Cuy and Other Delights

This is our last week in Ecuador, so we went to our favorite tourist spot one last time before leaving. Mitad del Mundo to us is everything Ecuadorian. There are dozens of small shops that line the square in front of the monument dedicated to the center of the earth. If you look back to my blog dated October 1st you can see a video with some cool pictures from Mitad del Mundo. To the right is an interesting billboard you would see on the road to Mitad del Mundo. It is a poster dedicated to Jesus of the trees. I don't think you'll find a tree Jesus anywhere else in the world!

This last trip was one of our best as we finally took the plunge and tried the popular dish from the sierra called cuy. For those of you not familiar with this dish it is fried then roasted guinea pig. Here it is considered a favorite among the people that live high in the mountains. They raise them like farmers in the states raise turkeys or chickens. We have missionary friends living out in the mountains that have had the joy of having a neighbor prepare it for them in their own home, even letting the kids play with the little rodent first. We chose to try it at a restaurant where we would only see the end product and not get attached to the little guy first. I am not sure how many of you have tried rabbit, but I am told this tastes very similar, and no, it does not taste like chicken!

There is a park there in the middle of all the stores. It's a great place for the boys to hang out while the girls shop. Of course what would a shop be without a collection of shrunken heads? Connor got a cool wooden knife made by the Shuar with a very dense wood found in the Amazon area., the same people who used to shrink the heads of their enemies years ago.

After our lunch we watched a band and dance group do local indigenous dances. We enjoyed the lively music and even bought a disc of the band to remember the music of Ecuador. It was a great way to say goodbye to the country that has been our home now for the last 10 months. Our prayers and thoughts will continue to be with these people and this country as we move on to the next step the Lord has for us in this journey to serve Him.