some things I learned..

Now. Now.
I am back. Back in the United States.
Sad times. :[
My escape to Ecuador was far to short.
I learned a LOT though...

1. Just Do It... Let go.. if you want to go out and play football (or "soccer") in the mud in the middle of a torrential downpour, DO IT. Someone will eventually join you... Mud fun :)

2. If a wild tarantula pounces on you as you tromp through the Amazon jungle, do NOT scream and flail about... that only drives their desire to BITE

3. Have your fellow trekkers take the tarantula OFF of you before they start snapping pictures.

4. Once you have had a tarantula attack you once, you will be paranoid the whole rest of the trip that they are all out to get you.

5. Secure your camera... The Amazon is NOT flat and perfect.. muddy and hilly and slippy and cameras tend to sneak out of backpacks.. :( I miss my camera,..
Try to be sure that it is securely held in your hand-or attached to a carabeaner

6. If you wander out "alone" in the dark to "look for sloths" while everyone else is drunk..they WILL notice that you are missing.. send out search parties...
...more on that later...

7. Machetees are the ULTIMATE!
Choppp pathways through thick vines in the jungle.. cut open pineapple, guava, papaya.. sharpen them on rocks.. cut down trees...

8. Even if you take a shower everyday, by 9:30 am you will look, feel and smell as though you haven't taken a shower in weeks.

9. Hammocks, coffee, tea... NOT luxuries, but necessities..

10. Keep your bags with you at all times, even on the bus.. DO NOT put it in the overhead bin, even if a nice man politely informs you that the bags need to go above... (bye bye Ipod and money...)

11. When you wake up in the middle of the night, it is almost as though you haven't opened your eyes.. the darkest place i have ever seen..

12. Time in Ecuador drags on forever... It is close to the equator so the Ecuadorian minute has an extra 50 seconds before it moves on to the next minute.

13. Even though it is in South America, pretty much on the Equator, and in the Amazon.. it is not all warm

14. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between pooh and mud...

15. Capuchin Monkeys like to play and squeak and crawl all over you and hug you and check your hair for fleas and clean your fingernails..

16. Lo Siento.. probably the most used Spanish phrase I used.. "I'm sorry!"

17. Popcorn is super fun when it is being popped on the stove... music for your ears, mouth, nose and hands...

18. The buses... people would climb on and hop off while it was still moving.. wandering up and down the aisle trying to sell some of their goods.. homemade "chips" or bags of plantains.. MANY things i had NEVER seen before in my life..

19. The buses do not pay attention to the "Peligro" signs all over... they zoom around the corners and down the hills.. even though there is a ravine on one side and a clif on the other... and tunnels that are sooo dark.. no lights on the inside and the headlights of the bus were off... the walls were NOT smooth like normal tunnels, but rocky... reminded me of some wack Disney World ride..