Sunday July 15, northern Ecuador

I always ask people to tell me what surprised them the most about their travels. Today for me it was the lunch appetizer. We had lunch at an old hacienda in rural northern Ecuador. The appetizer was heart of palm cerviche and they brought out a big bowl of popcorn to put into the dish. It was terrific! Looking forward to making that back on Woodhaven Lane. We left early this morning after a fantastic breakfast at the hotel. The Spanish influence is so pervasive, we had four different kinds of ham to chose from. the drive up north was beautiful. We stopped at some small towns, one that had a lot of leatherwork for sale and another with a large market. Many of the women were still wearing their traditional clothing, white embroidered blouses and long blue skirts. If they are married, the skirts are a solid color. If they are single, there are cream colored insets in the skirts. Interestingly, the men do not wear traditional clothing as much, but many sport hats which are different colors and styles depending on where they are from. we got to straddle the equator and experience the different forces at work there. For instance, you can't stand with your feet together, arms extended and eyes closed without falling over. Tomorrow, the Galapagos!