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Thurs 22nd -Thurs 29th Dec
On Thursday 22nd Dec I headed back inland to Latacunga as I had been invited to spend Christmas there with friends I'd met last time I was there. This involved a long journey from the coast, about 13 hours door to door, but luckily it went smoothly! Can't say I liked getting up at 4.15 for the first bus of the day (5am!) and I didn't sleep well but I did manage to get some sleep on the bus, although the driver did his best to stop me by playing loud music, as is the norm on buses here- sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't! The bus (well proper coach actually) was air-conditioned which was good as it would have been really hot otherwise. It took about 9 hours to reach the place I needed to change buses, Santo Domingo- the 30 minute waits at the various stops got a bit annoying! Plus we stopped for lunch just before Santo Domingo which was frustrating but it was 1pm and people did need to eat! Changed buses in Santo Domingo for the bus to Latacunga where I slept some more and watched a rubbish film but it passed the time. Arrived about 6pm, tired but keen to cook so I went shopping and made dinner!
I had a good time in Latacunga- enjoyed the company of people I'd met there last time, enjoyed cooking, watched a few films (that I never would have chosen to watch! 'Paul' was good, 'Avatar' was better than I expected but dragged on far too much in my opinion), read some books, continued my new habit of sleeping til 9 or 10 (!!), researched/planned for my Mum's trip…. I also spent an afternoon at Nora's house (a lady who works at the hostel)- had a nice afternoon playing one of their Christmas present games with her and her children and we went to the park. It was nice as I miss playing games with my niece and nephews and I got to see all her lovely Christmas decorations, and it was the most Christmassy place I saw. I never seemed to get round to writing my blog or organising my photos! In true Christmas tradition I also had a cold whilst there, I think from the change in temperatures (ie having come from the coast) though I have to say that Latacunga felt a little less cold than last time.
So I celebrated Christmas in Latacunga. It was a bit more Christmassy here than at the coast, more people had decorations and more Christmassy stuff for sale, but it is far less commercial here than at home. I didn't feel that Christmassy and I wasn't really sure what to expect but I had a good day and it was nice to be with people I knew. Of course I missed being with my family but I rang them all. Had a lazy morning, watched a film and made egg and bacon sandwiches- was going to make an English breakfast as is the tradition in my family on Christmas morning but opted for the easier option as was feeling a bit rubbish with my cold. We still enjoyed it! After skyping with the family and a few glasses of beer with the other staff at the hostel I went for food with Jacob and his brother Jose (who I was staying with). I mistakenly ordered beef (which I don't eat) but luckily it got replaced with chicken- a kind of Christmas dinner! I also got given a bowl of soup with something suspect in it….a chicken's foot! Needless to say I didn't eat it! After food, and by this time it was about 5 or 6 we went to a fiesta in I guess what would be a suburb area of Latacunga. When they'd said fiesta I thought we were going to someone's party at their house but it turned out to be outdoors in the plaza and there was a band and it was really good fun! I did a little dancing (well tried!) and took part in the tradition of a bottle of beer and one glass (well plastic cup!) which is poured and shared- one person drinks then another is poured and is passed on to the next person. I tried to say I probably shouldn't due to my cold and passing on germs but they weren't bothered! They gave me the job of pouring, I wasn't very good at it and after a while I felt a bit bloated from the beer as I don't usually drink it (don't like it at home, though I prefer the taste here) but it would have been rude to say no! It was a really fun evening :-)
On Christmas eve Jacob and Jose wanted to have guinea pig for lunch so we went to a guinea pig restaurant in a nearby town called Pujili. I had no intention of eating guinea pig (as everyone knows I don't eat much meat as it is) but it was an "interesting" experience to see it being eaten! Not one I would really want to repeat! The half a guinea pig came with its head, teeth and paws on and you can nibble the meat off the head!There isn't that much meat on a guinea pig. Anyway I ordered a plate of rice, potatoes and salad but then decided to have chicken so was given a huge piece of chicken and my whole meal cost only $2- about £1.30! The guinea pig was more expensive- half a guinea pig and some chicken cost almost $8.
On Christmas eve evening it was interesting to wander around the town and see people going about their business- everywhere was still really busy at about 7pm: street sellers still selling, shops still open, supermarket full of people. When I asked if they'd be open on Christmas day they looked at me a bit strange but I explained that (nearly all) shops closed in England on 25th Dec. There were lots of people around the churches and children lighting sparklers. It made me very nervous as they are so hot but they don't seem to take much care with them! Children also seemed to be dressed up in their best clothes. Nora told me her family had a Christmas meal late in the evening and then opened presents at midnight- this sounded more like the tradition in many European countries than in England where we celebrate on the 25th. The town was quiet on Christmas day though so I expect people were enjoying time with families, etc. 26th everything was back to normal here, no Boxing day or public holidays like at home when Christmas falls at the weekend.
On Thursday 29th it was time to head to Quito to meet my Mum at the airport :-)
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