2013-03-30

【Aiden in English】

        Pew! Pew! Pew! It went to my 3DS XL as Mario got zapped by Bowser Junior's Waldo magic for the fifth time. Mom and I have been waiting for our tour guide for about 10 minutes, and we're getting awfully bored. We were going to cross the equator and head to the northern Sierra for Otavalo, a two-hour drive north of bustling Quito, to see the famous market, particularly on Saturday.

        Soon, an SUV parked outside our hotel's glass doors, and out came our tour guide. He introduced himself as Andrew. We got along quite quickly with him. As we cruised over, he talked about jokes that kept us occupied along the Pan-American Highway. We were greeted with the magnificent scenery of volcanoes, sparkling lakes, patchwork-covered Andes Mountains, gorgeous valleys filled with lush green foliage, a cloud-tropical forest, rose plantations, and multi-colored wildflowers of every shade and hue that lined the road. We could even look for the giant pig hanging out front, then head in and sit at a booth. There was mouth-watering fruit for sale in Hacienda country. Andrew bought us some soursop from an indigenous lady for the retreat instead.

〖Calderon Countryside〗

        To look into the Farmers' Market in Calderon, we visited this satellite town of Quito. It was a street with shop after shop along the colorful sides of the enormous road, and everything cost less than in the capital. I wish I had watched what Mom ate for dinner last night. She seemed as if she had too much caffeine and sugar, which probably meant that she behaved so hyper that she explored every inch of every crack of every shop. 

        We went into a bread store, and I thought it was odd to tour a store for bread. I hardly saw any tour guides inside grocery stores. But the mystery was solved as I walked in. The bread was not for eating but for art displays of other creatures, fish, etc. Even if I did take a mouthful, my dentist would be seriously striking rich. The bread felt as hard as a rock! That solved another mystery: why the bread had been baked so many times that I had to have both hands to count. 

        On the way back to the car, I spotted a herd of goats leashed together and hanging around the street. I pointed it out to Mom, who said the owner had tried selling goat milk directly to shoppers. You came up to squeeze the boobs as much as you wanted. No wonder the owner was shouting in Spanish. He probably was saying: "100% pure fresh goat milk for sale!" Or maybe even: "Drink up, people!"

〖Equator〗

        After continuing on the road, I felt as bored as ever. Finally, we arrived at a stone globe marked with the middle of the world- the equator. Andrew made us do simple tests, such as pulling his index finger and thumb apart. I couldn't do it when we stood away from the equator. But as Andrew asked me to do it right on the equator with Mom, her fingers came apart quickly. He explained that the forces caused by the North and South Poles separated, so the equator had less air pressure. So, Mom's fingers were pulled apart by my strength and the forces that pushed them apart when we remained on the equator.

        Another interesting test was to put a raw egg on the equator and balance it on its end. It worked! We could make an egg stand on end anywhere along the equator. The centripetal force exerted by the rotation was most significant at the equator, making the egg resist the force of gravity and easier to balance. 

        Then, Andrew took off his gold necklace and held it above the equator. The chain swayed back and forth as if two people were pulling on both sides. When he moved the necklace to the northern hemisphere across the equator, it turned counterclockwise; when he moved it into the south, it turned clockwise. On the date when day and night were equal in length, Andrew continued to mention that there was a minute of no shadow on the equator at the vernal and autumnal equinox.

〖San Pablo Lake & Imbabura Volcano〗

        At the foot of the dormant Imbabura Volcano (15,190 feet/4,630 meters), Cayambe was well-known for homemade biscuits and the production of long, thin, yellowish biscuits—buttery biscuits, i.e., Bizcochos, made by hand and baked in an oven. We intended to stop by Cayambe town near San Pablo Lake for breakfast. Bizcochos tasted salty but delicious when I ate them by dipping them in a milk product like caramel, as many Ecuadorians do. 

〖Otavalo Indigenous Market〗

        When we arrived at Plaza de Ponchos in Otavalo, the sun was already over our heads at a low angle. The Saturday Market looked like a maze of stands, mainly selling food, clothes, weaving materials, and different-colored spices. The indigenous people came from nearby villages and towns to sell their products. 

        We skirted around the edge for a little while to get a picture of how big it was before plunging headfirst into the crowd. It was nothing I had ever seen before! Counters were set up under tents in neat rows. Chefs were cooking up everything from guinea pigs to rice. Mom tried to bargain with the stallholders for Panama Hats, hand-embroidered shoulder wraps, indigenous Ecuadorian tapestry wall hangings, thick hand-woven blankets, hand-spun shirts, and chunky hand-knit sweaters. However, they wouldn't budge.

〖Cotacachi Village〗

        We came to Cotacachi Village, which is known for its excellent leatherwork in Ecuador. There were many choices in jackets, skirts, boots, briefcases, bags, riding equipment, and wallets. This was the only place where the unemployment rate vanished for decades because of the leather industry. Many American retirees were said to move down here and enjoy paradise at the end of the rainbow at the end of the Andes Mountains.

        However, we did not come here for any leather products, only our lunch. Mom was extremely excited to order one of the most traditional cuisines ever. I wasn't expecting it until she said, "I'll have a guinea pig," to the waiter. As I swallowed my first bite, I immediately thought of the bathroom. The guinea pig tasted like rotten fish, plus a dab of lemon sauce. Well, different people liked different things!

【红霞译】

        噗！噗！噗！我手上任天堂立体游戏机发出阵阵叫声，马里奥“好战”已被巫师瓦尔多“神的力量”的成功魔法击中五次；妈妈和我一起静候导游，10分钟过得实在无聊。我们计划从基多出发，驱车两个钟头纵穿赤道线，深入北部山区，前往奥塔瓦洛“人民”著名的星期六农贸市场赶集。

        不久，一辆越野车停靠在酒店玻璃门外，导游终于现身我们眼前。他名叫安德鲁“男子汉”，彼此很快就熟悉起来。汽车沿着泛美高速公路行驶，安德鲁插科打诨，生怕我们路上犯困。说真的，道路两旁火山景致宛如仙境，湖泊河流波光粼粼，安第斯山脉错落其间，峡谷平原华丽秀美，一路上不光热带云林葱郁，玫瑰种植园娇艳，野花更加五彩缤纷；超级肥猪高挂客栈门前，借机吸引过往行人；乡下牧区游动地摊上新鲜水果令人口水欲滴，安德鲁有意从印第安大妈那里买来刺番荔枝叫我们尝鲜。

〖卡尔德隆“火山口”乡村景象〗

        为参观卡尔德隆的农贸市场，我们来到基多郊外这座卫星城，其街道色彩缤纷，沿着宽阔的道路两旁，店铺鳞次栉比，所有东西都比首都便宜。真希望我昨晚看到妈妈吃了什么，她看起来像是摄入了过多的咖啡因和糖，因而亢奋不已，以至于把每家商店的各个角落都探索了一遍。

        我们走进一家面包店，在里面闲逛感觉很奇怪，期间我几乎看不到导游，但当我走进去时谜底就解开了。眼前的面包不是用来吃的，而是海龟、鱼类和其它生物等艺术品，就算我吃上一口，我的牙医肯定会赚个盆满钵满。这些面包摸起来硬得像石头！这又解开了另一个谜：为啥这些面包烤了那么多遍，我得用双手才能数得清。

        正要离开此地，我巧遇几只山羊被拴在一起，旁若无人四处游荡，随即提醒妈妈。她告诉我这纯属当地小城特色，山羊主人直接带羊群走街串巷，谁想买奶，谁都可以直接挤奶，想买多少就挤多少。难怪山羊主人不停地用西班牙语大力叫卖，好像在说：“来呀，这里有新鲜道地的羊奶喽！”或者高声吆喝：“大伙儿，快来喝羊奶吧！”

〖赤道〗

        继续前行后，我一直觉得路上非常无聊，终于来到石标旁，上面意指世界中部──赤道。安德鲁要我们先做几个试验，比如叫我把他的无名指跟大拇指分开，如果站到赤道线以外任何地方，我根本无力做到；可是等站在赤道线上，我很容易将妈妈的手指分开。他解释说，由于南北两极引起的磁力在赤道上相抵，才使手指较易分开。

        另一个有趣的试验便是在赤道线上巧立生鸡蛋，我竟然不怎么费力就可以让“金鸡独立”！地球旋转所引起的向心力在赤道上表现得最强，由此而使鸡蛋平衡有度，极易站稳脚跟。

        随之安德鲁又把自己脖子上的金项链摘下，轻轻吊挂手指上，这时项链在赤道线上方南北摆动，好像两个人左右用力。当他把项链移至赤道以北的北半球，只见项链沿逆时针旋转；而当他把项链移至赤道以南的南半球，只见项链沿顺时针旋转。安德鲁继续说道，每年春分或秋分昼夜相等这天，赤道上会出现一分钟完全没有影子的景观。

〖圣保罗“小”湖及因巴布拉“金色草原之地”火山〗

        因巴布拉休眠火山脚下(15,190英尺／4,630米)座落着卡扬贝“生命之源”城，该城素以自制奶酪和手制烘烤的细长黄油饼干著称，今天的早饭我们特意赶到这里来吃。前方面对圣保罗湖，侧面倚仗因巴布拉火山，饼干本身虽然咸滋滋的，但蘸着当地盛产的焦糖奶制产品，味道甭提有多好吃，感觉自己跟厄瓜多尔人贴近了许多。

〖奥塔瓦洛土特产市场〗

        等我们抵达奥塔瓦洛庞乔斯“斗篷”市场，高挂的太阳毫无偏差地直射在我们头顶。星期六土特产集市看上去跟迷宫似的，地摊一个挨一个，食品、服装、编织、不同颜色的调味品应有尽有，摆货的土著居民全部来自附近村落，推销的商品都是自家祖传的罕世绝活。

        我们粗略绕场一周，首先摸清基本方阵，然后才好有的放矢。我从来未曾见识过这般阵势！摊贩各自为政，货位依序排开；厨子大显工技，从豚鼠到米饭，吃的喝的全部摆到桌上。妈妈看中巴拿马帽、手工刺绣肩套、厄瓜多尔土著挂毯壁饰、手工编织厚毯、手工纺衬衫和手工针织短毛衣，逐一跟摊贩讨价还价，大有血拼采购疯狂扫货之势，只是他们并非轻易降价。

〖科塔卡奇“粉盐”村庄〗

        科塔卡奇是厄瓜多尔全国有名的皮革制品基地，皮夹克、皮衣、皮靴、皮包、皮鞍、皮夹，不一而足。几十年来，这里还是全国唯一失业率为零的地方，听说许多美国退休人士喜欢到蜿蜒崎岖的安第斯“铜色”山脉下安度晚年，来这里享受天堂的彩虹。

        当然，我们并非冲着皮革制品而来，相反我们到此只为吃顿午餐。妈妈主意已定，决定点上瓜多尔正宗菜谱──烤豚鼠。不知怎的，我一听“豚鼠”两字就倒胃口，尝试第一口后更强化了这种感觉，豚鼠吃起来跟拌上了酸橙的臭鱼烂虾味道差不多，看来萝卜白菜各有所爱！

Pan-American Hwy, Troncal de la Sierra or Highland's Road w/ Avenue of the Volcanoes 

(泛美高速公路·高地之路火山大道)

Patchwork-Covered Andes, Terraced for Agriculture or Andenes

(安第斯山脉梯田·安第斯梯田用于农业耕作 03-30-2013)

Giant Pig (大猪)

Open-Air Kitchen Restaurant (开放式餐馆)

Menu in Display @ Open-Air Kitchen Restaurant

(开放式餐馆·食谱)

Sourtop or Guanbana (刺番荔枝)

Mouth-Watering Fruit for Sale (诱人的水果地摊)

Bread Animals @ Bakery, Calderon 

(卡尔德隆点心铺·面包动物 03-30-2013)

Fresh Goat Milk on Sale @ Calderon

(卡尔德隆·出售自己动手挤的新鲜羊奶)

Residence Area @ Calderon (卡尔德隆·居民区)

Soup Pot (汤锅)

Egg Balancing on the Equator

(赤道线上鸡蛋独立 03-30-2013)

Egg Balancing on the Equator (赤道上立蛋)

Forces by the North and South Poles Separated

(南北极力量分界之地 03-30-2013)

Cayambe Town @ the Foot of the Cayambe Volcano

(卡扬贝镇·位于卡扬贝火山脚下)

Thatched Cottage @ Cayambe Town 

(卡扬贝镇·草屋 03-30-2013)

Panama Hat under Imbabura Volcano, a Traditional Brimmed Straw Hat of Ecuadorian Origin 

(因巴布拉火山下巴拿马帽·起源于厄瓜多尔的传统宽边草帽 03-30-2013)

Local Shop @ Cayambe (卡扬贝镇·当地小卖部 03-30-2013)

Home-Made Cheese & Buttery Biscuits @ Cayambe

(卡扬贝镇·手工奶酪黄油饼干 03-30-2013)

Free-Range Cattle @ Cayambe (卡扬贝镇·放养牛群)

Veggie Patch @ Cayambe (卡扬贝镇·菜地)

Imbabura Volcano @ 15,190-ft/4,630-m, an Inactive Stratovolcano in Northern Ecuador

(15,190英尺／4,630米高的因巴布拉火山·厄瓜多尔北部的休眠层状火山)

San Pablo Lake Combining Nature, Indigenous Tradition, & Outdoor Activities

(圣保罗湖·融合了自然、土著传统和户外活动 03-30-2013)

San Pablo Lake against Imbabura Volcano

(依因巴布拉火山傍圣保罗湖)

Village by San Pablo Lake (圣保罗湖边乡村)

Veggie Vendor @ Otavalo Market 

(奥塔瓦洛市场·蔬菜地摊 03-30-2013)

Spices @ Otavalo Market (奥塔瓦洛市场·香料)

Fish @ Otavalo Market (奥塔瓦洛市场·鱼市)

Flours @ Otavalo Market (奥塔瓦洛市场·面粉)

Grains @ Otavalo Market (奥塔瓦洛市场·谷物)

Roast Pig @ Otavalo Market (奥塔瓦洛市场·烤猪)

Authentic Cuisine @ Otavalo Market

(奥塔瓦洛市场·风味小吃)

Locro de Papa @ Otavalo Market

(奥塔瓦洛市场·土豆奶酪杂烩)

Handicrafts @ Otavalo Market

(奥塔瓦洛市场·手工品)

Ponchos Plaza as the Centennial Market 

(庞乔斯市场·百年市场 03-30-2013)

Marketcomber @ Ponchos Plaza (庞乔斯市场·赶集人)

Otavalo Indigenous People (奥塔瓦洛原住民)

Otavalo Indigenous People @ Bus Station

(奥塔瓦洛原住民·等车)

Cotacachi, an Artisan City for Its Leather Goods & Handicrafts

(科塔卡奇·以皮革制品和手工艺品著称的工匠之城)

Roast Guinea Pig for Lunch (午餐·烤豚鼠)

Hotel Patio Andaluz (安达卢西亚天井酒店 03-30-2013)

Fuchsia (倒挂金钟)

Garden Cosmos (大波斯菊)

Columbine (漏斗菜)

Broomrape (列当)

West Indian Lantana (马缨丹)

Tickseed (金鸡菊)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

Ecuador(出游厄瓜多尔)

South America(漂流南美洲)

小学四年级(4th Grade)