People mainly communicate with Spanish. However, the nearby indigenous Shuar communities also speak Shuar. Some professionals speak some English, however, it is not very common.
We use the US dollar! In the year 2000, the Ecuadorian currency "Sucre" was switched over to the US dollar to help combat economic collapse, due to hyper-inflation of the Sucre.
A 16 oz bottle of water typically costs 50 cents. A liter is usually 70 cents.
The best meal this week was tilapia! There is a special preparation of tilapia in the Amazon region called "maito", where the fish is marinated a yummy, garlicky sauce, wrapped in a special leaf and steamed until ready. Steamed "yuca" (a type of starchy root) and a salad of onion and tomatoes is served on the side. This meal also came with free, warm tea called guayusa. It is sweet and slightly cinnamon-y.
This week I listened to a lot of Joni Mitchell, one of my mom's favorite artists.
