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Butterfly Babe
At the magical mosaic gardens of Jaime's Casa del Arbol near Puyo, new beautiful creations appear every time I visit! Greetings from beautiful Baños! I have spent the last several months pretty much as a homebody, with a few short trips here and there. I find that I can spend days on end at home without even going into town (a mere 5 minute drive from my house!). No reason to 'brave the outside world'. In the past months I've made only one trip to Quito (3 hours each way). Since I'd offered to take a friend and her visitor to the airport (they paid for my gas!), I also booked my final visit to the eye doctor in Quito -- all good after cataract surgery #2 and better than 20/20 vision (both eyes together). I was able to see my cardiologist and got another year's prescription for my blood pressure pills; when subsidized by my health insurance, my meds cost me $9/month as opposed to $40 or more without insurance. In my world, that is a BIG price difference!
I've continued to fill my living space with artwork, my own and that of other artists. A kind of courtyard area was formed when my two add-on construction projects were completed (dining
Plant Revival
Some renters left behind the plant in the foreground which promptly dropped all of its leaves, but has now begun to sprout tender new ones. I can practically watch them unfurl. I'm told it's called a Spotted Croton or a Speckled Croton. I call it a Freckled Croton!. room in 2019 and master suite in 2021). This inner patio has come alive with the color and movement of baskets of orchids hanging from the lemon tree along with other amulets and treasures dangling from its branches. Still finding it challenging to get grass to grow around the base of the tree, especially since CiCi has claimed that as her sala-comedor (living room/dining room). It's where she licks avocado skins until they're shiny and spotless, where each evening she gnaws enthusiastically on her 'anti-zoomies' rawhide chewstick, where she lounges in the cool shade on a sunny afternoon. So, if I have dog-shaped bald spots here and there in the grass, that's ok too.
One of my ongoing challenges is to get out for longer walks with CiCi -- she and I both need them! Since I live on a relatively steep hill any time we venture out the front gate it's a challenging decision if we should go up and them come down, or head down to the flatter packed-earth alley way for a quick run off-leash! This fur mommy has gotten super lazy about walking my pooch...I still get
Tungurahua at Dawn
After a rainy, rainy night morning broke clear as a bell with this exquisite view of the volcano as seen from the patio of my house. By afternoon most of the snow had melted. her out morning and evening, but sometimes it's just a 5-minute poop-drop-stop! I tend to hang out in Crocs or flip-flops, my preferred footwear in retirement. I KNOW if I leave tie shoes and comfy socks by the door, I will be more inspired to walk longer in more comfort and safety. Once a month or so I do a big trash pick-up all along my hilly street, donning rubber gloves and wielding a garbage bag. Avenida al Salado is like a wind tunnel and alas, many people litter as they're snacking while walking down the hill from the hot springs. Also, we have a healthy population of street dogs in our neighborhood - all friendly but not immune to ripping up trash bags in search of dinner buffet.
When I sit up in bed I can look out the high corner windows and see the summit of the volcano...on the rare occasions when she allows herself to be seen. Rarely do we have days that dawn crystal clear - the geography of where my house is situated is unique in that it's a river gorge that dead ends at the
Spanish Conversation for Foreigners
A great group of students, ages 32 to 72 from the US, Canada, England and Russia. We create and record a conversation for each lesson. I'm really enjoying teaching Spanish again! base of Mama Tungurahua, my neighbor mountain measuring about 5,000 meters (16,500 feet). Our Bascun River Valley funnels clouds rising up from the Amazon Basin and as they ascend they release moisture to lighten their load before crossing over the Andes.
One of the reasons I'm spending more time at home is that I'm teaching from my home, 4 afternoons a week with groups and Sunday mornings with two students via Zoom. In early March, seeing that I didn't have any major travels planned for the foreseeable future, I put out feelers to see if anyone might be interested in starting up group classes; Spanish conversation for Expats and Conversational English for Spanish speakers. My Spanish group of six students consists of a couple from New Orleans who has been studying with me on and off for about 7 years, a Canadian online English teacher, an American woman who has a trout farm, an American guy just back from Iraq, and a Russian guy who helps manage an Air BnB empire with his sister (a dozen houses and apartments in Baños). He's the youngest at 32 - recently graduated from university
English Class
I've had really fun groups of English students. The three Colombian musicians in this pic left after one month, but now in our 3rd month of classes we still have five committed students in their 20's & 30's who are eager and motivated learners. in Australia. We also have students in their 40's, a gal in her 50's, one in her 60's and a 72 year old!
I've had great groups of intermediate English learners. The first month we had three Colombian musicians in class; the photo was taken on their last day. A smaller group of five has continued in the class. I ask them after four weeks to decide if they want to continue and request that they pay the next month's classes by the second session of the cycle. It seems like their economic commitment (which works out to about $3 an hour) encourages regular attendance (always an issue!). We are now in our third month and the group is going strong. Hooray!
With both the Spanish and the English groups I use a conversation technique called Community Language Learning... this methodology is one of my greatest take-aways from graduate school. It's interesting and gratifying to see how each learning community develops; how the students support and encourage one another. Needless to say, I am truly enjoying teaching again. I was hesitant to
Lila & Jill
Lila is my Jewish sister from another mother. Born in Argentina, many of her relatives now live in Israel. She has connected me to the tiny Jewish community here in Baños. create a regular weekly schedule for myself. In the past 4 years I've done very little teaching - just a few individual private English students and one long-term Zoom learner who lives in Quito; she works at the school where I taught 35 years ago!!
Believe it or not, I've actually found a small Jewish community here in Baños. The search for Jewishness here started a few years ago when I lamented to a Jewish friend living in Bangkok that there were no matzohs available here. He is well connected...he contacted the Chabad house in Quito who got in touch with an Israeli guy here in town who runs a hostel where the Israeli backpacker-type travelers stay. So I got a call from Itai saying that he had some matzohs for me. Fast forward a few years and I am attending a Passover Seder with my Jewish Argentine friend, Lila.
Hannah and Okee usually host gatherings at their home, but Passover this year would be shared with 25 travelling Israelis so El Refugio Spa offered the use of their restaurant/caf[e, a wonderful
Passover Seder
On the first night of Passover we celebrated among several dozen Israeli tourists who planned their visit to Baños to coincide with the Seder dinner. space graced with some of my good friend Michaela's fabulous paintings! (Michaela painted my front gate and I have several more pieces of her art in my garden; she and I do weekly Aqua Aerobics) Lila and I arrived in time to help with some of the final set-up. The tables were arrange in a U shape so the diners could all see one another. There were three families from the same kibbutz and it was interesting to hear about their lives. Although the Seder (the Passover dinner which follows a set of prayers & rituals, stories & songs) was mostly conducted in Hebrew, everyone spoke excellent English and all were indulgent with me. Having said that, as the evening wore one I could feel some of the Hebrew neurons firing in my brain, reaching back to my Hebrew School days 50 years ago!
As Shana's 83rd birthday approached, Maricarmen and I eager made plans for extra-special celebrations. Along with our friend Jeannie we decided to spend a ladies' spa day together. El Refugio has individual steam boxes (Baños de Cajón) in a stunning setting with huge windows looking out over
Steam Box Treatment
Once in the steam box, they close the lid so just your head sticks out. You control the amount of steam with a lever inside. Your body releases toxins from every pore. the Pastaza River as it cuts a path through the hillsides, dropping down down down towards the Amazon Basin. Inside the steam box the wooden seat is cushioned and has eucalyptus branches beneath it. There's a lever on the side that the user can adjust up or down to regulate the intensity of the steam filling the box. Your body sweats through literally every pore, and after 5-10 minutes, when you can stand it no more, you are cooled down with tubs of icy cold water. The contrasting effect is delightfully delicious as the entire surface of your skin shrieks, ayayayaya!!
Back into the steam box for another round as the attendants serve you their special blend of 7-herb tea through a bendy straw held up to your mouth. They gently wipe the sweat from your brow and you feel like a totally pampered baby!! After several hot/cold steam box cycles, we made our way to the pool / jacuzzi area where we were served fruit and yogurt while lounging in pools of various temperatures. Shana's mobility had become extremely compromised in recent years (right hip and leg almost completely frozen)
View from Steam Boxes
El Refugio Spa has a privileged location, just above a curve in Pastaza River where the mountains open out towards the Amazon Basin. so we brought her walker to facilitate moving from one spot to another. Another big advantage of the walker is that it has a flip down chair which ensures that Shana always has a seat that she can easily stand up from.
It's wonderful to see how Shana moves in the water; unafraid of falling she walks naturally and with so much less pain and without the paralyzing fear that seems to impede her movement these days. The pools at El Refugio are equipped with railings for easy access, unlike the hot springs complex near my house which has become more difficult for Shana to navigate. She used to enjoy the warm mineral waters in our neighborhood at least once a week, but now it's a major production to get her to go up there. Watching a loved one grow old and lose independence is not for the faint of heart. I spend time with Shana at least 3-4 days a week and it is a constant lesson in patience and acceptance for me.
About 10 years ago I gave English lessons
Ladies' Spa Day
For Shana's 83rd birthday Jeannie, Maricarmen, Shana and I spent the whole day at a luxurious spa. to the owner and the staff at El Refugio, so we were offered a special discount for our visit with Shana. Usually visitors are charged $30 per person for the steam treatment and the use of the pools, but we only paid $20 each and spent the whole day. These pools are definitely the cleanest with the most elegant facilities in town. As a spa town, Baños (like Baden Baden in Germany) has at least a dozen pool complexes. At El Refugio the newest pool is an infinity pool which visually empties out towards the rushing river below - quite spectacular. There are some powerful massaging jets which thunder down from above, and several jacuzzi pools of varying temperatures with bubbles of varying intensities. I am truly a water baby and I have explored and enjoyed virtually all of the spa facilities in Baños! It's one of the reasons I choose to live here.
But the spa day was just the start! Over the weekend of Shana's birthday there were luncheons on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday a group of friends met at Jardin de Mariane where Shana has known
At Jardín de Mariane
Me and Shana relaxing after an elegant lunch with friends...and the birthday festivities continue... the owner for 40 years! He was able to join us for lunch in the beautiful gardens of this lovely restaurant. One Sunday another group of friends went to Samari - the poshest hotel in town where the restaurant is housed in an elegant, old rectory (vicarage) built of lava stone blocks. The food is very good, but the presentation is outstanding. Top-notch personalized service that made us feel like royalty and of course, a very special birthday dessert with servers singing along to wish Shana the happiest of birthdays.
Twice I made the hour-long journey to Ambato (Ecuador's 5th largest city) - the first time to go shopping with Maricarmen. The grocery stores in Ambato carry all kinds of imported and luxury goods which simply are not available in Baños. We have all of the basic necessities here, but it's nice to be able to indulge in things like portobello mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, brown rice, Greek yogurt, aged cheeses, etc. Mari and I also went shopping for wholesale hair clips (barrettes) which I bauble and decorate to sell at the bookstore in town. I like to embellish something useful, and
Birthday Lunch!
Day #3 of celebrations at the posh Hotel Samari. They make a big deal out of birthdays here!! these clips have been selling fairly well.
One more quest in Ambato was the search for an herb called matico which, when boiled and strained, is purported to be a cure for scalp ailments. We were directed to the upper floor of the Mercado Modelo and the herbalist vendor sold us a huge bundle of branches for a dollar and instructed us how to prepare the slightly sticky leaves - soaking and boiling them to create an infusion. I'd been having flaky patches (not just dandruff, more like scabs) and I'm happy to say that after three weeks of applying matico before each shampoo, my scalp is now clear. I always love visiting markets everywhere in the world. A place of encounter and exchange, they offer a glimpse of the local culture. Although I go to the big grocery store in Ambato every month or two, I had never been to this covered market in the city center and I enjoyed the sights and sounds, the movement and bustling activity.
The next visit to Ambato a month later had a threefold purpose.
Mercado Modelo in Ambato
Maricarmen and I popped in here for to get a big bunch of matico herbs to boil up and use as a treatment for my scaly scalp. Three weeks of three applications per week and it's all cleared up! Of course I wanted to do some shopping at the Supermaxi, but I also wanted to have my car checked over at the Suzuki dealer. It's been almost two years since I bought SuzyQ, and though I have had the oil changed at the recommend times I have not had the vehicle thoroughly examined. There are a few rattles and squeaks which are a bit worrisome, and I will be the first to admit that I've driven the car hard -- on a fair number of off-road jaunts. Though I can and do switch it into AWD All Wheel Drive mode, I tend to forget that I no longer drive a high-riding pick-up truck! So, I left my car at the Suzuki repair shop and hopped a taxi to the private hospital on the far north end of the city.
My friend Eric had an unfortunate accident and has been hospitalized for weeks. He fell from a ladder while installing a security camera on his second floor terrace. He broke his pelvis, his elbow and injured his spine. The good news is he WILL walk again however it will take months
Indigenous Women Statues
On the riverfront boardwalk in Puyo, a city on the edge of the Amazon Basin just 1 1/2 hours from where I live. and months of physical therapy. I asked if I could bring him anything and he requested some dried fruit and nuts. I also brought him a Kindle E-reader loaded up with hundreds of books. In the taxi on the way there I got a message from him informing me that he had just found out that it was forbidden for visitors to bring in food. Well, I tucked the canister of nut mix under my shopping bags and my jacket, moving them from side to side as I 'helped' the guard search my bag. No problem! I was able to sneak in Eric's goodies (What a rulebreaker!).
Eric was in good spirits, well cared-for in a beautiful brand-new clinic, relaxing comfortably in a huge private room with a full wall of windows looking out on a peaceful view of rolling hills. He accepts that he'll have several more weeks in the hospital due to the external metal fixture which his holding his pelvic screws and plates in place while the bones knit. He is accepting the realities of his limitations and the hard therapy work he'll have to do once he
Serendipitous Lunch!
At El Jardín in Puyo we serendipitously met up with baby Luca, mama Louisa, and her parents visiting from England. Wonderful to share surprise time together!!
gets home. He has lots of good people around to help him out. While I was visiting, his neighbor Carmita arrived and she and I gave him a manicure and pedicure. I have offered to help cook meals once he is back at his house. I picked up my car - all aok. The rattles are normal, I was told, in a 10 year old car. In a few months I will need new brake pads and fluids, but I was glad to find the Suzuki service center to be excellent and the cost to be reasonable.
I also made two trips to Puyo, a city located 1 1/2 hours down toward the jungle from where I live. The first time was to accompany Michelle and Chris to the DMV - Chris was trying to exchange his US driving license for an Ecuadorian one - not an easy proposition as we suspected and ultimately discovered. Michelle had gone onto the webpage of the ANT (Asociación Nacional de Tránsito) and had assembled all of the required documents. I went along as driver/interpreter and we were doing well, we'd even advanced to the
Palm Grubs...Yum!
I've eaten them roasted but I don't think I could manage to bite into one while it's still wriggling. In local lingo known as chontacuros since they are found in the bark of the chonta palm.
point where they took his photo, but then the officious office manager intervened to say the the newest requirement (not yet listed on the not yet updated webpage). He had to prove his highest level of education which meant contacting his High School in California (since he never finished college). Well, it was clearly going to impossible to obtain that document on that same day (although we tried) so we decided to go to my favorite place for lunch.
What a wonderful surprise! Louisa had just been to the Civil Registry (downstairs from the DMV) to announce the birth of her son, Luca, and there she was at the same restaurant with her mum and dad who were visiting from England. I had been lucky enough to meet baby Luca when he was just a few weeks old, and here he was at almost 3 months getting so big and handsome! After lunch, I handed over my little transparent plastic card case so they could put the bill in Shana's name. Since she's over 65 (known as 'tercera edad' or 'third age') she is eligible to receive a refund of the
Puyo Fruit Stand
Color and variety! Beautiful edible nature's bounty! 12% tax, up to $90 a month! Alas, it wasn't until the following week when I realized that I hadn't gotten my little card case back. Aside from Shana's tax ID data, it contained my insurance card and the info about my cataract lens implants and their measurements.
SO, a few weeks later (after calling the restaurant and confirming that they still had the cards there) I planned another trip down to Puyo. This time I went with my friend Steve (the guy who's been helping me with my stamp collection). We stopped along the way to visit the mosaic caverns. I hadn't been there in awhile and there were some new creations, including the butterfly throne seen in the first pic of this publication. We went to the Sunday market, which is always fascinating since Puyo is a meeting place of various indigenous groups. I bought a beautiful basket that I didn't really need (what can I say? I'm a baskaholic!) and Steve is trying some traditional herbal remedies to lower his cholesterol. We oohed and ahhed over the fat, juicy palm grubs wriggling around (yum) and the brightly colored
Chontaduro
Fruit of the chonta palm, when they are in season you can see these colorful stalks all along the roadside. fruits, some unique to this region. It was fun to share some of my favorite sights and scenes with him...see it all through his eyes!
I'm going to close now and get this published, even though there are still a lot of photos on this blog entry. To view them scroll down and click next - if the caption is long, click on the photo to read it all. Stay tuned for the next blog edition to hear about how I have become the local godmother to three young men from the jungle. They are brothers who, against all odds, are finally finishing high school here in Baños. Thanks for reading!
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Kathy Dougherty
non-member comment
Another Good One!
You continue to live an exceptional life - despite your being a 'homebody.' :)