A Whirlwind Water System Tour: Day 2

Tuesday
6:10 am

Again, I am woken up long before I desire. Much to my surprise, we leave for another community, Juan Valasquez. Once in the car I immediately fall asleep....yes, it is a gift! Thankfully I awaken in time for breakfast....bread, coffee, eggs, juice all for the low price of $1.25! Let me tell you about the eggs. I had never seen anything like it. Two or so hard boiled eggs came broken up in a bowl. But there was also a soupy sauce on them, a sauce that looked like non-chunky salsa. It was delicious. Before this summer I wouldn't have touched a hard boiled egg. Now I love them. It helps a lot when you don't want to offend your host; you learn to eat, and enjoy, most everything!

8:00 am

We arrive just in time to have breakfast again. The way that we are fed speaks to the generosity of people in the communities that we visit. They take time to prepare food for us - a higher quality and quantity of food that they usually eat themselves. It shows the appreciation the community has for the work that HCJB does. This morning we have pan con queso - a delicious roll with a large hunk of homemade cheese in the middle - and a milky, grainy drink. The drink might not sound good, but it is quite delicious. It is hot milk, some kind of small grain, and sugar.

10:00 am
After talking with a few community members, we go to see the springs that will supply this community with clean water. This time 25 community members come with us. Most walk, but a few ride horses. We have the privilege to ride horses too. The path we travel is small - hardly visible among the tall grass. Seriously, we are on the side of a mountain again. The views are gorgeous! I have plenty of time to enjoy them because my horse is slow! We're at least half a mile behind the people who are walking! Once we make it to the springs, we see that this community has a plentiful, clean, fresh source of water! The only problem: it's 3+ kilometers from the village. Trench will be handdug by the people that whole way. As we head back down to the village - this time on foot - we have some entertainment. A lot of the people who came along were guys close to my age. On the way down they hunt any rabbit they see. It is so fun to watch! 15 guys run through 3 foot high grass trying to surround their foe. At last they catch one - and kill it....by hand. It was incredible.

1:15 pm
The trek down the mountain was tough on my legs. These people are fast - I have to run to keep up with them. I even have 8 inches on most of them, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. By the time we return, it's time to eat again. This meal is much like the day before. Except instead of starting out with corn, we have legumes. In front of us is a gigantic platter of boiled beans, potatoes, and eggs. The beans are big, larger than a quarter, and we have to peal the outer skin off them. The potatoes aren't really potatoes. They are small tubers, roughly the size of your thumb which taste a bit more bland than potatoes. Both of these are delicious dipped in salt. After our appetizer, they bring out soup. Again there is a chicken leg to be eaten after the broth is gone. I'm getting full, but when they bring out the next course, I know I have to keep eating. We were again served a small field's worth of potatoes, but this time we also have qui. Qui is a delicacy in Ecuador. I'm going to tell you what it is, but if you like small animals, STOP reading. Really, this is your warning. Qui is guinea pig. In fact, I could tell that that was what was sitting on my plate. Thankfully, they had cut the head off, but it was still quite recognizable. I feel honored to have been served this! I do my best to finish what I can, though it is tough to pick around all the bones. After eating to our hearts content, we have a short community meeting before starting the long trek back to Quito.