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Jill at the Grill
Party veggies: as the coals heated up, I slow grilled carrots, zucchini, asparagus and eggplant...delicious! After dropping the volunteers from the Andean village project at the airport, I made the rounds of Quito acquaintances to collect donations for the fundraising Garage Sale which is held semi-annually to benefit the Children’s Library in Baños (La Biblioteca Interactiva de Baños – La BIB). I have helped to coordinate and organize six such garage sales over the past few years. Folks have been generous, cleaning out closets to help the cause. It’s a great excuse for me to visit with friends I don’t get to see very often.
As always, I stayed up at Shana’s house which is located just outside of town on the hill leading up to the El Salado hot baths. This time I was sharing Shana’s garden guest house with Jessie & Martin, two new friends from Seattle who were in the process of moving down to Ecuador. I had plenty of free time, so I took them around town helping them to find a great apartment with great views at a great price. I also got hired as their private Spanish teacher, so it's been fun helping them find their footing
the lulus
Lucy is still wearing her red earbows -- she removed Lupe's as soon as they got back from the vet groomer.
here in Ecuador.
Shana's little rescued pups (Lucy & Lupe, aka the LuLus) are cuter than ever! The huge avocado tree in the garden is bearing more fruit than it ever has (we think it's because Maxi dog is buried beneath it and he loved avocados and knew that we do too!) and the LuLus also love them. Most dogs play with tennis balls, these girls play with avocados (and then eat them). There are days that they leave their dry food untouched because they've filled their bellies with 'cates!
As often happens, the volcano began to erupt several days after I arrived. The view from the big window over my desk frames amazing views of ash plumes by day, lava flow by night. Since the volcano hadn't been active for over six months, hillside vegetation had begun to regenerate. With the first new eruption these small trees and bushes were set alight, the smoky fragrance rolling down the hill to where I stayed. The freshly burnt hillsides glowed tawny gold in the next
Rosy Plume
Mama Tungurahua at sunset, slanting sunglow from the west. Breathtakingly beautiful! morning's slanting sunlight.
For more than two weeks the volcanic activity steadily increased. Several nights I was awakened 3 or 4 times by big booms. I leapt from bed to run out and catch a glimpse of flowing lava. Awesome power and beauty. Especially stunning at sunrise and sunset, I couldn't stop snapping photos of the ever-changing beauty! Scroll down to the very end to see more photos of Mama Tungurahua (Tungurahua is a Kichwa name meaning “Throat of Fire” – it is also the name of the province where Baños is located.
Shana’s birthday falls at the end of April and it’s rare that I’m with her then so this year we celebrated with a garden party. Jessie & Martin & I took a trip up to Ambato (nearest big city with a shopping mall an hour west of Baños) so that they could buy necessities for their new apartment and I could buy supplies for Shana’s party. I threw the party for her as her gift, so it was up
Party Food
Babaghanouj & Hummus with veggie platters (gin & tonic in the background) I love making food art! to me to do all the food prep, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Since we had several vegetarians attending the party, the menu was heavy on the veggies. Shana had a grill built in the corner of her yard so we inaugurated it, grilling yummy vegetables as well as marinated chicken, beef and then, as the coals were dying down we smoked a huge trout that was a bday gift from our friends Margarita & Polo who just sold their trout farm in the hills above Banos. We covered with fish with a metal bowl and let the embers gently cook the tender pink flesh. Super yummy!!
We set up tables around the lettuce and herb spirals in the back garden and enjoyed a beautiful, sunny afternoon dining outside and enjoying the company of friends. I also baked a classic carrot cake (my sister Claire's recipe) and this decadent dessert was enjoyed by all in attendance. Shana's actual birthday falls on the date that would have been my Mom's bday, but we moved
Garden Party
Dining al fresco beside Shana's lettuce spirals. We had a beautiful day for an outdoor meal. it back to the weekend and celebrated on the day of my Dad's 87th birthday -- so of course I gave him a call before the Baños festivities began.
During my month in Baños I made three trips down the Ruta de las Cascadas (Waterfall Route). The first trip I went with Martin & Jessie to visit a family she had met when she was visiting here last fall. After asking Ruth for directions on a street corner, she and two friends were promptly adopted by this lovely family. On this visit we were invited for lunch at their country house on the outskirts of Puyo. They prepared yummy fish from the tilapia pond on their land. We had a great time hanging out with them and on the way back through town we visited the market.
I had never been in Puyo on a Sunday -- the biggest market day. There, on the edge of the jungle, the market is filled with tropical fruits and vegetables -- some of which I'd
Family in Puyo
Jessie & I pose with Jaime, Ruth, and their granddaughter Arlette beside their country house near Puyo. never seen before. When we asked what they were called the vendors often cracked one open so we could taste it. Reminded me that one of the reasons I most love living in Ecuador is the warmth and generosity of the people. During the drive back up to Baños, passing through the six tunnels cut into the mountainsides, my right ear started to itch and burn. I figure I must have gotten bit by some bug down at Ruth & Jaime's place. By the time we got home it was bright red and by the next morning it had swollen to twice its size. I took some antihistamine tablets and rubbed on some cortisone cream.
The second trip to Puyo that I made was just a few days later. I drove down with Colin & Lori, friends visiting from Ohio. We stopped in Rio Verde so they could hike along the river to one of the most beautiful waterfalls. Since I had made this hike a number of times, I used the time to visit the village health center -- my ear was huge and throbbing. Rural
Roadside Delicacies
On the road to Puyo we stopped for my favorite street food -- Fritada! Fried pork chunks with hominy, yuca & plantains. Yummy! Clinics are staffed by recent med school graduates, actually some of the best doctors around. Since it was such a tiny town there weren't many folks waiting to be seen by the doctora so she examined me almost right away. She said that my body's severe allergic reaction had caused an abcess to form and she gave me anti-inflammatory tabs and five days' worth of antibiotics. Total cost for my medical visit, $0.00!!
I got to the drop-off point before Colin & Lori were back from their hike and we continued on down to the jungle, stopping en route for shopping, sightseeing, and some yummy roadside snacks. Then we lunched at my favorite spot (El Jardin along the river) and continued on to the amazing viewpoint at Altas de Pastaza. It was a lovely, clear day so we could see the Andes rising up on the far side of the wide river basin.
The third trip to the jungle we went as far as my friend Patrick's farm (La Finca de la Vaca) in
Transporting Turtles
Fifteen year old Juanito is about 2 feet long and weighs almost 20 lbs. He pooped in my truck bed. Cumanda. I had offered to help Alfonso and his Mom Rebeca deliver their two pet tortoises, Juanito & Fanny, to their new home in the country. Friends of an old friend who lives in Seattle happened to be visiting Baños, so Barbara & Hernan came along as well for operation turtle drop. Alfonso lost use of his legs in an accident 25 years ago, so transport is difficult. The tortoises rode in the truckbed with his wheelchair. It was a bittersweet day for Rebeca, saying good-bye to her long-time pets (Juanito almost 15 years, Fanny joined the family more recently) however they finally had to admit that the balcony of their hostel was not an ideal home. Patrick invited us all to a wonderful meal, we toured the gorgeous grounds and a good time was had by all (especially the two shelled passengers who are now happily mating in their new, spacious digs!)
I had two English teaching gigs during my month in Baños. I agreed to give early morning one-on-one lessons to the owner of a spa which is located on the far side of town.
BIB Garage Sale
Semi-annual sale of second-hand items to benefit the Biblioteca Interactiva de Baños - Children's Library. A main reason I took the job was to force myself to make the 45 minute downhill hike twice a week. We began classes at 7:00 am so I had to get an early start to arrive on time! I enjoyed my morning walks, watching Baños wake up.
The other English teaching job was as a volunteer at the BIB. In addition to coordinating after-school activities for kids (encouraging a love of reading), the library offers English classes in the evening. I taught an advanced conversation class and wrote ahead to try to rally some of my previous students. In the end there were 5 students enrolled in my course, but on any given night only 2 or 3 showed up. It's hard to get people to commit to anything here -- especially adult learners who are busy with their jobs and families. I enjoyed teaching the course -- I am and always will be a teacher at heart!
Preparation for the BIB Garage Sale began a week before the actual sale. Donations had been piling
Shop 'til you Drop
Great turnout for the fund-raising garage sale - we earned over $500! up for almost six months, so now it was time to pull them out of their hiding places; categorize, organize and price everything . There were very few library volunteers on hand to help out, so I'm extremely grateful to friends of mine who were by my side throughout the sorting process as well as on the day of the sale. It's a lot of work to prepare everything so that the day of the big sale, all goes smoothly.
Paty & Pansi have been involved with the library for years - Chileans who live in New York, they spend several months a year in Baños. I have stayed with them at their home in Manhattan, and what luck, they were here to help out! Jessie & Martin also stayed close at hand. Thanks also to my friend Mary who helped with at the cashier check-out tables during the biggest rush of business. It wasn't our biggest earning sale, but we did well, raising funds for the library's operational costs. In about 3 hours we took in over $500! In spite of all the work, I really
Hand Painted Mural
Baños has scores of murals, many (like this one) relating to tourism. The Chiva Bus takes visitors down the Route of the Waterfalls (Cascadas). enjoy helping with these sales. What can I say, I like looking through other people's junk!!
Shana and I have an ongoing project -- taking photos of the many painted Murals in Baños. This visit there were tons of new murals, so I kept my camera close at hand and added to our collection of pix. Some of the older murals are now damaged or painted over, so if we move ahead with our idea of creating a booklet of photos, it will be a sort of historical document. We'll see where this idea takes us.
One more silly tidbit before I close this blog entry. The names that they give dog breeds here are really quite humorous. First of all, instead of asking what breed (raza - literal "race" of dog) they often ask, Que marca es? (What brand is it?). Well, you have the "Fren" (French Poodle), "Salchicha" (sausage - Chihuahua) and my new favorite, "Haspapi" (Basset Hound, aka hushpuppy)
There are more photos than can fit in with
Market Colors
Chontaduro & Plantains were among the tropical fruits at the market the text, so please scroll down (& click next) to see the full collection! Thanks for reading. Tomorrow I leave Baños and head down to Ecuador's southernmost province, Loja where I will start a new job. I'll be substitute managing a hotel in Vilcabamba, near the Peruvian border. Stay tuned for the next installment in 6 weeks or so! Big hugs --
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Jessie
non-member comment
Thanks for the journey/journal
Loved the latest installment of your blog, Jill. Will work my way through earliers. Much love, Jessie