Ecuador summarized so far

I´m going to be testing everyone on what we´ve done on our trip so far, so here are some handy Coles notes on Ecuador. Weekends are a really big deal here. I mean like Canada Day combined with long weekend celebrations. We were eating at an Argentinian restaurant on Saturday night when suddenly the streets exploded with fireworks, smoke and firecrackers. I´m typically a calm and composed person, so I dealt with it really well while Meghan was easily startled. Gosh. There were parades, marching bands, and crazy floats and tram rides filling the streets as well. When I asked what they were celebrating, someone replied ´its the weekend!´ Which is the way it should be, really, because I´m usually just happy that Meghan can sleep off her Phils hangover for a little longer.

Sundays are another story as well. In the streets of Baños we saw a long procession of people led by a priest carrying an enormous cross, followed by a sombre band of saxophonists (sp?) that were playing some kind of a bluesy New Orleans funeral music, and crowds of people behind them, all filing into the local church. The population of Baños doubles on Sundays as people flow in from all around the countrysides.

The majority of Ecuadorians live in poverty and unemployment is high. So high that many of them can´t pay the price of $1US beers. Or maybe they just have their priorities straight. Nonetheless, they´re a very hardworking people. We didn´t see any homeless people at all begging in the streets of Quito and even the beggars work hard for their money. For example one child was selling candy on the bus by singing a capella, and just tonight we saw someone asking for money by doing some kind of robotic Michael Jackson impression while weaving through traffic. Speaking of traffic, I really thinking car honking has lost all meaning in Ecuador. I have come up with the following reasons that warrant honking (insert colon... stupid South American keyboards)

• Passing fellow taxi drivers/trucks/buses
• When someone is in their way
• When someone is about to get in their way
• Passing pretty girls
• Passing ugly girls
• Dogs
• Boredom

We´ll see if this pattern continues in Peru, because tomorrow we´re heading out for the Galapagos, and probably won´t have time to blog while sunning ourselves and snorkeling. Is it okay if I use this blog as a platform for bragging? I don´t really know blogging ettiquette...

Happy belated May 24!

-V