A day out

Oh the relief - we got out of the kitchen for the day (actually, we are out for the next 4 days as well because we are off to the convention tomorrow) - and we made a trip up to the Incan ruins to show Aaron. As you can see - it was freezing up there and so we didn't spend too long looking around. - just enough time to get some cool photos. Fernando came with us too as he deserved a day out as well, he has been working just as hard as us.
Aaron was pleased to finally get up close and personal with some llamas and Michele and I were like kids let out of school early - a fun day, if a little cold!

Mark gets up close and personal with our new friend.

Finally Aaron has his bags returned to him and he is happy to find all in tact. Of course we were happy to have our supplies of Vegemite, Baking Cocoa and Sweet Chilli Sauce replenished too - not to mention the 3 kgs of pineapple lumps (of which we have already consumed 1 kg).
Another week has finished and once again we are just exhausted - but there is a light now at the end of the tunnel. Seems that there is only a week and a half to go and of that we only have 2 or 3 days left to work. We are taking Aaron to visit the Incan ruins on Wednesday and then we are off to Guayaquil for the English Convention - yippee!

The measure of a man

Aaron went to the tailor yesterday to get measured up for a new suit (just in case his other one doesn't ever turn up) and it gave the guy such a laugh. I don't think the chap had seen anyone like it before. As you can see Aaron is nearly double the size of the average Ecuadorian (astually he's nearly double the size of the average New Zealander too) so we shall see what sort of suit turns up - it could be that the length of the trousers only goes to his knees!

Another day dawns and finishes in the kitchen. Wednesday was just a blip for me as I worked 14 and 1/2 hours without my buddy Michele. She has been battling the flu or gripe (grip-pee) as they call it here, and really needed a day to stay home. Actually all went rather smoothly until Big Mumma arrived right on dinner time to get a jump start on the next days preparation. She tends to take up all the available space and so we were having to work around her - not the most unstressful time.

Aaron got to chow down on his first true Ecuadorian meal - complete with chicken feet in the soup - he said it wasn't half bad. He is a happier lad now as he finally got one bag returned to him and a promise of the other one coming soon - of course there was an accident and all his body wash was spread throughout his clothes. I am just glad it was not the bag he had my pineapple lumps in!

Tuesday morning came around again and we were off to the kitchen at 6am as usual. On the menu was Tortillas de Verde (that's pancakey things made out of green bananas) however we weren't feeling it (actually, Michele and I don't really know how to make them properly) so I thankfully I had taken with us 2 cans of sweet corn. We decided to whip up a batch of corn fritters and I have to say it was so much easier than boiling, mincing, pounding and frying the bananas. Of course when it came time to open the cans of corn it became a little bit of a mission because there was no such thing as a can opener to be found - they would never think of opening a can - everything is cooked from scratch here!

The plan was after breakfast for me to take Aaron to the mall (to buy more clothes - he still has no lugguge) and return to help with the lunch but by the time I got back home, the headache that I had in the morning, morphed to migraine status and I had to sleep most of the afternoon to get rid of it. I did get back to the kitchen at the end of the day and do the most strenuous job of shelling peas. Now you might think - oh how wonderful, fresh peas - but I have to shatter that illustion because the peas here are not sweet, juicy young things, no - they leave them to grow so long on the vine that they become hard little marbles. Very disappointing but probably my sister Ann will be glad to know that or she would be very jealous of me (she doesn't just like peas - she serves them at every meal because she LOVES them).
Here I am with the boys I recruited to help - we ended up having pea shelling races - hey anything to get the work done faster eh?

We had an impromptu beinvenidos (welcome) for Aaron last night and of course he had to bust out with a few moves. As you can see in the photo - it sure entertained the ladies!
It was nice to do something other than just going to the kitchen, going to the meeting or going to bed. We felt like we were human again.

Poor Aaron still has not got his lugguge so for 3 days he has been without clothes (and I have been without my pineapple lumps that he promised to bring). He has had to buy a pair of pants and has borrowed shirts off his Dad and Chad. We were pretty amazed that he found trousers long enough here in Ecuador for himself seeing as all the men are approximately half his height! Anyway we have been on the phone most of the morning with no success so we are considering taking a trip down again to Gauyaquil - what a pain that would be if it comes to that!