grubs

We had a retreat in Tena. This is deeper in the jungle than Shell, where I live. We were guests in the property of an man from the US who was married to a Quichua woman. He wanted us to have the full Quichua experience, so one night we had traditional Quichua food. Of course, accompanied by something more normal for us city folk. Geovanny and I both decided we were going to try the grub. It was about an inch long. It was plump and had been fried in butter. So we counted to 3 and ate them at the same time.

The stuff that squirted out of the inside when I bit into it tasted a little like the seafood mix stuff they stuff mushrooms with. The body was very chewy, like rubber, eventually I just swallowed it whole. He head was like biting down on glass, it was very hard and not easy to break. Geovanny had about the same opinion as me. It was not horrible, but I won't look for the opportunity to eat more.

After dinner, we were talking with a few others and we commented about the head being like glass. We were told you are not supposed to eat the head, you are supposed to bite the body off the head. I do not think I would have been able to do that. I was able to eat it because I just put the whole thing in my mouth and started chewing.

If you are interested in trying one, be sure to let me know!!!

Found - 1 Boa Constrictor

This is a very friendly, but at the time, very hungry boa constrictor. He (or she) was found near the guest house on our property here in Shell. When the maintenance guys found it, they brought it to my house looking for me. Then they came to my office looking for me. Apparently they knew I would want to hold it. It was pretty cool, this is definitely the biggest snake I have ever held. It was very heavy.
Don't worry mom, I have been here a year and this is the first big snake I have encountered, and this one is not poisonous.

Año Viejo

This is my first Holiday season here in Ecuador. I learned about how Ecuadorians celebrate New Year's. They celebrate the old year more than the new year. We went out walking around last night and everyone was out on the street. They make papier mache dolls (life-size) and they say that they have put everything bad that happened in the old year in the doll. They set these dolls up in scenes with notes and sayings. Then at midnight, they burn them in the middle of the street. Then they have a big dinner and stay up partying until about 5 am. And today (New Year's day) they sleep all day.

Here are some photos of the dolls before being burned, and then while being burned.