spiritual seekers and ant eaters

On day two here we take on the challenge of hiking to the town of Guane, a 9 kilometer hike down a very steep stone path. We pass no one but cows and goats and an occasional adobe hut. The town consists of the town square and a spoke of four or five short cobbled streets. The Guane folks are an indigenous tribe that has been here since time immemorial it seems. Although we are high in the mountains the landscape is strewn with prehistoric fossils from an ancient sea bed. People use the petrified Nautilus shells for door stops. The next day I am seen mincing about like a Japanese geisha, my calves seized up in a torturous knot. Now that we've become old regulars in this town we discover the guarded secret to the place revealed only to the chosen few. This place is a hot bed of spiritual seekers. Our hosts explain that they lead vision quests and sweat lodges and medicinal healing sessions. Despite this I am won over by their charm and their earnest desire to better the planet. We met an interesting fellow at their house, Gilbert. It seems that he is the son of some high ranking diplomat . He is searching the world for the perfect place to settle in advance of the coming tipping point in the great planet heat up. He seems to have it on good authority that this will start happening in the next couple of years. Ok, fine. Meanwhile he has bought himself an island in El Salvador a a few other homes sprinkled about the globe just in case. On the day of our departure we wave goodbye to our hosts as if to life long friends and promise to stay in touch. Oh, the culinary specialty in Barichara is Hormigas , also known as big bottomed ants. It's told that people eat them by the pound. They are large winged creatures. But not to worry, they remove the wings and legs when they are cooked. Ok so I caved in and ate one. Oh man. It was crunchy and tasted like dirt and coffee grounds (as was advertised in the Lonely Planet book.) So see that Jessica, your mom is at long last cultivating her palate.