We´ve written a bunch about the places that we´ve been and I thought I´d take a moment to describe some of the details of daily life in Ecuador and Peru.

1. Animals. There are animals virtually everywhere here in South America. Large bulls ramble down city streets, burros (mules) pass you on walking trails, and sheep and pigs block highways causing buses to honk and swerve. Dogs are a household necessity, and belive me you´ve never seen so many varieties of mutt. Baby deer and chickens by the dozen sit in laps of your seatmates on the shared taxis.

2. Music. The frequency of animal encounters is matched only by the pervasiveness of music. Salsa music blares on buses, scratchy tapes play Latin pop on taxis, overexcited D.J.s using all types of warble and sound mixes bombards you in restaurants and internet cafes, and the rythmic honking horns and ringing bells on vendors carts at all hours reminds you, always, that you´re in South America.

3. Dress. As we travel from northern Ecuador through Peru, one thing that is always interesting to watch is the change in the traditional dress of the locals. In Otavalo, the indigenous women wear long black straight skirts, beautifully embroidered white blouses with a black sash tied over one shoulder, espadrilles, and a black scarf to cover their much-valued hair. As we move from the coast to the mountains, the styles of dress change, but always, women wear some type of skirt, blouse, scarf, and hat.

4. Food. One of the best inventions of all time is the South American lunch. Called an “almuerzo,” this meal reliably consists of soup to start, then a main dish of meat and rice, served with some sort of fresh juice. The regular almuerzo costs $1 and is served as fast as a big mac at Mc Donalds. When riding on buses during the lunch hour, we stop at the South America equivalent of a truck stop where all the passengers disembark and eat an almuerzo in an open street-side cafe.

5. Travel. The introduction of busses and roads to South America is a relatively recent occurance and are used for all types of activities. People traveling to and from the weekly markets use buses to transport their goods (including, of course, animals dead and alive), travelers use them, and so do commuters. Costing about $1 per hour, buses stop at any point on the road to pick up passengers and let you off just about any place you want; no bus stops here. Buses are also used as a captive audience for vendors who get on the buses to sell ANYTHING and EVERYTHING from homemade empanadas to toothpaste to ice cream pops. Often 5 or 6 vendors will be on the bus at once walking up and down the aisle offering you any number of treats.

6. Our otherness. Unlike the U.S.A., South America is a relatively homogenous culture, and in many communities, we are some of a very few white people (gringos) around. In addition to our blond hair and white skin, Joey and I have the advantage of our behemoth height. Most Ecuadorians and Peruvians tap in at a whopping 5´4″-5´6″, so Joey stands almost a full foot taller than the general public. This otherness has lead to some interesting encounters including impromptu English lessons to 5 year-old street vendors in Trujillo´s main square and Joey´s much-celebrated retreval of a lost ball from the top of a fountain in Huaraz where 30 kids where playing. Gringo! Gringo! Gringo!