Well.

So...I was in a boat.



then...



...well...



I wasn´t.



It was about that fast, too.



But I´ll get to that. I think first I should briefly finish up our day yesterday, since it was a lovely experience, to be sure. Like I had mentioned, it was predominantly focused on group bonding and city touring, so it seems appropriate that the most memorable points of the day occurred while doing those two things. Our most ambitious and ahhh...cozy activity was called the "Human Knot." I´m sure at least some of you have tried this, but it involves shaking the hand of two people across a circle from you, not letting go, and then attempting to resolve the blob into a new circle, of sorts. Being the clever and well-bonded teammates that we were, we managed to create the most complex, unsolvable Human Knot any one of us had encountered - that´s right, Dad, an impossible puzzle. Turned out we´d somehow formed two interlocking circles that didn´t seem to intersect, but it took us about an hour and more than a few tumbles down the hill to figure that out.


My favorite part of the city tour, aside from the fascinating colonial history our brilliant guide, Gloria, flooded us with, came nearer the end. Part way through the tour, we stopped at one of the first religious retreats in South America - the Church of San Francisco, located, unsurprisingly, in San Francisco square. Now, I´m pretty sure that was the name, but don´t quote me on that, since most names were given in Spanish, and with a particularly thick Spanish accent, so I can´t be positive. I´ve just been mentally referring to it as the "gold cathedral," since absolutely everthing inside the main hall was covered in gold leaf. Exquisite paintings of prophets and their prophesies lined the pews, and huge depictions of heaven and hell lying on each side of the entrance. Everything in there absolutely shone. Huge skylights allowed what little light there was that late in the day to be magnified by the gold detail, and the whole church felt...pure.

The second cathedral we hit was known only as the basillica, and was constructed in a less Spanish, more gothic style, which, according to Gloria, meant it was far less popular than the gaudy beauty of the first church. For me, the style only increased its appeal. My personal Everest reared its head when we neared the top of the conventional towers. By crossing a rickety wooden bridge balanced precariously on stone framework, eerily similar to an image from Indiana Jones, we were given the chance to climb up a steep, narrow metal ladder to a balcony on the top of one of the basillica´s spires. Truly, I thought this a feat in and of itself, until Dan asked if anyone "wanted to go higher." Pardon? Higher? Unfortunately, knowing myself well enough to understand that I would regret it forever if I didn´t take the chance when it came, I steeled myself and followed my groupmates up a second and third set of metal ladders. I believe with every fiber of my being that I climbed Quito´s Diamond Head. 127 steps seems small compared to however many we climbed with 9300+ feet of altitude stealing our breath away. And truly, what a magnificent view. I think I saw the world that day.

Now then. Having recounted how lovely the architectural relics of Quito, Ecuador, felt, especially when placed next to their antique stone counterparts, less beautiful but no less impressive, I´m sure you all are dying to know what gave me the limp in my left leg that makes the three flights of stairs to my room achingly slow.

We were told last night that today, we´d be white water rafting. Having only seen pictures, I was fairly excited, but less than enthused about the rumored 3 hour drive to the river. Turned out the drive was easily one of the best parts. We were exposed to parts of Ecuador, both inhabited and not, that took my breath away. From rickety shacks constructed with only the workd "shelter" in mind, to fog-shrouded valleys lined by mountains sewed into patchwork by arboreal seams, I felt like I´d stepped into a world from a tropical vacation brochure. The views at once made it harder and easier to believe I had actually come to this far away dreamland.

HOLY GEEZ! Okay, it looks like I have 3 minutes to finish this, as well as our group blog post, so MORE LATER.

I fell off the boat in the rapids, almost drowned (or so it felt), and was gallantly rescued by our fantastic tour guides. However, I ended up with some strange scratches on my calf and a huge bruise/muscle cramp in my left thigh, which has been bugging me since. I also drank approximately enough water to last the rest of the week, assuming it was at least marginally safe. Sorry, more details later! It makes a great story - I see a movie deal forthcoming.

I still feel like a tourist, but I get the impression that feeling will fade a little when the manual labor sets in.


Good night, and goodbye, for at least a couple of days - tomorrow morning, bright and early, we leave for our boat in the GALAPAGOS!


Signing off,
Egg