Nic´s Side of the Story, Part II

Fact 1: I did not pack deoderant on this trip.
Fact 2: I DID pack five huge chocolate bars.
Comment: Tells you a little something about where my priorities lie, huh?

Fact 1: I didn't discover that I hadn't packed deoderant until about a week into the trip.
Fact 2: By that time I had finished two of the candy bars.
Comment: (See comment #1)

Fact 1: Ecuador is very beautiful.
Fact 2: I am allergic to Ecuador.
Comment: I hope I'm not forming a pattern here.....

Fact 1: Ecuadorians love soccer. I mean LOVE it!! We're talking cars honking, people freaking out, impromtu parades, flags everywhere, lots and lots of chanting (Ecuador Ecuador ECUADOR!) - who KNOWS what would happen if they lost???
Fact 2: Almost everyone asks Travis and I if we are German before asking if we are American.
Comment: This dazzling combination of facts (along with the fact that Ecuador plays against Germany next in the world cup on Tuesday) is one of the many reasons Travis and I have opted to leave Ecuador for neighboring Peru. Smart move, me thinks.

Fact 1: There is an overwhelming support of religion among bus-drivers in Ecuador. (i.e., every single bus has pictures of Jesus or Mary or baby-Jesus giving us the peace sign)
Fact 2: There is also an overwhelming support of the American sex industry. (i.e., every single bus also has the "playboy bunny special" paint job)
Comment: The coming revival among Ecuadorian bus drivers may take a little longer than originally expected.

Fact 1: Down here, if it is American, it is automatically cool. (Brands, sayings...whatever)
Fact 2: Down here, if you are American you are not automatically cool. (Travs and I)
Comment: This is unfortunate.

Fact 1: To be able to squeal incredibly high is a common virtue among latina pop stars.
Fact 2: To be able to play recordings of said latina pop stars all night long while everyone on your bus is trying to sleep is a common virtue among Peruvian bus drivers.
Comment: My annoyance at this has nothing to do with the fact that I was also barfing during most of the squealing.

Fact 1: The South American version of "hot shower" is very different than the American one. (Different as in much much much colder)
Fact 2: The knobs of the last three "hot showers" that I have tried to take have\n shocked me, causing my arm to go numb.
Comment: I smell.

Fact 1: The twenty members of the small pentacostal church that Travis and I attended two nights in a row in Machalylla had lots of ferver, little musical talent, one microphone, and two very loud speakers.
Fact 2: They conduct service EVERY NIGHT (three times on Saturday) for an hour with their doors wide open.
Comment: Travis and I loved it....everyone else in the town absolutely hates it. We can´t figure out why.