A post script to the chickens

On what was meant to be our last night in Otovalo, after much searching and conflicting time reports, we managed to make it to the special fiesta edition of the cokfights.

These events happen most Saturdays around 7pm, but because it was the fiesta of Eugenio or some other saint there were two on this day- we caught the late show.

I must admit I was ashamed of my bloodlust. For no other reason than I liked the shape of his tail or somesuch, I chose a rooster and barracked hard. Ai! Ai!

Then we made a friend and figured out how to put money on it. Pretty much just turning to the person next to you and saying "I bet you five bucks the white one will win." We didn´t do too well though. Despite every indication pointing towards our negro having kicked the whiteys arse, apparently ´cos whitey was still trying to fight when the bell rang it was a draw. Then our second bet we lost fair and square. This whole time we were drinking straight whiskey and making Ecuadorian friends. Trent even went so far as to swap a bracelet for his watch with one of his ´brothers´.

We couldn´t get on the bus next morning and had to stay another night.

Chickens

The chickens in Ecuador tend to run free, until they end up roasted in a shop window that is.

We saw boobies!

No not that kind! Get your head out of the gutter! The special bird-like kind.

After finally leaving Montañita we made it to Puerto Lopez and the amazing Machililla National Park. Pretty much the whole of the Pacific Coast up into Central America used to be covered by this dry forest. As it stands 95% of it has been destroyed and this park is all that remains.

Part of the park is also the Isla de la Plata or ´The Poor Man´s Galapogos´. We went on a tour out there and saw sooo many birds.

To tell you the truth I was sick of them by the end.

Before we even got on the boat though we saw sharks, squid, crabs, giant fish, eels and random guts all laying out at the tide line from the fishing boats.

Also on the Island grows an amazing plant called loofah. And yes it grows sponges. While they are green and ripe the fruit holds water which the indigenous people used to drink. When it dries out it leaves a sponge inside a skin which is easy to pick off. I never really thought about where those things came from before.

We decided to get the night bus the supposed 10 hours to Quito from here, even though the Lonely Planet says DO NOT catch night buses in this province. Turns out it was the same company on the same route as which 5 English girls were killed a couple of weeks before, but that was a crash not a highjacking. It was a sort of creepy ride. No lights or movie the whole time, we nearly weren´t allowed on ´cos we had food, it ended up taking just under 12 hours and I had a dream that ET tried to kiss me. All in all I don´t think I´ll be doing the night bus thing again any time soon.