Again, running out of creative titles here, haha. And we’re continuing right where we left off. I was leaving Baños and on my way to Riobamba with my study abroad program. I don’t remember how long the bus ride was, but it was broken up into segments.
During one of our stops, we had the chance to visit a mountain climber’s lodge at the base of Chimburazo (the tallest peak in world if you consider the distance from the center of the earth to its summit). The climber in charge of the house, Rodrigo, told us stories about his climbing adventures and treated us to some really yummy tea. A lot of students added alcohol to that tea but I’m not about that life, so I let my tea be tea.
After our visit at his house, we headed to a hacienda where we got to cook our dinner on lava rocks! It was also the same hacienda that Simon Bolivar had once stayed at to sign the constitution (I think that’s the right information). The food was really good that night. I really enjoyed the potatoes, blackberry juice, and flan. 🙂 And then with full stomachs, we finally made our way into Riobamba and checked into our next hotel, Casa Real. This hotel had an indoor garden situation going for them and it was really nice.
The not so nice thing though, my body was beginning to suffer from what I’m pretty sure was food poisoning. I’m not sure where it happened, but I was not feeling good and that night, I spent a lot of time shaking, drinking water, and debating throwing up. I never did, but it really sucked, that’s for sure.
Still feeling like crap the next morning, I managed to get to breakfast and keep it all down. We then left for our next service learning which was in the San Jose de Liro area. The community was called the Guamote community. There we watched guinea pigs be killed and prepared to eat. The women were very humane with the guinea pigs (minus holding them by their necks prior to their deaths) so I appreciated that but I wasn’t a fan of all the squealing that came from the guinea pigs before their necks were snapped. :(( It was just such a different experience from anything I’m used to. Guinea pigs are pets in the United States and in a lot of South American cultures, they’re food. That’s just how it is for them!
After that demonstration, we had the opportunity to see how the people shear sheep and plant their crops. We also taught the kids English again which was fun and was smoother than the first time. “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” was quite the hit that day. We finished our time up at the Guamote community with a soccer game against the kids (who were REALLY good, might I add), and lunch.
The food there was very bland in comparison to any other food we had up to that point. It was a lot of potatoes, beans, and corn that had the texture of potatoes. There was also guinea pig and I had the tiniest amount. Did I like it? No. Am I happy I tried it? Sure. I’m glad that I tried it, just to say I tried it and have had that experience but I most definitely will not be eating guinea pig again.
After our time in the Guamote community, we went and saw the first Catholic Church ever established in Ecuador. It was an old building, but it was incredible that it had stayed up for so long. I can’t remember if this church was just outside Riobamba or if it was actually within the city, but regardless, it was cool to see.
After that visit, we went back to our hotel and relaxed for a bit, which I really needed. I was feeling like garbage. Walking to get groceries at the super mall helped me feel a bit better but I still wasn’t feeling good. It was insane how much food I bought for $15. I bought a big thing of Gatorade (gotta get those electrolytes!), Amor cookies which are sooooo good, some shortbread cookies, plantain chips, and some water. It was a good deal.
Fully loaded with snacks, I headed back to the hotel and by that time, it was almost time for dinner. We went to a karaoke bar for dinner where I had my first bowl of pasta in a long time. Spaghetti tasted SO good that night, even though I felt like throwing it up (sorry for the TMI :)).
Around 11 that night, we headed back to the hotel and called it good for the night. Yes, I was still feeling like trash, and I had a lot of medication running through me to try and keep me less nauseated. Thank goodness for all the meds I brought.
The next day, we left Riobamba for our next stop at a train station, which you will get to hear more about next week. Our time in Riobamba was short, but it was still a good time. See you all next Sunday. 🙂