As our travels finally draw to an end, I am writing the final part of the Little Things Series. Below are some things we have particularly noticed about Ecuador:
1) Hats. You may recall in Bolivia the women wear super-small bowler hats. Well, in Ecuador the men and the women wear more of a trilby-style hat with the added embelishment of a peacock feather. Very dashing.
2) Sports. Amongst other sports, the Ecuadorians are particularly keen on volley ball, and apparently have their very own version which includes being able to touch the ball as many times as they wish. We have even seen it being played by a very competitive group of locals in a cloud (see photo)!
3) Agriculture. Out of all the South American countries we have visited, there appears to be more agriculture in the refreshingly green Ecuador, with all the hills filled with hand-sown patchwork fields. Most families in the countryside also seem to have chickens, pigs and some livestock. The cows seem particularly nimble and we have seen evidence of them at the very top of moutains along tiny ridgeways.
4) Children Rule. In the Ecuadorian countryside, the children appear very very independent, and almost seem to run the show. For example, in shops we are often serviced by children who look no older than 14 years, children as young as 4 or 5 years can be found herding livestock, and young children are also seen hopping on and off the public buses.
5) Bus schedule, what bus schedule? There appears to be no rhyme or reason to the bus schedules in Ecuador. While in Quilotoa we asked about the bus to the next town and had 5 different responses (bearing in mind there was only meant to be a single bus going there): 12pm, 1pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 3pm, and no bus! In fact they have an amazing bus system, with buses leaving all the time in the city. We often turn up, have our bags grabbed by staff and plonked on the already moving bus, so we have to sprint and jump on. They also accept any type of cargo, including a dog tied to the top of the bus, and a goat tied in the cargo area!
6) Happy Women. The current president in Ecuador is Rafael Correa who is proving somewhat contraversal. Amongst other things he has disbanded Congress (although he is due to re-employ new members) and is making changes to the constitution. Ms Vela, a member of the ruling party, subsequently put forward the constitutional right for women to enjoy sex. Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the male members have opposed this suggesting that she is trying to enact orgasms by law. Personally, I reckon they are just intimidated!
So thats about it folks. Our wonderful travels have finally come to an end, which is very sad, although we will also be seeing you all soon in the flesh which helps cheer us up. See you all soon. All our love Louise and Dave.
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