My dear friend in Montreal sent me a wonderful 2 page articles from the Gazette about Travel Ecuador. I settled down to read it last night. Did you know that Quito is at the foot of a live volcano? I’m pretty sure I didn’t skim over that in the Lonely Planet! Anacondas in Ecuador? I thought they were in Brazil along the Amazon. Is it too late to back out of this “adventure”? My idea of adventure was smelling the murky waters of an idyllic stream, close enough to civilization for me to yell if I saw a particularly large bull frog!
Okay, maybe I am slightly down playing my thought of adventure but Anacondas? Seriously, I am your typical city girl, afraid of snakes, spiders and other things without fur. I’m hoping that the tours are guaranteed to be snakeless, is that too much to ask?
Animal life out of the way, let’s talk about the people. I’ve mentioned to a number of people (alright, I admit it, hundreds of people) that I am going to Ecuador. My sister Jeanette has also been advertising my trip to her friends. She called me the other day and tells me that Dr. Nameless had been to Ecuador and he spoke about the people. At this point she lowers her voice to a whisper (over the telephone).
“Don’t be shocked at the people. They are only 4 foot 5.”
I listened in silence for a moment, waiting for more. When nothing more was forthcoming I begin to chuckle.
“Nette, what did you think I would do? Look at the little people and shriek out ‘Oh my God, you are really short!” [Can you still hear me laughing? What reaction was she expecting from me???]
The Gazette article didn’t mention anything at all about drug lords so that is comforting. In fact, it spoke very highly of the people of Ecuador and so has my friend Barbara. She said she felt perfectly safe when she was visiting last year, never once experiencing a negative feeling.
I’ve got two more days to settle my nerves and get set to enjoy this wonderful new experience. No more worrying. Let it go. Breathe. Meditate. Thing Positive Thoughts.
“No more negative waves, Moriarity.” Donald Sutherland in Kelly’s Heroes.
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