Australian Flies...

Have got a higher IQ than Ecuadorian flies: Australian flies once you flick them, when they land on the inside rim of your glass, actually fly out of the glass and away...
I can´t tell you the amount of Ecuadorian flies have dive bombed straight into my drink....Then my efforts of saving are in vain as their wings are so wet they die...Or so it seems.
Trivia point for all of you.

Well, I should probably let you know that either I hold my visa, which I should receive in a couple of days, or I am in the country illegally!!!
Both are kinda cool situations...I´ve never been illegal before!

Last weekend started off with a birthday party! Viv the birthday girl wanted to go to "Voha" a rather posh nightclub....So there we were standing in the VIP line, (had to come all the way to Sth America to become a VIP!) and the bouncers would let all of our group bar two into the nightclub, because they didn´t have the "right look" - Some things don´t change around the world. So after half an hour of faffing about in the carpark, Miguel arrived who knew the owner of the club and well the wrong looks still didn´t make it in, however the rest of us were taken to the entrance with no line at all - Does that make me a VVIP?

Interesting place: You pay your entry fee of $8USD, (for the ladies and $12 for the men,) and then your drinks are actually all included, no more money needed!!! Did cause quite a stir when the group was passing round a glass of scotch and I told them I couldn´t drink it....Because it had water and ice in it - Sorry, but scotch is meant to be drunk straight up, no ice, and preferably in a tall glass! Rafael got me my very own glass - Not a tall one, but hey "Two out of three ain´t bad!"
After spending a few hours dancing to salsa rythmns, and not knowing a single word of any of the songs played, I made my exit as I had to be up four hours later!

Why???? Because I had a day of white water rafting planned!!! Was super difficult to be up at 5.30am! So a little groggy, I walked to the meeting point and had a "what the?!?!?" moment when I saw our guide - Gaston was the spitting image of my friend Nico; almost asked him what he was doing outside of France!!
After that initial scare, relief filled my body when Santiago, the other guide mentioned we would have a 2.5hr drive - Sleep!!
Me atttempting to put air in our raft/Gaston and I (looking like a Doofus!)/The group!

Well along with Gaston, (a client, not the guide!) and a group of Ecuadorians we headed to Santo Domingo, and onto the Toachi River (Class III-IV), where after we blew up our own boats, and were given the safety equipment and talk, we hauled the boats out onto the water and off we went!!!
Well let me tell you that I learnt rafting terms and my left and right super quickly in Spanish that day!!!! Was just awesome fun.
We stopped at one point and were able to jump off the river bank from heights of either 4 or 5m...First girl over the 4m jump and the only girl off the 5m!!! In fact the only person other than the guide off the 5m!!!!
Through one rapid I almost fell out because my feet weren´t properly adjusted under the seats, so Gaston, (the guide) "kindly" came to place my feet in the correct way - Next thing I knew I was thrown off the boat and in the water!!! Little bugger!!!
The day continued and ended in that mood - At least on our boat.

On the way home we stopped in a small town called Allurquin, which is well known for the sugarcane sweets they make: Sugar, made to look pretty with different coloured food dye wrapped in plastic.

All in all a fantastic day - Although I certainly didn´t take into account the amount of mosquitoey things that bit my legs.....46 bites on one and 57 on the other - They didn´t mention that in the brochure!!!!
Had never realised how much pants rub against your legs when you walk...Yooooouuuuuch!!!!!!

Anyhoo, in general everything is going well....House is even starting to look housey...Even bought myself a mattress last Friday - It´s rather a bizarre situation to find yourself sleeping on the floor next to a perfectly good bed... For a month!
After sleeping on a futon, 20cm from the ground, for I can´t remember how many years now, it is extremely bizarre to be up so high. Have to remind myself every morning that I can´t just roll out of bed, I have to get out of bed!

AND - Hot off the Press!!! - This afternoon have also put my name down for a 4 week basic rock climbing course!!! All of it in Spanish!!!! With written exams! I´m mad!!! A mad rock climbing chick!!!!