Before I enter the Big Bad cloud forest

HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY BRO BRO!!!

I hope you go out and have a super fabulous time tonight with all your new hopefully cool friends who I´m sure know how to have an AWESOME TIME. Right? And for all you who don´t know, Pat´s new basketball number is 22! YAY!

Okay, on to me. I´m heading to Intag, which is a private ecologocial reserve in the cloud forest near Otavalo. IT´s GONNA BE AWESOME! I´m so excited to get out of the city for awhile, but mostly to see such sweet animals. Apparently there are REDICULOUSLY gorgeous birds there and there is like a bird-mating place really close by that is really unique because it´s so accessible and we are lucky enough to be able to go there! So, if you haven´t noticed, i´m STOKED. We leave tomorrow morning at 8am and come back Tuesday night around 6 pm (or that´s the plan at least). There are 2 waterfalls we can go in (although they are freezing :( but thats okay), hikes we can go on by ourselves, and apparently Faba (one of our directors) is going to tell ghost stories. Although the ghost stories sound rediculous, i have faith that they will be great! He gave a lecture today on ecological biodiversity in ecuador and had pictures at the end that he took. He had one of an alligator EATING a pirana (the fish that is). IT WAS SO AMAZING. I guess pirana´s are almost 99% vegetarian but if you are bleeding you shouldn´t go in the rivers because groups of pirana´s swarm and attack you and can be very dangerous. Just so you know that is.

More things I´ve learned in/about Ecuador:

*When riding the bus, if you want to look more like an Ecuadorian, fall a lot and ram into the seats when you are getting on (it´s not hard to do because the drivers are REDICULOUS). It´s normal actually. EVERYONE DOES IT.
*Whining is normal also. From ages 1 to 99, whining is taught and listened to (don´t worry, I won´t bring this tactic back to the states. I hate it!)
*When I am successful at bargaining, it makes me so happy!