Day of Rest

I know this is a lot of blogging at one time but today was a day of rest. I did not know it at the beginning and I struggled with it, but there it is. Sundays are a day where museums and attractions are closed or close early.

I slept in till 9:30 because I got up at 6ish in the morning prior and did not get to bed until midnight. I also started my period. I had ridden a bus for three hours to Chiclayo and stubbornly refused a taxi. I walked and almost got lost, but my gut instincts prompted me to turn left instead of right. Cool because that would have been tiring with all my gear with me. I walked around Chiclayo. Got a mint ice cream cone and ate at Tia's restuarant. Good, good food but slow service. Talking about food. I weighed myself and I have gained 5 pounds. Not so bad since I use to eat ice cream or a dulce everyday. The one day I did not buy myself anything, Antonio surprised me with two chocolate bars. I denouced him for trying to fatten me up like the witch in Hansel and Gretel. He was totally confused so I thanked him and gave him a kiss.

Back to Chiclayo, I walk to the bus stop and the next bus does not leave until 5:30. In Peru, there is not bus terminals, each bus has its own location so I walked to Linea. It's bus left at 5pm. It was 4:05 so I was pretty sure I had missed the bus by 5 minutes. I chilled in the bus station until 15 minutes before. I was very self congratulatory because I seemed to have got traveling done a bit easier. Using the bathroom early, having toliet paper that I already bought at a store. Go to the bathroom and my lunar cycle has started. Shit! I packed all my pads in the big backpack and that was already turned into the equipment guys. Alright, just use toliet paper. Wait, duh, buy pads. Found a store and waited forever but got my pads. Also got a plastic bag so I could put my already opened crackers into it so the crumbs do not go everywhere. Already dealt with that situation and I was very very slow about cleaning out that section of my small backpack. I was lazy and just stopped using it. The whole pad situation lead me to getting in the line for the bus late and the guy sharing the same row as me had already taken my window seat. I want my window seat! It always get stolen from me and I never speak up. Not again! He also did that annoying guy thing where he needs to spread his legs into my area. I have tried pushing back with my legs or keeping my legs where they are. Guys never care. I did speak up and he moved his legs for all of 5 minutes. Seriously guys, do not do this. I don't want to touch you and you have no right to my space.

Anyway, I was expecting the ride to take 3 hours maybe 4. It took 5 hours. I did not get in until 10pm. I then stupidly took a white taxi with no number. I'm not sure why but I was tired and grumpy so I apparently go stupid. It worked out and he was nice man. I just kept thinking "Do not kill me". I got to Casa de Clara at 10:30pm. Told the lady of the house was not in so just wait 10 minutes. 15 minutes later I go searching for a bathroom. Clara's brother comes in and talks Spanish to me very cool. Hard to talk about politics in Spanish at that hour after traveling so much, but I passed the test! I also met an Austrian guy who told me he took Linea (same bus company) from Chiclayo and it took 2 to 3 hours. Blah! An hour later, Clara comes home and I get to get a bed. Took another hour to relax to sleep.

That brings me to today. I felt like I should do more. I'm traveling. Other people see more! Oh well, I'm a bit slower and bit more relaxed. I ended up going shopping for yarn with Clara the crazy lady. She is not crazy but she is like an annoying grandma always talking and giving advice in the middle of any conversation. She would walk incredibily fast and cut off anyone. I mean I saw her cutoff a highly pregnant woman. Wow. She would then stop randomly. I went with her because she said she knew where it was. Nope. I did get some yarn but probably not enough for what I plan but no biggie.

I just talked to this girl and she highly recommended Chan Chans. I had just looked at pictures and I have to agree. I'm a bit sad because they did Huachas yesterday and Chan Chan and the beach today. I wandered abound town. Oh well, yoga lessons. No comparisions. I'm where I'm at. I think I will spend one more day in Trujillo and then onward. I plan to end my trip in Cusco with Machu Picchu. Then fly from Cusco to Lima on the 14th. Find a hostal and explore Lima for a few hours. Sleep for a few hours and get up at 3am. Get a taxi to the airport and fly back to the states arriving at 9pm in Phoenix. Woot! Shower and sleep. Glorious sleep.

Tomorrow I will go to Chan Chan with the tour here at the hostal or book one separately. I might also see the Huarchas. If I miss the beach, no biggie.

Ending with a cute story about Antonio and I. The family played the music of Amelie quite often which I love. The first time, I grabbed Antonio and we danced through the house. He does not normally dance (except techno) but he liked me and being close to me. His mom loved us dancing! She would play the music more often just to get us to dance. Well Antonio seemed to really enjoy dancing with me. He said he did not like to dance to salsa and other music but he started to ask me to dance all the time. We danced to Hey Jude and some metal song that I did not like on different days. My favorite was when he looked into my eyes and shyly asked if we could dance to a Zelda song. No problem! Later that night, he turned on the Gamecube and we danced in his room to the opening song of Zelda: Windwaker.

Super powers activate!

I had forgotten something that is a huge joke in Arizona. It just has not happened and I have not thought of it.

I was in the bus for Piura. Peru in the north is a huge dry sandy desert and the bus has been driving through it for an hour when I noticed something.

My hands were dripping sweat. Literally, liquid was collecting and if you have seen it, I'm not exxagerating. It made me realize I have not had my sweaty palm power in Ecuador. Apprarently it is only available in really dry climates.

There goes my claim to fame. I only get this super power when in certain place in the world. But still it is back!

Super power activate!

Bye Cuenca and Ecuador

I left on Thanksgiving for Loja. I left a crying boyfriend. I guess he is an ex now. It is weird to break up on such predetermined and good terms. I miss him quite a bit. I took a bus with Antonio's sister and her foundation. I got into Loja at midnight which is not what I planned.

I left Loja this morning at 7am. I crossed the border from Ecuador to Peru at 1pm almost 90day exactly. I got my entrance stamp on August 31 at 1:34pm and my exit stamp today at 1:05ish. It was not that hard and my nerves are gone. I ran into two Ho,land girls and are sharing a room with them. Would like to spend more time with them but they leave tomorrow at 6am. I cannot stand anther long bus ride. I was 6 and 1/2 hours yesterday and 9ish today. One day of break! Even if it is in the unexicting town of Piura.

Got to run because will have lots of time tomorrow.

Champions of the World!

of bowling that is. I was in a tournament with Antonio for his work and we made it in the finals! Of course there was only four teams so not that hard but today was the day. The number 1 team (Team Manager, I like to call it) versus number 2 team (Team Antonio). There had been a total of three games where all the points had been added up. We were only 20 points behind Team Manager. Found out that Ruth's team (no I do not know her either) blew the other team out of the water. They had 5 players and a combined score of 588. Wow.

The excitement was high. I started out with a strike and so did Nivel! Antonio scored 1 and Rosa scored 0. The other team did about the same. I followed up with a spare while Nivel did a double! We were so giddy and we could tell that we were kicking Team Manager's butt. The only thing that made me kinda sad (but not really) was that I ended with a great score of 121. Not highest score but good for the level we were playing at. Antonio beat me with 124! He came out of the blew at the end. I was just consistent. Grrrrr. I then beat him at air hockey 6-7. So close which put the final score of games at 3-3. Cool to end in a tie and I'm excited that Antonio got his highest score of his life today. We actually went to practice last Friday which was a beat expensive for Ecuador (8 dollars for the 2 of us). To put that price in perspective, Antonio gets 200 dollars a month plus tips. He has a pretty good job as a waiter in Cuenca as well.

I leave tomorrow. Wow. I do not want to leave at least for Peru. I almost wish I was going directly home but I paid for the tickets. I have them and I questioned the wisdom of buying tickets that I have to have in paper. I hope I do not lose them or get them stolen. If anything bad happens, I will just buy new tickets. Expensive but whatever. I plan on leaving tomorrow at 3pm for Loja. That has taken 6 and 1/2 hours twice in the past. I plan on arriving at 9:30pm and then hopefully can buy a ticket to Piura, Peru that leaves at 10:30 or 11pm (whichever is open). Another 8 hour bus ride later and I will be on the coast of Peru around 6am.

I do not know past that at this moment. I will spend probably a day or two in Piura to recover and see the sights. Then another 7 hour bus ride to Trujillo. Same system and arrive in Huraz a couple days later. No one has told me great stories about northern Peru. Scratch that, one did, but he was excited because a girl and him did not know Spanish but yet found their way by catching random buses. Woot. That seems fun. Probably was but I know Spanish and will use it. Antonio has visited Peru twice and highly recommends southern Peru like everyone else. I looked into flights from Cuenca to Cusco and other options. All are to expensive. If I make it to Cusco, I will probably fly from there to Lima. It is only 250 dollars and I can afford that. Oh well it is traveling which for me means I have no clue what will happen. I know I did not plan on spending three months in Ecuador especially one of them in Cuenca.

No regrets. I was a bit lonely in Cuenca and I did fight with Antonio but it was great. Still is. After this blog, I will head back to Antonio's and pack my things. I have not had to pack in like two weeks. That was really nice. Part of me does not want to deal with the dangers of Peru (actually having a bit of travel nerves similiar before my trip to Ecuador) but the other part is pumped. Running into random people and seeing beautiful or just new sites.

I get back Dec 15. That night is planned with family and I get back around 9pm so will be tired. The next night I hope is a small get together with close friends (still in the works) and the night after that is a different party not associated with me coming back at all. Crazy. I will get social overload. My days will be playing bass and looking for a job. My life in the States is more planned than my life at this moment.

I have been celebrating Thansgiving everyday this week by eating at a nice restaurant for lunch with Antonio. Tomorrow I will be traveling a lot.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

UPDATE! What is my life like in Cuenca?

UPDATE! I was so nervous about the flea situation. I think I found one in my long underwear and I shoved them into a plastic bag. I was itching all night, and I kept waking Antonio all night long. In the morning around 7am, I examined every inch of my body for bites. None new ones! One or two must have jumped on my long underwear on the one day I wore them out (it was cold) and bite me in the night. I was so happy. No fleas! and I did not have to clean so much. Whew.

I called my brother. I wanted to talk to him because our last conversation involved me being very angry because it was about Whiskers. It was actually a miscommunication on my mom's part that made me thought that Whiskers had been sick or dead longer than she had been. I had not talked to my brother for about 4 days and I wanted him to know I was not angry. He then asked me an interesting question.

What is life in Cuenca?

Hmmm... I have a feeling that I have been away to long to see the differences. I do not even think about differences that much anymore. Okay, sometimes. I get up in the morning next to a guy. That is different. I usually get up first unless he has to work that morning. He is nice and sweet, but not the guy for me later in life. I usually chat with him. I then wander downstairs. I have to run the gauntlet. Greeting everyone that I see and saying "No I do not want whatever (eggs, wierd beans, coffee, etc). I like hot chocolate and bread. No, no I do not need more bread. Gracias, no tengo hambre." The day then depends on whether I have school and what Antonio has to do.

Life is really not that different here for me. I do not work nor do I feel like I have to get a job but that is the vacation life for you. It is a bit different because I have never lived with another family other than my own. I love it. I enjoy randomly have encounters with the 5 year old girl or 3 year old boy (or sometimes both together). They are a bit spoiled in the house but they are learning poco a poco that I can be fun but if you do not listen then I do not play. The dad is really nice if a bit preoccupied for my safety. He and Marta (the mom) treat me similiarly to a daughter but one they cannot understand that well. The grandmom is really cute. She could not remember my name so asked everyone (which I could hear) and finally reintroduced herself so she could ask my name. The family has really gotten used to me being there and I think they will be sad to see me go. So family are still the same. There is family politics that they mostly try to ignore or hide from me, but it is still there. There is pressure to eat and people worry for your well being.

Otherwise, outside of the house, it is on the normal side for traveling. It is a bit hard to gauge because I do not work or have volunteer projects. I have school which is teaching me quite a bit of spanish. I get frustrated and angry more easy like I do at home (and unlike how I have been since travel so maybe a byproduct of living somewhere). I use the internet quite a bit and listen to music. I read. This morning I stayed snug in bed, warm and cozy, for two hours reading. Felt just like home. I still clean. Antonio is so neat. Blah! I only make beds so that no dirt gets on the sheets and to make it easy to get in. It does not need to be pretty! I hang out with mostly Antonio and his friends. I would make more of my own if I was actually living here.

Differences - the bathroom. I may have never told you this, but I judge you by your bathroom. I want it clean (does not have to sparkle but no growing or moving things). I want running water, soap, and a towel for my hand. I hate not have soap or a towel! If you do not have soap or a towel, part of me dislikes you. If you are a close friend, I will give you a hard time. Oh yeah, toliet paper! These things are luxuries in Ecuador. Running water usually happens but no guarantees. It is similiar in Antonio's house. We buy our own toliet paper and I hoard it. No sharing. I will share my cheese and other food, but sharing toliet paper with a household of 10 means I get none. I usually remember to bring my own soap and towel with me. I look forward to having my own bathroom.

They love starch (Ecuador in general). A meal is meat and rice, bread, and sometime of corn thing, and/or potatoes. Seriously, I like starch but vegetables are so yummy.

In general, I feel the same. I get bored and restless. I still clean and interact with other people. I still do my favorite hobbies. The only biggest difference is no pets and no bass. I miss music. Hopefully this gives you a small glimpse of how I live.
Ciao.

Pulgas!

Yay! I get to experience new things all the time in Ecuador like... flea bites! woohoo. I have been bite a few times the past couple days like 3 times but Antonio said it was a spider bite. Heck it might have because they look different than the other ones I got. That is right - others. I got the two bites that were "spider" bites this morning but they are gone now. I have a bunch more that my teacher said was pulgas.

I though flea but the nifty internet informed me I was correct. Antonio does not know yet but all the bedding is being washed tomorrow. It is too late now. Also going to wash the floor with hot soapy water. Tomorrow is a day for cleaning. More good news, Antonio has no bites so apparently I attact them. Well, I do not get bite by mosquitos so all is fair.

Other news, I might go out salsa dancing tonight. Who knows? A girl on couchsurfing responded to my message and I will have dinner or drinks with an English speaking person. Cool. Antonio made an alright chili carne this morning. I have had better but seriously I have attended chili cook offs so it is to be expected. I made LuAnne's guacomole and it is good! Not to LuAnne's ability but better than what I expected for my first time. Spanish is coming along. When I was sick and learning subjuntive, not good. I broke through a plateau. I took the ASU placement test and recieved a pretty high score. Very cool! Living in Cuenca is good even with pulgas.

Mundane Life

I stopped in Cuenca to have some since of normality and stability. Lately I was getting restless. Anyone that knows me that this seems to be standard for me. I have not experienced it on the trip nor had I experienced much boredom. Periods of boredom - yes. For some reason, the one hour bus rides are the worst but the 5 to 8 hours are not that bad. Well, I got some feeling of normal but it was not quite what I wanted. What reared its ugly head was my Restlessness. The idea of traveling on did not cure it.

It was really bad when I was young. I drove my family crazy. I would wander around the house just looking around and maybe grumbling. I would complain to my family that I was bored. Mom, "Why don't you clean your room or do the dishes or etc?" "Why don't I poke a sharp object in my eye?" This was during the angry stage of my life or from about 10 to 20. I did get more tactful in the later stages. People would offer suggestions. My brain would offer suggestions. Video games, books, clean, dance, play with the pets, garden, something completely new? lie what? I do not know. (This is a conversation with myself). All ideas were not good enough. I slowly learned how to calm that beast.

The answer revolves around music, the outdoors, and/or physical exertion. I discovered that for some reason I absloutely adore Dvorak. Dancing seems to relax that part of my brain that is crazy. Or hiking outdoors. Yoga also does it, but not quite as well as hiking or dancing. The crazy part of my brain thinks "I SHOULD be doing something." That is what has been happening the past week.

Does it matter that I'm taking Spanish courses? Nope not enough. This is why I have so much going on and how I get so much done at home. I think about volunteering, learning to dance, or trying to make more friends. I am doing that last one but I tried harder. It is harder here since I'm temporary and have less options than Phoenix. I wanted to go home pretty bad as well for the past week, but that part has released for now. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I'm on vacation and I'm enjoying myself. I will be more friendly with people. But if I do not hang out with anyone else, no problem. I'm getting a tiny bit excited for Peru.

Restless uncleached for a bit but it will always be there. I leave Cuenca in a week. I feel like I'm playing house with Antonio and I love it. I'm getting to attached but I knew that would happen coming in. We had a serious conversation about me living. He called it my "rules" so I discussed it with him. I have to leave because it is the law. Technically I guess I could marry him to stay but NO. Did he want a long distance relationship? Nope. Me neither. All right, not just my rules but reality. Now back to playing house for a week. Today we went shopping for food and tonight he is going to make chili while I try to make guacomole for the first time.

I also am going through my photos. They will soon be in order and in the right direction. Seeing the pictures reminds me of all the things I have done and how beautiful Ecuador is. I hope I'm taking enough photos of Cuenca. Never mind, I'm taking pictures when something catches my eye. I will take pictures of the house I'm staying at and maybe the family.

I look forward to seeing everyone in the future. I honestly look forward to looking for a job and working. So weird.