Moving on from Quito

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Believe it or not, Wednesday was our last day volunteering with UBECI! On the one hand, our first night in Ecuador seems like ages ago. On the other, the past three weeks have flown by. Our mornings in the markets and afternoons learning Spanish certainly demanded concentration and energy. We worked at these tasks diligently, and I was almost surprised at how tiring is was by the end of our commitment there. That notion of getting out of something what you put into it directly applies in our case, as our efforts rewarded us with a sense of accomplishment. We actually helped lots of children to learn and grow, even though three weeks is really just a drop in their buckets. They most likely won't remember us for much longer. However, they enriched our lives more than they know, and we will remember them for a very long time. We feel privileged to have joined their paths even for just a little while.   

 Sadly, the end of our Quito time also meant saying good-bye to our lovely host family: Orlando, Marlene and their daughter Anita. We will miss Marlene's delicious cooking, Orlando's sense of humor and Anita's English skills. Fortunately, after this week's trip, we will see them again for one night before we head northeast. We are grateful for their warm hospitality.

 

 

Our next commitment will take us to Otavalo, which lies on our horizon. To prepare for this, and to shake off the city life in Quito, we are presently relaxing at a beautiful country holsteria called Papa Gayo. This lovely estate is located about half an hour's drive south of Quito, near the volcano Cotopaxi. They have farm animals, walking trails, bikes for rent, and even a jacuzzi. Out here it smells of soil, rain and greenery, just what I'd been craving after three weeks in the noisy and polluted city. 

 

Another feature of this haven is their selection of day trips to fantastic places. Yesterday (our first full day here), we took a trip to Quilotoa, which is a lake in the crater of a volcano. The two-hour van ride proved to be a fascinating part of the trip as we headed steadily upwards into the mountains. Breathtaking vistas surrounded us, punctuated by glimpses of the local daily life: women wearing vividly colored traditional clothing, children playing or herding sheep along the road, men constructing the new highway. We didn't even get impatient waiting an hour for the road to reopen at the construction site. The scenery held our attention, and we enjoyed chatting with our guide, Cristian, and another tourist named Letitia, who accompanied us on this journey. 

 

Clouds drift in and out of the caldera like dry ice on a stage.

 

As you can see in the photos, the natural formation of Quilotoa is spectacular in both size and sight. Many shades of green undulated across the water's surface, while reflections of vaporous clouds cast their shadows periodically. At 12,555 feet above sea level, we looked down on the lake 1,500 feet below. And so we started following Cristian down the winding path of volcanic ash and rocks. Quite soon into our descent, Letitia, Emma and Cristian got farther and farther ahead, leaving me to reassess the notion of reaching the bottom. The path proved quite steep and I imagined myself taking days to climb back up! So Mike being Mike, he selflessly stopped two-thirds of the way down with me. He wanted me to have a positive experience, and this strategy proved to be the right way to go. We started our slow ascent, alternately climbing then resting, taking in the dazzling scenery at a novice's pace. Other guides with horses passed us going down and offered us their services. We declined because even though it was difficult, I really wanted to accomplish this on my own. Breathing hard at the highest altitude we'd ever experienced, Mike kept encouraging me along, and as we were reaching the top, the other three caught up with us. Perfect timing; no one had to wait for me. By then it was about 3:00 pm, and we were all rewarded with a great meal at the restaurant back on top. Fantastico!

Emma studies geology at the Cañon del Rio Toachi

The next day was more laid-back. Emma chose to do the horseback riding excursion in the morning, and two other American guests joined her. The owner of Papa Gayo, Hilan, led this trip, which we had thought would last two hours. As they were all leaving the driveway, I asked an employee about what time they would return. He said "in four hours". OK then! Good thing Hilan gave them each a bottle of water. 

 

It was a beautiful sunny morning, so Mike and I decided to take a walk up the cobbled road. We passed big fields with lots of cows grazing, railroad tracks with a surprising bus/train hybrid that whizzed by, and a gigantic greenhouse operation growing roses of all colors. The property spanned both sides of the road, and seemed to go on forever. We've learned that these flowers are mostly grown for export to the United States and Canada, and as many of you know, they can cost upwards of $45.00 per dozen at home. Here, you can buy a dozen roses for $2.00 (yes, really).This year was the cheapest ever Valentine's Day for Mike! And those flowers were gorgeous. I believe I appreciated them even more, in fact. 

 

After returning to the hosteria, Mike and I enjoyed a couple of hours relaxing on the patio. I must admit that my legs did rebel a bit, after making them do the Quilotoa hike and then our 3-mile walk that morning. We had tea and juice, and I actually spent quite some time sketching our view from the patio. I hadn't sketched anything for years, and I really enjoyed getting back into it. I've promised myself to make more sketches while we're here. Seems like we have a bit more time now to pursue activities that fall by the wayside at home. 

 

 

Emma and the other riders finally made it back to the inn around 3:00 pm. She loved the trip, getting a chance to ride up and down hills, canter, and gallop a bit when some dogs started chasing their group!  Her legs were worse off than mine, as she hadn't ridden a horse for a year, and had never ridden that long at one time before. But the two days of sore muscles were worth it for her. Quite a memorable day in that respect.