I've been slacking

Yes, I have been slacking but I eventually plan on updating this with some of the things that are going on in my life. I just got back from traveling out west with 3 of my best friends I have so much to write about but just not enough patience to sit down and write it all out right now. For now here is a trailer from our road trip.
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XblLUC7_iaw

Top 10 Ecuadorian Foods

Top 10 Foods you must try in Ecuador:
10. Yuca- Everywhere else in the world it is called cassava. It is a root found boiled in soups and stews, as a side in place of potatoes, and reprocessed yuca is made into laminar fried chips called "yuquitos" which are a substitute for potato chips.

(Served with just about every meal but it never gets old)
9. Empanada- Ecuadorian empanadas are made of corn seasoning or flour. Their components may include peas, potatoes, steamed meat known as carne guisada, or many other varieties of vegetables.

(Great snack food)
8. Ceviche- Ceviche is served in a bowl that is composed of chunks of raw fish, sea bass, octopus, clam, and crab with lime or lemon juice.

7. Llapingachos- Llapingacho originated in Ecuador’s Highlands. It is a fried, mashed potato mixed with cheese which is generally served with sausage and fried eggs. This plate forms part of Ecuadorian's culture, and is one of the representative icons of the Highlands food.

(Last meal I had in Ecuador)
6. Guatita- made of mondongo - the part of the goat stomach that looks like a honeycomb and librillo-the part of the goat stomach that looks like the pages of a book)
5. Albacora- type of tuna
(NO PICTURE)
4. Encebollado- A type of soup made of albacora, yuca, tomatoes and onions and generally sprinkled with lemon juice.

3. Plantains- Whether they are served as a meal, chips, or just a fruit...Plantains are a Must.

(Patacones)

(Plátanos Maduros)
2. Hornado- For $3.50 you get a full buffet and get to pick off what you want from the pig with your fingers

(Two Thumbs way up for Hornado)
1. Cuy (Guinea Pig) -Cuy is high in protein and low in fat and cholesterol, and is described as being similar to rabbit and the dark meat of chicken. Ecuadorians consume an estimated 65 million guinea pigs each year.

(Before)

(After)
MMM!!!

Day 18

I was woken this morning to the smell of some patacones being cooked. I took a big whiff knowing this would be my last one for this trip.
(Patacones)

When we finished breakfast Belen and Luisa were off to work for the day so they introduced me to their friend Denise who spoke really good English.

(Me and Denise)

Denise took me to some parks around town and then eventually to a place called Parque Historico Guayaquil.

It was a park that consisted of a variety of animals and history on what Guayaquil was like when it was founded in 1763.


We got along really well and the whole time we were laughing and telling each other our backgrounds. We went out to lunch and talked until she had to go to work at 3pm. Since Belen and Luisa didn't get off work till 6, I had some free time to spare. I wandered the city by myself until I eventually met a guy named Jim. Jim was from Chicago and was a Cubs fan. Although he was a Reds rivalry, Jim was one of the coolest guys I have met this entire trip. He quit his job 9 months ago and has been traveling throughout South America sleeping where he can like me. We talked for about an hour about baseball, football, and our travels.
Before I left for the airport Belen and Luisa asked Denise, Jim, and I to come over for a dinner they had made. They introduced me to a dinner called Llapingacho which is a fried, mashed potato mixed with cheese that is served with sausage and fried eggs.
As I sat there laughing with my 4 new friends I realized these people really do care about me. It's such a different culture here and I really don't think it's something I can explain, it's something you have to experience for yourself. Being from the States you don't ever kiss someone when you first meet them, you don't invite them over for dinner, and you definitely don't let them sleep under your roof. I've noticed people from Ecuador will go out of their way for you and just enjoy having you in their presence.
(Luisa, Denise, Belen, Martina, Me, Jim)

At 10:30pm I hugged Belen and Luisa goodbye and thanked them for everything. They said I will always have a place to stay if I ever come back. Jim and Denise drove with me over to the airport and saw that I got to my flight okay. As I walking away I started thinking back on how I started this trip by myself and just how many wonderful people I have met on the way.

To: Bill, Connie, Joil, Leah, Myron, Roger, Dr. Motobo, Heather, Audry, Patience, Mo, CJ, Troy, Becky, Lindsay, Lauren, Amy, Leslie, Lezlie, Beth, Whitney, Bekah, Jonathan, Caleb, Seth, Eduardo, Amaina, Ray, Wilson, Maryville, Domingo, Alfonso, Alex, Jimmy, Robert, Mika, John, Dave, Dwayne, Phil, Lee, Pastor RW, Bill, David, Joe, Carlos, Tanya, Belen, Luisa, Denise and Jim.

Whether you fed me, gave me a place to sleep, or just held an English conversation with me, thank you. You all have made this a life changing experience for me. I will never forget this and I will never forget a single one of you.

Dios te Bendiga. -Love Daniel
P.S. I'm coming home!

Day 18

I was woken this morning to the smell of some plantanos being cooked. I took a big wiff knowing this would be my last one for this trip. When we finished breakfast Belen and Luisa were off to work for the day so they introduced me to their friend Denis who spoke really good English. Denis took me to some parks around town and then eventually to a place called Parque Historico Guayaquil. This place was filled with different kinds of animals and gave history on what Guayaquil was like when it was founded in 1763.
We got along really well and the whole time we were laughing and telling each other our backgrounds. We went out to lunch and talked until she had to go to work at 3pm. Since Belen and Luisa didn't get off work till 6, I had some free time to spare. I wandered the city by myself until I eventually met a guy named Jim. Jim was from Chicago and was a Cubs fan. I told him right away we couldn't be friends. Although he was a Reds rivalry I was completely wrong. Jim was one of the coolest guys I have met this entire trip. He quit his job nine weeks ago and has been traveling throughout South America sleeping where he can like me. We talked until Denise got off work about baseball, football, and our travels.
Before I left for the airport Belen and Luisa asked Denis, Jim, and I to come over fir a dinner they had made. They introduced me to a dinner called llapingachos which turned out being one of my favorite meals of this trip. As I sat there laughing with my four new friends I realized these people really do care about me.

Day 17

Today was my last day in the Galapagos. Therefore I had to challenge Alfonso in one more soccer game before I left. Just like every video game I will eventually be good at it and I was now more then good when I beat him 5 to 4. I felt bad I beat him in his own game so afterwards we went to brunch in which he introduced me to two new meals. Encebollado, which is a soup mixed with many different meats and then I was still hungry so I ordered Guatita. Guatita is the inside of goat mixed with rice. Both were very good and Alfonso knew I was a true American when I finished both meals without a single grain of rice leftover.

(Encebollado)

(Guatita)

By noon I was all packed and at the airport for my flight to Guayaquil. Either these people on this island really liked me or they just had nothing better to do then hang out by the airport. I was able to say goodbye to all the new friends I met: Alex, Jimmy, Robert, Domingo, Maryville, Wilson, and Alfonso. Before I left Alfonso said, “I really wish you didn’t have to leave, you’re really really cool.” I gave him a hug and told him I would be back.

(Alfonso and Me)

Knowing you have friends on some of the most isolated islands in the world is pretty cool.

(Domingo, Me, Maryville, Wilson and his little girl)

Right before I loaded on the plane Alfonso told me, “Be careful in Guayaquil, it can be dangerous there and there is a lot of crime.” I didn’t realize how dangerous it was until I arrived. Not knowing where I was staying or anyone in this town did not help either. I started to wander the city and got a little scared when I noticed all the houses had 10 foot gates with barbwires and police with shotguns drawn outside of the banks and supermarkets. I walked to the mall knowing it was safe there. When I found an open table in the food court I laid my head down and took a nap.

Being a 6 foot white gringo with a full grown beard in the middle of an Ecuadorian mall is not something you see everyday. I was startled from my 30 minute nap when a security guard tapped me on the shoulder and told me to leave. The sun was beginning to set and I knew I didn’t want to be on the streets after dark. Luckily I was able to meet two lovely girls named Belen and Luisa from couchsurfing who spoke pretty good English. We went for a walk around town on the river. When I told them my story and why I was here, they were in shock.

(Me and Belen)

(Luisa and Me)

They were obviously interested in more when I offered to take them to dinner and they joined me. I told them all the details to my trip and they introduced me to a new meal. It’s called Soco de Pollo which is a special chicken cooked in beer served with rice. Until I came to Ecuador I never knew there were so many ways to serve chicken and rice. After dinner I saw the true beauty to Guayaquil when we walked up 444 steps to an old bar on top of the city.

When they knew I wasn’t a serial killer or making any of this adventure up, they offered me an extra bed they had open back at their mothers house. Now as I’m lying in bed I realize I can make it thru anything as long as I put my faith in God. Why Worry? Enjoy being young, enjoy meeting new people, and enjoy everyday like it’s a new adventure.

Day 16

From some reason I have been looking forward to this day more than any other one. Alfonso had promised to take me to El Junco today. El Junco is one of the oldest craters here and the only one that produces spring water in the Galapagos. We met up with 3 other guys we met last night at church named Robert, Alex, and Jimmy. After climbing for about 10 minutes, we had reached the top and it was…foggy.

So foggy you could barely even tell it was a crater. Alfonso apologized and said it’s usually amazing looking.

(Robert, Jimmy, Alex, Me, Alfonso)

I forgot all about El Junco when we made our next stop. We drove over to the highlands and found a lookout over all of San Cristobal.

After doing our sight seeing I told Alfonso I wanted some time to be alone, so I went to the beach for about 2 hours. These islands are the perfect place to allow you to think in peace and tranquility. I realized this when I wondered over to the Centro de Interpretation where it explained the history of the islands. What entertained me was how much more history there was to these archipelagos than just Charles Darwin. When Ecuador first claimed the Galapagos in 1832 they voted a guy named Villamil to be governor of the Floreana Island. But when Villamil tried to settle the town with prisoners in exchange for their work in the community it caused nothing but problems between the citizens and prisoners. So much that it eventually created a concentration camp and up until the 1960’s the police were so corrupt that they would arrest innocent people for being out in the streets past midnight.

After my history lesson Alfonso and I met with Alex and Jimmy at the church. When I told them I played the batteria’s (drums) they told me to get behind the drum set in the church. Although we had no way of speaking to each other we were able to communicate thru music by playing together for about an hour.

Afterwards I was in shock when they said they had never heard of Led Zeppelin or The Who. The acted the same way when I said I had never heard of Louie and the F-String Band. They gave me a history lesson of Latin music and I gave them a history lesson of Rock N’ Roll.

Alfonso and I got back to the house around 10pm. I had promised him that I would help him with a PowerPoint English project on phrasal verbs for school that was due tomorrow morning. It wasn’t until I opened PowerPoint on my laptop that I noticed the free edition expired 2 years ago.

Alfonso had helped me speak Spanish all week so I knew I couldn’t let him down. Luckily since Wilson was in Santa Cruz we had the scooter all to ourselves.
Tomorrow I leave for Guayaquil.

Day 15

Around the 25^th or so caw, rooster was beginning to sound very good for breakfast. I lay in bed starting up at the ceiling around 5:30am until I was able to fall back asleep. Not much later I was woken a second time to a thud…thud thud…thud…thud thud thud. I walked to the roof of the house and saw Alfonso watching a group of military figures marching down the street with a set of guns and drums. I asked, “Is everything alright,” without a clue what was going on.

Alfonso laughed and said, “Yes it’s August 10^th” like I should’ve known what was going on.

August 10^th is Ecuador’s Independence Day. In San Cristobal they celebrate by shutting down all the streets on the pier, have a big parade, and fix lots of good food. One thing I tried today was Moroco. It consists of warm milk, cinnamon, raisons, and beans. It was really really good until you got to the bottom where all it consisted of were chunks of those beans and raisons mixed together.

After lunch Alfonso challenged me in a video game at a store that lets you play Playstation by the hour. He said a football game so without thinking I said yeah dude expecting to kick some butt in Madden 08. It was until I got there that I remembered football here is football, or back in the states we call it the gay mans sport, Soccer. I asked Alfonso if he would play Madden instead but he had no clue what or who John Madden was. I even asked the lady behind the desk if they had Americana football but all they had were soccer games. So I settled for Fifa 08. I can honestly say I learned more about soccer in that hour then I’ve learned my entire life.

Alfonso could name all the Ecuador teams and all their players but had never even heard of Chad Johnson. To him Ocho Cinco is just the number of some guy named Juan Rodriguez or something like that.

To end the night we went to church where I was the only white guy.

(me and the pastor)

This is the one time I really wish I could’ve spoke fluent Spanish and held a full conversation with someone. I was getting tired of meeting people and asking the same questions over and over in Spanish. Afterward I told Alfonso thanks for being there for me and told him next time I come here I will speak better Spanish then him. Tonight made me realize how much I miss my family and friends. I miss my culture and the people from it. I get excited here when I see two people speaking in English. I miss the smooth roads without potholes. I miss eating burgers and fries. I miss good rock n roll music. I miss sarcastic humor with TV shows like The Office and Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But most of all I miss real American football.

PS Who Dey!