open-air market, which was very much like the markets that we work in everyday. Then we asked around to find where the cemetery was, and took a short walk there. There was a line forming outside of the entrance, and everyone was holding flowers in line. We were the only tourists it appeared. There was a news station taking video, and many vendors selling sweets, candied apples, guaguas de pan (bread babies), colada morada (traditionl drink), snails, roast pig, etc. Just down the road there was actually a little amusement park for kids too!
As soon as we entered, we noticed the little cemetery was packed with people! There were groups of indigenous people sharing a meal on and around the tombs of their loved ones, people cleaning and repainting the graves and tombs, and kids running around playing tag from one tomb to the next, all the while a band was playing music to serenade the deceased. It was really a celebration! About five minutes into our little stroll around the cemetery, we met this older woman named Elisa. She said she was visiting for the first time too, even though she lived nearby. She was so sweet, and actually spent the rest of the day with us! There was Catholic mass that was just about to be held in the middle of the cemetery, and we were on our way there, listening to the music. Elisa pointed out this apparently very famous Ecuadorian pianist, and persisted on having us meet him and get our picture with him. His name is Paquito...I'll have to search for him on YouTube! After spending some more time people watching at the cemetery, we headed to another bigger and more modern cemetery. On our way out, we realized there was a HUGE line and a ton of people waiting to get into the cemetery! Here's a clip I took of the first "traditional" cemetery:
The bigger more modern cemetery was beautiful, and had a beautiful view and lovely green grass with uniform tombstones, but it didn't have the same cultural feel to it. It also wasn't as packed with people. We only spotted one or two families eating at the gravesite. It was so awesome to see so many graves, and just about every one of them had flowers placed by them! At this cemetery many people were repainting the tombstones, and most were just visiting, just as we would visit a cemetery back home.
Before taking the mini-bus on the way back to the main street in Calderón, we stopped by and tried a very traditional Ecuadorian dish, the hornado, which is roast (whole) pig. I can't believe I hadn't tried it yet! Yummy! We've been trying to stay away from eating "street food," but sometimes you just have to risk it! It was served with a type of mashed potato, lettuce, tomato, onions, and mote corn.
Just before heading back to Quito, we did a little shopping. Calderón is also known for its mazapán art figures, so we saw all sorts of beautifully shaped animals and cultural figures. They're so colorful and detailed! This one shop had a woman mazapán figure that was taller than Mike!
What a great day we spent in honor of the deceased!
The first three pictures and video below are in the first cemetery we went to...the older and more traditional cemetery.
Halloween is not really celebrated in Ecuador, but the volunteer house threw a party for all of the volunteers, teachers, and everyone involved in the program last night anyways! There was lots of dancing, snacks, and more dancing! Mike and I dressed up as Guaguas de Pan, or baby bread, which is a very traditional bread eaten this time of year in Ecuador and in the Andes regions for Día de los Difuntos, or Day of the Deceased. Since our resources were limited, it was a fun challenge making the costumes! El Día de los Difuntos is on Sunday, so we're planning on going to a cemetery for the celebrations. It won't be as elaborate as the Mexican Day of the Dead, but there should be music, food, and fun times! To learn more about Guaguas de Pan, check out this site: http://www.lan.com/onlyinsouthamerica/guaguas-de-pan/.
