Good news and bad news

The good news is that Cas and I were perfectly safe all day long.  The bad news (maybe it’s bad news?) is that our entire tour group was escorted around Quito by two police motorcycles.  Doesn’t sound so bad?  I get what you mean, but let me frame it this way- why did the tour company feel the need to provide us a police escort?  It probably wasn’t a free service done out of great generosity by the Ecuadorean law enforcement community.  How bad is this town without a pair of cops clearing your path?  Either way, traffic was a snap.  

Regardless, we did start our adventure today on the actual equator.  Cas and I practiced our pose in the hotel before we took off, so when we got to the place where the Northern Hemisphere meets the Southern one, we had it all figured out:

For the rest of the day, it was pretty much what you’d expect.  We saw church after church and took a stroll through a lively town square.  If I’m being honest, there isn’t much about Quito that you can’t find somewhere else, with the notable exception of that nifty equator line.  

The big deal in Ecuador is the Galápagos Islands.  We head there tomorrow.  The hotel where we’re staying right now offers us the option to store a piece of luggage until we return, and we’re taking advantage.  There is absolutely no reason to drag a bag of dirty clothes to the islands and back.  Just throw a swimsuit, some undies and a few shirts in a backpack, and go for it, right?  So tomorrow, we go for it.  

We had another lecture this evening from Reggie.  She talked about the Quechua language and some tidbits from native Andean culture.  It felt kind of like being back in college again, except this time, we brought wine to the lecture.  I still took good notes, though.  Not that I have a clue what to do with those notes.  Note taking is a habit.  Muscle memory.  It’s what you do when someone is teaching a class.  

So more good news, bad news.  Good news: I have some neat lecture notes about Andean people, language, myths and beliefs.  Bad news: Now what?  Heh.  Yeah, at least we learned some stuff and had a good time.  I think it would be really fun to go to school with Cas.  Maybe we can sign up for some continuing ed classes in South American cultures and lore at the local community college.  Yeah, I am guessing those aren’t the most frequently taught classes.  

Anyhow, tomorrow, we head to the Galápagos Islands.  My dad wondered aloud before we left it we’d be permitted to hop on the back of a giant tortoise and ride it like a horse.  Apparently, that was something he and his siblings did in their childhoods.  I’m guessing there are no tortoise saddles in our future, but then again, I would have never guessed at Guinea Pigs as a food source, so what do I know?  

Speaking of Guinea Pigs, one more thing before I drift off and dream of saddling up and riding various tropical creatures- it’s about the conversion of the Incan people to Catholicism.  The Spaniards were smart.  They allowed for Jesus statues to be made from darker stone so the indigenous people would relate more easily.  They had that nifty Last Supper painting with a Guinea Pig on the table.  The last church we went to today featured the tradition of Gargoyles on the outside of the building.  European churches have European gargoyles, but the Spaniards saw that the local folks here in Ecuador had a whole bevy of weird animals, so the gargoyles on one of Quito’s churches were llamas, anteaters, pumas, and saddle-free tortoises, 

The first rule of teaching anything is that you have to meet people where they are.  If you’re currently incapable of basic addition, calculus can wait.  If the holy trinity and giving of thyself thine only begotten son is a bit far fetched, start with adding recognizable things to the imagery.  Baby steps.

But for now, we sleep.  Tomorrow, we set out for the Galapagos.  In the meantime, check out Our Photo Album.