Cotocachi-today part II

Geology Field Trip
I woke up at 4:30AM yesterday, but laid there until 5 til 5, left my house around 5:30am. Rode with Sofia, her dad (oddly safe driver for being an Ecuadorian), Lily, and Jessalie to Cumbaya. We were suppose to leave there at 6, but did not actually leave until 6:37am. We drove to Zambisa and looked at the giant rock wall (folds, faults, and such). Sketched it. Back on the bus, drove, stopped at an ash cave. Got covered in crumbly wall dust (pretty neat).
The people from my class that went with on this outing were the good ones. There were issues in class Wednesday, and several other people couldn't go. The nice kids went, thankfully.
We stopped at a Mirador and looked around. My Camera said, "Hey, thanks for using me three times, but I'm gonna go ahead and die." I thanked it, and put it back in my purse. It was so beautiful. We were on a small hill/mountain in a valley that had several larger mountains around it. Very beautiful. There was some kind of bug that one of the English speakers called a bumble bee. I told her that it was solid black and not a bumble bee. She said it sounded like one...Yes, true, but not a bumble bee like in the States.
We drove a little further to Cayambe. This is ANOTHER active volcano that produced the ash cave (a long time ago) that we had just been too. This area is very green, as is much of the North. We stopped looking for Bizcohos (I think this is how it's spelled). The first place was closed, so we loaded back onto the bus and drove out of town to a place on the side of the road. We got Bizcochos there. I got some mozzerella like cheese wrapped in a banana leaf and my favorite drink of Lime fizz water. The Bizcochos (I didn't purchase any, but had one of Sofia's) were a little sweet, and kind fo dry, but not make you choke dry. They were squarish sticks about 3/4'' wide and 4 inches long. They were being dipped in Manjar de Leche (SO TASTY). One of the boys outside was eyeing my cheese. He's not in my class, so it made me feel very weird. He even said something about it, awkward!
We sat to where we could look at Cayambe. There was a llama tie up in the back yard just hanging out. I then bought a peach juice and loaded back on the bus with everyone else.
We drove further to Cotocachi. The lake was beautiful. We sat on a ledge looking onto where a boat was loading. WHen Jessalie went to the bathroom and I was alone with her camera with a full memory card that didn't fit my camera, I discovered that her battery fit my camera. WOO! Lily came over and said that the lake could kill us all. I said, "O ya? Why?" She said that it's actually a volcano crater opening and is a sulfur lake. It was so beautiful and bluish green, but a threat.
Then the teacher called us all over closer to the boat area. She talked about it being named in Quchua (indeginous language) meaning Guinea pig lake. The area had a lot of guinea pigs found there apparently. I also heard Toto on the little whistle pipes. I had to sing with it
We sat and waited. Lily and Jessalie asked about this phrase and that, and then we ended up learning bad phrases. Jessalie wrote them in my little notebook that I carry with me, since she was taking notes over what the teacher was saying. Really cool.
It started raining, but that doesn't stop anyone. We drove to a town outside of Cotocachi and had lunch. We had some kind of red seasoned pork, mote, little corn like kernals, a great cheese sauce, little potatoes, and some sweet banana (different kind that the US sells) empanada with a coke.
We waited to load the bus. Lily wanted to learn how to click her heals in the air (which I apparently can do and didn't know). She looked goofy. Then Jessalie tried and looked just as goofy and managed to bruise her ankle in the process. Then Sofia the ex-ballerina did it and made it flawless and look easy. The teacher walked up, and we got her to try, and she was also unsuccessful. Good laughes.
We made one more stop, less interesting. We got on the bus to head back to Quito. We all chatted with each other, which was nice. A lot of the USFQ kids don't socialize with the international students, but our class is cool. We got to Quito, let off at an intersection, and then I took a cab to Quicentro (mall).
I met Tricia, Deanna, and Kelsey there with the Ecuadorian boys. I made it in time to see her blow out 6, then 1 candle. (They were making her work her way up to 20). I got to hang out for a little bit with them, but was really tired. We split up, two walked Deanna and I to the Ecovia. They road one stop and got off. I rode by myself and walked up my hill to my street, and then my apartment. I had tea and bread with Camila and Margarita and was asleep by 10. woot.