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My New Haircut
I ditched the ponytail, wanting to see how much curl I'd end up with once I removed the weight of the long hair. Lots of friends tell me my new 'do makes me look younger. FROM THE COAST, TO THE MOUNTAINS, TO THE JUNGLE
OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER ADVENTURES IN ECUADOR
Greetings from Banos where I am currently house-sitting and pet-sitting for my friend Shana who is in the US with her daughter and grandsons. Her house here is located directly at the base of Tungurahua Volcano and the past two weeks the volcano has become increasingly active. Yesterday it reached Red Alert level of activity, so Maxi the dog and I slept down in town. Mama Tungurahua seems to be a lot calmer today after having let loose some massive pent up pressure so I’m headed back home up the hill. At the end of this blog entry you will see a series of photos showing how the volcano has looked over the past six weeks.
This blog will cover two months, October and November. Usually I try to write a blog each month, but as many of you know during the month of November I was writing something else. I accepted a challenge – NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and each November they challenge wannabe authors (like me) to finally let loose
Max & Chia - Pet-sitting
Big dog Max is almost 13! He's so sweet and gentle with his kitty, Chia. They like to cuddle! He even lets her lick his ears. (more doggie pix at the very end) and DO IT – so I DID! But more on that later….back to the beginning of October.
The first few days of Oct I was finishing with repairs on my Alandaluz cabana, preparing to turn it over to a French couple who has now been renting it for 2 ½ months with an eye to purchase (I hope I hope). They have two more weeks there, and will return in January to rent it again and make a final decision. Keep your fingers and toes crossed…I’m ready to close my chapter of coastal land ownership. My heart is now in Banos, 3 hrs SE of Quito, halfway down the Andes towards the Amazon Basin.
By the 2nd week in Oct I was back at Hosteria Mandala, managing the hotel for only a short 8 day stint this time, filling in until the full-time permanent manager arrived from Argentina. She has a visa for only a year, so hopefully I will be back at Mandala next Oct to fill in for the owners while they travel. I have to admit, during those 8 days (which
"Working" at Mandala
I had one last hurrah, a short 8 day stint filling in at the hotel. Nine month old Carbon is a big, goofy Dane puppy - a big bundle of love. sometimes felt like 8 weeks) I asked myself how I had managed to keep up that pace for 2 or 3 months. It seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. Supposedly it was low season, yet the hotel was at least 80% full for most of the week. I really enjoyed cuddling with the dogs when I had a free moment. Carbon, the black Great Dane puppy was 10 months old and taller than the tables. At that awkward adolescent boy stag with no concept of how big his body really is, Carbon would bump into and knock over everything and everyone in his path. Big goofy love of a dog!
After finishing the hotel management job I moved back to Alandaluz, into one of my smaller cabanas for a few days. It was a great opportunity to get to know Patrick and Lydia, the 50-something French couple who was staying in my large cabana and who may buy my property. Since they lived in Florida for 13 years, they both speak English quite well, but neither knows much Spanish. I introduced them to some of the French- and English-speaking neighbors,
A Favorite Statue in Quito
I love this city park on the broad median of Avenida Mariana de Jesus, a road which stretches up the slope to the western hills of Quito valley. Great views! as well as some of my Ecuadorian friends. Of course I took them up to Salango to meet my adopted family. Patrick is an avid fisherman, and Fernando (my papi) has shown him some good fishing spots. At last word from my friend Beatriz (Fernando’s daughter) Patrick and Lydia had gone over to their house to fix them a meal, throwing Mama out of the kitchen and insisting she let them do all the cooking! I sincerely hope that the kindness of the locals will be a major factor in their deciding to buy & stay!
I had great company for the long drive up the Andes (actually, the roads have been greatly improved and we made it in just over 8 hours!) Paola came with me -- she is an Ecuadorian woman who has a Spanish school in Puerto Lopez, but she’s hoping to also start offering English courses for people in the tourism industry there. She came with me to the BIB (Biblioteca Interactiva de Banos – the Children’s Library where I volunteer) to learn about the curriculm of their adult English classes. She actually returned to Banos a month
Natural Hotsprings
The Salado hot bath complex is still under renovation, but a 10 minute walk further up we found this pool alongside the rushing river. Ahh!! later with an American volunteer who had just arrived in Ecuador and plans to stay at least a year, helping Paola to get the English School off the ground. Jane is from Georgia and just finished 2 yrs of Peace Corps in Guatemala. I loved her “can do” attitude. Paola, Jane and I did some exploring around Banos and we discovered a natural hot spring right alongside the river, just a 10-15 minute walk up the hill from Shana’s house.
I drove Shana up to Quito to catch her flight, and I took the opportunity to do my annual doctors’ visits. I have good local insurance which covers all of my diagnostic tests which I can have done all the same day at the company’s own clinic and lab. The gynecologist sent me for a mammogram, bone density tests, sonograms and a full blood screening – the total cost of all the tests came to less than $20! When he was examining me, my blood pressure was what he called ‘dangerously high’ (145/95) and he wouldn’t let me out the door of the clinic until I saw a cardiologist. Alas, I now
Ready to Write!!
I dug up my old travel journals (stored for years in a box marked 'book fodder') and sat down to work on the NaNoWriMo November Novel Writing Challenge for about three hours every morning! wear the label ‘hypertensive’ and take a tiny tablet each day to regulate my blood pressure. Yesterday it was down to 137/87 (ideal is 120/80). I know that if could just drop 20 lbs (or more) and do more exercise I could improve it even more. Getting ready to make those same New Year’s Resolutions once again! While I was in Quito I took the plunge and got my hair cut. The decision has been brewing for awhile – back in July when I was in China I met a Croatian woman on the train who had the cutest haircut and I asked her if I could take a photo. It seemed like her hair had about the same waviness as mine. I’ve been pulling my hair back in a pony tail for so long, it was finally time to set it free and see what it would do. I have a lot more curl than I thought, and though I now often have roosterhead in the mornings and need to get monthly haircuts, overall I’m glad I did it! I found a gal here in Banos who does a decent cut and it costs a whole $3 !!
Overlooking the River
My friends from the coast, the Suarez sisters and a German volunteer came to Banos for a week. We had such fun sightseeing. Back to Banos just before the start of November, National Novel Writing Month. I was really lucky to have lots of free time to dedicate to this challenge. I’m quite proud to say that almost every single morning in Nov. I spent at least 2-3 hours writing. I find that I do my best writing before my mind gets all cluttered with the day’s stuff. I’ve always been an early riser -- one of those perky morning people that those of you who aren’t love to hate. I generally wrote between 6 am and 9 am, but sometimes started as early as 5:00. I’m proud to say that I completed a 51,000+ word draft of a novel entitled, The Human Tapestry. I submitted my draft on November 29th, meeting the NaNoWriMo challenge. I am now an official ‘Wrimo’!! I enjoyed pulling out all of my old travel journals, reliving adventures of the past 30 years, harvesting experiences and ideas to weave into my novel. Of course there were frustrating days when the writing didn’t flow, but overall it was an exhilarating experience to tap into the creativity that’s been pent up inside of
Through the Tunnel
Leaving Banos heading east to the Amazon the road passes through six tunnels. In the olden days the narrow mud road wound along the cliff's edge! me.
The 2nd week in November I had some visitors from the coast, my adopted sisters Beatriz and Johana, Jo’s 6 yr old daughter Daniela and a young German volunteer who’s been working on the coast. They were very respectful of my morning writing time, but we also managed to get out and do some sightseeing together. I love the drive along La Ruta de las Cascadas, Waterfall Avenue which follows the Pastaza River heading down to the Oriente (Eastern Andean slopes which open to the Amazon Basin). We took a great hike to the top of a powerful waterfall (Pailon del Diablo – The Devil’s Cauldron). It’s a remarkable sensation to see how the river flows, then gushes, then tumbles over the cliffs to form a dramatic cascading waterfall. Heading east I always take the old road to maximize the waterfall views and actually driving under one of the gentler falls (free car wash!) Heading back up to Banos we pass through six tunnels on the main road.
During all of November I’ve been volunteering at the BIB, teaching and intermediate adult conversation
Fern Shaded Stone Staircase
This hiking spot is one of my favorites for taking photos. I love how the light filters through the dense foliage. L-R Daniela, Johana, Beatriz & Thea. course three evenings a week. Starting in mid-Nov I've also giving some private language lessons several days a week. I’m teaching French to a hotel owner, English to a local doctor, and Spanish to a few of the volunteers. It’s great to be teaching again, and though I only charge $3- $5 per hour, I earn enough to cover my groceries and a meal out once in a while. I've thought about looking for a ‘real’ job, but have come to value the flexibility of creating my own schedule and balancing it with some free time. These two months in Banos will be the longest period of time I've held still for the past several years...and it feels so great to have all of my 'stuff' around me -- for the first time, everything I've brought down to Ecuador thus far is all in one place!
Also during the novel writing process I took time to shop for, prep for and host a Thanksgiving dinner for 18 people. The Megamaxi supermarket is an hour away, so I brought along two of the BIB volunteers and we made an adventure day of
Big Bird
Yup, that's me carving the turkey. It weighed over 20 lbs and cost over $50! Dinner guests all contributed. it, visiting a leather-working village on the way. I didn’t find the style of boots I liked in my size, but maybe next time. I haven’t ever owned nice leather boots, and the climate here in Banos can be quite cool and damp, so perhaps it’s time for boots! At the grocery store I found a nice big turkey, and as the guy was bagging it at the checkout he told me, "I,m putting it in a double bag so it won't fly away!" I also found ingredients for the stuffing but alas, no cranberry sauce. They did have cranberry juice and I still had some Craisins left from my last visit to the US, so I bought unflavored gelatin and made my own cranberry jello. It came out pretty good!
We held our supper on the Sunday after the real Thanksgiving, since most of us had to work on the Thursday. Each guest brought a dish and we had both roasted and mashed potatoes, a sweet potato casserole, salads, pecan pie, pumpkin pie and I made carrot cake too. Last year Shana and I had hosted Thanksgiving here, and one of
Thanksgiving Dinner
Eighteen people of 5 different nationalities gathered together to give thanks. It was a joyful meal, followed by a lava show! the Australians who attended her first American T-giving then is now back in Banos and she was the one who requested that we hold the evening of gratitude again. It was a wonderful gathering, a very special warmth among the guests. There was even entertainment after dinner – the sky was clear over the volcano and we all sat out in the backyard watching the lava display for hours.
Living under an active volcano for the past two weeks has been very exhilarating! When I was here last May, Mama Tungurahua also became active, but with lots of shaking and booming. This time is a more constant, gentler release. It seems odd to use the word ‘gentle’ for the most powerful force on the planet, but it really does feel that way (most of the time!). While I was trying to focus on finishing my novel, I would feel compelled to run out back when I heard some rumbling and before I knew it, I had lost an hour staring at the shapes and forms that the ash plumes made with the help of the wind and the clouds. One day the wind
Hello Tungurahua!
Arriving back in Banos in late Oct I was thrilled to once again see my old friend, Mama Tungurahua. shifted and the ash blew our way...it was snowing in Banos, fine white ash that drifted down like snowflakes. I'd see we got almost 1/8" -- you could see Maxi's pawprints, and every leaf on every plant was coated -- even the spiderwebs were outlined in ash.
The novel writing experience sort of took over my life in November (and still does to some extent, but without a deadline now!) I was amazed at how many ways I found to procrastinate, aside from volcano watching. I did more cooking than I have in a long time, clothes that have needed mending for months and even years are finally fixed, the house got cleaned and cleaned again, even preparing this blog gave me a break from the novel from time to time. I'm so glad I accepted the NaNoWriMo challenge and even gladder that I stuck with it and created something truly unique and personal. If I haven't sent you a copy yet and you would like to read it, please drop me a note at my gmail.
NOTE: Keep scrolling down to see more volcano pix....the hardest part was choosing which photos to publish.
Snowcapped Volcano
After a few days and nights of rain, the very top of this 16,690 ft high volcano would remain snowcapped for awhile. Such a remarkable experience!!
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kathy & Bernardo
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Jill, as usual you get the most bang for your buck out of life. Just got your answer to my Hanukkah greeting and no, Bernard is not still in Ecuador - it was a VERY fast trip. He flew one day, rested and prepared for his lecture the next, lectured the next day and flew home the next. Whew! The holiday season (wow, did Hanukkah come early or what?!) is upon us with tons to do, but we are enjoying it very much. Thanks for keeping us informed Jill, K