What's The Verdict?

Home. Home? I went to Ecuador because I thought it was a place I might want to live.  I went to see if there were any deal breakers because I had done so much research that I felt I already knew everything I needed to know to make an informed decision.  Well, decision is made, but nobody gets to know until I talk with my family.  So that subject is for another time.
I promised to tell you about dogs and ice cream.  In Otavalo where we were most of the time, in our little apartment behind the Cruz Azol Pharmacy, we really didn't realize how special it was to be there.  Otavalo is one of the most famous and most visited towns in Ecuador.  It's mainly because of the market and the indigenous people. Everyday the streets are filled with local people doing their everyday business, living life.  Saturday is crazy day!  The market goes from a city block to miles of streets filled with booths and people.  This is when the mountain people come to either sell their wares or buy supplies, or both.  Everyday there are lots of stray dogs.  When we think of stray dogs in this country we think of skinny, starving miserable creatures.  Not the case here.  These dogs are, for the most part, well fed.  They are not pets in the sense that we know dogs.  They don't interact with people.  They don't seek out affections from humans.  It's not something that they have ever known. They are not aggressive either.  They are just a part of the community just like all of the humans that are roaming the streets.  Oh, there are pet dogs.  These people like to put little sweaters on their pet dogs.  They are kept in the shops or behind closed doors in there homes, but it's the roaming dog population that is so interesting.  Kind of like the clean up crew that helps keep everything tidy.
They do have ice cream in Ecuador, but I'm not sure it's made with dairy products or it could be that it is made with very fresh cream and that is why I don't have a problem eating it.  I have an intolerance to dairy and I don't have a problem eating this ice cream.  How they make it is not an issue for me because it is so delicious.  It is a treat though because it can't be sold the way most things are here, off a street cart.  There are a few cold carts, but they are rare because they are costly.  You do see vendors walking around with huge bowls of "ice cream" with cones on top of the pile.  It is a local favorite.  The vendor gets a request and he takes the cone and piles the "ice cream" on and it looks just like the real deal.  Difference is this will never melt because its made with egg whites that have been whipped and flavoring added.  I'm told that it's very good, but never got around to trying it myself.
So, I am filled with emotions that I have never had before.  I drove home alone from Portland.  I finished listening to a book that I had downloaded then I put in the CD that I bought with South American music, I prayed and tried to put my thoughts together, but mostly I cried.  This experience has changed me forever.  Later, I will try to explain why.  Thank you my friends for listening.