Gone Iguana Hunting

Taxi will be here any minute now, the butterflies in my stomach won't stop dancing!
Will be back the 18th, possibly blogging the 19th, see you!!!

De camino a Guayaquil, ¡Ecuador!

Good things can come out of bad ones and this is the proof.

A stressing family matter ended up with a trip to Guayaquil (for Tommy and Mel) for this weekend! (Long story that might be shared in the future)

We'll be out from the 14th to the 18th, and although we'll have a hard time due to the lack of money, we'll try to make our best to enjoy the trip.

We can't afford moving out of Guayaquil, our budget is LIMITED, so, it will be a challenge!

I know that some of the birder bloggers that visit me every now and then have been to Ecuador in the past, so, this is also a challenge for them: Help me with information on places that we could visit to find birds, without leaving the city or if so, without spending a lot of money!

(I'm nervous and excited at the same time!)

Weekend of joy

I recently got together with a good friend from school (was going to say 'old' but I don't think she'll apreciate that! hehe), we met again after almost 10 years! She invited us (Tommy and Mel) to her family land south of Lima, 131 km from the city, for the weekend.
Since the moment we arrived there, we were treated as family, memories from over a decade came back!

We spent time with her family while making a 'Patasca', a traditional Andes soup made with corn and a sheep's head... I know, not exactly the best picture in your head. We don't eat Patasca, but we stayed there by the fire and the clay pot outside, sitting around, laughing and talking most of the night, watching a clear sky filled with stars.

Making 'Patasca'

As we were so many, we decided to book rooms in a near by hostel, very nice and with some surprises, like this guy having fun in the sun...


... or this rare-place-to-be super shy guy!


The next morning we walked around the land looking for grapes, apples, bananas, figs and 'lúcumas', which ended in a HUGE bags that arrived home with us, and will be shared with family and friends, as they are so many!


We tried 'cabrito al palo' (the body of the sheep used for Patasca on a stick and cooked slowly with fire), it was delicious!

'Cabrito al palo'

It was an extraordinary experience, different and new, like going back to the basic living, before electric power and gourmet food, away from microwaves and supermarkets, eating fruit directly from the trees and sharing old traditions that are slowly disappearing in favour of 'fast life' convinience.

Over there we saw beautiful birds, butterflies, strange (to us) insects (possible future post), as well as farm animals and cute and tasty 'cuys' that we don't get to see in the city.

Vermilion Flycatcher

It was a great weekend with simple and warm people, with big smiles and hearts, in love with their land and their traditions, and I'm grateful we had the oportunity to spend time with them.

I'll wish for more great weekends, spent with friends and family, with nature and love around! I'll try to escape from the big city every now and then... Anyone said 'chicken run'? ;)