Morning
I had a slower
morning again today! I woke up at 8AM, had breakfast at 9AM, and then had some
work to do! I met Kim at school at 10AM. We decided to trying going to the
market again (Kim is crazy for the fruit here. I, on the other hand, am only
craving good, healthy, American food, like Twinkies and Captain Crunch…). We
got there around 11AM (it was open this time) and we marveled at the great wonders which vendors were
selling. There were juices, Ecuadorian foods, candies, fruits, vegetables and,
of course, my favorite, flowers! I even snapped a picture so everyone could see
what I was raving about…
After the
market, we went back to school and continued to plan our weekend trip. This
weekend we are going to Mindo (which is a city North of Quito that is like a
mini jungle). Kim, my new friend, Andrew and I will leave early morning tomorrow
for this adventure. I will save the details and descriptions of that for my
next post!
We planned and
planned and then went to the bakery to try Ecuadorian cookies! They were sweet,
but different than American cookies. They were much harder and drier. After
that, we hung out in the lounge for a bit until class.
Afternoon
Today was my
last day of Spanish class! My professor and I studied for one hour (here is a view from my classroom below) and then we
left to do something extra special!
We went to “La Calle de Cuy” to try the
famous Ecuadorian dish “Cuy”. For those of you who don’t already know, “Cuy” is
Guinea Pig. Here, Guinea pig is not a pet, but instead a delicacy. It is a
famous and traditional dish and is very expensive ($6.50 for a quarter of Cuy,
which is very expensive compared to other food here). We took a bus north of
Quito to get some of the best-prepared “Cuy” in Ecuador. The buses are
similar to ours. Here is a picture…
On our way to the
city, I got to view the highest active volcano on earth, Cotopaxi. Here’s a picture from the
bus…
The "Cuy" actually taste really good, but you have to eat it with
your hands because there is not a lot of meat and the skin is very tough and
crispy. Check
it out…
And yes, that is
the head to the right! I was going to try it, until I flipped it over and saw….
TEETH! I then
opted out of eating the head! But…
I ate everything
else!
After that, I
took the bus home, said goodbye to my professor and thanked him for a great
week!
Evening
After classes,
we all went to the artisan market (La Mariscal) to get some items. Kim needed a
new bag and some of the other kids wanted Ecuadorian pants. We were there
exploring for an hour and then we walked home! Another German, Matthias,
arrived today and he happens to live with a host family right down the street
from me so I have a new friend to walk me home so evenings are not as
intimidating anymore! We walked home and I joined my family for a lovely dinner
again! They had some cousins over that were my age to join us for dinner! They
were so sweet and I enjoyed wonderful conversation and great laughs with my
family. I am now just preparing for my trip to Mindo. Therefore, this is my
last post until earliest Sunday! We will be staying in a Hostel and traveling a
lot the next two days so I will not bring any electronics so that I have less
to worry about as far as safety of items. But do not worry; I will take great
notes to bring back to share with you all! Thanks for reading! Enjoy your
weekend!
Besos (Kisses),
Danni
So interesting learning about Cuy, and what that is! You are so brave, eating and experimenting with so many foods. You are so smart and adventurous to be a part of the culture. Please when you go sight seeing, go in a group, and be safe!! Don't be by yourself, ever, especially at night. We love you, and are enjoying your daily blogs so much. Much love to you, Grandma and Papa
ReplyDelete'
Haha you will never look at a guinea pig the same! Keep having fun
ReplyDelete