shopping trip to Yantzaza

On Saturday all four of us travelled to Yantzaza to buy food and school shoes/clothes for Annalise and Emmett. The day was long and we were exhausted when we returned home 6 hours later.   The heat combined with the stress of managing so many new tasks and details really depleted our energy.  Our first leg of travel provides a glimpse of what can be exhausting but also adventurous.   We left the house at 9 AM and hailed a taxi to take us to the bus depot about 7 miles away.    The general understanding with taxistas is that if you request a ride to a particular destination you are responsible for the full price cab fare.   The customer who declares the ride's destination pays full fare and rides in comfort of the cab.   Often the taxista will pick up additional passengers (who are relegated to the  pickup bed more often than not).   Any "added-on" passengers pay the taxista the equivalent of bus fare, 50 cents.     So on Saturday morning I approached a taxista who had a nearly full cab and confirmed that he could give us ride to Saquea.   Saquea is located where two highways intersect and is used as a bus transfer station.   There are three shacks/stands which sell food but provide no shelter from sun or rain.    The taxista gestured that he would travel a short distance away, turn around and then drive us to Saquea.    Emmett, Annalise and I hopped in the back of the truck and Kate entered the cab.  The taxi drove about 2 miles in the opposite direction of our destination and then dropped off his other passengers.   He picked up some more along the way before we arrived at our original starting point.   At this point as we embarked on our journey I had some doubts about whether we would be considered full fare passengers.    While I was considering this situation in the windy pickup bed, we stopped for a man who jumped on board and brought along a large bunch of bananas and tied stalks of sugar cane.   I had previously met this man as he is a former boxer for the Ecuadorian national team.   Needless to say, riding in the pickup bed sharing space with bananas and sugar cane confirmed I was not paying full fare for our ride to Saquea.