Zula Fun: Part II

Final exams are this week. For the first time in my life, I am actually studying and doing homework. It is a new experience for me, and one that eats up my time. To relax between study sessions I play Command and Conquer III. The only problem with this is that is I end up not playing between study sessions, but instead of study sessions. I am something of an computer-game addict and currently stuck on step two of my program: I believe that a Power greater than myself can restore me to sanity, I just don't want him to. Still, I must have faith, if I made it out of World of Warcraft alive where so many others have fallen, CC3 should be easy, right?

WARNING: A FEW OF THE PICTURES FURTHER ON ILLUSTRATE HOW ZULIANS MAKE A TYPICAL DISH OF GUINEA PIG. THE EXTREMELY LACTOSE INTOLERANT MAY ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT ANOTHER PICTURE SHOWS THE PRODUCTION OF CHEESE. YOU MAY SKIP READING THIS POST IF YOU WISH.
Here are just a few pictures I took of a random waterfall in Zula. I was feeling very sick at the time due to the food/altitude/cold but saw this waterfall off in the distance and decided to go take some pictures. The locals watched carefully, no doubt thinking I was drunk due to my staggering walk up the hill.

A typical house made of straw in the region. It's possible that one of the seven or so hot-air balloons we sent up landed on one of these and set it ablaze. I sure hope not.

The picture that follows is a "before" picture. The adorable little animal I am holding is called a "cuy", in English I believe that it would be called a guinea pig. Why is this a "before" picture? Because in a few short hours this cute and fluffy animal will become the main course for dinner. That's right- Ecuadorians eat pets. At least they stop short of eating dogs and cats.

Aaaannnnndd- the "after" picture. Not so cute and adorable without their fur, are they?

One more shot from a different angle for good measure.

Moving on to a subject a bit more tame, this is how they make cheese in Zula. It's actually really tasty and has never made me sick unlike the meat. Of course, they leave the meat out day and night relying on the cold to keep it from spoiling. I don't believe that works. Not that I could tell by taste if the food was spoiled or not, but when I visited the kitchen at night I saw a slug the size of my cell phone munching on some buckets of un-prepared food. Yum!

A random old lady hacking away at a sheep head with a knife. I don't know why she was doing this. The rest of the sheep lay in a bloody heap inside a garbage bag with the legs sticking out.

Another picture of a locals house. As you can see by this picture and the one from above, the style of dress here is bright colors, cowboy hats, and ponchos.

I wanted to take more picture of the people but kinda felt bad. I mean, asking their permission would go something like this- "Hi there, I'm a Gringo and I'd like to take your picture because us fat touristy Gringos find your living conditions hilarious. Later, I'll peruse these pictures while sipping fine wine, warmed by a fire of extra hundred-dollar bills I have lying around." Actually, they all speak Quechua so they probably wouldn't understand me anyways. I did try to take pictures of some adorable little kids in their ponchos and hats, but they were so shy they ran away. The people in the Sierra live simple lives and work hard until the day they die, they're a people of the earth, a good people.