After the beach we left two big bags at the hotel that we will fly out of full of beach gear and a few souvenirs that we did not want to lug all around Ecuador. That was pretty easy. Now that we are done with the Avenue of the Volcanoes we will go down to the Amazon. We will go one day to Quito and drop off bags full of heavier clothes and bulky stuff that we will not need in the jungle.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Packing for three months
We have faced challenges during our adventures one of the most daunting is the packing and repacking of our gear. Packing to come hear was pretty easy but we had to pack for more climates than you might think at first glance. At the beach it was hot and we needed little but up in the mountains it is cold. Not only that we are going from hot to cold to hot and back one more time to cold. And a different kind of hot.
Cotopaxi volcano 'zen park' and the Hacienda
Today 2/22 we took a road trip to our next destination, part 3C. Our driver Oswaldo for the waterfall tour took us. We went around a couple of cities and had awesome helados de Salcedo, a special layered ice cream treat from the town of Salcedo. It is a wide layered popsicle with cream flavor around a bit of guanabana jam then mora, ron pasas, fruitilla, and taxo in stripes. The highways were nice and modern until we turned off for the last 20K to our hacienda. 20k on big gravel is a bit grueling but the place here is worth the ride. Hacienda Los Mortiños is a beautiful big house with attentive staff. All the guests for the weekend left and we are apparently the only people here so we got two rooms for the price of one. We are way up here, past 3600 meters, on the shoulder of Cotopaxi which tops out at 5900 meters. Upon our arrival, Cotopaxi peaked out of the clouds but then it turned to heavy rain then hail during during our first walk. The hacienda is alone in a rocky shrubby field with big hills and four mountains around. The haciendas up here are big old farm buildings from when the Spanish took over the farming and indebted the natives. A couple are still farms but most are now hotels.
On 2/23 we woke up to a hearty breakfast then had a horse back tour of Parque Nacional Cotopaxi. I rode a horse once over 30 years ago. Steph rode some on her farm long ago. That is our level of experience. Our great baquero/cowboy Patricio rode the only skittish horse and led Lumia. The rest of us had a short lesson on stop, go, left, and right and we were off. My horse Castaña/Chestnut seemed content to follow the pack and would only hurry about every fourth time I urged him forward. Steph's horse was Moro, Cael's little horse was Petufo (Spanish for Smurf), and Lumia's was Dorado. Cael was a quick study and managed his morse well with some guidance from his Madre.
Up here we are in alpine meadow with flowers and shrubs but all the grass is pretty short as there are herds of wild horses and cows. Weather comes quickly with mostly clouds but Cotapaxi and its two lower neighbors Rumiñahui and Sinchalagua poked their heads out of the clouds a couple of times. It was pretty cold to start but got warm. The hacienda lunch was hearty.
We spent the afternoon hanging out at the hacienda blogging and journaling, doing homework, watching the weather go by, and playing games. The horseback ride was a frequent subject and Cael named our current location the Zen Park after playing that word in Quiddler. Lumia could not stop talking about the ride at bed time. I think we will need to do it again some time after my buttocks recover.
2/24 first thing this morning we woke up to a really clear day and got great pictures of Cotopaxi. Then the kids tried the climbing wall but the spots were made for adult hands and they did not get very high. I'll doctor the pics so they look like they are floating. Then we finally got the kids to hike. We hiked up the old lava flow into the national park by a little stream. There was the remains of a small pine forest but we had found out previously the the pine trees were imports from California and have been cut down so they don't contaminate the national park. We saw little water falls, wild flowers and cows. In the park we went up a hillock where all four mountains were out. We got a great Intrepid Explorers photo. The wild horses stared at us as we wandered around up and down hillocks over lava and pyroclastic flow. We got back for lunch and homework and family time. We have had very good meals here. Tomorrow we will go to Quito for one night then into the Amazon. I packed up my computer so you will have to wait four more days before photo updates. See you soon.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Kids traveling
It is not always easy to travel with kids. Our children are usually awesome. Some times however they argue, hit, scratch, throw a fit. They are just kids and we have taken them way outside of their comfort zone for a long time.
However they will be forever marked by this trip we have undertaken. This is Cael's fourth trip outside of North America and he is very sure about the next two places he wants to go: Paris and Athens.
Cael has mastered Spanish numbers which helps us pay a cabbie and he keeps us laughing. He also has good pronunciation. He has been very willing to try new things, especially odd fruit at the markets. He doesn't always like them but neither do I. He keeps me busy with talk about nerdy things like the Avengers or Lord of the Rings. We are currently discussing the Silmarilion.
Lumia is ever the friend maker. She has made friends now with two sets of little girls which has led us to making friends with two families. She also made friends with our neighbor back at the beach which helped facilitate our weekly neighborhood BBQs.
We planned this as a family trip hoping that they would have a good time. It has been wonderful to spend this time as a family. We are still working up to long hikes.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Baños
On 2/18 we took a regional bus from Ambato to Baños. It was a beautiful ride through the valleys around the local volcano. It was one dollar each. We hit our B&B and then walked up to town to find the Mercado. We shopped, headed home, had a small meal and hit the hay.
On 2/19 we woke up at Casa Verde, a very nice Eco B&B in Baños. It overlooks the Rio Pastaza and is a little out of town. It is beautiful here. We got up and went for a hike up the side of a hill to see the closest water fall. As previously discussed traveling with children can be hard. Making them walk up hills can be hard. We made it up the road and then up the side of the hill to Cascadas de Chamana. We only did one water fall. Baños has 60-70 depending on who is counting and they are not really close to each other. We watched while a tour group of mostly Ecuadorians repelle down the falls and then we had lunch at a tiny place with a German host called Regine's Cafe Aleman. Good goulash.
Bed and Breakfast living is very different then how we have been living. Sharing space and being quiet can be a challenge but meeting more people can be very fun. Casa Verde is run by a family of Aussies/Kiwis who put a great deal of thought into keeping green. Their son is working out well as a play mate for Cael and Lumia. They started out swinging crazily in the hammocks then Cael and the boy played a couple of games of chess.
On 2/20 we went to one of the thermal bath sites as you should do in Baños since it is named for the baths. It is just up the road from our house and we were the only Gringoes. There are multiple pools not all of which are filled every day from hot to freezing. I prefered the warm to cold and we switched back and forth, and chatted with the Bañosians. We took a taxi way up the hill above Baños to a cafe for lunch and some spectacular views of the town. We thought about hiking down, but it seemed pretty step, so we just taxied back home and looked for another hike. That hike did not work so well partially because we did not have the directions with us so we missed the turn for the bridge across the river. By that time we realized we had missed our turn, our kids were already grumpy. And, now looking up at the hike from town we were previously looking down on during lunch, we decided that we had been too ambitious and simply finished our walk into town. We saw some crazy people jumping off the bridge for sport, got our laundry and later returned to downtown. We had a great meal at Casa Hood (do not confuse with Cafe Hood) where we met a nice family from Quito. Their girls and Lumia danced to the duo playing French accordion and ukulele. They are called Leleswing. If you want to look them up on Facebook, I posted a video to their page.
On 2/19 we woke up at Casa Verde, a very nice Eco B&B in Baños. It overlooks the Rio Pastaza and is a little out of town. It is beautiful here. We got up and went for a hike up the side of a hill to see the closest water fall. As previously discussed traveling with children can be hard. Making them walk up hills can be hard. We made it up the road and then up the side of the hill to Cascadas de Chamana. We only did one water fall. Baños has 60-70 depending on who is counting and they are not really close to each other. We watched while a tour group of mostly Ecuadorians repelle down the falls and then we had lunch at a tiny place with a German host called Regine's Cafe Aleman. Good goulash.
Bed and Breakfast living is very different then how we have been living. Sharing space and being quiet can be a challenge but meeting more people can be very fun. Casa Verde is run by a family of Aussies/Kiwis who put a great deal of thought into keeping green. Their son is working out well as a play mate for Cael and Lumia. They started out swinging crazily in the hammocks then Cael and the boy played a couple of games of chess.
On 2/20 we went to one of the thermal bath sites as you should do in Baños since it is named for the baths. It is just up the road from our house and we were the only Gringoes. There are multiple pools not all of which are filled every day from hot to freezing. I prefered the warm to cold and we switched back and forth, and chatted with the Bañosians. We took a taxi way up the hill above Baños to a cafe for lunch and some spectacular views of the town. We thought about hiking down, but it seemed pretty step, so we just taxied back home and looked for another hike. That hike did not work so well partially because we did not have the directions with us so we missed the turn for the bridge across the river. By that time we realized we had missed our turn, our kids were already grumpy. And, now looking up at the hike from town we were previously looking down on during lunch, we decided that we had been too ambitious and simply finished our walk into town. We saw some crazy people jumping off the bridge for sport, got our laundry and later returned to downtown. We had a great meal at Casa Hood (do not confuse with Cafe Hood) where we met a nice family from Quito. Their girls and Lumia danced to the duo playing French accordion and ukulele. They are called Leleswing. If you want to look them up on Facebook, I posted a video to their page.
Today (2/21) we did the required waterfall tour. Most of the waterfalls fall into the Rio Pastaza so we drove down river and stopped at three main waterfalls and other sites. First was a hydroelectric dam just down from Baños. Then we saw the first of a number of places where you can zip line across the valley. Maybe I should explain. The river gorge we are on is VERY deep. The cliff that Baños sits on is easily 100 meters and that is just the last drop. Then the hill and more cliffs soar up hundresds of meters eventually to the volcano which is 1000 meters higher than Baños. These are not little hills.
Next stop we saw the Bridal Veil falls. Lumia, Steph, our driver and John (the son of out B&B hosts and Lumia's boy friend) took a cable car across the gorge and back. Cael and I declined. They said it was awesome. Next we saw what people claim is the face of Jesus in the raw rocks looking over the gorge. You have to be a just the right angle and have just the right light. Lots of Ecuadorians were taking pictures and crossing themselves. Last and best was the Pailón del Diablo, Devil's Cauldron. It was on the close side of the gorge so we had to walk down a very steep path and a steeper suspension bridge to get a good view of the many leveled falls. We all got wet and it is quite awesome. My pictures do not even come close to showing you how cool it was.
Afterwards we had a mellow afternoon back at the B&B and the kids played with John. Cael is getting homesick and a bit weepy in the afternoon especially if he is hungry. If you are Cael's buddy, he could use a note or two of encouragement right now. We went out for American pub food and he had fish and chips so the rest of the evening was great. Tomorrow we head out to Hacienda Los Mortiños up on the side of an even bigger volcano Cotopaxi. There is no internet there so see you in four days. Love from the Intrepid Explorers.
Rope is cheaper than fences
We left Cuenca for Ambato on Domingo (2/15). The drive was beautiful. We went as high as 11,600 feet. We passed through wet mountains bathed by misty air from the coast, dry high sierra that looked like Winthrop, and then verdant farm land higher than 8000 feet. They farm on the steepest land - I'm not sure how they get up there. At first we could barely see the road in front of us from the clouds but then it cleared enough for us to see the surrounding hills but it never cleared enough to see the mountains of the volcanos. Stephanie noticed that all the cows were pinned with rope leads, not kept behind fences. Our driver said that rope is cheaper than fences.
We arrived to our hotel in Ambato in time to see the parties in the streets after the Carnaval parade. We planned this so that we could be in Ambato for Monday night's Ronda Nocturnal, the Carnaval Night Parade. I'll get to that later. We had a fair night in our tiny room after the street revelers were run out by the police for drinking in the streets. Then a good breakfast and hit the town. (2/16) Ambato is working class and much newer then Cuenca. In fact it has been leveled by earthquakes within the last century so all of the buildings are relatively new concrete, not very attractive construction. The people were in party mode. The main square by the cathedral was full of Ecuadorians eating street food, listening to music, buying crafts and seeing flower exhibits. Ambato's Carnaval is themed as the Festival of fruit and flowers. Have any of you readers ever been to a Carnaval city? Flowers were everywhere from the cathedral altar, business windows, and the parade floats.
Oh the parade! It passed immediately in front of our hotel down a tight two lane street with every space of side walk taken up by Ambatoens of every age. The parade was floats made of fruits and flowers made with actual fruit and flowers and grains. Each had a Carnaval princess waving from the top. Then there were bands and dancers from all over the area and representatives from many other Latin countries - Mexico, Columbia, Brasil. Stephanie was grabbed to dance with first a Mexican dancer then to join a group of retired merenge dancers. Our kids bought caroche, cans of spray foam which is used to spray people for fun all during Carnaval. They were both excited to use them because they had seen the locals spray each other both in Cuenca and Ambato. But, when it came to the end of the parade, they were a little reluctant to spray others. When they got started it was hilarious. Go see our pictures of the parade and epic foam battle.
I should point out that our children are a constant source of interest from open stares to little ladies patting their heads to kids wanting pictures taken with them.
The next day (2/17) we were slow to get up after a late night at the parade. We headed to a little town (Quinsapincha) way up a steep hill to see their leather goods. I tried on a bunch of leather jackets but never found the right one. Steph got a nice backpack. On the way back to town we stopped at a big family park overlooking Ambato. For the way home, we waited for a bus. Ecudorians have little concept of waiting in a line. When the first bus got there everyone shoved past us and got on that bus filling it up. So we waited. Along came a taxi and I waved it down. Unfortunately a girl totally ran past me to jump in. So next bus I did the shoving and got the Scanlon/Hillmans damp seats for a hair raising switch back bus ride. And that's not by far the craziest road in Ecuador. We are skipping that ride.
Today (2/18) we caught a bus to Baños. Baños is snug in a valley on the side of an active volcano. Yes that is right. Tungurahua is as big as any volcano you see in the Cascade mountains but here near the equator 8000 feet is a great place to put a town. It is hot, there are over 60 waterfalls, the gorge is beautiful and there are lots of sporting opportunities. Tomorrow we will hike. Tonight we enjoyed our bed and breakfast at Casa Verde. Their son is a seven year old Aussie crazy kid. Just what our kids needed especially Cael. We are off to bed to sleep with the sound of a river, peepers and maybe volcanic grumbling. Tomorrow? Adventure. Have any of you ever slept on the side of an active volcano?
Items I will not forget to travel with from now on
Can opener
Multi tool
Rope/string
Sewing kit
Padlock
WD40
Glasses fix kit
Superglue
Luggage strap
Lighter
Tiedowns
Bandana
Pepper spray
Probiotics
Tummy temple tonic
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Incan Ecaudor
Once the Incan Empire stretched from Columbia to Argentina. It was as big as any European empire at the time. In Cuenca we have seen three different sites now with Incan ruins. Unfortunately the Empire of the Sun was destroyed by arrogant Europeans who brought smallpox and war.
On 2/11 we saw a hint of the Incan Empire when we went to Todo Santos, a beautiful church/convent complex. The site has been the home of three religions/people: first a Cañari (indigenous people who lived in Ecuador before the Incans) religious site as old as 800 years; then an Incan religious site with two mummies that are currently being excavated which is around 500 years old; and then a chapel that was first built by the Spanish and was the first Catholic church in Cuenca in the 1550s. We were given a tour including the sites I just told you about plus the church, gardens and bakery. Six nuns still live at Todo Santos. We passed one as she was taking her figs up into the main building.
On 2/11 we saw a hint of the Incan Empire when we went to Todo Santos, a beautiful church/convent complex. The site has been the home of three religions/people: first a Cañari (indigenous people who lived in Ecuador before the Incans) religious site as old as 800 years; then an Incan religious site with two mummies that are currently being excavated which is around 500 years old; and then a chapel that was first built by the Spanish and was the first Catholic church in Cuenca in the 1550s. We were given a tour including the sites I just told you about plus the church, gardens and bakery. Six nuns still live at Todo Santos. We passed one as she was taking her figs up into the main building.
We hit a couple of previously viewed artisan shops. I wanted to get some tin work. A little old guy cuts and beats tin into shapes from religious icons to mirror frames to Cuencan scenes. Stephanie wanted to get a special silver filagree necklace by Andrea Tello, a third generation Ecuadorian jeweler who has found international recognition. Purchases made.
Then we went back to our favorite park - Parque de la Madre. The kids ran around and we met a family from Washington D.C., who work at the US embassy. This was a mellow day but still fun.
On 2/12 we journeyed to the Temple of the Sun. The Incan Empire stretched from Argentina to Columbia. The best preserved site in Ecuador is at Ingapirca. We were accompanied by our previous tour guide from way back in December when we got to Ecuador - Priscila. This time her partner and driver was her father-in-law Rolando. They are both proud Cuencans and Ecuadorians who love to show off their homeland. Rolando has been to Ingapirca 5 times. The drive took us up over 3500 meters and down just a little bit. Rolando took us on back roads allowing us to see farms, little towns and a Carnaval Parade. The paraders were decked out in native and Incan costumes and were making music and noise. They squirted us with shaving cream, laughed, gave us a shot of the local hooch and kept in their merry way.
Shortly after that we arrived at Ingapirca. I cannot fully describe how cool this site was and the pictures do not quite show you, but I will do my best. We had a tour guide with nothing but enthusiasm for the site and its history. He brought the place to life with his stories and information.
The Incans built Ingapirca to have control over the local Cañari people. There was some cooperation because the construction has obvious Cañari influences. The Cañai worshiped the moon and were matriarchal. The Incans worshiped the sun and were patriarchal. The archaeological site has two temples. The Cañari Temple to the Moon and the Incan Temple of the Sun. The sun temple had the prototypical Incan precisely cut and carefully placed rectangular stones that didn't require mortar. Different from all other Incan sites, here they used an oval for their religious building, likely due to Cañari influences. A small building was built on top of the oval structure to let in the rising sun in on one side and the setting sun in on the other. It faced directly east and west. At the equinox, the sun shone onto a golden statue set in the wall and at the solstices, the sun shone onto a niche with an altar.
Across the complex, the Cañari temple dedicated to the moon stands - this one in a half moon shape. As more evidence of their moon worship, the Cañaris had a big (4 feet tall, three feet on the face) stone carved with 28 holes with slightly different angles. They were filled with water and used to observe the moon's reflection. One hole for each day of the lunar month. 28 times 13 months plus one day to worship the moon equals 365. Their entire agricultural calendar depended on the cycle of the moon, and still does. Seeds are planted on the fifth day after a new moon.
To the side of the site is a field of rectangular stones that people have been returning to the site from their farms and houses over the years. Maybe some day they will figure out where they go.
All of this site, with the two temples and well-organized outer buildings, is perched on the top of a hill near the top of a ridge looking out over a beautiful valley now dotted with little houses and farms. During our trip, one end of the valley was shrouded with clouds from the warmer wet air from the coast. Llamas walk around the site keeping the grass short. I can say no more about the place - it was an incredible experience.
On the way home our hosts took us to a pig place on the side of the road where the locals cook a whole pig out in the open. It was super yummy but not for the faint of heart.
2/13 our time in Cuenca is drawing near to an end. Today was mellow. We made the kids sleep in. We did homework and went to the park. We had an all-meat lunch at an Uraguayian place with Priscila and José Luis. Then we wandered into town and saw a couple of sites again. Word of advice for traveling with familie: kids do not get hanging out and people watching. We had a final Maracuya Mojito and headed home for dinner. Tomorrow we will pack, go into old town for a few more sites and get some rest for Sunday when we have a six-hour drive through the mountains. I must remember to see if we have enough Dramamine.
Can openers
There is an ongoing issue with can openers in our trip that I must share. Back, long ago, when we arrived at the beach we got a mess of groceries including canned goods and commenced to unpacking.
A day or two later two things happened. Our fridge died and we realized that our can opener was rusted shut. Our nice new neighbor Tony offered his fridge. I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. It was hot there and we needed to cool many things. We had to wait three days for the fridge, I don't know why they can't deliver on Christmas. We looked at the small grocery and around town and there were no can openers to be found. There was even a traveling kitchen store (they set up shop in the town square) where we bought a kettle and a nice frying pan, no can opener. The grocery stores in town sold canned goods and some of them were pull top but not all. Fortunately we could wait for our canned goods, they were not going to go bad. Tony offered to pick up a can opener when he was off in the big town (an hour away). He did not find a can opener in town so he offered his second can opener. He was such a nice guy. His second can opener was also rusted beyond use.
Finally a week later we made the trip to the big town and looked for a can opener at their equivalent of Target. How do you say can opener in Spanish? After asking and wandering the isles we finally found the last can opener on the west coast of Ecuador and it was electric. We got it anyway. I'm sure it will rust out in a season. The story is not over.
Weeks later we have moved from Olon to Cuenca, an actual city with multiple places to shop including a big grocery store. After settling in and doing a great shopping trip to a close grocery store, we discovered that the apartments can opener's gears were stripped. I settled on using it by popping a bit then opening it and moving a bit then popping a bit more all the way around the can slow but it worked. You would think it would be easy to find a can opener in a big city like Cuenca. You would be wrong. First we tried the big grocery store. Steph got berated for not knowing Spanish and they did not have can openers. We looked at a couple of other places including a nice kitchen shop with brands we knew. No can opener. One place suggested Su Casa. Was that a store or were we invited to her house every time we needed a can opened? Finally in the middle of the old town we found a small department store with two kinds of can openers. Of course the kids wanted blue but Steph and I picked orange because it matches the apartment decór. I suggested we get the whole stock, move to the coast and retire on the profits. Is this story over?
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Chocolate - thrice in a day! (okay, maybe four times, but who'scounting?!)
Hi, All, Stephanie here. I had such a lovely birthday with Paul, Cael and Lumia and got to do some teleconferencing with the BEAM team; Janna, with cameos by Gpa Steve and Gma Jody; and the Zimmers. Thanks for making the time to keep in touch - it helps all of us deal with homesickness, that's for sure. I also had many greetings via the book of faces and felt well-loved!
Okay...I'm sure you're wondering exactly how we could possibly enjoy chocolate three times in one day. When I traveled with Andi, Kay, Missy and Martha in Germany, the Czech Republic and to Sweden, we made sure we had multivitamins (aka chocolate) and calcium (aka ice cream) as much as possible. Well, my friends, we fulfilled our quota today!
Our first stop was the Fatima Chocolate factory. We have been using this brochure for walking tours around Cuenca. The descriptions aren't super accurate, so we've encountered some issues. (And, they all say to start at 9a, which really has just not happened too often. We are up by then, certainly, but fed, sunscreened, dressed and out the door...not so much) Back to our day...we got to the factory to take a tour and there was no one around. But, there was a cute old lady with four buckets full of liquid chocolate outside the door. My goodness did that smell wonderful. We debated and walked around the block to see if there was a "real" entrance, which there wasn't so we just went in. Someone graciously gave us a tour (in Spanish so we understood about 10% of it) and sold us some pure chocolate. She showed us the bags that the cocoa beans come in, the ovens where they are baked, the ladies who painstakingly shake the nut out of the shells and the processors that create the liquid cocoa. One of the ladies working on separating the meat from the shells was stomping on the beans with her shoes. I suppose that's a bit like how wine was once made...that's chocolate #1. Bitter, as it were.
We walked into town via upscale artisanal shops featuring an Ecuadorian photographer's Iceland photo exhibit, Ikat (the local weave in this region) scarves, ceramics and a silver filigree shop. Everyone was hungry and lunch was had. I again had the menu del dia, which today included vegetable soup, German sausages and potato salad and the postre was chocolate ice cream. I shared #2 chocolate and calcium with the other family members.
Things shut down between about 1 and 3p so we were looking for something to do while it was quiet, and we found a museum showing the renovation of a convent. Questions flew at us: what does a nun do, could we be nuns, why did they kill Jesus, what's the difference between a nun and a priest, why is this baby Jesus laying on a pink bed in a frilly dress?
Chocolate #3: Tutto Freddo. I'm not sure why we waited this many days for this one - their helado (ice cream) is Out. Of. This. World. Especially the maracuya (passionfruit). I, of course, had chocolate with nuez (nuts) along with the maracuya. Lu had a chocolate cone, Cael and a chocolate shake and Paul had lime and maracuya. Enough of those multivitamins...
We wandered around town a bit more and went through the CEMUART, which was similar to the market Paul described earlier with vegetables on one floor, meat on another and various and sundry other items in the back hallways. And, I guess this would now be Chocolate #4 because one of the vendors gave us a piece of milk chocolate to try when we bought some of the fruit and nut nougat she was selling.
Now, we're at home awaiting stir fried vegetables with rice. We are looking forward to road trips on Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday to village artisanal towns and Thursday to the Incan ruins. Sunday begins two weeks of touring up the avenue of volcanos - Ambato for Carnaval, Banos near a live volcano, a hacienda near Cotapaxi and then the Amazon for four days. We finish off our time with a week in Quito. Looking forward to our continued adventures. We love to hear from you, please drop us a line and let us know how you're doing!
Love from SPCL
Okay...I'm sure you're wondering exactly how we could possibly enjoy chocolate three times in one day. When I traveled with Andi, Kay, Missy and Martha in Germany, the Czech Republic and to Sweden, we made sure we had multivitamins (aka chocolate) and calcium (aka ice cream) as much as possible. Well, my friends, we fulfilled our quota today!
Our first stop was the Fatima Chocolate factory. We have been using this brochure for walking tours around Cuenca. The descriptions aren't super accurate, so we've encountered some issues. (And, they all say to start at 9a, which really has just not happened too often. We are up by then, certainly, but fed, sunscreened, dressed and out the door...not so much) Back to our day...we got to the factory to take a tour and there was no one around. But, there was a cute old lady with four buckets full of liquid chocolate outside the door. My goodness did that smell wonderful. We debated and walked around the block to see if there was a "real" entrance, which there wasn't so we just went in. Someone graciously gave us a tour (in Spanish so we understood about 10% of it) and sold us some pure chocolate. She showed us the bags that the cocoa beans come in, the ovens where they are baked, the ladies who painstakingly shake the nut out of the shells and the processors that create the liquid cocoa. One of the ladies working on separating the meat from the shells was stomping on the beans with her shoes. I suppose that's a bit like how wine was once made...that's chocolate #1. Bitter, as it were.
We walked into town via upscale artisanal shops featuring an Ecuadorian photographer's Iceland photo exhibit, Ikat (the local weave in this region) scarves, ceramics and a silver filigree shop. Everyone was hungry and lunch was had. I again had the menu del dia, which today included vegetable soup, German sausages and potato salad and the postre was chocolate ice cream. I shared #2 chocolate and calcium with the other family members.
Things shut down between about 1 and 3p so we were looking for something to do while it was quiet, and we found a museum showing the renovation of a convent. Questions flew at us: what does a nun do, could we be nuns, why did they kill Jesus, what's the difference between a nun and a priest, why is this baby Jesus laying on a pink bed in a frilly dress?
Chocolate #3: Tutto Freddo. I'm not sure why we waited this many days for this one - their helado (ice cream) is Out. Of. This. World. Especially the maracuya (passionfruit). I, of course, had chocolate with nuez (nuts) along with the maracuya. Lu had a chocolate cone, Cael and a chocolate shake and Paul had lime and maracuya. Enough of those multivitamins...
We wandered around town a bit more and went through the CEMUART, which was similar to the market Paul described earlier with vegetables on one floor, meat on another and various and sundry other items in the back hallways. And, I guess this would now be Chocolate #4 because one of the vendors gave us a piece of milk chocolate to try when we bought some of the fruit and nut nougat she was selling.
Now, we're at home awaiting stir fried vegetables with rice. We are looking forward to road trips on Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday to village artisanal towns and Thursday to the Incan ruins. Sunday begins two weeks of touring up the avenue of volcanos - Ambato for Carnaval, Banos near a live volcano, a hacienda near Cotapaxi and then the Amazon for four days. We finish off our time with a week in Quito. Looking forward to our continued adventures. We love to hear from you, please drop us a line and let us know how you're doing!
Love from SPCL
Traditions
Today (2/10) we took at tour of the little towns up in the hills near Cuenca where some of the traditional crafts come from. Traditional people are there too. The tribal customs are prevalent and you see, especially the old ladies, dressed in straw hats, colorful velvet skirts with sequined and metallic embroidery. These women can be seen all over town selling produce, making crafts (crocheting or hand weaving Ecuadorian sombreros), or walking with kids,
Our tour started with Emilio picking us up in his taxi. He speaks great English having lived in Minneapolis for years. He took us east and then south and commented on local history and landscape along the way. We passed Incan ruins that were atop a distant hill. We went to the towns of Gualaceo, Chordeleg and Sisig. Our first stop was at a weaver called Casa de la Makana. The owner, at least fourth generation, showed how the traditional cloth was made from spinning, dying and weaving. He demonstrated that the dies are made from single natural ingredients such as crushed bugs for red, then add some lime for orange and baking soda for purple, to clay for grey. Then he got on the floor and showed us the looms and how they put the patterns in such as humming birds. The finished work was wonderful.
Then in an unexpected stop we toured a orchid botanical operation. Ecuagenera grows, breeds, studies and shows thousands of types of orchids. Their garden was beautiful. The orchids come from Ecuador but also from all over South America. They take themselves very seriously. Go check out their website and see our pictures.
We then made our way to the town known for silver jewelry. Most notably for silver filigree. The silver originally came from the area and was mined back to Incan times but I don't know if it still is. The town Chordeleg is cute and kind of Bavarian looking up the mountains. However the street is lined with jewelry stores with all sorts of garish things but the traditional work is still beautiful. They are proud of their one very well know design (see below) work by the natives and it is represented in their street decorations, carved doors and other public art. They take the finest silver wire and wrap it into simple to very complex shape from spiral circles to life size orchids.
Our tour started with Emilio picking us up in his taxi. He speaks great English having lived in Minneapolis for years. He took us east and then south and commented on local history and landscape along the way. We passed Incan ruins that were atop a distant hill. We went to the towns of Gualaceo, Chordeleg and Sisig. Our first stop was at a weaver called Casa de la Makana. The owner, at least fourth generation, showed how the traditional cloth was made from spinning, dying and weaving. He demonstrated that the dies are made from single natural ingredients such as crushed bugs for red, then add some lime for orange and baking soda for purple, to clay for grey. Then he got on the floor and showed us the looms and how they put the patterns in such as humming birds. The finished work was wonderful.
Then in an unexpected stop we toured a orchid botanical operation. Ecuagenera grows, breeds, studies and shows thousands of types of orchids. Their garden was beautiful. The orchids come from Ecuador but also from all over South America. They take themselves very seriously. Go check out their website and see our pictures.
We then made our way to the town known for silver jewelry. Most notably for silver filigree. The silver originally came from the area and was mined back to Incan times but I don't know if it still is. The town Chordeleg is cute and kind of Bavarian looking up the mountains. However the street is lined with jewelry stores with all sorts of garish things but the traditional work is still beautiful. They are proud of their one very well know design (see below) work by the natives and it is represented in their street decorations, carved doors and other public art. They take the finest silver wire and wrap it into simple to very complex shape from spiral circles to life size orchids.
We had a filling meal in Chordeleg and made our way further to see a Ecuador hat making Co-op. The weavers were not there but we go to see their fine work. Every other woman we passed on this day was weaving one of these hats by hand even as they were walking along. We also got out and walked along a local river park where preparations are underway for Carnaval. We also got squirted through window by a local rapscallion.
We wound further up the hills until we came to our driver's favorite destination. The Route of the Guitars. There are at least 7 guitar making shops way up here where the guys build guitars from scratch and make the most beautiful inlaid wooden decorations. Rene showed us how they make the inlay by planing paper thin strips of wood, dying them, gluing them together in a pattern. They the cut them in tiny pieces and put them together in beautiful patterns. He does not have a website so you will have to go look at my pictures. Then his son played El Condor Pasa which was made famous by Simon and Garfunkel.
The pride shown in the faces and the fingers of the people we met. I hope they are able to continue these traditions. We passed up over the hills and back down in Cuenca. Our driver will also take us to Ambato this coming Sunday for the next leg of our adventure.
Monday, February 9, 2015
4 days of blogging
Two days ago I almost finished a great blog post them I lost it somewhere in the internets. I fell behind. Now I have four great days to tell you about.
2/6 we walked back into town. First we walked around our neighborhood a bit and found a square where the school was showing off for their version of field day. The kids were doing dances for their families. There was lots of kids in uniform and costumes and loud distorted music. Everyone was having a great time. We then walked thought the University of Cuenca. It is a small pretty campus. We walked up a great set of steps that were decorated with murals. There are lots of murals all over town from trippy psychedelia to historic figures to folk art. At the top of the hill was a good restaurant we had heard of for lunch.
2/5 we got up and hurried to open market just near our house. I wish I had taken pictures but too many people have warned us of thieves We have not yet been robbed. I should have just taken pictures. Anyway it was a market building but on Thursdays the mountain ladies come in and bring lots of beautiful produce. They also had cheese, meat and the Andean delicacy of Guinea pig. We got some yummy smoked queso fresco. I'm munching on some right now. Then we went into town for the bus tour. We saw many of the places we have already seen while walking and the tour was mostly in Spanish, so I/we did not learn much. However it was a beautiful day and we did get up to the top of the hill near our apartment for a spectacular view of the city - Mirador de Turi. You must go see those photos. Afterwards we had lunch right next to the new cathedral at Raymipampa and ate Ecuadorian, which is really economical. You ask for the Menu del Dia and they bring you a bowl of soup, an entree, juice and a dessert. Stephanie had it and it was a pork/potato soup, a chicken and pepper with rice entree, pineapple juice and a guava sauce with a biscuit. Very yummy. We walked around the cathedral to the flower market and Steph got some loverly salmon gladiolas and white tuberose. Cael and I got hair cuts from a gay Columbia who knew everyone that walked by his shop. I was a little worried that he would lop off an ear while looking out the window to see who was walking by. Freshly shorn and with two ears we walked back home stopping by a wine shop. The sales guy gave us a number of local recommendations so we would be sure to enjoy his city.
We put our flowers in water and went to the little park just down the street. Cael played basketball with us then with a local kid named Ben, Stephanie talked with his mom Margot. Lumia played with a girl who lived right next to the park and they chased around a little boy. It was nice to meet people. The men from the neighborhood who had just finished work for the electric company nearby got out the volleyball net and played. It in a popular sport here with the guys. They were playing in Olon too. However there are a few things that make it very different. For instance they are all short and they put the net way up high. There is no spiking. They also almost hold the ball while passing it. Either way they are having fun and being macho.
We put our flowers in water and went to the little park just down the street. Cael played basketball with us then with a local kid named Ben, Stephanie talked with his mom Margot. Lumia played with a girl who lived right next to the park and they chased around a little boy. It was nice to meet people. The men from the neighborhood who had just finished work for the electric company nearby got out the volleyball net and played. It in a popular sport here with the guys. They were playing in Olon too. However there are a few things that make it very different. For instance they are all short and they put the net way up high. There is no spiking. They also almost hold the ball while passing it. Either way they are having fun and being macho.
2/6 we walked back into town. First we walked around our neighborhood a bit and found a square where the school was showing off for their version of field day. The kids were doing dances for their families. There was lots of kids in uniform and costumes and loud distorted music. Everyone was having a great time. We then walked thought the University of Cuenca. It is a small pretty campus. We walked up a great set of steps that were decorated with murals. There are lots of murals all over town from trippy psychedelia to historic figures to folk art. At the top of the hill was a good restaurant we had heard of for lunch.
We looked at the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno but decided to do the museum later during the hottest part of the day. We then had lunch at great spot on the Plaza de San Sebastián called San Sebas. The owners are from Austin, Texas, and called it Cuenca's Diner. They had started it as a coffee shop and now it's a great little cafe that seems to focus more on gringo style food, including big breakfasts and salads. (They also had a banana peanut butter chocolate chip cake...that we didn't order. However, I'm still thinking about it this many days later...maybe we'll have to go back before we leave!)
After lunch we walked up the street to Casa de la Posadas, one of the oldest buildings in Cuenca. It is a great example of simple colonial style that has been spotlessly renovated. Now it is an art gallery with two courtyards of natural art. The art is paintings of a type of Ecuadorian tree, Guayacanes, that blooms bright yellow around this time of year. The guard showed us around.
Next we went to the mostly empty Museum of Modern Art. There was one really good Ecuadoran artist that we liked, Luis Crespo Ordóñez. His early stuff was pretty representative but his later stuff was like Matisse.
After lunch we walked up the street to Casa de la Posadas, one of the oldest buildings in Cuenca. It is a great example of simple colonial style that has been spotlessly renovated. Now it is an art gallery with two courtyards of natural art. The art is paintings of a type of Ecuadorian tree, Guayacanes, that blooms bright yellow around this time of year. The guard showed us around.
Next we went to the mostly empty Museum of Modern Art. There was one really good Ecuadoran artist that we liked, Luis Crespo Ordóñez. His early stuff was pretty representative but his later stuff was like Matisse.
This whole day's activities were around the wonderful Plaza de San Sebastián. We kept coming back to it. Blue skies with fluffy white clouds against the plaza's big trees, a beautiful old church, light traffic, and other old buildings make for my favorite square. We ended the afternoon with a Belgian beer and jugo (mora is a favorite but this one also tasted a bit of garlic) while watching the locals come and go. Four kids started a water fight and Cael and Lumia chased pigeons.
Water and flour fights are a common occurrence at Mardi Gras in Ecuador. We have been squirted from moving cars and I have seen water balloons being thrown.
2/7 This day we really did two things: the zoo and pizza. The zoo was quite an experience. In the guides, it said it was not for the infirm. That is an understatement. It is a hike up the side of a steep hill with dirt paths and log stairs. We were often out of breath. This is however a nice zoo. Family favorites were the Andean Condor which landed right in front of us. It is a huge ugly bird but in flight it is amazing. The lions (not from Ecuador) were fed horse pieces (probably from Ecuador) right in front of us. There was lots of growling and fighting for choice pieces then lots of bone crunching. There were also alpacas, crocodiles, caymins, macaws, dart frogs, eagles, and a lone Galapagos tortoise.
Then we went home and did some homework. Did I mention before that the kids are keeping up with school work? We want to get as much done here in Cuenca because out next four stops are very touristy and we will have little down time.
Pizza was back in town at a frequently suggested Argentinian pizza place called Marea. It was thin crust pizza. The kids got the usual but Steph and I got the fig, blue cheese and honey. Oh man was that good. It was gone before I got a picture. We will make it for you soon.
2/8 HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE! The weather looked ominous. The kids made birthday cards and Steph had fruit, granola and yogurt in bed. We got dressed up and went out for a wonderful English Roast. The cook used to work at St Paul's in London and the host was properly British. We had house-cured lox on potato pancakes, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes and carrots, and creme brulee. Cael, Lumia and I snuck a candle to the hostess and Stephanie was pleasantly surprised when we all sang her happy birthday and she got to blow out a candle. Lumia had barely been able to contain herself with that secret but we pulled it off.
Then we took a long walk to a park that we heard had gringos and their kids playing. There were plenty of people in this huge multipurpose park and we got some playing in but then it started to rain. home again with some more homework then a birthday dinner of Salad Niçoise.
Water and flour fights are a common occurrence at Mardi Gras in Ecuador. We have been squirted from moving cars and I have seen water balloons being thrown.
2/7 This day we really did two things: the zoo and pizza. The zoo was quite an experience. In the guides, it said it was not for the infirm. That is an understatement. It is a hike up the side of a steep hill with dirt paths and log stairs. We were often out of breath. This is however a nice zoo. Family favorites were the Andean Condor which landed right in front of us. It is a huge ugly bird but in flight it is amazing. The lions (not from Ecuador) were fed horse pieces (probably from Ecuador) right in front of us. There was lots of growling and fighting for choice pieces then lots of bone crunching. There were also alpacas, crocodiles, caymins, macaws, dart frogs, eagles, and a lone Galapagos tortoise.
Then we went home and did some homework. Did I mention before that the kids are keeping up with school work? We want to get as much done here in Cuenca because out next four stops are very touristy and we will have little down time.
Pizza was back in town at a frequently suggested Argentinian pizza place called Marea. It was thin crust pizza. The kids got the usual but Steph and I got the fig, blue cheese and honey. Oh man was that good. It was gone before I got a picture. We will make it for you soon.
2/8 HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE! The weather looked ominous. The kids made birthday cards and Steph had fruit, granola and yogurt in bed. We got dressed up and went out for a wonderful English Roast. The cook used to work at St Paul's in London and the host was properly British. We had house-cured lox on potato pancakes, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes and carrots, and creme brulee. Cael, Lumia and I snuck a candle to the hostess and Stephanie was pleasantly surprised when we all sang her happy birthday and she got to blow out a candle. Lumia had barely been able to contain herself with that secret but we pulled it off.
Then we took a long walk to a park that we heard had gringos and their kids playing. There were plenty of people in this huge multipurpose park and we got some playing in but then it started to rain. home again with some more homework then a birthday dinner of Salad Niçoise.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Cuenca
I love this town. I should tell you a little about it and then tell you what we did these last two days, Cuenca is at 8200 feet in the Andes. It is in a high green valley where four rivers come together. It is along the old Incan road that connected the empire's northernmost reaches in Ecuador to its capitol Cusco in Peru. However it was a Canari town before that starting in 500 AD. It was called Tomebamba by the Incans and one river running through town is still called that. They also called it Pumapungo. Then the Spaniards came in the 1550s and claimed it thinking it might be El Dorado but the Incans burned and ran. It became independent in 1820. Much of the Colonial period architecture is still there and much of the newer construction in the old town is colonial style.
Yesterday (2/3) we went to the Homero Ortega hat factory. There is no such thing as a Panama hat. Teddy Roosevelt named them that because he saw them in Panama but they were imported there from Ecuador and then to the world. Ecuadorians have been making palm leaf hats long before the Spaniards came and only changed their style. "The history of toquilla straw shows deep ancestral roots. When the Spaniards disembarked centuries ago, they saw natives covering their heads with a strange woven article similar to “vampire wings.” In 1630 Francisco Delgado persuaded them to convert them into brimless hats, or “toquillas,” and in 1796 Charles the V promoted the creation of craft guilds, among them was the “straw hat” guild. This article is the legacy and fusion of two cultures, which has lasted until today in all its splendor." -Homero Ortega Website. Go check it out here. Homero Ortega uses native weavers and shapers, The finishes for the hats in done in Cuenca and then shipped all over the world. They employ over 150,000 (i think this might have been a cultural gap - maybe 15,000) Ecuadorians. It can be a long process. The hats Cael and I got were probably super quick, woven in 2-3 days, the highest quality hats are had woven by palm strands at thin as thread, take 5-8 months to weave and fetch thousands of dollars. We learned all this on the tour, go see the pictures. We had a super friendly tour guide and were fitted personally in the store. One of Homer's sons came in to personally see that we had good pictures taken of our whole family with their great hats.
We lunched with the kind lawyer couple who helped us when we were out in Olon - Grace and Nelson. They are friends of Sandra's and they made sure the house was ready to go when we arrived in December. Nelson was at the beach house when we arrived helping with some of the finishing work and keeping the "architect" (aka contractor) honest. They also stopped by the house mid-January, but that was also a bit strained, as we had a punch list of things the architect might have paid better attention to and then there was the small issue of water leaking out of the back of the house. So, having a quiet, relaxed lunch when we talked about their favorite parts of Ecuador, their families and their business was a nice connection not strained by topics such as septic tanks and internet hookups! They are quite accomplished as lawyers with 80% of their clients being expats. Nelson did say during lunch that not many Ecuadorians needs lawyers...so, it's probably a wise business decision to engage the foreigners as clients.
Afterwards we made our way back home but stopped at the Parque de la Madre in our neighborhood. The kids climbed and zipped lined. Lumia was followed around by a little girl and Cael got to play soccer for a little bit.
Today (2/4) we tried to go to one museum but it was closed. That's okay, the museum we did go to was awesome. The Museon Pumapungo had a standard art exhibit of a local guy James Pilco. He is a doctor and a painter. Some of his art is creepy but his paintings of kids are great, full of emotion and action. There was a whole floor showing a little bit about 15 or so native groups all in Ecuador from jungle headhunters to tropical fishers to mountain crafts people. But my favorite part was the combination archaeological Incan ruins of Pumapungo with a garden of native and Ecuadorian domesticated plants. It sat perched on a hill looking over half the city. Down at the bottom below the Incan terraces was the native gardens and a recovering native bird program.
Then we had a very american meal of hamburgers with Ecuadorian cocktails at the INCAN Lounge and Bistro. Afterwards we headed home for a movie night. Buenos Noches.
Yesterday (2/3) we went to the Homero Ortega hat factory. There is no such thing as a Panama hat. Teddy Roosevelt named them that because he saw them in Panama but they were imported there from Ecuador and then to the world. Ecuadorians have been making palm leaf hats long before the Spaniards came and only changed their style. "The history of toquilla straw shows deep ancestral roots. When the Spaniards disembarked centuries ago, they saw natives covering their heads with a strange woven article similar to “vampire wings.” In 1630 Francisco Delgado persuaded them to convert them into brimless hats, or “toquillas,” and in 1796 Charles the V promoted the creation of craft guilds, among them was the “straw hat” guild. This article is the legacy and fusion of two cultures, which has lasted until today in all its splendor." -Homero Ortega Website. Go check it out here. Homero Ortega uses native weavers and shapers, The finishes for the hats in done in Cuenca and then shipped all over the world. They employ over 150,000 (i think this might have been a cultural gap - maybe 15,000) Ecuadorians. It can be a long process. The hats Cael and I got were probably super quick, woven in 2-3 days, the highest quality hats are had woven by palm strands at thin as thread, take 5-8 months to weave and fetch thousands of dollars. We learned all this on the tour, go see the pictures. We had a super friendly tour guide and were fitted personally in the store. One of Homer's sons came in to personally see that we had good pictures taken of our whole family with their great hats.
We lunched with the kind lawyer couple who helped us when we were out in Olon - Grace and Nelson. They are friends of Sandra's and they made sure the house was ready to go when we arrived in December. Nelson was at the beach house when we arrived helping with some of the finishing work and keeping the "architect" (aka contractor) honest. They also stopped by the house mid-January, but that was also a bit strained, as we had a punch list of things the architect might have paid better attention to and then there was the small issue of water leaking out of the back of the house. So, having a quiet, relaxed lunch when we talked about their favorite parts of Ecuador, their families and their business was a nice connection not strained by topics such as septic tanks and internet hookups! They are quite accomplished as lawyers with 80% of their clients being expats. Nelson did say during lunch that not many Ecuadorians needs lawyers...so, it's probably a wise business decision to engage the foreigners as clients.
Afterwards we made our way back home but stopped at the Parque de la Madre in our neighborhood. The kids climbed and zipped lined. Lumia was followed around by a little girl and Cael got to play soccer for a little bit.
Today (2/4) we tried to go to one museum but it was closed. That's okay, the museum we did go to was awesome. The Museon Pumapungo had a standard art exhibit of a local guy James Pilco. He is a doctor and a painter. Some of his art is creepy but his paintings of kids are great, full of emotion and action. There was a whole floor showing a little bit about 15 or so native groups all in Ecuador from jungle headhunters to tropical fishers to mountain crafts people. But my favorite part was the combination archaeological Incan ruins of Pumapungo with a garden of native and Ecuadorian domesticated plants. It sat perched on a hill looking over half the city. Down at the bottom below the Incan terraces was the native gardens and a recovering native bird program.
Then we had a very american meal of hamburgers with Ecuadorian cocktails at the INCAN Lounge and Bistro. Afterwards we headed home for a movie night. Buenos Noches.
Monday, February 2, 2015
And now for something completely different
Now we are more on the tourist side of our trip. We did a day walking Cuenca and saw some of the sites.
First in just our neighborhood we found a great deli and a flower shop. We also found where our friend from Olon, Andy Cox, will be working starting next week. He will be the new head of the Cambridge Spanish Teaching School. It is just down the road.
Next we walked into the old center of town and stopped by our the office for Grace and Nelson, with whom we have communicated a lot while in Olón as they are lawyers and represent our friend Sandra whose house we stayed in. We worked with them when we ran into any issues. They suggested a great Italian place for dinner. We were greeted by and waited on by the owner.
This morning at the ecuador tourism office we got a map of Cuenca that suggested 5 walking tours so we decided to do number 4. It started at the center of the old town at the 'new' cathedral. Very pretty with blue painted domes. The square across the street was full of families, school kids and business people. On the same square is the 'old' cathedral where theybare slowly peeling off years of plain paint to show the old frescos underneath. There was a beautiful attached courtyard with a very nice artisan store. Lumia picked out a purse in which she put her pennies and our map. They had lovely alpaca sweaters that reminded Steph of the finer Icelandic sweaters she has seen. They had them in a rainbow of colors. The scarves, hats and gloves were all very gorgeous. They also featured more of the tagua (vegetarian ivory) jewelry.
Then we wandered around old town looking at cool old buildings and made it to the big food market. On the bottom floor was meat, middle floor produce and the top floor were places to eat lunch. The comida a consisted of tiny little kitchens with an island and a bench or a few chairs in front of them where people squeeze together and fill their bellies. I think we need to go by around 1-3 to fully grasp the atmosphere. We walked by a place with a group of old (cute - steph's edit) gentlemen and asked what they were eating. They kindly gave up their seats for Steph and we ate their suggested corn pancakes and yucca cakes with cheese.
By now our dogs were tired so we wandered back through town stopping by an artisanal market to check out the goods. Got Lu some ice cream and went grocery shopping and got Cael some Skittles. (Channeling Marshawn?) We got these great little sour fruits, supplies (wine) and dinner then we took a cab home. The kids were tired and crashed. Go see all the great photos.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Travel adventures again and arrival at part 2 of Intrepid ExplorersEcuador Tour from Steph
Hola amigos y amigas!
We are safe and sound in Cuenca. We had a lovely send off from our friends in Olón. Thank you Anna, Lily, Karin and Dave for your sweet goodbyes. Lumia started crying hard as soon as we got about a kilometer out of town.
But we had another crazy travel day! We arrived in guayaquil just fine and got our extra luggage to the hotel. Then, we made our way to the van center and ended up getting a ride with a guy in a pickup instead of a van with more people. So, it was just the four of us, which made me a little nervous to be on our own with him instead of in a van. But, we settled into being comfortable after exchanging names and getting some crop information. I did have to ask him why it looked like we were on empty and he told me the gas gauge didn't work.
Then, sitting at a stoplight all of a sudden there was a pickup careening diagonally toward us after squeezing its way between a stopped regional bus and another lane of cars. It slid past us and into the ditch. Disaster avoided by a couple of feet. Armpits sweaty and hearts a-thumping we drove away. Our driver Juan crossed himself when we went by the very next church. Certainly that could happen anywhere. Thank goodness it ended well for us.
But then...we made our way up into the mountains thorough the rain and curvy roads. All of a sudden when we were near the top of the pass, Juan said, "uno memento," grabbed his things and another guy Carlos jumped in to drive! Another person to get used to and wonder about. Luckily, the skies cleared and we were able to enjoy the beautiful drive down from the mountains and to our apartment where our very kind landlord was waiting for us. I had informed him too of our sketchy transport situation so he could be on the lookout for us. All ended well.
Julio took me to the grocery store and we are now watching the super bowl eating hamburgers! And the Hawks just tied it up! Go Hawks.
We are here for two weeks with wifi and a very stocked grocery store. It will be an adjustment from the heat - we will handle it.
Let us know how you're doing and thank your favorite deity for our safe arrival to Part 2.
We are safe and sound in Cuenca. We had a lovely send off from our friends in Olón. Thank you Anna, Lily, Karin and Dave for your sweet goodbyes. Lumia started crying hard as soon as we got about a kilometer out of town.
But we had another crazy travel day! We arrived in guayaquil just fine and got our extra luggage to the hotel. Then, we made our way to the van center and ended up getting a ride with a guy in a pickup instead of a van with more people. So, it was just the four of us, which made me a little nervous to be on our own with him instead of in a van. But, we settled into being comfortable after exchanging names and getting some crop information. I did have to ask him why it looked like we were on empty and he told me the gas gauge didn't work.
Then, sitting at a stoplight all of a sudden there was a pickup careening diagonally toward us after squeezing its way between a stopped regional bus and another lane of cars. It slid past us and into the ditch. Disaster avoided by a couple of feet. Armpits sweaty and hearts a-thumping we drove away. Our driver Juan crossed himself when we went by the very next church. Certainly that could happen anywhere. Thank goodness it ended well for us.
But then...we made our way up into the mountains thorough the rain and curvy roads. All of a sudden when we were near the top of the pass, Juan said, "uno memento," grabbed his things and another guy Carlos jumped in to drive! Another person to get used to and wonder about. Luckily, the skies cleared and we were able to enjoy the beautiful drive down from the mountains and to our apartment where our very kind landlord was waiting for us. I had informed him too of our sketchy transport situation so he could be on the lookout for us. All ended well.
Julio took me to the grocery store and we are now watching the super bowl eating hamburgers! And the Hawks just tied it up! Go Hawks.
We are here for two weeks with wifi and a very stocked grocery store. It will be an adjustment from the heat - we will handle it.
Let us know how you're doing and thank your favorite deity for our safe arrival to Part 2.
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