day twelve - village

Today was the first day i actually got to sleep in. It was glorious. I got up at 9:30 and ate cold pizza and granola for breakfast. But that's not very exciting...what WAS exciting was our trip to the village today! Ron and Glenda took a couple of their kids plus us girls to see the village life as they had to visit one of their pastor friends there. It was about a 25 minute drive on a bumpy road traveling up towards Chimborazo (the volcano in Ecuador. It's the closest point on earth to the sun). And i mean UP! my ears were popping and we were really beginning to feel the altitude. Riobamba is already really high (9000 ft). I wish i had pictures but I just brought my ipod to take video and i still haven't figured out how to get them on the computer. But it was unbelievable. We got to the church and there was a futbol (soccer) game going on in the mud. It had just rained and we were all wearing sweaters. While Ron and Glenda had their visit with the pastor, we went for a walk with one of the guys from the village. We headed up a hill to get a better view and i can't even describe how amazing it was. I laughed and said i felt like we were in Lord of the Rings. the way the sun was shining on the fields as we hiked was so perfect. All of the hills surrounding us looked like a perfect patchwork quilt of fields. There were sheep and donkeys and chickens and cows and little farms. And then the towering, snow-peaked Chimborazo looming over us. It amazed me how they utilize the few resources that they have. They collect the water coming off the mountains in reservoirs and wells, and each farmer has a certain time in the day that the water is channeled to their farm to water their crops.

Some people hike Chimborazo but you should really only go with a guide. And you can only get so far until you have to stop because of the altitude and the cold. The only people who have made it to the top have been professionals with full gear and everything.

There was this little boy that we saw on our walk. I wish i had brought my camera if only for this one shot, so i must describe it instead. He was probably four years old and super small and he was walking with his mother. They were both wearing the traditional panama hat. At first i thought he was carrying a stuffed animal, but i looked closer and he was carrying a scruffy little puppy, hugging it under it's arms with it's belly facing out and legs dangling. It was probably the cutest thing i've ever seen.

Tonight we finally had time to make our granola bars and we were so excited.....and then we burnt them. but we didn't care. we're still going to eat them.

buenos noches, Daniella