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Published: March 30th 2008
By 7:15am we were headed to the airport to pick up a reporter that was tagging along for the day. Again, we returned to the Air Force base so that we could load the army trucks with food and water.
Most of our destinations were along the highways. When the area floods, the military or the people themselves build shelters on the raised highways. They stay there for as long as it takes. The heat was incredible! I felt like I was melting. However, it was amazing to see and speak with the people about their problems and what else they needed. Most were very nice, but when the food ran for that location people became hostile. Most of the men were away working on the banana plantations, so we had to deal with mobs of women. At the fourth stop, we delivered supplies for a home that was being rebuilt after burning down. From there, we were able to walk down to the river. Now I have never seen a river move as fast as this one did. I was scared to get close to it.
As we finished our load of food, we found our pick-up truck
at the base and left to find the other team in Puerto Inca. We met them in Mango. Howard, Richard, and I decided that instead of sticking around, we were going to head back to Quito. I wanted to visit a good friend of mine in Guaranda, so instead of heading north to Santa Domingo, we chose the route to the east - straight at the Andes mountains. We drove through many hick towns which were FULL of hotties (seriously) and it became the joke that we were going to move there. Also, Howard (who is 80 years old) was chilly so we kept offering to stop and pick him up a hottie. Shortly thereafter, the sun began to set and for the first time in a long time we saw the colors of the sunset - because in Quito, the sun sets behind a volcano.
Then the fun started… in the dark we drove up the mountain, through the curves and the pot holes the size of cars. Even though Richard was driving like a guy on crack, it started out ok. And slowly it became worse and worse - first darkness, then animals everywhere and stupid bus drivers.
By the way, there were no guard rails. Then a fog rolled in and lightening started flashing all around us. All of us wet our pants a few times as buses came around corners at us on two wheels. At that point I realized I lost my phone during the day´s activities. Luckily we made it to Guaranda and found a hotel, La Colina. I called my friend Karla, and she came to visit us along with her mother and brother. I don´t think I had ever been more relaxed than that night - because the tension during the drive was over.
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