This is specific to where I was in each country.
Most common transportation:
Ecuador: hitchhiking, walking, the back of trucks.
Peru – combis (vans). The combi rule, "Uno mas!"…..they can ALWAYS fit one more. Very uncomfortable.
Bolivia – taxis.
Cultural norms:
Ecuador – greet EVERYONE in the room with a handshake.
Peru – squish anyone anywhere.
Bolivia – greet with a kiss on the cheek.
All – People sell stuff on the bus, sing on the bus for money, make their living on a bus, ha.
Many many more, those stick out.
Sickness?
Ecuador: Fever for a few days, highest fever: 102.8.
Peru: Lower fever for a couple days, diarrhea. Vomited 4 times, all in 1 sitting.
Bolivia: Just the liquid butt stuff, not bad! A relief indeed!
Food?
Ecuador: Organic everything…literally. From our chicken killed a couple hours earlier to our desserts, from our beverage to our jam. Everything was from the backyard. Our cook was AMAZING, we had so much soup & what could be gourmet meals, he expanded our stomachs and wants to open his own restaurant one day. Ecuador took the cake in terms of a true cultural experience combined with delicious flavors.
Peru: Rice, and every meal had a little something else with it. Bread every day for breakfast. There was a little more variety than that but that sums it up. It was really hard to deal with feeling like I was getting no nutrition while feeling grossly selfish knowing our neighbors rummage through a dump to eat a bite of an apple.
Bolivia: Delicious. We lived at a discipleship training school so we were fed well, some local foods, a few Canadian specialties (lived with one), lots of common American type things (cake, pizza, ice cream, hot dogs).
Funny sayings on shirts…
“Diva & girl”
“The bitch is back”
“Just wear your leggings”
I don't think they know what their clothes read.
Favorite?
Ecuador!!!!
Least favorite?
Peru.
Travels?!
BUS 9 HOURS – Buffalo-DC.
PLANE 9 hours total? – DC-Panama-Quito, Ecuador
BUS 6 HOURS – Quito-Huaticocha
BUS 6 HOURS – Huaticocha-Quito
BUS 12 HOURS – Quito, Ecuador-Tumbez, Peru
BUS 12 HOURS – Tumbez-Trujillo
BUS 12 HOURS – Trujillo-Lima
BUS 32 HOURS – Lima – La Paz, Bolivia
BUS 10 HOURS – La Paz – Cochabamba
BUS 10 HOURS – Cochabamba – Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Supsup Europe. On our way to Dragonesti-olt, Romania :)!
