Rule #2: Don't Die.

Yes, this blog is late. Again. (always?) I plan to blame this fact on H and I not being together again. Yes, my people, H has left me again. This time to go out into the jungle and map things for her work. Which is a completely legitimate reason to be separated. But I did go ahead and edit the post from last week (which was really just a phone-it-in moment last week) as well, so I get some points for effort, no?

Boyfriend has also left Ecuador to return to his home in Colombia, and thus my choices were to wait out 2 weeks of mapping work alone at the beach where H will eventually show back up, or move along somewhere else. I am also trying to shake off a sinus/lung illness that has been with me since Cali, and it’s rainy and generally damp in Mompiche. I would have been camping…

So I decided to take the bus with boyfriend back to the mountains of Ecuador. He moved along to Cali and I returned to Otavalo. I have been holed up here alone in my little nest, getting a little better, bit by bit.

I have not, however, been very productive. So I will leave you with my (slightly elaborated) iMessages to H while she is away, so she will not miss a moment (and now neither will you all). An important note: DoD is Degree of Difficulty for the listed activity, with 0 requiring absolutely no effort on my part, 5 being a 50% chance that I was going to be able to accomplish it, and 10 being an absolutely impossible task.

Saturday:

– Hung out with boyfriend all day. DoD: 1.7 as we were both on our best behavior already and only had to cook one meal.

– Left on 540 bus to Atacames. DoD: 2 since we were running late after doing largely nothing all day and the seats were too small.

– Found bus stop and entertained ourselves in Atacames until said bus left. DoD: 5 walked in circles following directions and there’s not much going on there.

– Slept on night bus to Ibarra. DoD: 7 I was feverish and bf wanted to cuddle, so I had to keep pushing him off, bus is full of drunk loud Ecuadorians, we get stopped 3 times by police to disembark and search our bags.

Sunday:

– Arrive in Ibarra, eat breakfast, & take our separate buses. DoD: 2.7 because saying goodbye almost made bf miss his prompt bus departure.

– Get settled in Otavalo. DoD: 0.5 Johnny-boy‘s hotel is open and it’s cold so I sleep and eat pizza, largely the city is closed.

– Keeping myself busy all day. DoD: 2 thanks to Pinterest, fast wi-fi, and the view from my hotel room (of a convent with ailing old people, any number of people pass through all day long. Who doesn’t like to watch nuns walking around?)

Trust me, there’s nuns. They wear sky blue but I always forget to snap a photo while I’m watching them, and then they disappear.

Monday:

– Get up and ready for the day. DoD: 4 it’s frigid and my head is exploding from sinus pressure, it takes me 2 attempts to drag myself out if bed

Those flames after 5 minutes are correct. The water felt like fire it was so hot. In the best way possible.

– Take a shower. DoD: 1 the shower is so hot it actually scalds my skin (this is the only good thing about the morning!), it is difficult to get out since the steam is clearing up my sinuses

– Go out in search of laundromat. DoD: 8 I follow directions from my hotel to the center of town, to ask security guard at a bank who sends me to the far side of center, to ask a pharmacist who sends me to the opposite far side of center, to ask a bakery who sends me back to center, to ask a tour agency who tells me I’m only two doors away (and from where I was before the security guard), laundry will take a full day

– Go to favorite ice cream store for a treat after. DoD: 0.2 I have to wait while he gets some strange guy out of the store, then he gives me a special strawberry sauce and discount, awesome!

– Buy bottled water in 6 liter bottle. DoD: 3 price in grocery store is incorrect by half (with the price being $1.97 as opposed to 1.03 as marked), try to ask (not understood?), have to decide if its worth the hassle (it’s not)

– Carry 6 liters up 3 flights of stairs at 2580 meters elevation with severe congestion after walking all over town. DoD: 8 had to stop to breathe/cough (twice), collapsed into bed

– Nap. DoD: 0.0 did not want to, definitely did

– Eat dinner. DoD: 10 did want to, definitely did not (pounding head and crippling cough would not allow me to stand beyond the short dash to the bathroom periodically)

– Eat crackers and drink water in bed. DoD: 1.2 already picked up crackers with water, did not want to pass out but had to fill small bottles from large jug to make this possible (puddles about the apartment where this was attempted)

– Watch TV, Internet videos, and Pinterest like a fiend when awake, DoD 3.4 TV is in Spanish (but Gone With the Wind is on and that’s epic in any language), Internet videos were being fussy, and not everyone has as much time as I do to keep me properly entertained on Pinterest

– Sleep, DoD: 0 happens without my help, often when I’m in the middle of something else (I missed some of GWTW, good news is I’ve seen it countless times and it’s long enough to sleep in the middle without missing too much)

Tuesday:

– Wake up and gather breakfast. DoD: 9 awake but locked in hotel with no guarantee of someone being here to let me back in if I leave, towel to hot shower while waiting at laundromat, only accomplish awake

– Leave in time for early lunch. DoD: 3 got distracted for a minute, got Mexican (!), expensive 😦 but don’t leave because I’m that lazy

“Organized”
Mine was in the middle of the pile on in the middle, of course!

– Gather laundry. DoD: 4, my clothes are missing (?) so have to search entire crazy bag room to find them

– Get yogurt for tomorrow. DoD: 1 fear I will not go back out for dinner if I do this, promptly lose it when I return (lost yogurt? how is this possible? I am just as confused, trust me)

– Go get dinner. DoD: 10 I was correct

– Do TEFL test. DoD: 6 as it is much more challenging than I expected, then I’m immediately not surprised since it is open book, I make a pretty color coded answer table, only get 1/3 of assignment done

– Write blog post. DoD: 10 instead I make color coded table as mentioned, watch SYTYCD Memphis audition, and go to sleep

Tags: Atacames, Ecuador, Ibarra, late... but not dead, Mompiche, Otavalo, travel blog