PETA would not approve

As most of you know, I am a vegetarian. When I don't have access to tofu/beans/seitan (aka here in south america) I eat fish for protein and can explain to you the logic behind this if you ever want to talk about it. I say this because several animals were harmed this weekend and it makes me feel better to know that in real life I try to be good to little creatures. So without further ado...

Otavalo:
The first place on our itinerary was Otavalo. This small town is known for its massive Saturday market where natives sell their wares which range froml picture frames and jewelry to large hand woven hammocks and blankets and anywhere in between. Several of my friends and I decided to go on friday morning to clinic in Otavalo, rather than Quito. There is a facility which provides alternative medical services (ex. Shaman) and when we pulled up to Jambi Huasi clinic I will admit I had no idea what to expect. Guests/observers pay $10 to enter the building which allows the indigenous people to receive medical care for little or no cost-so this was a good donation in my book. We were led upstairs by the director of the facility and shown a movie about the various procedures performed at the clinic. There were different doctors to work with the different indigenous tribes and each tribe had different rituals and medical practices. One of my least favorite practices from the film involved a guinea pig...but I will get to that later. After the film we went downstairs and were led into an examination room. I was the brave volunteer for the first demonstration (I checked the room and did not see any guinea pigs so I figure I was in the clear). Then an elderly woman who was dressed in traditional garb (long skirt, white blouse, gold beaded necklace) entered. She explained (in spanish) that I would have my spirit cleansed and she would then diagnose me. Sure why not? She took two eggs and rubbed them all over my body and head. I assumed, given the amount of force that was applied, that they were hard boiled. After about five minutes she cracked the eggs in a bowl-wrong on the hard boiled assumption. She read the eggs and told me that I was dehydrated, then confirmed her diagnosis by looking at my dry lips. I was given a prescription for an aloe-like plant and told to drink lemonade and jugo from the tomate de arbol (tree tomatoes..a fruit that grows in ecuador). Seemed pretty do-able to me.

So, with my spirit cleansed I headed on to the next demonstration, I told my friend denise she could take this one and boy am I glad I did. My friends were all pretty freaked out before the next ritual (we had anticipated the guinea pig) but I gave a pep talk before we went in to the room. It went something like this (and I am repeating it so you can be in the right state of mind before reading this next portion). This is not our culture and is not part of western medicine, but it is important to be respectful of other cultures and we can view this as a learning experience and it will certainly be interesting from a sociology viewpoint.
The next doctor/woman, who looked like she was around 90 years old, entered the room with a red sac. And in that sac was the largest guinea pig i have ever seen. Denise stood in front of the group and the woman shook the guinea pig all over her. First she used two hands to hold the guinea pig, then she took it by the neck and flung it around (eventually snapping its neck). After this portion the dead guinea pig is skinned and its insides are examined (animal sacrifice number 1 of the weekend). The woman dug through the innards and mentioned various diagnoses. For example she took out the animal's gall bladder, showed it to the group and then popped it, explaining she had just cured denise of gall stones. Then she took out the intestines and popped them (picture bubble wrap..makes the same sound. blech) and explained that she was curing any gi problems that denise may be having. When the demonstration was over, it was time to leave for lunch. I went off with a cleansed spirit and a shopping list, denise left covered in guinea pig hair and the rest of the group left feeling slightly nauseous.

The bus driver took us on a scenic drive and we ended up in Cotacachi for lunch. This town is home to a large volcano (of the same name). At the base of the volcano is Cuicocha lake, where one can view thermal hotsprings. We got lunch in the natural park and took a boat tour of the lake/islands. When we rounded one of the islands there were dozens of sea chickens (black birds with white beaks...apparently after going to the galapagos I now feel inclined to learn all about birds. hopefully this will be a short phase). I was reminded of the geese scene in the notebook (sigh..love that movie!) Then, after lunch, we were presented with two options. 1: hike 3km to a waterfall or 2: shop for leather in Cotacachi. Normally I am all about the nature but I spent last weekend hanging to the face of five rather large waterfalls so I am pretty over that scene. Most of the group went on the hike and Jess, Beth and I headed to the shops. Everything here is hand made and reasonably priced so it was hard to refrain from purchasing entire stores (dont worry dad..I didnt spend millions). Beth bought a clutch and a gift for a friend, jess bought credit card holders for friends (she pointed out that they are practical because they fit in white coats, and as a surgeon shes going to be living in one). Jess also tried on like 50 leather jackets. Then we went into a store and I saw the one I have been looking for in the states...middle zipper, stretchy material on the bottom, hooded. I was thrilled and when I tried on the brown it looked super flattering. Jess tried on the black version of my dream jacket and compared it to a wedding dress saying "this is the one!" So we both got the same jacket, in different colors of course. What can I say, I have good taste :P (Also, leather jackets=animal sacrifices 2-?, but I dont eat cow so Im going to say this one is ok). Then we headed back to our hostel in Otavalo to go to bed early so we could be up early for the market.

At 7 our group met for breakfast. By 8 we were in the bustling streets of Otavalo. I took dozens of pictures of the market because words could not do it justice. There are hundreds of stalls where native sell their goods. My friends and I spent 6 hours wandering the streets, trying on sweaters and examining hand woven blankets. I bought Lauren (Reifsnyder) a birthday present and got myself an Ecuador soccer shirt (I will be rooting for them in the world cup in Brazil). I was tempted to get blankets or scarfs but i was running short on cash because of my jacket purchase and I figured I would not use most of the items regularly so they would not be worth it in the long run (see leens you have taught me well!). I also bought a coconut from a street vendor. The man had giant coconuts in a basket and used a machete to slice them so we could drink the milk. It was really refreshing, and safe because I watched him open it. Then at two, tired and a bit more tan than when we got there, the troops headed back to the bus for our next adventure: Mindo.