Latacunga

The closest big city is called Latacunga. It’s not a touristy city at all, so there’s not much to do but we were relieved to have internet, laundry, and restaurants. The first morning we were there, Maddy woke up sick, so Taryn and I hung out at the hostel and made necessary trips to buy soda and limes. We walked around a bit and I called home to find out my grandma, Gaga, was very sick in the hospital. This really threw me off since it was so unexpected and of course I made a big scene in the store. I tried to shake it off and promised I would call later that weekend. After, we walked around the big Saturday market and bought fruit and a sugary substance called panela that I came to love.

That night, Taryn and I really wanted to go salsa dancing so we found a small bar (after arriving at a club that had been shut down two years earlier) and sat down at a table. Soon after, a middle aged man sat down and didn’t say anything. He proceeded to show us his military ID and pay for our beers with a $20 bill without saying a word. He was really weird. I didn’t enjoy talking with this mime, so we acted very uninterested but he had trapped us in the table so there was no escaping. Finally a guy from another table came and made him leave but not before he dramatically blew out the candle on our table. After that was over, we salsa danced with some normal guys for the rest of the night.

The next morning, I woke up with a huge headache and knew I had to call my family. As it turns out, my grandma had passed away a few hours before. Since it was a Sunday morning and everything was closed, I had to call from my cell phone where the only reception was in the middle of a public park. So I caused a big scene there, too. I was extremely frustrated because I could only talk for a few minutes and all the internet cafes were closed. I realized how much I had taken communication for granted since I couldn’t talk to my family for another few days.

That Monday on the farm, I became sicker and sicker until Marcelo made me go to bed. I walked an hour by myself to San Ramon only to find out there was no internet which made everything ten times worse. To cheer me up the next day, Marcelo and David caught my favorite white fluffy llama, Santiago, and let me ride him!! He wasn’t too happy and his sister, Luna, spit in my face but it was so worth it.