ecuador: the pursuit of do-gooder ish (and everything before)

oh-la.

lots has happened since our last run-in. but one could also argue that not much at all has happened, and you'll soon see what i mean. such is the beauty of travel.

after my last post, ellen and i went on a four day trek to machu picchu. in true delsheez fashion, i did something stupid on the first day (downhill mountain biking) and messed up my knee (will spare you the embarrassing details but let's just say i got cocky and obviously that was going to be my downfall, no pun intended), but i continued the three days of trekking that followed and those days were quite sweaty and rewarding. climbing 1000-some-odd stairs in pitch dark at 4:00 am to reach the top of the storied ancient incan ruins just in time for the sun to come up and the sweat to stop seeping out the pores is an experience i will not bother assigning meaningless words to. but the icing on the cake-type-thing was that the climb to the top of huayna picchu (the peak seen in all pictures that is completely mental and, again, entirely made of steps) was completely insane and, quite simply, so cool.

after returning from our AWEsome trek, we spent another couple days kicking around cusco and vegging in the most amazing hostel beds yet (shout out: pariwana!) and then we set out on a cruise up the coast, stopping in lima for a quick day and night (which was better than i expected but didn't seem to warrant a longer stay), and then continuing on to huanchaco, a quiet little overcast beach town where we stayed at a family-run hostel and were provided with amazing food and hammocks so, needless to say, i was in love. it was in huanchaco (about nine days after the biking incident en route to machu picchu) that i finally realized my knee was infected. an englishman living in the town kindly took pity on me and spent the afternoon with me waiting in a quasi-hospital (along with a nun and a soldier) to have it looked at. after the doctor scraped the living sh*t out of my skin, he bandaged it up and gave me a five day course of antibiotics. buzz. kill. i decided that i would start the drugs mañana so that at least i could have a beer to kick off my imposed sobriety. huanchaco was a great place, but it couldn't last forever, and we don't (yet) surf, so we decided to move on. the family was so welcoming that we never wanted to leave. but after four days of literally doing almost nothing at all (i promise you), we set out to catch a bus north and it was so sad to say goodbye. thankfully we will never forget mama mccallum (the name comes from her scottish father) because she gifted us a small blue paperback copy of the new testament so that we can "practice spanish". mmhmm.

last stop on the peruvian coastal voyage was mancora. we stayed at loki, a crazy party hostel that looks like a backpacker club med, equipped with pool, bar, beach access, and 24/7 debauchery. it's hard to explain how or why, but this is a strange place. nothing really happens, but people stay forever, it seems, spend way too much money, and annihilate their livers. kind of like vegas, but with a real beach, at least. like huanchaco, we did nothing, but at least the sun was out so my tan was resuscitated from the brazilian days of yore. for the first few nights, the party scene proved slightly challenging on my willpower as i was on the wagon, consuming only water and my stinky pills. but just in time for a full moon party down the beach, i was back in the swing once again. a few more of those nights and we needed to get the hell out while we were still sound of mind and semi-alive.

after one more beautiful mancorian sunset, we set out to cross the border and woke up in montañita, ecuador. what a charming f'ing town, though a bit pricey. surfers and hippies and the same travelers we'd met seven times over. rarely any sun, but it didn't much matter. beach-front room with a hammock chair and a kitchen. i read about 300 pages in two days (which for me is something for the books, thanks, stieg larsson) and we kicked around town with some washingtonian hostel neighbors and a hilarious englishman i'd met a few times before. at night we'd visit "cocktail alley", where we would get fresh fruit libations for as low as $2 from our favorite barman, el tigre. we would run into the same people about 60 times a day, and it was starting to feel like we lived there. again, a sign that it's time to move on, no?

so that brings us to here and now. cuenca, ecuador. just secured a room for $5/night, and committed to a week, but will probably stay longer. the mama of the house cooks breakfast and lunch for $2 each so that is already sounding too easy. this is a charming colonial town (third largest city in ecuador, though undoubtedly with more to offer than guayaquil or quito, unless you are in the business of crime, organized or disorganized) with a plaza and some of those cute little indigenous women with braids. back in real south america again, i think. so we are on the hunt for a some good volunteer work and also some spanish lessons. though my comprehension of the language has improved dramatically on this voyage, i am seeking improvement. basically, we wanna do good: for the people who need us, and for us. it's a selfless and selfish mission all in one. but then again, people say that if you better yourself, you better the world. ok, i am too cheesy now and must stop. but we have some leads on programs and are hoping to lock it down on the morrow and finally put a stop to our do-nothingness (though it was truly amazing--in the most slothful way--while it lasted).

anyone whose eyes do grace this page, i thank you for your time, patience, interest, all those good things you give me while i give you very little. my current frequency of writing is about once a month, which is truly an embarrassment to myself and my family, but i have not promised anything greater and so i mustn't apologize. you come around when you come around, and so do i, and that's what makes our relationship thrive. it's thriving, can't you feel it?

until we meet again, suerte.