Day 3

Today I went into the jungle. Before I came here I use to associate the South American jungle with anacondas, spiders, and all the other deadly insects that will put you out within an hour. Although those are all still common, the things I never realized till I came here was the true beauty within these mountains, trees and small villages. It blows my mind that these people are living on the same planet and the living in the same century as us.

We left our small town Sucua around 8am and made our way across a small wooden bridge tied together with rope over the Amazon River. If you have ever seen Indiana Jones, that would be the easiest way to describe this. As our tiny white pick up truck got half-way across I began to worry when I looked down and saw nothing but white raging rapids and rocks 15 to 20 feet below.

After we made it across the bridge we drove about 7 more miles on a rocky dirt road until we arrived to the village Israli. The village consisted of exactly 10 houses, a basketball court/soccer field and four outhouses. In the middle of the village was nothing but a concrete floor with a roof. This was what we were about to work on for the rest of the week. We laid bricks for a 45 x 30 sized building and by the end of the day I can say I’ve never felt more accomplished with anything in my life.

To have 15 kids come running up to you smiling wanting to be picked up and hugged is priceless. One little girl named Catalina was the most precious thing. She has some kind of rash running down the sides of her arms and gnats flying all over here. And when I gave her a bottle of water her face just lit up.

(Edwin)

(Daniel)

Our conversations were short because of my poor Spanish but all her and every other kid wanted was attention. I don’t get to emotional about much but man that really hit me hard today. And when I pulled out my camera the kids were in awe when they saw themselves. They could not get enough and you could tell they had never seen anything like it. As we got ready to leave the chief of the village came up to me, shook my hang and with an enormous smile said, “Muy bien, Gracias.” That to me is better than getting paid or even a promotion at work. To end the day when we were crossing back over the bridge, after being covered in sweat and bug spray, I though ‘what the heck your only in Ecuador once,’ so I jumped off the bridge into a part of the Amazon River. Not the best idea. More Later.

Day 2 (More Andes)

We are currently on our way to the little town called Sucua which is actually not even to be found on a map of Ecuador. If you were to look on a map of Ecuador though, it is on the far south east end. There are only two roads to get to the town and to get there you must go thru the mountains on many narrow curvy roads. Although it takes at least a good 8 hours (that’s if you’re in a car driving fast) the hours are taken away by the astonishing views. The mountains are literally breath taking and it’s something that can’t even be explained thru a picture. It’s something you must see for your self with your own two eyes. The only down fall are the bumpy roads. I was very shocked we made it about 6 hours before we got our first flat tire. It took about an hour to get it fixed but once we did we were back on the road and on our way to Sacua. By the time we were well into the night we arrived in town and were treated to a delicious chicken and rice dinner. Little did I know how popular chicken and rice were down here and how much more there was to come.

16 hours later...We made it!

Day 2

We finally arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador around 7am. Went to church this morning. It was 2 hours of Spanish so I didn't really understand umm anything. But it was really neat during the worship watching everyone dance. Afterwards we had lunch at a place on the side of the road. Our lunch was Chicken Soup. Thats right not Chicken noodle soup but Chicken soup with the chicken bone legs. And the big entree was Guinea Pig. Yep. To describe it best...crunchy.
Now were on our way to a little village called Sucua, Ecuador down south. Back thru the Andes for another 11 hours


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Day 1 (First Night Cont.)

Still in the Andes Mountains. Still No Sleep. It's about 4:30am and surprisingly it's taken me thing long to realize I've already made the dumbest mistake. No Jacket! When your going to the equator some of the tings that come to your mind to pack are shorts, sandals, and sunscreen; not a jacket. But when you are 13,254 feet high it doesn't matter where you are but your lungs are going to hate you for putting them in this thickness of air. To give you an idea if you were to ever make it that high in the states, the snow would be up to your neck if not over your head because you would literally be on top of a glacier at that height.
We stopped for another bathroom break but after 4 steps I turned around and got right back on the bus. It wasn't until about 6am the my body started to warm up and my eyes lit up like a 9 yr old kid on Christmas morning when the sun began rising over the eastern mountains. For the first time since I left the country I had seen light and for the first time in my life I felt so small and insecure. It was perfect.

Day 1 (First Night)

By the time I arrive in Guayaquil it is well into the night. Where darkness reigns this city at night and the only light comes from the dim yellow street lights. I quickly forget what it's like in the states when I take my first breath in and get the vast smell of burnt tar mixed with an American sewer. But I am able to let out the pungent smell when I catch my eyes on my gringo, Bill. We quickly grab my bags because this 8 hour day of traveling has only started. Little did I know instead of going to a hotel, kicking off my shoes, and watching cheap spanish versions of Die Hard, we loaded onto a bus and headed east up the Andes Mountains for 6 more hours. I've never had a problem with traveling over night, but when the streets have more crevices then the moon and the bus is called 'The Jungle Adventurer,' I knew it was going to be a long night. About an hour into my beauty sleep at around 1am, I am quickly awaken by an abrupt stop. Still half asleep I decide to follow everyone off the bus to go use the bathroom. Now, the way I grew up in America, as men we pee wherever we want. I learned quickly that it's the complete opposite here when I was fully awoken to a short Ecuadorian standing at the bathroom door with a shotgun half the size of him. I still do not know why he was there but after flushing "his" toilet me and bill were sure to leave a dollar tip with a very nervous "gracias!"

Day 1

As I got ready to board my plane in Houston, Texas, I began getting chills. When all I could make out in English over the intercom was, "Now boarding for Guayaquil, Ecuador," in a very strong Spanish accent. My stomach began to spin as I quickly reached for my bag to retrieve my Spanish-English translator and started cramming my brain like an over-dramatic high schooler who forgot to study for his final. I looked to my left then to my right only to notice I was by far the whitest person at my gate and with my plain white T and Cincinnati ball cap, I stood out like a sober Bengals fan in the center of Heinz field. Once I had enough courage I made my way to board the plane. Sitting in my empty row on the plane I just prayed that the people sitting next to me would at least speak English. I felt a sigh of relief when the girl sat down next to me was wearing a Kentucky shirt. Sure she may have been a U of L fan and back in the commonwealth I most likely would have never said a word to her, but for the next 5 1/2 hours she was my new best friend.

Four hours into the flight my stomach comes to an ease, as I sip on my ginger ale and listen to The Who on my i-pod.
I'll write more later.

First Blog EVER!

Well I never thought I would do it but I decided to start a blog. I doubt I will very rarely update this but this is mainly for my trip to Ecuador for the summer to keep everyone informed with what I am doing. Anyways right now I am hungry maybe I'll update this later but my tummy is a rumblin.
7/11/08