Today our group had yet another early morning departure to the Ingapirca ruins. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed my walk to our meeting place. Since it was Sunday, nobody was out and about in the city yet. No stores were open. It was nice to see the city without people around. I had a chance to appreciate the detail of the city. This was the perfect opportunity to take in the fact that I am studying in Ecuador. On our way to Ingapirca ruins, we stopped at a market. This market was much different than the markets I have visited in Otavalo or Cuenca. Instead of selling handicrafts, this market was selling animals and fresh fruits and vegetables. I was very surprised to see how the animals were being treated. Instead of having chickens in a cage, they were either in a bag or carried by the owner. I also saw guinea pigs being sold. It is still so hard for me to think of them as food instead of a pet. There were also many people with dogs. Our guide told us that dogs are not considered part of the family, like in the U.S., but rather a guardian of the family. Owners usually don’t pamper dogs like in the United States. Once we got into the fruit market, it smelled delicious! There were familiar fruits, like berries, apples, and mango, but also some exotic fruit I have never seen before. I found out that there are 5,000 types of potatoes and 52 types of corn that are grown in Ecuador. I saw some of these species also while at the market. After a little longer on the bus, we reached our final destination. There was an erie feeling walking around the grounds that Incans once walked on. The engineering on the Incan structures in absolutely incredible. It amazes that they were able to build structures, some that still stand today, without the help of modern equipment. They also had a water system that brought water from a local river to the surrounding temples. Finally, they also built a road system that lead to Cuenca, Guayaquil, and Quito! Once we made our way up to the sun temple, the views of the countryside were breathtaking. There are many farms that are set in the hillside. It seems very difficult and time consuming to farm on a hill. Once we returned to Cuenca, there was a parade going through the city near my house. As my host family described it to me, the parade was for a holiday called innocent day. This day is similar to April fools day in the United States. In the parade, I saw bands, groups dancing, and floats. It was really interesting to see how the whole city of Cuenca comes together to celebrate, like New Year’s. In the evening, I went out with my host family to walk around the festivities of Innocents day. It reminded me of Halloween, because many people, young and old, were dressed up in costumes and masks. Although I do not fully understand the importance of this holiday in the Ecuadorian culture, it was fun to experience it.
