We finally got into a local theater tonight to watch The Hobbit.  If you are fans of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as we are, then you will love this movie.  We saw the 2D version, largely because it was in English with Spanish subtitles, while the 3D version was purely Spanish.  Our command of the language is nowhere near enough to let us enjoy a film like this yet.  Sigh… maybe someday…

However, when this film is seen in America, there are subtitles when the characters speak in Elven or Orcish.  Here in Ecuador, the subtitles continue in Spanish.  For a moment I thought I would have to miss that part of the movie… then… slowly… I realized I could read the subtitles well enough to understand what was being said!  I still can’t speak Spanish worth a darn, but I am starting to get so I can read it surprisingly well.  (We were at a local museum a few days ago and I found myself reading the Spanish description to Evelyn…)

We took the bus to Gualaceo this morning to see both the Sunday Animal Market and the daily food market. The ride took about an hour, but only cost us 60 cents each.  The bus was packed — the mass transit around Ecuador is heavily used…

The market was smaller than the one in Cuenca, which surprised us.  It consisted mostly of pigs, with only a few cows.

It was occasionally comical watching the farmers trying to get their pigs to go where they wanted

 After the animal market, we took a $2.50 taxi over to the farmers market, which runs every day.

The church dome was just visible over the awnings of the market

Fruit vendors were spread throughout the market area

Vegetables, eggs and even sugar cane were also plentiful

The interactions of vendors was interesting to watch

Many people just sat in small groups watching the world go by

There were plenty of interesting faces in the crowd too

We were getting hungry around 2:00 so decided to go find a lunch place.  Of course, I was ready to go into the first place we saw, but Evelyn was more choosy.  She went into a pharmacy, on the theory that pharmacists have more money and would be pickier about food.  The pharmacist behind the counter knew no English, but was glad to help and gave Evelyn two recommendations, saying one had good seafood. 

Off we went.  Should I eat my crow now or later?  She was right, of course. The recommendation was fabulous.

I had crab soup, which included a whole crab sitting in a delicious broth

After we ate and paid, we asked the restaurant owner where to pick up the bus for Cuenca. He said to just flag down the red & yellow bus outside the door.  We did so… and found it filled to overflowing. Standing room only.

So, what would you expect to happen in America in that case?  How about the conductor giving up his seat for Evelyn, and a young man offering me his seat a couple minutes later?  No, you say?  Yes, in Ecuador.  Not only that, but the driver noticed that Evelyn was shooting photographs of many of the effigies we passed.  He then actually stopped the bus and opened the door beside her, so that she could photograph some of the more interesting effigies we passed.

And remember, we are visitors to this country, and can barely answer the simplest of questions about where we come from, and how long we have been here.  The people here continue to amaze me in how welcoming they are.