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Published: March 22nd 2022
New Year's Brunch
Celebrating Zahra, our seamstress extraordinaire! Julie set a beautiful table; a delicious and lovely meal was shared by all! We started the New Year off right, with a ladies' brunch to celebrate our dear seamstress friend, Zahra. She has done so much for our group of gringa friends and refuses to charge us very much if anything at all! Julie hosted the brunch on a sunny morning. Her living room/dining room/kitchen area has a glass roof so it's a bright, joyful space (where we also practice yoga together 3x/wk). She set a beautiful table and the gathering of friends was filled with laughter and affection.
I enjoyed a three-day getaway to the jungle with three of my yoga buddies. CiCi came along as well. We went to Misahuallí, a place famous for a large troupe of resident capuchin monkeys who rule the town square. They can be very agressive, grabbing water bottles, cameras...even hats and sunglasses - right off an unsuspecting tourist's head! Their antics are always good entertainment value! (there are some fotos of them all the way at the end!)
In Misahuallí Julie, CiCi and I stayed at a lovely place called Banana Lodge, owned by a Russian woman and
Huge Tree in Misahuallí!
Giant buttressed roots help hold up an enormous ceibo tree. There was so much plant and animal life in and around this amazing tree! her indigenous husband. It's perched above a beautiful bend in the river. When we hiked down to the rocky river bank, CiCi was not at all happy about me wanting to take a dip in the river...barking like a crazyhead! 'Mommy, mommy --Danger! danger!' From our upstairs lodgings we had lovely sunrise views of orangey-pink skies outlining silhouettes of the dense jungle foliage.
We all took a little excursion to visit a ginormous ceibo tree -- massive buttresses help support this incredibly tall and wide tree. So much plant and animal life is housed in this huge, amazing feat of nature. One of our reasons for visiting Misahualli was to meander along the river banks and collect driftwood and river stones for garden and art projects. Although I'd been to Misahuallí several times before, it was great fun exploring it with my gal pals!
Another of the reasons we were eager to visit Misahuallí was that our favorite Spanish Tapas restaurant moved from Baños down to the jungle! We enjoyed a delicious afternoon with friends Pepe and Gloria who own La Tasca.
A Bend in the River
Just below our hostel this rocky beach was an adventure spot! CiCi did NOT like me getting in the river. Danger! Danger Mommy! she barked frantically! Their new second floor locale is large and airy. Fortunately, a strong morning downpour had freshened the air...otherwise it would have been very hot and sticky since they had not yet installed ceiling fans.
The other three gals bussed back to Baños (about 3 hours) and CiCi and I continued on, deeper into the jungle, to visit a friend who lives just outside of Tena (a town not far from Misahuallí). I first met Chelsea about 8 years ago when she was teaching English at the Ikiam University in the jungle. She met her indigenous husband, Timo shortly thereafter and they now have two beautiful children. They had been living in Florida, but due to the pandemic they decided to move back to Tena, where Timo's family lives. They've been to visit me in Baños and I wanted to see where they live too.
They fixed up a room for me in a lovely roundhouse community center which they had just finished building. Scroll through to the end to see some pics of the spectacular murals which beautify their place! I could
Puka Urku - Red Rock
A stunning swimming hole near Tena. A fun-filled day with Chelsea, Timo and their kids! CiCi was, again, not happy about me jumping in the water! hear the rushing river from my bed. Their house is at the far end of an open grassy area surrounded by mature fruit trees. As of this writing, their property now houses a Waldorf jungle school which focuses on environmental education...a wonderful learning experience for their kids, Inti age 3 and Faye Nina age 5.
Since they don't have a car, we all piled into my little Suzuki and jostled over unpaved, uneven roads (at times like this I wish I still had a truck - it's hard to get used to being so low to the ground). After a bouncy half hour we arrived at a swimming hole called Puka Urku (which means Red Rock in Kichwa). It's a beautiful spot in a crystalline river, watched over by a huge reddish rocky cliffside. Again, CiCi was NOT pleased when I jumped into the cool, sparkling swimming hole. She perched herself on a rock at the river's edge and barked her fool head off!
We went home to clean up, since I'd invited them out for dinner. My friend Cynthia, who had
Ice Cream!!
Faye Nina and her little brother Indy enjoying delicious ice cream in Tena! just moved to Tena, met us at a huge outdoor rooftop Sushi restaurant. The kids had great fun trying to use chopsticks and running around the ample astroturf dining area. Cynthia's car battery was dead, so I was able to give her a jump and she headed right home from there, but the rest of us continued on to a fun ice cream parlor near the park. Ah, kids'n'ice cream...nothing more joyful!
A few days after returning from the jungle, I went back, just as far as Puyo (an hour from Baños on the edge of the Amazon Basin) to renew my driver's license. The waiting list for an appointment in Ambato (big city an hour NW of Baños) was several months, but since Puyo is a smaller town and fewer people have vehicles, I was able to set an appointment that week for my renewal. I spent an hour or two studying the test questions. Every five years when you renew you must take a multiple-choice test and score at least 16/20.
When I got to the testing center, I was
Chris and Boogie Boy
I helped Chris and Michelle rescue this sweet pit bull. They had him vetted,sterilized and found a good home for him. Chris loves his new electric scooter! informed that I was required to first complete a psychometric exam which is given at the driving school a few miles away...so back into my car in the pouring rain. There was a motor skills test which was practically impossible, especially if you don't play video games. You had to move a needle at the end of a hinged elbow-like rod along a curvy line. To give you an idea of how difficult this was, you were permitted to stray from the path 12 times and you had a full minute to complete the task. Well, the gal was very patient with me...it took me 5 tries! I finally managed to stray fewer than 12 times, but I was over the time limit. At long last I achieved the goal! Why? This silly exercise in no way resembled any sort of movement you need to use while driving (ok, maybe shifting into reverse).
The psychometric evaluation also included a hearing exam (no problems there) and a vision test, which revealed that my right eye - the same one that had undergone cataract surgery 2 years earlier - was hardly seeing at
Mermaid Mural
Michelle begins the painting on my driveway wall. all. My left eye has been compensating so well that I hadn't even noticed. Again, the tester let me pass the exam (even though she shouldn't have) since I promised her that I would immediately make an appointment with the eye doctor who had done the cataract surgery. I dutifully did so.
When I was packing for an overnight in Quito to get my eye checked, I realized that the guy who stole my laptop had also taken my backpack. Of course he had! He needed something in which to discreetly carry if off. I hope the tricky zipper on my bag causes him no end of problems!!! The opthamologist told me that there was more good news than bad. The cataract lens was properly in place and my retina was also fine. After she dilated the eye she could see that the membrane covering the implanted lens had some 'basurita' (debris) that was causing it to become opaque and cloud my vision. She explained that it required a simple laser procedure to be done at the same clinic where I'd had my cataract surgery.
We
Mosaic in Process
Getting the design ready for the broken tile wave. set an appointment for a few weeks later and again I returned to Quito (a 3 hour drive). She performed a quick, painless procedure that swept away the debris without perforating the cornea. I was told to take it easy that afternoon, but that I could drive myself back to Baños the following day. My friend Debbie came to pick me up at the eye clinic, I took her to lunch, and she drove me back to my hostel. That evening Lupe came to visit and keep me company. It was nice to be able to catch up with old friends. Happy to say that my eyesight is now greatly improved!
My new friend Michelle has been doing such beautiful work so I asked if she'd be willing to paint a big mermaid on the wall that runs the length of my driveway, and she agreed. We decided that payment would be me inviting her and her hubby Chris to join me on three separate adventure excursions, one of them overnight. Win-win for everyone since I love spending time with this fun couple! Michelle and I perused some mermaid pics I'd
Serena the Sirena
CiCi poses with the painted mural; mosaic wave nearing completion. been nabbing off the internet. We chose the tail from one and the body from another, but the hair is all Michelle! She was a bit worried about tackling such a big project but I assured her that I would absolutely love whatever she came up with!
It was such fun to watch this beauty emerge over several weeks, and delightful to be able to spend time with Michelle as she was working. The painting of 'La Sirena Serena' (the Serene Siren) was complete, but we continued to embellish her with shells and beach glass and bits of coral. I decided to create a mosaic wave stretching to the end of the wall. I triaged the leftover tiles I had in my bodega and determined that I'd make a brown and beige sandy layer at the bottom, blues and greys to form the wave itself and top it all off with a row of shells to represent seafoam.
It was therapeutic to smash the tiles with a hammer. I then cut out a cardboard form to guide my wave creation.
Mosaic Planter
An ugly cement planter in my garden got beautified by Fabian with shells and tiles and bricks. Of course it never corresponds exactly from layout to cementing, but the exercise of 'jigsaw-puzzling' the design prior to sticking it onto the wall helps me to become familiar with what I have to work with and the patterns that emerge. Some people get a tile-cutter and create a perfectly outlined design. I am far from a perfectionist, and I like the organic look that the 'smash and fit' process reveals. My handyman Fabian had helped me with two previous mosaic projects, and we once again struck a good rhythm; him mixing and slathering the cement and me piecing the tiles onto the squishy mass.
After letting it all set for a week or so, Fabian and his wife Hilda (my cleaning gal) came back to help me grout the creation. I had interspersed shells within the waves, so a careful, detailed grouting was in order so as not to lose the set-in details. I am so grateful for their patience and persistence in helping me to complete this marvelous creation! Well, it's not actually complete (will it ever be?) Even as I write this Michelle and I are planning to
Trout Ponds
My Spanish student, Yvonne, caught lunch for us at the 'catch and eat' café along the Pastaza River. add an algae and coral garden beneath Serena's tail. It will be a mix of paint, tile, shells, coral and beach glass. At some time in the future I also hope to texture the background wall with multi-colored sponging. I had one more creative spurt in me, so Fabian helped me to beautify an old cement planter in the front garden by using the leftover cement to stick on shells and tiles and brick pieces. It looks much nicer than before!
Vic has been my Spanish student for several years and his 30 y/o daughter, Yvonne was coming for a 6-week visit. She had done a semester in Spain and taught for a year in Colombia, so her Spanish was about as fluent as her Dad's, but both wanted to brush up their grammar and use of tenses. I had a fair amount of free time just then, so we scheduled 3x/wk lessons. Vic lives 45 minutes away, down towards the jungle so in the end, several classes had to be cancelled (his work, mudslides, etc). One time Yvonne stayed overnight with me in Baños so we could visit
Transporting Wood
I no longer drive a pick-up truck but my new Suzuki (SuzyQ) carried out the task of bringing back the wood needed to complete the reparation of my old bedroom floor. the hot springs early in the morning. Alas, Dad had to cancel the following class so I offered to drive her back. Along the way we stopped for lunch at a 'catch your own trout' restaurant. Delicious fun! She is a delightful young woman and I'm sure she'll be back down to visit again!!
The construction never ends! In the small room where I had been living for 5 years the wood floor was becoming more and more damaged. Due to moisture beneath, there were three places where it had broken through. I covered the dangerous spots with cardboard and rugs, but it was a dodgy obstacle course to reach the bathroom. I never let visitors use that bathroom for fear that someone would twist an ankle en route! There was a fair amount of wood left over from the new master suite floor, but not quite enough for all that needed replacing, so I made another trip down to Puyo with Leonidas the carpenter. Pushing the front passenger seat forward and lowering the back seat we were able to fit the needed planks into SuzyQ, my new little Suzuki car.
Airport Selfie/Ussie !!
At long last Danielle arrived! I'd been holding the rental suite for her since September and in January she was finally able to come! Another situation when I missed having a truck!
Danielle finally arrived! Ever since I decided to add a full bath and create a rental suite in the front house, she's been planning to come down to Ecuador. Complicated transport of her aging pet, health concerns, ever-changing vaccination requirements and COVID testing issues delayed her arrival for months...but I kept the apartment open for her and in late January she finally made it! I drove up to Quito to meet her at the airport and we made it back to Baños before nightfall. Most flights from the US arrive late at night, but American Airlines has a flight from Miami that comes in at 2 pm. Hooray! No need to stay overnight in the big city.
During Danielle's first month here we took some nice hikes and excursions so she could start to get a feel for the place. I took her to two of the hot springs complexes (one right near my house, the other down in town under the waterfall). We wandered through the cemetery, went up the hill to the
Hikes and Excursions
Danielle on the hanging bridge and CiCi running like a crazy pooch! Casa del Arbol to play on the swing at the end of the world and hiked across the hanging bridge at El Sauce (The Willow Tree). We perused the huge Sunday market, tasted the famous 'hornado' roast pig, and bought lots of fruit and veg for our 5-day juice fast. While juicing I saved the pulp from the carrot, ginger, pineapple juice and later used it to bake my carrot cake!
Danielle is an avid picture-taker and I love seeing familiar places through her lens.The best part of showing her around has been the chance to re-see my surroundings with fresh eyes. This is one of the reasons I so enjoy hosting visitors, and even moreso with someone who is planning to stay for awhile! Danielle has a two-year visa to stay in Ecuador, and has committed to spending the first six months with me. After June, who knows where she'll be off to -- most likely the beach! When you've finished reading this blog entry, scroll to the end of the photos and click on next to see some of Danielle's fabulous shots of Baños and surroundings!
Spanish Moss Ussie
Taken on the hanging bridge at El Sauce (the Willow) - a great day hiking and exploring. Deceit at the hot springs!! Something I almost never do - I paid with a $20 bill at the entrance to the thermal mineral baths near my house. I was paying my entry ($4) and Shana's ($2 - half price for seniors or 'third age' -
tercera edad) so I handed the cashier the $20 bill and a $1 coin so she could give me $15 back...but she didn't have a $5 bill (they tend to be scarce here) so she gave me back my coin, and four more $1 coins and a $10 bill. Fast forward to when we were exiting the pools and I invited my friends to snacks and juice at Miguel's café, located right beside the baths.
For over a decade I have been buying juice and snacks from Miguel several times a week when I exit the baths. This time he wasn't around, and the two employees were gals I'd never seen before. The snacks and juices for all of us cost about $8, so I paid with the $10 bill that I'd just been given as change when I
Birthday in the Garden!
My birthday luncheon began at a beautifully arranged table for 15 at Jardin de Mariane, a garden restaurant. Alas, by the end of the soup course it had begun to rain. paid my admission. Fast forward an hour or so, I'm relaxing at home and Miguel zooms up to my front gate on his motorbike to berate me for paying with a counterfeit bill. "Anyone can tell that this is false just by feeling the paper!" Well, I don't go through life examining each banknote I'm handed, expecting to be deceived at every turn! Also, why didn't his employees detect it the moment I gave it to them? When I told Miguel that the bill been given to me by the cashier at the pools and his response was, "You'd better go take it up with her before the shift change."
He was so adamant and I was so flustered that I just grabbed the fake bill and gave him another one. As Miguel sped off on his moto, I jumped into my car and drove up to confront the cashier. She remembered me and insisted that she hadn't given me a counterfeit bill saying that the girls at the café must've switched it. At this point, hearing the ruckus, the girls came out and started arguing loudly with the cashier. I
Luncheon Move Under Cover
So, we all grabbed our drinks and out cutlery and the staff reconfigured the table to fit on the roofed terrace. Delightful to hear the rain patter as Wilson played the flute. tossed the fake bill into their midst yelling, "As far as I'm concerned, you're all thieves!" and I drove off, fuming. First I was gypped and then accused. Argh! The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
The next day I walked up with CiCi and asked Miguel if I could speak with him. I started off by saying how it must be nice that he has so much confidence in his employees that he would accuse a loyal customer of passing a false bill. He told me that he saw the transaction on a security camera (aha, so he doesn't trust them) and he claimed that they'd only received one $10 bill that day. "Well," I responded, "you've just lost me as a customer." He scrambled for his wallet and angrily foisted two $5 bills at me. I know it must have hurt to part with those precious fives! It's now been over a month and I haven't been back there. Hopefully Miguel and I will be able to mend fences. We've had run-ins a couple of times before and have been able to smooth things over.
Me & Shana
It's been 33 years since I first met my dear friend Shana. She made me the plumeria crown with blossoms from her garden. I wanted to do something special for my birthday - I love celebrations and it had been almost 3 months since our Thanksgiving gathering. Especially now it takes a special effort to bring friends together. I contacted the owners of a lovely outdoor restaurant, Jardín de Mariane, and asked if they could put together a nice lunch menu for $7.50 per person (their usual daily lunch special is $6.90 and I was asking them to also provide pitchers of lemonade for all). I told them that I'd bring the dessert - after all, what's a birthday without my favorite carrot cake with craisins and cream cheese icing?! Julio and Mariane agreed to fix the meal so I proceeded to invite friends.
The morning of my birthday day I awoke to a surprise! During the night Danielle had snuck into my house (I did wonder about the motion sensor light going on and off - thought it must have been a cat!) and covered my dining room table with green and purple balloons! In the morning she came to see if I had 'opened
Live Music
Wilson and Elizabeth shared their musical talents on flute, guitar, drums and Andean bamboo flute (quena). What a lovely addition to the gathering! my gift'. I didn't realize that I had to pop some of the ballons to find the rolled up $2 and $20 bills that she had hidden within. What fun! Danielle acted as 'official photographer' during the party itself and I am grateful for all of the wonderful moments she captured...priceless memories!
Fifteen people had accepted my invitation and my dear Colombian friend, Elizabeth, offered to play music. She arrived with her friend Wilson, a masterful Andean flute player. Elizabeth played the transverse flute, drum, and guitar and sang in a heavenly voice! Elizabeth's son, 17 year old Sam, gifted me a watercolor painting that he had done of CiCi. He's been my on-and-off window washer and has fallen hopelessly in love with CiCi, as so many folks do! She's pretty dang lovable! The guests arrived at the party one by one, bearing thoughtful gifts -- an orchid, a basket, fresh flowers, a homemade pesto trio, a plumeria crown from Shana's garden...
Julio & Mariane had set up a big, beautiful, square table in the garden with elegant tablecloths and flowers. We
Luscious Cake
Dense, moist carrot cake with craisins and golden raisins, grated fresh ginger, and thick cream cheese icing, decorated with roasted almonds and hazelnuts. yummers. had brought along the still-unpopped balloons from Danielle's gift, and the garden was strewn with balloons and flowers from Valentine's celebrations the day before. Such a festive and colorful setting! As lovely live flute music wafted over the gardens, we settled in for the first course of pumpkin soup, each bowl decorated with a creamy heart. The table was graced with four huge salads for all to share. As the soup bowls were being cleared away, the drizzle turned to actual rain and we all made for cover, carrying our glasses and cutlery. Like magic the waiters moved the tables and chairs into the covered terrace area, reconfiguring them to seat us all at one long table.
The main course was a deliciously prepared chicken breast in mushroom sauce with veggies & roast potatoes. Those who had requested vegetarian meals were accommodated as well. There was much laughter and joy as we enjoyed our meal and the rain pattered on the transparent roof of the terrace. And then it was time for dessert to be served. The carrot/ginger/pineapple pulp, saved from our juice fast days, made the cake super dense and
Posing with Presents
Such thoughtful (and tasty!) gifts! Julie made a trio of spreads (sundried tomato pesto, parsley pesto and minto zhoug), Sam (age 17) did a sweet watercolor drawing of CiCi! moist. The cream cheese icing turned out extra yummy; since I went easy on the powdered sugar it stayed thick and spreadable rather than drizzling down the sides. I had roasted almonds and hazelnuts for the decoration on top, which added more yumminess. I felt very grateful to be able to share my 62nd birthday with a group of friends who were all glad to be together in celebration!
There was still some leftover pulp, enough to make more carrot cakes for Elizabeth's birthday the following week! I made one small cake in a round Pyrex bowl for our restaurant lunch with Elizabeth, her son Sam, Danielle and me. Then the following day (her actual bday) after our yoga practice we celebrated with a little rectangular cake. The yoga gals are such a loving, caring group of women. We have been practicing together three mornings a week for well over a year now. We keep each other motivated and it's great to check in with one another on a regular basis. We range in age from 30's (Elizabeth), 50's (Danielle), 60's (me), 70's (Flo and Julie) and Bolívar who is 83
Another Carrot Cake!
Elizabeth (musician/yoga buddy/dear friend) celebrated her birthday the week after mine...so I made another cake to share at Yoga! (but looks 50!).
Thanks for once again reading about my life here in Ecuador. As you can see, it's filled with friendship, creative pursuits, travels, nature, exercise, good food and good times. I am supremely content with the home and community I've created! I continue to invite my neighbors Shana and Maricarmen over for lunch several times a week. Shana and I enjoy Scrabble after lunch - it's our passion! She will be 82 next month and our regular matches help keep her mind sharp (although more and more I help her with scoring). I love to host meals in my beautiful, all-glass dining room with its volcano views! Cooking for others is another of my creative outlets! As always, I have tried to line up the pictures with the paragraphs that describe them and, as always I have an overflow of photos so please scroll down to see the extras! Hasta la próxima - until the next blog entry!
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Debbie Chapman
non-member comment
Loved this blog entry
Hi, Jill, I love the way your life is so full, how you make small things so beautiful and precious, how you maintain connections with so many people in so many places, how you navigate obstacles and still bounce back. Speaking of bouncing back, I too had some vision problems after cataract surgery - he said it was scar tissue on the membrance and made a small hole with a laser (actually I think he punched several small holes to make a larger one. Did you have a lot of floaters for a while afterwards. I love being able to see tiny details from far away. I don't love struggling to read in dim light, though. And by the way, I can NEVER do those hand-eye things like you described for your driving test. Somebody must have had a lot of those things and convinced the government to take the off their hands! They always have something like that in science museums and I always fail! Anyway, sending you all my best. Can't wait to see the next blog entry!