ECUADOR - My June/July 2003 Trip Journal -- by Donna R. Carter
Page Sixteen
~^~ Mitad del Mundo ~^~ Saturday ~^~ July 12, 2003
My cousins came by mid-morning to pick me up, and we drove out to the Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) where I got some more stuff to find a place to pack...
Actually, they loaned me an old army duffel bag that used to be Dale's and told me I could ship it back to them when I'm done with it. How great is that?!! :) :) That gave me more space to pack stuff, so that allowed me to get some stuff at the Mitad del Mundo!
We arrived, walked around the place, went up the monument and looked out, took some pictures and decided to eat lunch... We all wanted empanadas, but 700 people had apparently already gone through the area on a tour that day, so they were out of empanadas and we had churrasco instead... (Fried beef, rice, french fries, fried egg, salad (peas, carrots, green beans, hominy with mayo), and a fat avocado wedge... and Inka Cola.) It was pretty good, although I didn't eat the rice.
I found a few things in the stores, treated Esther and her family to some Salcedo ice cream, and we went over to visit the Bormans who lived nearby. Ron Borman was two years behind me in school. His older brother, Rick, is also still living here (and he was a year ahead of me). The oldest Borman brother actually married a Cofan and became the head of the Cofan tribe in the north of Ecuador. I wish I could have seen him, but he wasn't in the area. My cousins are working directly with him for the tribe.
Dale and Esther dropped me back at the Ozakis around 6:00. It was very quiet. Anne-Marie and Michio and the girls were at a concert in Quito. I curled up on the bed and read for most of the evening.
The sun was setting beautifully over the mountains, spreading brilliant colors of orange and pink through the clouds. The full moon was shining brightly in a brilliant aqua sky, and I cried.
I cried because I loved this country. I cried because I loved the mountains, the trees, the sky, the land... I loved the people. I didn't want to ever leave. Every time I go to Ecuador, I feel like I come alive. I feel like I am shredding myself every time I leave. I feel like I am leaving my life behind again. I cried as I watched the sun set, and the sky grow dark with the full moon glowing through the trees.
I wished that Jeff and Melissa could go down there instead of me returning to the States. I wished we could find a way to make a living there so I could live where I felt most alive - where I have the greatest sense of joy. I cried for hours that night. I was not leaving for another week yet, but already I was feeling the pain of impending separation from my heart-home.
Page Sixteen Picture Gallery I apologize that haven't figured out how to get the last gallery picture to bring you back here, so please, when you finish with the gallery, use your browser's "back" button to bring yourself back to this page, and the link below to go on to the next. Thanks, and sorry for the inconvenience!