Breaking up is hard to do

...but it will have to wait until I get a new fan for my laptop. Expect a rip roaring wrap up in one to two weeks, depending on the speed and skill of the trained monkeys in charge of computer repair. Peace out.

Peace Out, South America (now knocking on wood)

If all goes according to plan, and my alarm goes off with aplomb, tonight shall be my last night in Ecuador, Peru, and the Galapagos too. That merits some sort of reflective post, but as you know, without a camera and snappy captions, my blog has no meaning. (That being said, I did buy a camera today, another one of my impulse buys, so hopefully I can bring you tidings and incriminating evidence of my friend Uncle J's wedding in Texas.) But back to the halfway point of the globe... truly it was the best of times and the worst of times, but mainly it was the happy medium of times. Animal rich, friend filled, both sunny and rainy, productive, introspective, bus-intensive... it was all of these things. There was many a joke lost in translation, but for the most part communication was smooth. The eating was fair, and the vomiting was far and few between. Most of all, I'll remember this country for its cheap bootleg dvd's and wealth of llama and alpaca products. Thank you Ecuador, and goodnight sweet prince.

A post before bussing

I got a solid day of sunshine today, and for that I am thankful, Atacames. You did your job, and I did mine. Your street and a half offers a rich selection of pizzerias and pharmacies, and your beach is filled with body board rentals and cocaine pushers. Your corners offer cheap international calling rates, and your tiendas hawk inflatable toys and jesus-related tank tops. Most of all, Viagra is sold at 3 dollars a pop by old ladies, and for that I say thank you.

The best tank top ever

In an effort to keep you up to date with my impulse buys, I present you with possibly the best impulse purchase...wait for it... ever. It´s a tank top (the first I´ve ever purchased) with an off-center logo which reads: Jesus loves you! Someone who loves me very much was in Atacames, Ecuador, and brought me this t-shirt. End quote. Then there is a picture of two orcas frolicking with a happy sun wearing some rocking shades. There´s really no need to deconstruct the magic of this tank top, but I think I will take a stab at it. First of all, the initial claim about Jesus loving me is bold, but to combine it with frolicking killer whales? Now that is something special. To top it off, the whole logo is aligned to the right, which is just a touch of class. I would upload a picture, but alas, I am camera-less for the forseeable future...which doesn´t bode well for the blog, as photo-recaps certainly were doing most of my work for me. I will soldier on however. Why? Because Jesus and his orcas of love will guide me...

Of note: T-minus 2 days till departure.

Playa please

I've had enough 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige remixes to last a lifetime. Thanks but no thanks, hip Quito internet cafes. It's time I punched out of this yawn factory and made my way back to the beach. Flying solo now, we'll see how that bodes for this young jedi.

Darwin and Hemingway, you're the only ones that understand me

Oh, and you too, clown-faced garbage can...



Later, and get home safe Ad. It was the best of times...

Watch out for that jew

Why won't you let me live?

Curse you Google, will you never let me forget?

Sigh

I know why the caged ??? sings

Anyone know what kind of animal this is?





A shout out for the correct answer, or the most amusing...

UPDATE: The big winner, in a landslide, is the one and only Adrien Soullier, who also happens to be the photographer. Though I don´t think that the animal he suggests, the giant anteater, is one and the same, I think they are possibly cousins, or at least good friends or former lovers.

Good to know there´s one of you out there reading this, so thank you sir.

Mo' Horses, Mo' Problems

It's like the more horses we come upon, the more problems we see...

I have some serious mala suerte with transport. It helps that we have tempted nearly every type of standard transport: boat, plane, bus, car, bike and horse. In the words of a hippie chick we met recently in Banos, 'just push that negative energy away from you'. I'm trying, you spry tart, I'm trying. Latest culprit: this no-named horse...

I'm smiling, but I ain't happy

This fellow was fine on the way to the volcano, but on the way back, well, let me just say that if turning around in circles and avoiding horse bites is your idea of fun, then this was the horse for you.

Stop biting me and take me to the freaking largest crater in the world, okay?

At least there were no horses on the dark side of the moon, er, crater.



A couple more buses and several planes to look forward to. Wish me suerte.

Galapa-gone with the wind

Alas, our stint in the Galapagos is now over, and I can say unequivocally that it was Galapa-great.

Now please to be strapping yourself in for some concise, animal-rich, photo-filled, recap action.

Most of our time on the islands was spent: A. Arranging and betting on illegal marine iguana fights



B. Breeding marine iguanas



C. Lounging




D. Reflecting and looking cute




E. Experiencing a new wave of Beatlemania



F. Searching for the elusive blue footed boobie



G. Scuba diving for my lost mobile phone



H. Fishing with the Incredible Hulk



I. Jumping up and down



J. Contemplating the giant tortoise



And K, partying like invasive species




L-Z will have to wait for another time, as Quito beckons...

peace out!

P.S. check out the new photos as well...

Chevere

Well that last post went swimmingly... now let's try a different approach.





And if that still doesn't wet your whistle, try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbI60rw5kCs