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Rainbow over Baños
This ethereal & evanescent jewel-toned arc, seen from my bedroom window; pity about the power lines.Greetings from Baños where I'm finishing up a month of rest before heading back down to the coast for another hotel management stint. I have three more days of R&R before life revs up again!
Thanks to a recommendation from a hotel guest who had stayed at Mandala with her family, I was invited to a beautiful Inn north of Quito to meet the owner and see about possibly working there. We hit it off instantly (both of us Jewish with family roots in NYC, we figure we could even be distant cousins going way back!). Betti & I have dozens of mutual friends & acquaintances here in Ecuador, so it was inevitable that we should meet someday.
Casa Mojanda is a beautiful Inn located in the hills above Otavalo, Ecuador's most well-known market town. Along with some of the other hotel guests, I enjoyed a visit to the Saturday morning Animal Market. Whether you're in the market for a guinea pig (the eatin' kind known here as CUY) or a rooster, duck, kitty, puppy, donkey, mule, cow, goat, lamb or horse -- you can find it
there. Really enjoyed displays of horseshoes, ropes & halters, saddle rugs, and more. Since I've lived in Ecuador for a total of 10 yrs (over the last 25 yrs), the tourist handicrafts don't interest me as much as the areas of the market where the local folks do their trade.
Another hotel guest and I took a morning drive up the mountain to Lagunas de Mojanda. They're a series of small lakes (+one large one pictured here) up in the high parramo region. Icy cold Andean winds come slicing through valleys, making silvery sigsig grasses dip and bend, dancing in the stiff breeze. It's a bleakly beautiful area -- I'm always amazed how quickly the vegetation changes as one climbs in altitude. There are dozens of lakes in this part of Imbabura province; these are among the highest and coldest.
I said farewell to Mojanda and drove back down, past the equator monument, through Nanegalito and on to Cheryl's farm (where I had spent the month of February dog-sitting, writing and relaxing). It was wonderful to see the pups again, and great to meet Cheryl's new
Laguna Mojanda
Located high in the Andes above Otavalo; a bitter wind whips across this breathtaking lake. hubby, Rich. They were in the throes of kitchen renovation (hooray!) so we mostly hung out for a couple of days, visiting and catching up. One afternoon we drove around the ravine to visit Igor, my Russian friend who has his farm right across the valley. It was nice for Rich to meet Igor and ask tons of questions about farming in this area.
Just around the next bend in the road is Intillacta Reserve, owned by my good friends Margarita & Polo. It's an organic coffee farm that receives visitors to its Canopy Zipline and Treetop Walkway through this lush rainforest region on the western slopes of the Andes. I enjoyed chatting with an American volunteer who was spending a month working there and earning university credit. Two of Margarita & Polo's three kids also live on the 220 acre nature reserve. Their two grandkids are growing up close to the land.
Margarita and I decided to go visit their third offspring. Daughter Augustina lives in Mashpi, about a 45 minute drive west. We toured her organic cacao plantation and viewed the chocolate production process.
Cacaco Plantation
Organic cacao growing like made in Mashpi. Scroll down to see the luscious colors of the ripe cacao pods. It's a lot of steps from pod to eating. Ecuador has become a world leader in small-scale artisanal chocolate production. Fascinating to see the fermenting, husking, 36 hrs of continuous mixing, tempering, cooling in molds, etc.
After lunch with Agustina and her workers in her lovely outdoor dining area, Margarita and I continued in toward town to take a dip in the Mashpi swimming hole. At the base of a small waterfall, the community has built a recreation area with kiosks along the sandy beach at a bend in the river. I had my swimsuit on underneath my clothes and was all ready to go! Unfortunately, in the 30 seconds it took me to take off my pants and get into the water, my legs were attacked by dive-bombing no-see-ums (also known as arenillas). I looked down to see dozens of tiny black dots turn into spots of blood on my calves and ankles. The cool river water soothed the instant burning agony....for the time being!
On the drive back, my legs afire, Margarita and I greeted a group of workers who had been harvesting hearts
Harvesting Hearts of Palm
After a long day's work, these guys were willing to smile for the camera! of palm; I was amazed how long they are (before they get sliced up and put into cans & jars)! I asked if I could take a picture and they were thrilled to pose! I spent one more night back at Intillacta Reserve enjoying late-night philosophical discussions with Margarita & Polo, age sixty-something hippies originally from Quito. Both are avid readers and I invariably learn new Spanish vocabulary & expressions when I spend time with them. Then, I headed back to Quito (about an hour an a half). While driving back to Quito alone I enjoyed the last of an audiobook I had been listening to since my drive south to Vilcabamba in May; Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer.
I had a few more donation pick-ups in Quito, but they were at opposite ends of the city. While crossing the Quito valley diagonally I got caught in a flash hailstorm, the streets churning with white froths as the lentil-sized hailstones splashed into the rain-filled intersections. Quito traffic can be hell at the best of times; add inclement weather and you're looking at a long drive. Lucky I wasn't in a hurry. Just
Snow & Steam
Tungurahua Volcano always fascinates me with her many moods! before dark I made it to Alex's house where I spent the night on her comfy sofa. Her daughters, Camila & Martina piled blankets and comforters on me and then we cuddled in to watch a movie.
The three hour journey from Quito to Baños follows a stretch of the Panamerican Highway called 'The Avenue of the Volcanoes'. An early morning start almost guarantees breathtaking views of at least a few stunning snowy volcano peaks. Emerging from Quito on the Oriental Hwy you can often see Cayambe to the east, Cotopaxi to the south, El Altar and the Ilinizas to the southwest. Then, the final hour of the drive is dominated by Tungurahua - the volcano that watches over Baños and feeds the heavenly hot springs. During my visits to Baños I usually spend 2 or 3 mornings a week soaking in the mineral baths. This time I found the steaming waters an effective antidote to my polka-dotted bitten-up legs.
A few days after I arrived in Baños Shana left for Quito, so I was responsible for taking care of the house and the animals. It
Kitty steals Dogs' Food!
Chichi chows down from the Lulus' dog bowl -- while they sit there and watch! She sure has them trained! felt so nice to be all alone, chilling in the fabulous garden beneath the volcano. The power and beauty of the Bascun River Valley never cease to fill my soul with awe. Gazing upon the puzzling juxtaposition of the snow-capped volcano spewing steam, I reminded myself that although I perceive the glacier & the crater to be adjacent in reality they’re several miles apart. Raging winds come whipping through the valley, scattering clouds and lifting roof tiles. Pelting rains followed by brief interludes of brilliant sunshine, and then the sky quickly clouds over once again.
During this visit to Baños I sorted through my belongings. They've been collecting in the closet in the little house in Shana's garden, so I reshuffled & repacked and with the help of some friends relocated everything into the crawlspace storeroom behind the garage. I've accumulated a lot of cookware & tableware and realize how much I miss having my own kitchen! I decided that the next time I take my things out of that space will be to move them to my own place. It's time for me to start looking in earnest for a home and
Lupe & Lucy
Guarding their bowl when Chichi is not around! Such sweet girls!! I realize that there's nowhere I'd rather be than in this magical ravine filled with natural wonders. Asking around, we discovered that there's a small brick cabaña for sale just three houses up the hill from Shana's. It's on a small lot with an ample driveway and a lovely little garden. I will definitely look into that possibility.
It was time to take my truck in for repairs (from the owie I had 2 months ago) and service (20,000 km!). I had made all the necessary arrangements with my insurance company, and brought Scarlett up to the Nissan dealership in Ambato (1 hr NW of Baños). I took her in on Monday with the assurance I'd be able to pick her up on Friday. What I hadn't counted on was how nauseous I would feel on the bus ride back! It's a hilly, winding road that drops down to Baños and the bus had windows that wouldn't open. The loud salsa & cumbia music which drowned out the movie they were showing (Pearl Harbor dubbed into Spanish), didn't help with my rising nausea. I begged the ticket taker to pop open the roof
BIB Mosaic
Enter the Biblioteca Interactiva de Baños Home of garage sales, live theatre, fun for kids of all ages! vent; he finally agreed after I threatened to vomit!
The week that I was truckless I spent every morning sorting through garage sale donations. A few friends came to help me out, and it was always more fun when I wasn't alone. I arranged for the local computer guru to come take a look at some of the electronics that were donated. At the behest of his wife, we inherited a truckload of state-of-the-art digital video editing equipment from a professional photographer who had passed away. The computer dude bought some of the gear, gave me an idea of how to price some of the other things, and helped me find the correct cables and chargers to go with most of the donated items.
The Semi-Annual Fund-Raising Garage Sale was a huge success. As in the past, after days and days of preparation and set-up the whole shebang was over in a matter of hours. The best fun was seeing how excited people were with their purchases; armloads and boxloads - more than they could carry for $10-$15! We found good homes for many of the
New Mosaic @ BIB
Using rocks painted by the kids, two of the volunteers created this addition to the library's mosaic wall. donated items, and the remaining electronics are now on consignment in the computer shop in town. The BIB (Biblioteca Interactiva de Baños) is celebrating its 5th year in existence and the recently built theatre regularly hosts films, puppet shows, circus performances, and most recently theatre productions presented by a professional troupe from Quito.
Shana returned from Quito and we settled into a week of daily Scrabble matches, cooking up Top Chef inspired meals for one another, watching movies, and exercising & relaxing in the hot baths. The days just slip away when we enter this 'full relaxation' mode! Unfortunately, my bug bite rash kicked into high gear - new spots and blisters appearing daily (even when I hadn't gotten any new bites). I consulted with a doctor who told me that my body was presenting an allergic reaction; areas of previous stings reactivated and started itching again. I didn't want to be in my own skin for a few days there; I survived by assiduously applying various different creams to each blotch.
For my last week in Baños I've moved down to town, into the apartment
Baños Street Performer
All the rage to paint oneself bronze and pose on a busy tourist street corner. Each passerby who deposits a coin gets handed a gold star. of some friends who are away in the US. It feels nice to be in a place of my own and it definitely encourages me to walk more. Everything in town is close by and convenient. I enjoyed the 2nd meeting of the book club and attended a session of the Open Mic at the Stray Dog Brew Pub. This week I've had a haircut, a facial, a manicure/pedicure, my teeth cleaned and my legs waxed. Now that I've removed all the 'extra bits', I'm ready to head down to the coast. I'll have a week to visit with old friends before starting work at the hotel. After a 2 month stint, I'll be headed to the US for a visit (2 wks on the west coast with my dad & sister and then 2 weeks on the east coast with my brothers and their families).
Hope I didn't bore y'all with my day-to-day. There are lots more photos to view, so DO scroll down and click next. Please drop me a note to say hi! It encourages me to know you're reading. 'Bye for now!
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Sarese
non-member comment
your turning into the next Hilton! but sounds like fun, enjoy, give a call when you hit the states!