It's weird to be using American Dollars again*

The adventure started in Otavalo, Ecuador  Every town in the area has a similar statue at the entrance to town and is symbolic of what the town is known for (Otovalo = Dancing, other towns in the area are known for things like leatherwork and wood carving)

I've made it to Ecuador, country number 24 and, am somewhat sad to say, the last international stop on the Just Cuz It's Round Tour.

But don't fret, the journey will continue stateside on a sweet little cross-country adventure to deliver a car to Los Angeles.  I'll be stopping along the way to see some folks and you can bet hijinks (and baseball games) will ensue.

But I'm here, now.  So, we'll worry about the US part, and its lack of being round, later.

I got here a little over a week ago to meet up with my friends Nancy and Mark.   Nancy was my first, and then frequent, boss in Advertising and her involvement in Ecuador started about the time we met.  So, I'd heard a bit about it and definitely wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The first stop was Otavalo, where she has set up shop.  It is surrounded by 4 different Volcanoes, Deep Valleys, Lakes and Fields - my lord was it beautiful.  And the bed was so comfortable that I habitually slept late.  Ahhh, the comforts of real life!

The view from the porch at Nancy's...

See the heart in the mountain on the right hand side?  That's a part of local lore.  When you can see the heart this volcano is in love with another one across the way (I think that's how it went). 

The valley in Intag, about 2 hours from Otavalo on one of the most treacherous roads I've ever been on.

And, in the town of Otavalo, there is a Saturday market that Lonely Planet lists as the #2 thing to do in South America.  That might be a stretch, but it is full of interesting artesan wares (every thing from bracelets to blankets to traditional clothing for the locals and, of course, food:

I didn't take many pictures of the textiles in the market, so this random one will have to paint the picture for you all. 

HOG!

The Otavaleña women here wear traditional clothes of white embroidered shirts, with these sweet little sheets on their head that can be placed in any number of different ways to shade them from the sun.

But, to me, the best part of it was the ANTENNA SALESMAN.  (yes, you read that right)

And yes, in case you were wondering, he was pushing these things in the same way as a circus sideshow caller, or the Slap Chop guy.  Love that it is connected to a flat screen too.  He kept turning it around to show how easily it could be plugged in.

Some other cool things that I saw: 

There is a Raptor center in Otavalo that we visited.  This guy is one of the Condors there.  They also had a Bald eagle, owls, and other birds of prey.

The two nights I slept in Intag, I feel asleep to the sound of the river.  Ahhhh!

REAL COFEEEEEEEEEE!

This spider has spikes on it's back so bird don't eat them.  Evolution is so cool! Ha!

I ate one of his family for dinner one night and kinda felt bad about it. Man's gotta eat though...

I know the posts of late have been pretty scattered.  I'll try to push through the wall I've hit to bring back some of the quality you all are used to!

* Ecuador is on the US Dollar, so everything is paid for in good 'ol greenbacks (and some Sacajaweas).  So weird.  The only other place I've used US is in Cambodia.  I guess it is prepping me fore re-entry though.

San Pedro de Atacama in Pictures

We spent the day around San Pedro de Atacama today and I have to say that it is quite photogenic.  It is quite cold in the evenings, but the day was spectacular.   Before we head into the hills towards the Bolivian Salt Flats, I wanted to share a bit of this weird landscape.  It was like being on Mars (or the Moon, if you prefer). 

There were valleys covered with salt and clay:

Powdered Ginger Scones, anyone?

Such random rock formations in the middle of these huge fields of salt.

There were Massive Sand Dunes: 

And of course the Andes and their Volcanoes... 

Megan vs. the Volcano!

Parker vs. the Volcano

There is actually a Volcano in this story.  But it's been awhile so you'll have to wait to get to that part.  Nothing is terribly exciting, but I figure you all miss me and I have some pretty pictures to share.

First off, I again have access to my (dwindling) fortune.  A HUGE debt of gratitude to Miss Amy Bell for helping me out and for the incredible hospitality while in Santiago!

Next, the adventure of speaking Spanish is off to an amusing start.  I've quickly learned that there is very little that is as humbling as learning a language.  Last week, I took a "Super Intensive Class" in Santiago and we had a great time with our respective struggles.

The language is coming a long.  I understand it pretty well and when I speak I'm getting by.  Though, "getting by" might be stretching it, for instance, when I don't know how to say what I need to, I generally try to patch the words I know together to approximate.  This behavior is more or less encouraged/suffered, I think, because of the absurdities that could follow.  I've called a sleeping bag a "bolsa de sueños' (bag of dreams), remembered the word for butter - but not the words to direct a taxi. etc. etc.  I'm told I have a good vocabulary, and I'm trying.  But, after 3 weeks, I have to say that I'm confident at this point I'll be much better at the end of my tour in South America, but likely still not very good.  We'll see.  Maybe if I really do get a bag of dreams, it will help...

Anyway, as another week comes closer to closing I'll catch you up on the adventure since I left Santiago.  After a long overnight bus last Friday night I arrived on the lovely islands of Chiloé.  It was ridiculously cold and quite rainy for my time there, but I made a go of it.

The city of Ancud, a sleepy little fishing town with an old Spanish Fort. 

Certainly one of the most colorful churches I've ever seen and it was quite a surprise walking inside to a completely wooden interior with only woodgrain as the color. 

Los Palafitos

After Chiloé, I headed up in the lakes region of Chile.  The region is also a part of the Pacific Fire Belt, and the base of Volcano exploration is Pucón.

The Villarrica Volcano

The beginning of the ascent.  It looks so much closer than it was.  We didn't make it to the crater, due to high winds and ice, but it was still a magnificent view and a good, strenuous day on the mountain.

There are two other Volcanoes in the region and we got a good view of them above the clouds!  The close one is Lanín and the far one is Quetrupillán.  By some weird boundary marking, Lanin is in Argentina. 

One of the many lakes we could see from the mountain as well. 

The walk up is long, done with crampons, and at 50-60 degree slope.  The way down was much more fun.  Sliding down on the ol' keister!

In other news, I leave this evening for Santiago and to meet up with Megan, who is coming back for her second tour of duty here at Just 'Cuz It's Round.   A quick refresher on who Megan is courtesy of our friends at iPhoto:

Not sure what iPhoto is trying to say, but we'll be heading out to Valparaiso and Viña Del Mar and then up to the Atacama Desert and Bolivian Salt Flats over the next week or so.  Should be some weird and wild stuff coming to this venue soon.