Farm out side of Guayaquil

A truck fell over in the farm with rocks.. luckily no on was hurt.

fresh walnuts from the tree

I just spent one week on a farm outside of Guayaguil. No internet access for a week.  I liked the farm though it was very hot and humid.  There were lots of animals. The baby animals were so cute.  The baby pigs, sheep and chickens.  Though the baby pigs were so cute they were always escaping the fences, it was quite humorous everyone running around trying to catch them.  Now I know what it sounds like when a pig squeals and it isnt nice.  I helped hold a baby pig probably under a week old while parasitic worms were removed from what the belly button area and the pig was screaming. The monkeys and birds were so loud.  Its neat being so close to nature.  We were sitting around talking after dinner one night and these cute little bats were flying around the kitchen ceiling and frogs were leaping around the floor.

Ok since everyone knows I like to eat.. here is more about food.  The food at the lodge for the past week, we cooked ourselves the first weekend then after there was an Ecuadorian cook.  The Ecuadorian food was interesting.  Every meal including breakfast was served with lots of white rice.  The farm was surrounded by rice fields.  Even though it was extremely hot and humid they served something hot (herbal tea, coffee or chocolate) with breakfast and dinner and a hot soup with lunch.  We had stopped at the market to purchase food on the way to the farm and large grain sack (I think said 50kilos.. of what I dont know but the large sacks that are maybe 4 or 5 ft tall)  was filled with vegetables, including a couple heads of lettuce, a few lbs of potatoes, onions, beans, garlic chard, tomatoes, broccoli and many other vegetables.. the total cost.. $12.. I was told its cheaper out there because it is the farming area and obviously the more one buys the more the discount.  Interestingly enough they dont seem to eat much vegetables but many many starches.  I have often had meals of pasta potatoes or plantains and rice and normally chicken or lentils/beans and a very small portion of salad or vegetable. They eat alot of plantains which have to be cooked and can be put in with lentils or can be fried in different ways.  We also bought fruit which it appears they dont eat, but instead make into juice.  I believe its juiced then water and sugar and some spices are often added like cinnamon.  I really liked the watermelon juice which I have only had maybe once before.  In banos my favorite was the coconut milk juices which you could get with just coconut or have added other juices.  I also tried mate a strong thick tea of sorts, while I was there which is not Ecuadorian but Argentinian.

The other travelers I have met have been interesting.  The first group I traveled with was a group of 5 boys from 1 from Canada, 2 Ireland, 1 from Germany, and 1 from Latvia but has lived in London for many years.  I got to know the Latvian boy the best as he was more interested in exploring and hking than the Irish boys (Which I know you wont believe this but they were more interested in drinking).  He was very interesting and had a goal of seeing 100 countries by the time he was 30 and he was well on his way.  Do you know how many countries there are?  192.  I think I have only seen about 20 something countries. So little of the world.
In Banos on the farm the other travelers I met were from US, England, France, Germany (another Beliner) and were from 18-24 years old.  Yikes I am old.  The two 18 year olds from England were on a gap year, which I met two girls from NY today who were also 19 and just graduated taking a year before going to College.  The person I was with on the farm the longest and got to know the best was a 21 year old college student from Washington.  We ended up traveling together for a few days after the first farm..  I had to laugh at how many people thought we were a couple.   At this last farm I was with two Czech boys and a French girl.  The days were so hot and humid I just wanted to sleep.  I have really enjoyed the other travelers I have met.     

So far English has been the international language.  This past farm none of us knew Spanish so it was challenging to communicate with the workers.  They have lots of knowledge that they want to share and are so friendly and nice but I cant understand what they are saying and has been frustrating.  I need to really work on my Spanish.  

Tomorrow starts a new day and a new adventure!  I am not sure what my plans are, I have too many ideas and likely not enough time.  As always I want to cram in as much as I can but perhaps I should focus on relaxing and learning Spanish, but alas.. I will put off the decision till I have a better feel of what my next destination is like.

Banos

out at Lindas farm

our natural swimming pool at Lindas.. wonderful.

view of the volcano at Carols place where I was staying

Made it to the first farm on Sunday.  The farm is used very loose.. it is more of a big garden but the owner Carol is wonderful.  She is a Canadian woman and had some tangerines limes coffee and herbs for her garden and lots of flowers and a few other edibles.  She is a little walk from thecity centre.. its a nice small touristy town.
75% of the tourists are ecuadorian.  Banos obviously means baths..there are hot water baths here.
carnival here was fun.  I was sprayed with foam and splashed with buckets of water.. no one young or old is spared.  One of the other volunteers on the farm was talking about another farm he went to and the grandmother owner who is from miami and 64 was in banos for carnival and came prepared with a tool belt filled with spray foam cans and 2 in her raincoat.. i decided i had to meet her.. so on Thursday I met up with her and 3 other volunteers on the current farm and we all went out to her place in the edge of the rainforest about30 minutes from banos by bus and another 30 minute hike to her log cabin.  Linda had the4 of us volunteers at her place until today.  She had more energy than I do and had done lots of traveling and has settled down here.  I found out ecuador boasts that it is the number 1 retirement place in the world.  Lots of older gringos here.  Its very cheap and safe to live here.  I might try to go back to her place again for a few days before I head out to a new farm.  She has no electricity and a small generator she rarely uses.. but has hot water and a nice natural pool. she lives by herself a half hour walk into the main road.  Its a cabin in the jungle, on the edge of the amazon.
I get the ¨gringo tax¨ marked up prices for goods but I dont mind since everything is so inexpensive.  I bought a pound of homeade organic chocolate for $3 today.  You can get lunch call al muerzo for around$2 here and it is a soup, with a main dish of rice meat and a salad  albeit a small salad of a few pieces of lettuce and a tomato and a fresh squeezed fruit juice. I had tried lots of fruits here that I dont know the name of but are fresh and wonderful and I love going to the markets and buying all sorts of freshly made breads etc.. you can buy lots of food very very cheap.. and live off a few dollars in food a day.
I apologize for the rough sentences and spelling but the keyboards are awful here and I cant find some of the characters.. My hands hurt from having to press down so hard on the keyboard.
I like banos and will stay here for another week or so.  I went to volunteer at an afterschool program and have met some nice people there as well.  I wont want to leave next week as I have met so many wonderful people, but time is short and I know i should move on and see something else. 
Well I have to do some trip planning now!