¿Te gusta cuy?

To my avid fans, I apologize for not updating sooner, but alas I am only here for a month and do not have time to waste at a computer! :-)

Two weekends ago we traveled two hours north to Otavalo, a small indígenous village where we stayed for two nights with an indígenous family. They spoke absolutely no English, only Spanish and their native tounge of Chequcha. No electricity, no running water, and no refridegerator in the kitchen. Families here make roughly US $300 per year, and anywhere from $100 - $150 of that is spent on candles...want to solve poverty? But them solar recharable lights, an interesting theory -- but we regress. The homes were completely open air, built of sturdy concrete anywhere from one to two levels with an open access roof. The family I stayed with (with one other person on the trip) consisted of a stay at home mom, a dad who worked in tourism (surprise) and five children (one son). The first night we helped to cook dinner by candlelight. They did have a propane stove which made the already hot kitchen unbearable, but away we continued. Soup was a main dish of theirs, consisting often of various vegetables and potatoes. While eating dinner around a single candle, we were asked the question, ¿te gusta cuy? (pronounced koo-ee). Cuy is guinea pig, and sells for anywhere between $10 and $15 in the local market - to call it a delicacy would be an understatment. This would be like offering a complete stranger a brand new car in our society. Of course, we said that althought we never had it we would love to try it...

The next day was spent at the Otavalo Market, which attracts up to 20,000 people on a crowded saturday during the high season. There were great items ranging from alpaca anything to paintings, delicious foods, and jewlery (all authentic, of course). Needless to say, I spent a hefty amount here (now the hard part will be getting it all home). The next morning we helped our host family help another family with various chores - moving wood and cinder blocks and helping plan the foundation of a new building they are adding to the community. To thank us, this other family cooked us a delicious meal of fish, potatoes, rice, cheese, and other ¨interesting tasting¨ foods...but a community that thanks you with food?? Yea, I could live here... Later that day we were able to try cuy, which I really enjoyed - and no, it didn´t taste like chicken. We also swam in the local river and bathed, it was a really cool experience.

On the way home we stopped at Cotapaxi, a beautiful Volcano which has been dormant for some time now and is now filled with water and is a lake. Gorgeous views of both the volcano and city of Otavalo are sure to come...

The last night we spent at a nice hacienda before returning to Quito, where I was welcomed by a hot shower and my own bed.