噗！噗！噗！我手上任天堂立体游戏机发出阵阵叫声，“马里奥”已被少年鲍泽瓦杜魔法击中五次。妈妈和我一起静候导游，10分钟过得实在无聊。我们计划从基多出发，驱车两个钟头，纵穿赤道线，深入北部山区，前往奥塔瓦洛著名的星期六农贸市场赶集。 

      Pew! Pew! Pew! It went my 3DSXL as Mario got zapped by Bowser Junior's Wadoo magic for the 5th time. Mom and I were waiting for our tour guide for about 10 minutes now and were getting awfully bored. We were going to cross the equator and heading the northern Sierra for Otavalo in 2-hour drive north of the bustling Quito to see the famous market particularly on Saturday.

      Soon, a SUV parked outside our hotel's glass doors and out came our tour guide. He introduced himself as Andrew. We got along quite easily with him. As we cruised over, he talked about jokes that kept us occupied along the Pan-American Highway. We were greeted with magnificent scenery of volcanoes, sparkling lakes, patchwork-covered Andes Mountains and gorgeous valleys in green foliage, cloud tropical forest, rose plantations and multi-colored wild flowers of every shade and hue that lined the road. We could even look for the giant pig hanged out front, then headed in and took a seat at a booth. There were mouth-watering fruit for sale in hacienda country. Andrew bought us some soursop from an indigenous lady for retreat instead.

      不久，一辆越野车停靠在酒店玻璃门外，导游终于现身我们眼前。他名叫安德鲁，彼此很快就熟悉起来。汽车沿着泛美高速公路行驶，安德鲁插科打诨，生怕我们路上犯困。说真的，道路两旁火山景致宛如仙境，湖泊河流波光粼粼，安第斯山脉错落其间，峡谷平原华丽秀美。一路上，不光热带云林葱郁，玫瑰种植园娇艳，野花更加五彩缤纷。超级肥猪高挂客栈门前，借机吸引过往行人。乡下牧区游动地摊上新鲜水果令人口水欲滴；安德鲁有意从印第安大妈那里买来刺番荔枝叫我们尝鲜。

Calderon Countryside (卡尔德隆乡村景象)

      To look into the Farmers' Market in Calderon, we came to visit this satellite town of Quito. It was a street with shop after shop along the colorful sides of the enormous road and everything cost less compared to the capital. I wish I watched what Mom ate for dinner last night. She seemed as if she had too much caffeine and sugar, which probably meant why she behaved as hyper as to explore every inch of every crack of every shop.

      卡尔德隆的农贸市场远近有名，它属于基多卫星城，街道两旁商家店铺数不胜数，日用百货物美价廉。我真该留意妈妈昨天晚餐是否甜食吃得太盛，咖啡喝得过多，不然今天她为何情绪如此高亢，什么犄角旮旯都想涉足看上几眼。

      We went into a bread store and I thought it was kind of odd to be touring a store for bread. I hardly saw any tour guide inside grocery stores a lot. But the mystery was solved as I walked in. The bread was not for eating but for art displays of turtle, fish, etc. Even if I did take a mouth full, my dentist would be seriously striking rich. The bread felt as hard as a rock! That solved another mystery that why the bread has been baked so many times that I had to have both hands to count.

      我们被带到一家“面包房”，十分令人生疑，我极少看到导游光顾这种地方。但等我进来参观后才发现，原来这家面包房专用面团制作乌龟、鱼类、泥娃等工艺产品。如果我胆敢张口吃下这些玩艺，牙医肯定会大发横财，因为面团硬如磐石！它要放到烘箱里反复加温焙烧。

      On the way back to the car, I spotted a herd of goats leashed together and hanged around the street. I pointed it out for Mom and she said that the owner tried to sell goat milk to shoppers directly. You simply came up to squeeze the boobs as much as you wanted. No wonders the owner was shouting in Spanish. He probably was saying: "100% pure fresh goat milk for sale!" Or maybe even: "drink up, people!"

      正要离开此地，我偶然巧遇几只山羊被拴在一起，旁若无人四处游荡，随即提醒妈妈。她告诉我这纯属当地小城特色，山羊主人直接带羊群走街串巷，谁想买奶，谁都可以直接挤奶，想买多少就挤多少。难怪山羊主人不停地用西班牙语大力叫卖，好像在说：“来呀，这里有新鲜道地的羊奶喽！”或者高声吆喝：“大伙儿，快来喝羊奶吧！”

Equator (赤道)

      After continuing on the road, I felt as bored as ever. Finally we arrived at a stone globe marked the middle of the world- the equator. Andrew made us do some simple tests like trying to pull his index finger and his thumb apart. I couldn't do it when we stood away from the equator. But as Andrew asked me to do it right on equator with Mom, her fingers came apart easily. He explained that the forces caused by the North and the South Pole separated, that was why there was less air pressure on the equator. So Mom's fingers were pulled apart by my strength in addition to the forces that pushed them apart when we remained on the equator.

      继续前行后，我一直觉得路上非常无聊。终于来到一个石标旁，上面意指世界中部──赤道。安德鲁要我们先做几个试验，比如叫我把他的无名指跟大拇指分开。如果站到赤道线以外任何地方，我根本无力做到。可是等站在赤道线上，我很容易将妈妈的手指分开。他解释说，由于南北两极引起的磁力在赤道上相抵，才使手指较易分开。

      Another interesting test was to put a raw egg and balance it on the equator. It worked! We could make an egg stand on end anywhere along the equator. The centripetal force exerted by the rotation was greatest at the equator. This made the egg there resist the force of gravity and making it easier to balance.

      另一个有趣的试验便是在赤道线上巧立生鸡蛋，我竟然不怎么费力就可以让“金鸡独立”！地球旋转所引起的向心力在赤道上表现得最强，由此而使鸡蛋平衡有度，极易站稳脚跟。

      Then, Andrew took of his gold necklace and held it above the equator. The chain swayed back and forth as if two people were pulling on both sides. When he moved the necklace to the north atmosphere across the equator, it turned counterclockwise and into the south, it turned clockwise. On the date when day and night were equal to the same length, Andrew continued to mention that there was a minute of no shadow on the equator at the vernal and autumnal equinox.

      随之安德鲁又把自己脖子上的金项链摘下，轻轻吊挂手指上，这时项链在赤道线上方南北摆动，好像两个人左右用力。当他把项链移至赤道以北的北半球，只见项链沿逆时针旋转；而当他把项链移至赤道以南的南半球，只见项链沿顺时针旋转。安德鲁继续说道，每年春分或秋分昼夜相等这天，赤道上会出现一分钟完全没有影子的景观。

San Pablo Lake & Imbabura Volcano (圣保罗湖及因巴布拉火山)

      At the foot of the dormant Imbabura Volcano (15,190 feet/4,630 meters), Cayambe was well-known by the home-made cheese and the production of long, thin, yellowish biscuits- buttery biscuits, i.e. Bizcochos made by hand and baked in an oven. We intended to stop by Cayambe town near San Pablo Lake for breakfast. Bizcochos tasted salty, but delicious when I ate them by dipping in a milk product similar to caramel like many Ecuadorians.    

      因巴布拉休眠火山脚下(15,190英尺／4,630米)，座落着凯扬波城，该城素以自制奶酪和手制烘烤的黄色细长饼干著称，今天的早饭我们特意赶到这里来吃。前方面对圣保罗湖，侧面倚仗因巴布拉火山，饼干本身虽然咸滋滋的，但蘸着当地盛产的焦糖奶制产品，味道甭提有多好吃，感觉自己跟厄瓜多尔人贴近了许多。

Otavalo Indigenous Market (奥塔瓦洛土特产市场)

      By the time we arrived at Poncho Plaza in Otavalo, the sun was already over our heads without any angle. The Saturday Market looked like a maze of stands and mainly consisted of food, clothes, weaving materials, and different colored spices. The indigenous people came from nearby villages and towns to sell their products.

      等我们抵达奥塔瓦洛雨披广场，太阳高挂，毫无偏差地直射在我们头顶。星期六土特产集市看上去跟迷宫似的，台面一个挨一个，食品、服装、编织、不同颜色的调味品应有尽有，摆货摊的土著居民全部来自附近村落，推销的商品都是自家祖传的罕世绝活。

      We skirted around the edge for a little to get a picture of how big it was before plunging head first into the crowd of people. It was nothing I had ever seen before! Counters were set up under tents in neat rows. Chefs were cooking up everything from guinea pig to rice. Mom tried to bargain with the stallholders for Panama Hats, hand embroidered shoulder-wraps, indigenous Ecuadorian tapestry wall hangings, thick hand-woven blankets, hand-spun shirts, and chunky hand-knitted sweaters. However, they wouldn't budge.

    我们粗略绕场一周，首先摸清基本方阵，然后才好有的放矢。我从来未曾见识过这般场景！摊贩各自为政，货位依序排开。厨子大显工技，从豚鼠到米饭，吃的喝的全部摆到桌上。妈妈看中巴拿马帽、手工刺绣肩套、厄瓜多尔土著挂毯壁饰、手工编织厚毯、手工纺衬衫和手工针织短毛衣，逐一跟摊贩讨价还价，大有血拼采购疯狂扫货之势，只是他们并非轻易降价。

Cotacachi Village (科塔卡奇村庄)

      We came to Cotacachi Village known for its excellent leatherwork in Ecuador. There were a lot of choices in jackets, skirts, boots, briefcases, bags, riding equipment and wallets. This was the only place that the unemployment rate absolutely vanished for decades because of leather industry. A lot of American retirees were said to move down here and enjoyed paradise at the end of rainbow in the bend of the Andes Mountains.

    科塔卡奇村庄是厄瓜多尔全国有名的皮革制品基地，皮夹克、皮衣、皮靴、皮包、皮鞍、皮夹，无一不足。几十年来，这里还是全国唯一失业率为零的地方。听说许多美国退休人士喜欢到蜿蜒崎岖的安第斯山脉下安度晚年，来这里享受天堂的彩虹。

      However, we did not come here for any leather product but our lunch. Mom was extremely excited to order one of the most traditional cuisines ever. I wasn't really expecting it until she said "I'll have guinea pig" to the waiter. As I swallowed my first bite of it, I immediately thought of the bathroom. The guinea pig tasted like rotten fish plus a dab of lemon sauce. Well, different people liked different things!

      当然，我们并非冲着皮革制品而来。相反，我们到此完全为吃午餐。妈妈主意已定，决定点上瓜多尔正宗菜谱──烤豚鼠。不知怎的，我一听“豚鼠”两字就倒胃口，尝试第一口后更强化了这种感觉，豚鼠吃起来跟拌上了酸橙的臭鱼烂虾味道差不多。看来萝卜白菜各有所爱！

(二O一三年三月卅日)