I love maps. I love guidebooks, too. They tell you interesting things. Funny things, sometimes. Tonight I learned about the carunculated caracara - a hilarious name for a surprisingly beautiful (and fortunately not endangered) bird of prey found in Ecuador & Colombia. I hope I see one while I'm there, just so I can tell people I've seen a carunculated caracara. Go on, say it out loud - it will make you happy. :)
The fish paragraph in my Lonely Planet book was also quite amusing. After the general information about the vast number of species to be found, it goes on to say: "Some of them are fearsome. The electric eel can produce shocks of 600V; a school of piranhas can devour a large animal in minutes; stingrays can deliver a crippling zap; and the tiny candirú catfish can swim up the human urethra and become lodged there by erecting its sharp spines. Despite these horror stories, most Amazonian rivers are safe to swim in." Yup, that sure makes me want to go for a dip in the local stream!
The more I look at maps and guidebooks, the more places I want to see, and the more time I wish I had in Ecuador. And, of course, the more I want to explore other places as well. Anybody up for a backpacking tour of South America? Anybody have any good ideas for how one could get paid to travel instead of spending all of one's money on it? Please share! :)
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You figure that one out, you tell me - I get paid to travel but only to places where there are Food Lions!
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