Because It's There

Walked all over Otavalo
watching the city wake up.
Then followed the old railroad tracks
to the little weavers' town of Peguche
and from there
up to a waterfall
me and several hundred school children
so I was right at home
chatting it up with them and their teachers.
Accompanied from Peguche by my
new best friend
woof-woof, one blue eye, one brown
who stuck to my side for a couple of hours
as I got lost and found and lost
in the mountains above the falls
looking for the next stop on my walking tour.
Shared my water with him
and then
had to trick him into returning to Peguche
with someone I stopped on the road
afraid he'd follow me back to Otavalo
and be lost.
So sad to see him go.
I may have become a dog person
very late in life.
Kept climbing
and getting lost
offered directions
rides
finally
a summit
views
a magical tree called el Lechero
my goal
because it was there.
Back to town
and a well-earned lunch.
Chatted with a delicious older couple
who'd moved to Israel
from Argentina.
When discussing our hotels
I confessed my sleeping neuroses.
Said she:
Oh, well, you're Jewish, of course.
After lunch
found a secondary school
across from the bus station
where I asked if I could see a class
and was left alone
in a classroom
with fifty or sixty 8th graders.
Really.
We did a little English class
I made them laugh
I left them
with no adult in the room
as they'd been when I arrived.
The one adult I saw there
sat behind a door labeled 'inspector'
and initialed students' homework notebooks
without reading what was in them
or recording anything.
Finished up the day
with music.
Arrived early
and was able to talk to the musicians
as they set up
about what their instruments were called
and how they were tuned.
Excellent day.

* * * * * * *

6 AM animal market.
People being yanked around by unruly pigs
dead chickens, live chickens, chickens in between
guinea pigs (a local specialty)
cows, bulls.
Almost too sad to take pictures.
Almost.
¿Donde esta el restaurante vegetariano?