Ecuador: Feliz Carnival!

My time in Ecuador has been a blast and a half so far. I came to visit my friend Mandy, who is currently living in Quito, and decided to meet my friends Abby and Colleen here as well, which was a surprise to some of them. (You can read the whole story of our sneaky surprises on my friend Abby's blog, because she tells it better than me: http://shiftinghabitat.blogspot.com/2012/02/surprise.html )

Reunited with 3 of my former housemates from college, we filled our time catching up while, of course, doing some sightseeing. Highlights include: climbing up the Basilica in Historic Quito for a beautiful view of the city nestled into the mountains; standing on the equator; riding the Teleférico cable car up into the Andes for another hopeful view the city (but instead all we could see was the inside of a cloud we were in); relaxing in hot springs; and ziplining over the jungle canopy. Between beautiful sights, bountiful laughs, and exciting adventures, the memories and our time spent together are the best recuerdos.

 

Another highlight of Ecuador has been celebrating Carnival! Similar to Mardi Gras, Carnival is usually celebrated in South America the few days leading up to Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season. In fact, it is celebrated all over the world in many different ways. Most people think of the most flashy Carnival celebrations, like those in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with elaborate masks, costumes, and parades.

But in Ecuador, it is celebrated a little differently. There are still parades with costumes and indigenous dancing, but the most fun, and most widely practiced form of "playing" Ecuadorian Carnival is by being diablitos: playfully mischievous little devils that throw water, flour, and eggs at unsuspecting victims. We played Carnival with some of Mandy's friends here, and it turned into a full out war with kids and adults alike. By the end, we were all soaked in water and caricoa (similar to silly string, it's a colored foam-like substance that dries like water). People mostly play with other people they know, but a few times, neighbors would throw water at us from their windows or roofs while we were playing on the streets.
In some busy areas or at the parades, you would get covered in every substance no matter what, just by innocently walking through the street. 





I'm not exactly sure why Carnival is celebrated (or Mardi Gras for that matter), but it is just a fun time for adults to act like kids and to be playfully mischievous. I think has something to do with letting loose and having fun before the Lenten season comes. I learned from some quick Wikipedia research that some say the name Carnival comes from the Latin expression "carne vale," which means "farewell to meat, signifying that those were the last days when one could eat meat before the fasting of Lent. The word carne may also be translated as flesh, so suggesting carne vale as "a farewell to the flesh", meaning that Carnival encourages you to let go of your former (or everyday) self and embracing the carefree nature of the festival.

Whatever it means, it was a a blast. Feliz Carnival!

Honduras. Untitled.

My trip down south couldn't have started out any better. I got to spend time with my best friend, and had the opportunity to see some of the underestimated beauty of Honduras. Here's an extended summary of my viaje:

I'm so happy I decided to go visit Alyssa in Honduras. She is a teacher in Tela, which is on the northern coast of Honduras on the Caribbean Sea.  I wanted to see her daily life, where she lived and worked, and also see the beautiful country and soak up some sun while I was at it.

After spending a few rainy days in Tela (it is the rainy season after all), Alyssa and I headed into central Honduras for the weekend. We stayed at a great hostel/brewery/restaurant (http://www.ddbrewery.com) near the picturesque Lake Yojoa.  The lake is known for having some rare birds, so we took a birdwatching boat tour out onto the lake. We also visited some caves and the impressive Pulhapanzak waterfall.
But the highlight of our weekend was probably eating fresh caught tilapia from the lake while watching the sunset over the same lake. Oh, and hitchhiking was a great thing to check of my list too (Mom, just pretend you didn't read that).

Next, I ventured off on my own for a few days to Copan Ruinas, near the Guatemalan border. Settled in the Copan Valley, it's a quaint and sleepy little Spanish looking town with cobblestone streets and open air markets. Nearby are the Copan Mayan ruins and some great hiking up into the mountains to overlook the valley. I also went horseback riding into the mountains to visit some smaller villages and other ruins. My favorite part of all was visiting the bird park, Macaw Mountain. It is a rescue park that saves rare and endangered birds to prepare them to be released back into the wild. 

Then I returned back to Tela and visited Punta Sal, a secluded beach and National Park. It can only be reached by boat, but then you get to enjoy hiking next to monkies, poisonous spiders and crabs. We also went snorkeling and saw lots of coral, tropical fish, and jellyfish. Thankfully, the weather had cleared up, so I had a perfect sunny day to lay on the beach.

 Alyssa, her roommate Becky, and I spent one last night out together in San Pedro Sula before I had to take off and say goodbye. I never would have thought to come to Honduras if Alyssa weren't there, but I'm so happy I did.  I experienced a lot of the natural and cultural beauty of Honduras, but best of all, I got to spend time with someone that I love. That was the most beautiful and most exciting part of all. Thank you for everything Alyssa!