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My Daily Hug
Each morning as I walk past the market I give this lovely lady a nickel or a dime and she gives me a big hug. She's my regular client (or am I hers?)For the past several months I've been mostly in Banos, a natural paradise located 3 hrs southeast of Quito. Banos attracts many tourists, especial young adventurous types. A town of about 20,000, it's set in a valley surrounded by lush green hillsides which are dotted with waterfalls.
While I was housesitting for Shana, and for a month after she returned, I stayed at her place up on a hilly road above the town itself. Now, during March I've been living in town, just a block and a half off the main church plaza. I find I do a lot more walking and really take the time to explore the town's nooks and crannies. I overhear conversations, and enjoy watching the children. Yesterday I watched three kids make a see-saw from a wood plank balanced on a curb.
Banos is a popular spot during the Carnaval fiestas (the long weekend leading up to Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday). A favorite custom of the past was to throw water at the passers-by, often from rooftops. In recent years this practice has degenerated into throwing eggs & flour
Traditional Indigenous Dress
During Carnaval Banos fills with people from rural villages near and far, all dressed in their Sunday best; lovely hats and skirts and shawls. & old motor oil & worse (I'm told). So, the government has tried to limit the craziness by introducing spray cans of colored foam called Carioca (sorta like silly string - a soapy foam substance). In Banos alone they must have sold thousands (if not tens of thousands) of cans of Carioca.
During the wildest days of Carnaval fun, I spent most of my time at the volunteer library sorting and pricing donations for our Garage Sale fundraiser. I did, however, venture out into the streets when it was time to head up the hill to Shana's place. Maxi's dog-walker has another job and was unable to take Max for his daily walk during the 4-day holiday weekend, so I offered to do so. Max adores his daily walk, so it would be unthinkble to skip so many days in a row! One day while riding up the hill in a taxi I opened the window to get some air and immediately someone sprayed foam at me. The driver was peeved and gave me a damp rag to wipe down the seat.
Another
Thermal Baths & Waterfall...ahh!
Once the crowds thinned, I was able to visit the hot baths again. These baths are right in town at the base of the Virgin's Hair Falls. day as I was walking along the crowded sidewalk someone in a passing car sprayed foam out the window at me and then zoomed off (coward!). The town's population swells during the Carnaval festival -- every guest house is filled and many folks rent out rooms in their homes as well. Some people predicted that the volcano would being acting up for the holidays, but Mama Tungurahua has remained quite tranquil for several months now -- just an occasional wisp of steam from time to time. The new prediction is that she'll spew lava on Easter. We shall see!
It was impossible to enjoy the hot baths during Carnaval. There are several thermal mineral pools in and around Banos, but they were all so crowded that it just wasn't worth even trying to relax there. The holiday was actually the perfect time to have some work done on my truck. The truckbed and back bumper had become quite damaged from living on the coast -- the ocean spray eats right through the metal; there were a few holes in the truck bed and the bumper looked like lace in places! So,
Selling Sugar Cane
Cane juice, sugar cane taffy (called "melcocha"), guava paste candies...hundreds of stalls and shops around town went into overdrive during the holiday weekend. when Mauro the Body Mechanic told me he actually wanted to work during the holiday and offered me a fair price to make the repairs, I decided to leave my truck at his shop -- it was much safer than parking it on the street in town. The few times I'd previously left it on the road overnight, the truck bed would have a bunch of trash in it the next morning.
So thanks to Mauro, Morci got a butt lift! (my pick-up's name is Little Luv / Amorcito -- Morci for short). If you've been a loyal blog reader for over 2 years, you may remember that I had my truck bed repaired once before while I was managing the hotel in Puerto Lopez on the coast, but that guy did a slip-shod job and it quickly deteriorated again. This time the bed and bumper are painted with a Brazilian rubberized, textured paint. It looks really durable -- hope it is! Morci also got a new exhaust system this month -- the mechanic in Ambato (big city an hour frm Banos) did a great job! When I returned to pick up
Mini-Amusement Park
Just a few blocks frm my new digs they set up these rides and attractions. I fell asleep to the whoosh of the wheel and the shrieks of the riders every night for weeks. my pick-up, he was painting the opening of the exhaust pipe with red spray paint. I asked him what the paint was for and his response -- "so it will look beautiful, like a woman with lipstick!" Too funny!!
Instead of renting an apartment for just the month of March, I took a job that included room & board. Ronnie is a retiree from Texas and he has custody of his half-Ecuadorian teenage daughter, Hillary. He was looking for someone to cook them dinner each evening in exchange for staying in a large sunny room with private bath. It's worked out quite well. I enjoy cooking, especially in a kitchen that's modern and well-equipped. Ronnie complains (jokingly) that he's put on a few pounds this month! Hillary studies English at the BIB (Biblioteca Interactiva de Banos - the Interactive Library where I volunteer) so I've tried to speak only English with her at home to encourage more practice. She's a serious student, a responsible and polite young woman and I think she appreciates having another female around.
My only complaint about this living
Me & Tommy & Tammy
Two sweet dogs at the house where I've been living. Tammy's a 3 yr old mutt and Tommy (the 6 month old pup I'm holding) is part English Spaniel. situation is the noise. I got really spoiled staying at Shana's -- plenty of peace and quiet with only occasional bursts of noise. Here in town it's the opposite -- mostly noisy with rare peaceful moments. The house is three stories with a rooftop terrace where the dogs live. They scramble and scurry and bark right above my bedroom. Then there are the neighbors....a single mom with a colicky baby, a mentally handicapped ten-year-old son and a tiny cement patio area which shares a wall with my bedroom. More often than not it sounds like they're right in the room with me! The boy likes to bang on the wall with a stick or bounce his ball off my headboard (at 5:45 a.m.!) and the mother has a screechy voice that is always verging on hysteria. I wish I could feel some sympathy for her, but between the screaming and the crying and banging I find it hard to do so. (Foam earplugs help - to a certain point!)
I kept quite busy with teaching this month. In addition to volunteering at the BIB (I taught the advanced class three nights a week)
Advanced Conversation Class
Three nights a week I volunteered at the library to teach a class. Lots of fun and laughter with (frm L to R) Jair, Diana, Ricardo & Jose. I had six private students (French lessons, Spanish lessons, and several English students). Ricardo was gearing up for an interview in Quito, so we doubled up on his lessons, reworking his CV in English and practicing responses to possible interview questions. He's thrilled that he was accepted to work at Six Flags (NJ) for three months this summer. He's really friendly and outgoing, so I know he'll come back to Ecuador speaking English more fluently!
The Garage Sale kept me busy too. The last few times I've gone to Quito, I've collected donations from friends and friends of friends. Now it was time to delve into the bags and boxes and suitcases full of cast-offs. Kitchen appliances, books, clothes, toys, lamps, linens, curtains, cell phone accessories, you name it! In the past I've helped Jody sort and price, but she is now fully retired so I agreed to take on the job. Connie came and helped me with toys and household knick-knacks one day, but all in all I'd guess I spent at least 20-30 hours preparing for the sale.
The afternoon before
Teeming Masses of Shoppers
At least sixty people came rushing in at 10 o'clock sharp...one of the only times that folks are actually punctual! and the morning of the Big Sale, the BIB volunteers helped set up the tables and display the merchandise. Each volunteer was responsible for one of the catergories (Menswear, Shoes, Electronics, etc.) and they got familiar with what they had on offer. As in the past, a crowd began to form outside the gate a good half-hour before the opening. It is rare for most Ecuadorians to be this punctual, but they have learned from past Garage Sales (this was number 7 or 8, I think) that the early bird gets the worm -- especially in the heaps of the clothing, the best stuff flies out of there quickly. After an hour and a half the crowds began to thin and we had earned close to $700. I could never donate that kind of $$ to the BIB, but I'm glad that by giving my time I can make a significant contribution.
So as the month draws to a close, I look back at the goals I set for myself for March: save money (check), exercise more (check), lose some weight (check - not much, but moving in the right direction!),
Jacqueline & Ricardo
Ricardo's Mom owns a beauty supplies & toy shop (Fantasias Naranjo). Here they are at their market stall. Amazing how much money folks will spend on plastic baubles! volunteer work (check), read more (check), work on editing and revising my novel (oops -- somehow that goal got pushed aside...) To quote my friend Patricia (who has been encouraging me to get back to work on my novel): About writing, we may think of it as creativity + inspiration, but sometimes it is simply butt + chair! Well, the next 5-6 months will be fast-paced for me, but at some point I WILL get back to my novel writing challenge!! Thanks for reading my March musings! Next month -- adventures in the Andean village (with Pam who built the high school & with a group of volunteer dentists) and a journey to the coast (guiding a retired couple from Colorado). End of April, fly to LA in time for my Dad's 85th Bday!
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