"You look like a stupid American." I know.

Over the weekend, I went to a town called Cuenca with my friends Kristin and Maike. I took Friday off of school (it's not like I'm doing anything anyways), and we took a bus on Thursday night. EIGHT AND A HALF FREEZING HOURS LATER (at least the nice man next to me let me share his blanket with him) we arrived in Cuenca. It was 6:30 in the morning, and we didn't know what to do. What if our hostel turns us away? We had nothing to worry about. They made us breakfast and had our room cleaned first, so we just waited around for about an hour freezing to death.

After showering and warming up, we decided to go on a double decker bus tour around Cuenca. It lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. This is why:



The traffic was bumper to bumper, because apparently they are re-constructing one of the main roads in the town. And by re-constructing, I mean ZERO TRAFFIC on this road where the bricks were all torn up and it is just MUD. Our hostel was on the corner of this road and to get in we had to walk through mud and walk over planks of wood. It was a little ridiculous.

The power lines in Ecuador are REALLY low, so every once in a while on this double decker bus, a siren would go off, and that's the signal for DUCK (otherwise you're going to get decapitated by a power line). So for the rest of the tour, I was afraid to look at what was around me because I didn't want to get offed by a power line, so I missed a lot of the town, I think. That's ok, I'm over it.

There is a hat store in Cuenca that is famous for their "Panama hats". The hats are all hand-made, and it was pretty neat, especially because Maike LOVED it. She's going to the Galapagos next week, so she needed a hat for the Galapagos. We were trying on hats like crazy, and Maike ended up getting two. We went back again on Saturday because she decided that she was going to get one for her grandpa and one for her best friend. Because I have such a fat head, I only put (a select few that actually FIT) the hats on my head and laughed at myself. Man, did I look ridiculous!

On Friday night, we discovered that there is NO night life in Cuenca, at least not anywhere near where we were staying. So we decided to go to the movies, which was pointed out during the bus tour. We took a taxi to the movie theater. They only had THREE movies playing, none of which we were wild about seeing. So we go to another movie theater. We got there at 6:25. We saw that Sex and the City 2 started at 6, so we decided to see it anyways. When we got to the ticket counter, there were three ANNOYING girls working. We asked them a question, and they were talking behind the glass, and I said, "We can't hear you." So they all start giggling, and tell us that no, we can't see that movie anymore because we're too late, and then they turned off the microphone and were talking and giggling behind the stupid glass. We were SO annoyed. So we left.

Saturday we went to Incan ruins - a 2.5 hour bus ride from Cuenca. It was COLD again on Saturday, but this wasn't going to stop us. On the way, our bus hit a truck. Really? It was ridiculous. Apparently the truck didn't yield to the bus, so the bus hit it. We were able to drive away, and no one was hurt, but REALLY Ecuador? We ended up just laughing about it, and me, being the tourist that I am, took a picture of the damage.



See? No harm done. But the bus driver was PISSED, and so were we, because we had no idea how much further we were going to be able to go. When we FINALLY arrived at the ruins, it was MUDDY. It had rained there all the previous day, so it was disgusting. We joined a group with two tour guides. Who were ten years old. They were freezing too, and despite their age, they were good at their jobs. I asked to take a picture with them, and they looked at me like I was crazy, but I'm beyond caring.

After the tour, the little girls said, "If you want to see the face of Inca in a mountain, follow us!" Maike and Kristin decided not to, but I went along. And it was a mistake. The group of 4 of us that went had to hike down a mountain, and it was MUDDY. I was slipping and sliding ALL OVER the place. And of course there is NOTHING to hold on to. About halfway down, guess what! It started POURING rain. That made climbing down this mountain WORSE. When we FINALLY got to the face (which wasn't that impressive, especially since the picture I took looks exactly like the postcard that Maike bought), I took ONE picture, and then I said, "Alright, I'm going to climb back up!" and left the group.

When I FINALLY got back to the top (after falling once - good thing that I was by myself!!!), I was SOAKING wet. I squeezed out my hair, and it was like I just got out of the shower.



I was freezing. I couldn't take a 2.5 hour bus ride back to Cuenca like this. So, I decided to buy a new coat. And a scarf. And I looked like an idiot. As Maike said, "Sara, I can't tell you apart from the Ecuadorians!!" HA Good one, Maike.



I wore that coat for the rest of the day, because my fleece just wouldn't dry. So we walked around town, we went back to the Panama hat store, and we ate dinner. Every time I saw my reflection, I started laughing. At one point, Kristin was walking behind me and she said, "Sara, I just can't take you seriously in that jacket." Wherever we went, I got stared at. And then Maike said, "You look like a stupid American." I know, Maike, I know. We even went back to the movie theater in time to see the 6:00 show of Sex and they City. And I looked like an idiot there too. At least I was warm. Thank GOD my American fleece, which ironically made me look LESS American, was dry on Sunday.

On Sunday, I woke up to a surprise phone call from my good friend Diego. Happy Birthday!!!!! And what a wonderful birthday it was. We took a bus to a town called Chordeleg. This is a cute little town where they sell all sorts of JEWELRY. We. went. nuts. The necklaces, rings, and earrings were all soooo pretty. I FINALLY found a gift for my wonderful mother (You're welcome!! And I didn't use your credit card to buy it!!). While I was on the bus there, my grandma Ann called me, and I got to talk to Aunt Jane and Aunt Jeanette as well, until I was too far into the stupid mountains and lost service. Then, when I was shopping, home called, and I got to talk to Mom, Dad, Jenna, and Tay. When I told Jenna where I was, her first question? "Did you buy me something?" Happy Birthday, Sar. And no, I didn't. But I still love you.

After a few hours, we took a bus back to Cuenca, and hung around town for awhile. And by hung around I mean sat on a bench trying to think of something to do. In Ecuador, EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays. So we sat. And then we decided to eat, even though we weren't hungry. We found a SKETCHY pizza place. It was SO weird. The tables were paintings, and on one was a painting of a naked woman (buen provecho!!), and then on a painting behind us was a naked woman being snarled at by a dog. I'm pretty sure that some major drug deals go on there. Oh, and, I ordered a Fanta to drink, and a guy left the restaurant, and then came back with a Fanta. If you didn't have Fanta, you could have just told me! I would have gotten something else. The pizza was ok... We ate really fast and then got the heck out of there.

I flew back to Quito last night instead of taking the bus with Maike and Kristin because I had to teach this morning. But surprise! My students didn't show up! So I've been sitting doing nothing, again, and it looks like that's how it's going to be for the rest of the week. Greeeeeeeeat.

Until next time,
Sara the American tourist.