the little things that stand out

While Macchu Picchu was beautiful, the strike was scary, and Rio was interesting, it has often been the smaller things that have caught my attention. Here are a few things that I have noticed throughout the past three and a half weeks.

Sundays
Sundays are huge. Everywhere that we have been Sundays have been a day to celebrate. At home I felt I always dreaded Sunday. In high school it was the day I had to finish my homework after a weekend of racing. In college it was the day I had to finish my homework with a hangover after a weekend of racing. It was always the day before going back to work. The day before a test, the day before an early alarm clock, the day before another practice. If only I had lived in South America! Sunday is a day to celebrate. It is a day to spend with your family. On the Galapagos, the town has a trolley shaped like a caterpillar that snakes through the town, blaring music. All of the children ride with their parents and strut around in their best clothes. There are street vendors with balloons, ice cream, cotton candy and light up toys. And the holiday we are observing? Sunday! In Cuzco there was a similar feeling. There were amateur acting troupes performing throughout the plaza, and people swarming to watch. Children and parents walked hand in hand, smiling and waving to friends that passed. In Rio, half of the street is closed for the day! The road closest to Copacabana beach is completely closed to cars and filled with people. People run, walk, bike and stroll. There are little children zipping around in battery operated Barbie Jeeps and Tonka trucks that have been brought in by the truckload for the day. There are inflatables and trampolines in the middle of the road for children to jump. There are musicians everywhere and parade that lasted the majority of the day. The days are wonderful and I am jealous. I want my Sundays to have parades and ice cream and Barbie Jeeps! But more than that, I want Sundays with my family. No ballet, no rowing, no work, no nothing. When I get home, Sundays are family day. I can do without the Barbie Jeep, but ice cream will be necessary.

Dogs
I have always thought of a dog as a part of the family. They belong to the entire family, and are groomed, walked, housebroken and trained to come when called. Well, that isn't exactly the case in the rest of the world. In Ecuador, the dogs had owners, and a roof over their heads at night, but that was the end of it. Some of the little kids would chase after their dogs, but there were no leashes, no collars, no training. In Peru, people did not own dogs. The dogs ran free in the streets, picking someone to follow for a few blocks before wandering down an alley for food scraps in the trash. In Rio, the dogs are fashion statements. The smaller the dog, the better. The dogs must spend almost as much time in the groomer as their owners spend at the cabeleireiro, which is A LOT. The dogs all have coordinated harnesses and leads. They wear shirts, dresses, shoes, hats, sunglasses, or whatever other crazy article of clothing the owner can come up with. I felt like a dork putting a coat on Wilbur in the winter, thank goodness I didn't have him in Rio!

Toilet Paper
Oh, how South America loves scented toilet paper. No thank you. I don't need pictures of dogs, or flower scented paper, or quintuple ply! I just want my white, unscented, double ply toilet paper that we buy in Price Chopper, across from the Cool Whip.

Beautiful People
Well, Peru loses. Sorry, Peru, but you have some pretty stiff competition.

Ecuador is filled with beautiful people.

Brazil is known for its beautiful people. Brazil isn't known, however, for its less than beautiful people who wander the streets in barely there suits and clothing. Those people don't make the pictures and stereotypes, but they are the majority!

I say Ecuador wins. But based on the few Brazilian babes in bikinis we saw, I would say Garvey votes for Brazil. (I have a perfect picture that I will try to post very soon)