Week 13: A Very Interesting Voyage

Sometimes life seems so normal to me that I forget that I live in Ecuador. However, this weekend was not one of those times.

Jairo and I had to go to Puyo this week so that he could vote. Here in Ecuador voting is mandatory and you have to vote in the city where you were born. (It's very "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed...") Jairo was at church and I was at home packing the suitcases and making dinner to take on the 5 hour bus ride to Puyo. We were supposed to meet at the terminal, so when the time came, I packed up dinner in Tupperware containers, grabbed the suitcases and headed out. I needed to catch a cab, but I had to walk down to the main street to get one. I underestimated the weight of the suitcases, combined with the awkward plastic bags of food, and was having quite a challenge trying to walk down the road.

A police car stopped me when I was about halfway down the road and, noting my struggle and large amount of suitcases, proceeded to ask me what was wrong. Here in Ecuador the police are very sensitive to women’s issues and domestic abuse because it has traditionally been a very big problem in Latin American countries. Apparently the police thought I was running away from my husband! I explained my situation and they offered to take me close by the terminal so that I wouldn’t have to pay very much for a cab. I agreed, happily, and thoroughly enjoyed telling my husband why I arrived with the police!

Once we go on the bus the adventure was not over. About halfway to Puyo we suddenly stopped. After a few minutes we saw the problem: There was a huge rockslide along the mountain, where the road passes, and there was no way to cross. Now, in Ecuador, you can’t just get off on the next exit. There’s only one way to get to Puyo from Quito directly, and to turn around and get on the road we’d have to return to Quito, about 3 hours away, and start over, and we’d have to return going in reverse, because on the mountain there’s no way to turn around. So, needless to say, we spent the night on a mountain road, in the bus, waiting for the rockslide to be cleared away.

These things that happen here in Ecuador aren’t fun at the time, but looking back on it, I wonder how many people get to live through even one adventure while I live them every single day! I think it’s pretty cool to have these stories to tell and to finally be the one living the adventure, and not just reading about it! So, if you’d like to live some of these great, South American adventures, my doors are open! Come to Ecuador and visit us! I’m sure it will be more than you bargained for!