You and I, we are pressed into these solitudes
Color and culture, language and race
Just variations on a theme
Islands in a much larger stream
Well, you see, here's how it all started. One day, some Ecuadorian friends invited me over for lunch. I graciously accepted the invitation, put on my best torn up jeans and stained shirt, and took the 30 minute bus ride to their house.
When I arrived, I saw the family standing over the big box of live insects, and they were ripping their wings off.
"What are you doing?" I asked them, and they cooly replied, "We're preparing lunch. Ready to eat some insects?"
I didn't know what to say. I was somewhat grossed out by the idea of eating what looked like big flying ants. But not wanting to be rude, I said, "Oh, yeah! I'm starving", vowing to myself that the next time I recieve an invitation to eat at someone's house, I'd ask them what's on the menu beforehand.
Anyway, the lunch consisted of the following:
1) Sauteed insects.
2) Insect omelettes.
3) Insect soup.
The sauteed insects were O.K., but to make the omelettes and soup, they had to blend the insects up in a blender, the end result looking like a disgusting grey puree, which they put in the eggs, and made little balls for the soup. Needless to say, I was not overly thrilled.
On a lighter note, I have been invited to serve on a Natural Resources Planning Commission in Quito. On my way to Quito, I visited Ingapirca, Ecuador's most important Incan ruin.
I also visited the town of Banos, which is at the base of a very active volcano. The town is on orange alert, because the Tungaharua Volcano is expected to bust its bubble any day now.
Coming into the town, I could see huge clouds of smoke and ash billowing into the sky. The debris blotted out the full moon.
The town is great. I went to some natural hot springs, which the town is known for, right at the base of a massive water fall, and stayed in a nice hotel for $4.00.
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