Still surviving

Dear Mom and Dad,

I just want to say one thing about the Hawk loss. W.T.F.? It still hurts even being this far away, but at least I don't have to listen to anyone say "Go Big Red." Ugh.

White water rafting was a BLAST! I started the morning by drinking my first cup of coffee ever. I only put 4 large spoonfuls of sugar in it. I sure do miss having diet coke. Rafting was so much fun because the guides got everyone involved. We had to paddle most of the time, which actually was really fun. To be honest, I sat in the very back and screamed more than I paddled, but I'm sure my efforts were somewhat useful. Here is a picture of us before getting on the raft. Don't worry we did have lifejackets and you can see helmets. There was 18 of us that went, and I talked some into getting ice cream afterwards. :) It's not my fault that there is an ice cream shop across the street from the rafting place. Also, it was really cheap at $30 a person and it included a meal. I had chicken and Charlie at fresh trout.

After our rafting trip, we bused down to Riobamba for a night. I HATED that town from the moment I stepped off the bus. Our hostel was only $5 a night per person, which is half as expensive as the other ones. The bathroom wasn't clean and the beds were HORRIBLE. Also, Charlie and I walked around in the rain for over an hour trying to find somewhere or something to eat and wine to drink. I'm convinced there is not a single bottle of wine in that town. We ended up finding a place with overpriced fried chicken and had to deal with no wine. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. It smelled funny, and the people acted as if Charlie and I were aliens. I did like this one sculpture, and that's about the nicest thing I can say about Riobamba. Click on the picture to enlarge it, and you'll see me in the front.

We are now in Alausi for one more night, and tomorrow we will be riding on devil´s nose train. Our hostel is decent, but the owner was so nice that when we asked if there was a kitchen for us to use, he led us to his kitchen and is letting us cook in his house. He must be hard up for money or just super sweet because it was the only hostel in the area that has a kitchen for us to use. We know, we checked every single one. Last night, Charlie and I played poker with q-tips for our chips. Remember dad when Mallory and I were little, we would use matches when we camped on rainy nights? That's what it reminded me of. We are so resourceful when we need to be. 

I have one more funny story to share. Someone stole Charlie's boxers. Straight up stole them. He had them hanging in the window to dry and they blew down onto the street. When Charlie went down to retreive them, they were gone. Who takes someone else's boxers? We joke that some twelve year old boy is really happy with his new quick-dry undergarments. 

Love always,

Matti Jo