Ecuador Adventure

Lake Cuicocha

2012-09-21T20:17:00.001-06:00

Our day of adventure began at 8:00 this morning. We drove up the mountain to a restaurant on Lake Cuicocha for breakfast. Our group included our family, a couple that lives down the street from us and a friend visiting here from FL.

We enjoyed the view while we waited for our breakfast to be prepared.

The larger greener humps of land are actually two separate islands in the lake. There used to be houses you could rent but they have burned down and now the islands sit empty.

This is the same lake just looking further to the right. The large mountain with snow on top is Mount Cotacachi......the same mountain we enjoy from our rooftop looking behind our apartment.

Our breakfast consisted of rolls, scrambled eggs, coffee, and fresh pineapple juice. Once we finished eating we wandered down the mountain to see the lake a little closer.

The building up high is the restaurant where we ate breakfast.

This is another restaurant. They also have boats that you can hire to drive you around the islands in the lake.

We hope to be able to hike around the mountain ridge circling the lake some time on a future trip. We hear there are flowers and wildlife that are unique to that altitude.

Quichua weaving

2012-09-21T19:59:00.001-06:00

This morning after breakfast we went to a place called Artesania El Gran Condor. They sell a wide variety of handwoven items including wall hangings, blankets, sweaters and much more. The building itself was really interesting. It had multiple levels and a number of rooms with colorful items on display everywhere you turned. On the lowest level there was a display of different weaving looms and materials.

After combing the wool she spun it into yarn. Then she explained to us the different things used to dye the yarn. Walnuts for brown, a plant for green, and a bug.......

Yes, a bug. it lives inside the mold that grows on a cactus. She passed the bug around for each of us to hold. It resembled a roly poly. When we returned the bug to her she placed it in the palm of her hand and with the thumb of her other hand she proceeded to squish it! Once it was thoroughly squished she had a large circle of beautiful red dye in the palm of her hand. She added a drop of vinegar and it turned into bright orange. Then she added some baking soda in turned to a dark purple.

Once the yarn is dyed and dry it is placed on this spinner. Then it is wound onto the spools.

She demonstrated two types of weaving. In one method she strapped herself to the weaving a created the tension using her body. It also required a great deal of energy because she manually manipulated individual strands of yarn and moved them with a stick. This method is used to create beautiful double sided wall hangings . She said it took about 10 days to complete one.

She also demonstrated using a large loom with multiple levels and pedals. They use this method to create things like blankets, table cloths, and scarves.

I enjoyed looking through the items for sale so much that I forgot to take pictures! Prices ranged from a few dollars for a bookmark, $5 for a pair of gloves, $45 for a sweater and up to $200 and $300 for a large wall hanging. The colors were vibrant and the designs were very detailed. All were beautiful!

Peguche Falls

2012-09-21T19:24:00.002-06:00

Today we hiked to a waterfall in the nearby town of Peguche. We thoroughly enjoyed the hike and wished we had worn our bathing suits so we could get in the water. Emily took off her shoes and soaked her feet in the cold water but the rest of us just enjoyed the spray coming off the waterfall.

When we got near the fall the trail split. One path went to the top of the fall. The other went to the bottom. The boys and Emily walked all the way to the top. But Liv and I decided to take the "easy" road.

The pic above is the best shot I have of the entire waterfall. But we are still at 30-50 yards away. The pic below is of a woman who braved the cold water. She is right near the fall so you can get a little better idea of the size of the fall.

After our nice hike we were ready for lunch and the rest of our adventure.

Condor Park

2012-09-05T14:17:00.000-06:00

We haven't heard of any zoos in this part of the world. But we did find something close in the nearby town of Otavalo. Condor Park is on the mountainside high above the town. It is home to several birds of prey that have been rescued. We chose the perfect day to explore the park. We were the only visitors for the morning and the weather was sunny, clear, and beautiful.

After a warm welcome from the lady at the front door we explored gardens of unique flowers and trees......

Then we followed the rock path through the rest of the park.

This was an area with a rock structure that resembled a large sundial. The sign explained that it was the "Calendar of the Condor" where the shadow actually showed the month of the year.

The feathered friends were many and they ranged from large to small. This next little guy was about 6" tall. I took several pictures of him but his eyes were closed every time. I was disappointed. When his eyes were open it looked like he had enormous eyelashes all around them.

At the other end of the size spectrum was the Condor. They were taller than Olivia with an enormous wing span. I waited for what seemed like forever to get a picture of one of them with their wings spread out. I finally got tired of waiting.

The information building had a nice poster that displayed the actual size of the Condor's wingspan. The girls standing in front of it helps with perspective.

There were several birds of other sizes as well. Some we recognized, like the Harpy Eagle and Bald Eagle, and others that we've never seen before.

One section of the park was really neat. It was arranged in a large circle. There were nearly a dozen different birds in this area and they each had their own perch and shelter. The cool thing was that you could sit on a small wall and watch the birds on their perches only 6ft away with nothing between you.

Most of them sat quietly looking around. They all seemed entertained by the birds that were flying in the air. My favorite bird in this section was the Bald Eagle. They are are such beautiful birds. And this one didn't sit quietly. He moved around watching everything, including us! We moved around the area and he watched each of us individually. We felt like we were his entertainment for the day. Then he got vocal and started squawking at us. We were very entertained.

The park isn't large. In just under two hours we were able to walk the whole park and take our time watching the birds. The views were spectacular. I wanted to pack my bags and move in to one of the storage buildings.

The picture above is a nice view of the town of Otavalo. The picture below is a section of the Pan-American Highway that stretches between Otavalo and Cotacachi.

Twice a day the park performs a show with a few of the birds. It gave us a chance to see some of them very closely and watch them fly and land repeatedly.

The man showing the birds wore a leather pouch filled with chunks of meat to feed the birds as a treat each time they returned to him. This worked for all but one of the birds. After a couple of flights he decided he would stay gone a while. We watched him fly around freely for about 15 minutes. The man said they will all do this now and then.....one stayed gone for 4 days.....but they all have returned eventually. The fact that they are all rescued birds makes it difficult, if not impossible, for them to live in the wild on their own. At the end of the show they brought out an American Kestrel and offered to let us take turns holding it.

First was Connor and then Emily. We tried to get Liv to hold it too but she chickened out. I still can't tell you much about the birds other than how old they are and their normal life-span. Why? It was entirely in Spanish! And the age and life-span was all I could understand. Oh well. We enjoyed the show anyway.

Posting Comments

2012-08-29T08:01:00.001-06:00

Some have commented that they have been unable to post comments to the Blog or they have been required to sign up in order to post. Well I have opened comments up to allow anyone to post comments. Of course, it is still moderated so I have to approve the comment before it shows up on the Blog. That should keep the riff-raff from taking over.....and we all know who I am talking about :)

Parade

2012-08-26T21:19:00.000-06:00

Parades are very popular here. In the 5 weeks we've been here we've enjoyed two major parades and several smaller ones. The smaller ones seem to break out at any time of any day for any reason. They usually include homemade fireworks in the lead and somewhere in the crowd there will be a religious statue hoisted on a stand and carried on the shoulders of 4 men. One of the large ones took place on Ecuador's Independence Day. It caught us by surprise but we were able to watch it from our rooftop.

Today we were able to enjoy the largest one yet. We heard about this one in advance so we were poised and ready with our cameras. It started at the entrance to the town and traveled down the well-known "leather street" until it reached the bull ring. We were told the parade ended with a mock bull fight. Even though the bull wouldn't really be killed we chose to forego that part of the event.

Once the street was completely cleared of traffic and the side streets blocked then the band started playing.

Following the band were several different groups of horses and riders with a vehicle in the lineup every now and then. The first group of riders wore full chaps and ponchos and were carrying a stick between them. On the stick hanging by their feet were 4 chickens. Not sure what that was about.

The horses came in all sizes and colors. And the riders in each group were dressed differently. We came up with several ideas as to what the different groups represented but we were unable to confirm any of them.

Each vehicle was decked with an enormous stereo and speaker system. And each one played their own music.

Each of the groups was small but they usually contained a variety of riders. This group included both young and old.

This next guy wasn't in a group. He was all alone but he was having tons of fun waving at everyone and showing off.

Some of the groups included ponies. This one even had it's colt following behind.

This little guy had his very own horse.........on a stick. Even though his horse was different from the others, he was dressed the same as the others in his group and he led the way dancing and performing.

The entire parade passed us in about 45 minutes. The horses were absolutely beautiful and it was so interesting to see the different ways the riders were dressed. While some groups just casually strode by most groups actually performed as they passed. Some of the horses walked past in fancy high steps. Others performed a dance routine as a group. And yet others were lone dancers that really showed off. We were very impressed!

And no parade in South American would be complete with a live.......Mariachi Band!!!

And the grand finale.......little Quichua girls tossing oranges to the spectators.

Ecuador Realities

2012-08-23T07:37:00.000-06:00

So some of the realities of Ecuador are starting to sink in. I took our rent money to the landlady and asked her if we had received our electric bill yet. She reached into her desk and pulled out the bill and handed it to me. I was shocked. In the States we are used to a $300-$400 electric bill during the summer months. Of course, here in the mountains the weather stays the same pretty much year round. There are no air conditioners or heating systems, they just aren't needed. Our consumption of electricity is lighting, the electric shower heads, refrigerator, toaster oven, coffee maker, computers, and phone chargers.

So you can imagine my surprise to see that our electric bill for the month was $5.30. I reached in my pocket and paid the bill. I reminded Lorie that we will at some point have to refill our propane tank that is used for cooking. We have started saving up the $2.50 needed to do that. In order to get that refilled though we have to listen for the daily gas truck as it travels thru town. It plays a catchy tune that lets us know to take the empty tank down to the street and wait for them to stop. We hand them our empty tank and $2.50 and they give us a full tank. We can save a $1.00 if we want to drive the tank to the refill station....but without a car it would end us costing us more with the taxi fare.

Yes it is quite different and a lot less complicated life here. We did have our first scheduled power outage Sunday morning. I say scheduled but we didn't find out about it till it went out. It made for an interesting morning but nothing was missed, we could still boil water for coffee and the croissants from the bakery never tasted so good.

Cotacachi - our little town

2012-08-15T12:26:00.000-06:00

The little town we've chosen to live in is really neat. I can't get an exact size from the internet but population is in the range of 8,000-10,000. The downtown business area is about a square mile. There are two large Catholic churches, one at the old town square with a small market and the other at the new town square. They both ring their bells at different times of day announcing their services. We live directly across the old town square from the older church and their bells ring at 6:00, 6:15, 6:45, 7:00 a.m. so we have no need for an alarm clock. There some homes and apartments mixed into the downtown are but most homes trickle out ward from the center of town.

The most walked street of downtown is affectionately called "leather street". That's not it's official name but leather goods is what nearly every store on the street sells. Cotacachi is well known for it's leather goods. You can find bags of all sizes and colors, boots, shoes, jackets, ponchos, pants, etc, etc. There are a couple of stores that also carry saddles and tack for horses and chaps, whips and spurs for the riders. Many stores have the workshop in the back and you can meet the person who makes the things in the store.

At one end of leather street is the market and the bus depot. At the market you can find fresh fruits, veggies, and flowers every day of the week. One section of this market has meat also.......but it hangs in the open air. We love the fruits, veggies, and flowers but this is not where we buy our meat. We stick with the regular grocery store for packaged, refrigerated meat.

There are many restaurants nestled in among the different shops. Most of them are no bigger than a bedroom in your home and hold only 3 or 4 tables. The owner cheerily takes your order then heads to the kitchen to prepare your meal. You are next greeted by the children of the owner. They take your drink order and bring you everything as it becomes ready. We have found several restaurant we chosen to avoid because they looked a little too risky. But we've also found several that we love. So far not a single one of us has gotten sick. Woo Hoo!

We've wandered about town several different days and I've taken hundreds of pictures. Here are a few I would like to share.....

This is the market at the old town square. We live on the second floor apartment of the building in the picture. This market has several booths lining two side of the block. The vendors are mostly, if not all, Quichua. The good they sell include sweaters, jewelry, clothing, bags, belts. We are frequently entertained from our bedroom window as we watch the market traffic. Several times a day tour buses will stop and give their customers from different parts of the world time to wander through the market. I also enjoy watching the vendors sit and knit sweaters and different items during the slow times of the day.

This is the big church located at the main town square.

The town square in front of the church.

Municipal building across from the town square

A flower nursery a few blocks from our apartment.

Our kids love this restaurant. The owner caters to Americans. A nice place to get some food that you are familiar with and enjoy visiting with other English speaking people.

This is the street in front of the kids' favorite restaurant. All paved streets are these grey pavers. And the sidewalks in the business area are all tile of different colors and patterns. The streets and sidewalks are swept every day so things are usually nice and clean.

This is house on the same street. The homes either have a wall like this with a tiny yard or it will have a solid "privacy" wall with only a door. Once you get in the door you have a nice courtyard area. But from the street its just a wall and a door.

Many of the doors are very pretty. Check out the door knocker in the center. It's a hand.

Once you get outside the business area the sidewalks are plain and things aren't as well cared for. You really have to watch your step. We have quickly learned that if you want to observe your surroundings you need to stop walking while you look around. Otherwise you could have a nasty fall. There are lots of uneven areas, big holes with rocks stacked in them and sometimes just huge holes.......

.......like this one! There was running water going through this one.

This is a very common site. When we first arrived we thought there were tons of stray dogs all over town. But we've come to learn they aren't strays at all. They all have a home and most are very well cared for. But most people don't have yards so they let the dogs run around and the whole town becomes their yard. Sometimes they pick a sunny spot in the middle of the road to take a nap and other times they are curled up outside their own home like this one.

But then you have lots of homes with "roof dogs" and they are there simply to alert the owners when anyone comes near the house. From what we are told these kind of dogs are only guard dogs and they never come down off the roof.

Shopping is different here. There is the market and the one grocery store that carries a tiny variety of several different things. But there are tons of small store that are very specific in what they carry. If you want a beer, you go to the liquor store. If you need aspirin, you go to the pharmacy. If you want croissants, you go to the bakery. You get the idea. We were surprised to see a store that only carried zippers and buckles.....very specialized.

This one was interesting too.........only things related to drywall.......tape, mud, corner bead. But don't come here for paint, that would be the paint store down the road!

Property security is a big thing here. If things in your yard are easily accessible they will disappear. And if something in your window can be easily taken, someone will take it. So, They build walls around their property with access through a locked door. And atop the walls you sometimes see barbed wire, or electric wire. But most of the time the tops of the walls look like this with large pieces of glass or lots of broken bottles decorating the top.

There is lots of construction going on all over town both in the business areas and on the outskirts. But you won't see or hear any power tools or big earth movers. It's all done by hand and it's all concrete.

On the outer edges of town we have found a couple large development-like areas where several homes are inside one wall and then there are a few really big homes on really big lots all by themselves. Some of them have big sitting for years with no progress. We are told that people build as they have the money. So, work might be done for 6 months then it will sit for a year or more. And other times people change their minds and let a house sit until they can sell it.

Most of the construction is concrete. This one even has a concrete roof.

Then there are several homes that are completely finished but have never been occupied. We met a man from the states that lives down the street from this house. He said he's lived here a year and this place has been finished since he moved here. There is a rumor the owner is ready to sell. But no one has contact info. Realtors aren't common here. It's usually word of mouth. We did see a Remax sign on one house, but that's the only sign we've seen.

The other thing you see everywhere you go is people. People working in their gardens, walking their geese, herding their sheep through town, riding horses to the store, hauling enormous loads of all sorts of things tied on their backs and the list goes on. I haven't been brave enough to take many pics of the people but I find them very beautiful and entertaining. After I've accumulated more pictures, I'll post something on the people.

Our Favorite Playground

2012-08-15T10:38:00.000-06:00

When you have kids you HAVE to have a playground. We have found a couple but we hit the jackpot and found our favorite. There are no signs to tell us it's name or history so for us its "the park" and so far the entire family has enjoyed it. The pictures and videos tell it all.......

Yes, that Cameron up there with the kids!

Half of the park is a large field with no equipment just grass......and a cow. I guess he's the official lawn mower for the park. He's been there every time we've gone to play. He does have a rope tied to his horns but the other end isn't tied to anything so he wanders freely through the park. Yesterday he was trimming around the edge of the merry-go-round. He didn't mind the kids playing and screaming and the kids didn't mind his munching. Makes me laugh.

Lunch After Meeting at our new Favorite Restaurant

2012-08-05T14:59:00.001-06:00

So after the meeting this morning we went next door to a little restaurant that is owned by a Witness family. First we were impressed with the simplicity of the menu. We had the choice of soup (sopa) and a plate of either pollo or carne. We ordered one bowl of soup because we thought it was chicken soup. We are still struggling with the language. It was fish soup......which was incredible. Lorie and Olivia had eaten several bites of it and were raving about the flavor. When I took a bite I smiled and asked Olivia how she liked the "chicken" soup. That was when I broke it to them that it was fish. Absolutely incredible flavor. Next we had 3 plates of pollo. We ate most of our food before I thought of getting pictures of the plates of food that we got. A large plate covered with beans, rice, a piece of chicken, and a fried egg on top of it all. More than any of us (except Connor) could finish....it is my supper tonight.

Here is menu with the costs of the meals on it. Yes you are seeing it correctly....$2.75 for each.... I love it when they tell me that it is $11.50 for the whole family to eat lunch.

When I mentioned that it was a family business, that means that the entire family is involved. Here is the wait staff:

They were on top of it all the entire time we were there. They brought out bowls of popcorn (traditional appetizer here in Ecuador), dishes of ahi (a traditional salsa that goes on anything you eat), they took our orders and brought us our food. They stayed busy taking finished dishes off the table and cleaning up. When I handed them each a 50 cent piece for their great service they lit up like I had just given them a new bike.

We look forward to making this a regular stop for lunch on Sundays.

Things That Make Us Laugh

2012-08-02T08:13:00.002-06:00

We knew we would find many new things in a different country. Many of them are quite amusing so we thought we would share.

This is an electric shower head. I don't know about you, but I was always told that electricity and water make a bad combination. But if you want a hot shower in Ecuador it becomes a necessary risk. Most homes do not have hot water. Cameron and Connor have discovered what not to do when making adjustments to the water. They were both lightly zapped. The girls and I have learned from them and have done quite well.

Naked light bulbs. Our apartment has 7 lights in our small kitchen and living room. I thought the missing light fixtures was just our apartment. But I've come to realize that its the same everywhere. Light fixtures are considered an extra. So, you only see them when you visit someone who has moved here from the US and built a home of their own.

Tiny refrigerators. Em hasn't grown since we've been here (believe it or not). There are tiny grocery stores on every block and a large open market with fresh fruits and vegetables every day. So, really we only use the fridge to hold our leftovers.

When you buy a whole chicken you really get the WHOLE chicken. The only thing missing is the feathers.

Or if you prefer a really fresh chicken you can buy some baby chicks.....right there at the grocery store!

Entrance to a very nice neighborhood. You would never realize it from the entrance gate.

Yes, they have fast food in Ecuador. There isn't any in our little town but when we were in the big city of Guayaquil we founds lot of familiar places. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC were some that we visited.

This place made us laugh. Look closely at the name of the restaurant......Taco Bello! It's mexican food but NOT Taco Bell. The owner of the restaurant saw us walking by looking at the pics of food in the window and he came out and in perfect english said, "You have found the best guacamole in town. Come in and have dinner!" He caters to foreigners and prepares his food with our weak immune systems in mind. The food was delicious and the portions were huge. The owner was quite entertaining too.

One of my personal favorite differences. We went to the market only a few blocks from our apartment. We planned to buy some fruits and veggies. One of the booths had fresh flowers with roses in an endless variety of colors. I spotted a large bundle wrapped in paper with the buds barely opened. I asked the lady how much for them. I tried really hard to hide my shock at the price but I don't think I was successful. I excitedly purchased my 2 dozen long stem pink roses for $2.50.

We are so thoroughly enjoying our adventure. We have so many more things to share but they will have to wait for now. Keep checking back with us!

2012 District Convention - "Safeguard Your Heart"

2012-07-30T07:35:00.000-06:00

All our efforts and planning paid off......we made it to the English District Convention! Three beautiful days of spiritual instruction and meeting new friends. It was a wonderful experience. The program was nearly identical to the one in the U.S. Even the skits were nearly word for word the same. A few of the illustrations were different because they were tailored to the local area. It was impressive to see the unified instructions we receive no matter where we are located. One interesting difference was that most of the speakers were missionaries, branch committee members, bethelites, and pioneers. Many, many years of experience in full-time service.

The assembly hall is located on the same grounds as the local branch just down the hill a ways. It is an open air facility, only a large metal roof. The temperature peaked in the high 80's each day but there was a nice cool breeze that substituted for air-conditioning.

Our hotel was in the historic part of downtown and the assembly hall was outside of town about 20 miles. So, there was a pre-arranged private hire bus that took everyone from our hotel to the convention. The ride took anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic. But we didn't mind the ride at all because it gave us time to get know some new friends.

The bus dropped us off right at the front door. Then came back at the end of the day to take us back to the hotel. The parking lot was quite small compared to what we are used to. Most of the attendees arrived by bus or walked down the hill from the branch.

The restrooms......there was never a line!

There was one person baptized on Saturday. Because English is a foreign language the number of baptism candidates is usually quite small, ranging from 0 to 2.

The grounds are beautiful, covered with a variety of flowers. This time of year is the dry season so the grass is turning brown and going dormant but many plants bloom year round. Bougainvillea grows huge and is seen everywhere in many different colors.

Liv enjoyed wandering thru the patches of bamboo surrounding a picnic area. Bamboo is seen is a variety of sizes and colors all over the place.

We met new friends from many different countries around the world........Australia, UK, Canada, Phillipines, Peru, Colombia, US to name just a few. Some have lived here in Ecuador for many years and others are visiting for a few months. We also found a few friends from Jacksonville!

A familiar face from home.

Although we have no kids in our little group there were lots of kids at the convention. We were able to exchange email addresses with family all over the country. And we received several invitation to visit different areas.

We thoroughly enjoyed the three day convention. The attendance was 823 on Friday, 896 on Saturday, and a whopping 1,155 on Sunday. We hope we can attend here again next year.

Emily's First Post

2012-07-26T19:02:00.001-06:00

So this afternoon we went to iguana park, the iguanas got HUGE but could be born at 4 inches long. Iguanas can get up TEN feet long! That's almost the size of a komodo dragon! But of course we didn't see any that long. So after that we went to the river. It basically looked like mud. Here are some pictures of iguana park

A Day in Guayaquil

2012-07-26T15:49:00.000-06:00

Today we had a chance to walk around town and explore. After breakfast our first stop was the grocery store to buy food for lunch at the convention. We met some new friends at breakfast that are also here for the convention. They knew where the grocery store was so we joined them for the walk. We stopped at a fountain to snap a quick picture.

After our grocery store adventure we went to a park a couple blocks from the hotel. It's known as Iguana Park. Check out the pictures and you'll see why. No zoom needed on the camera.

Then we ate lunch at.......KFC! We had heard it is much better here than in the states so we gave it a try. Everyone was right, it was delicious. Then we walked along the Malecon. It's a really nice area along the Guayas river. There are lots of trees, fountains, statues, and stores.

Weather today was typical of Guayaquil......86 degrees and lots of sun. In the shade it was breezy and very comfortable. We are looking forward to the convention tomorrow. We'll let you know about it in a few days.

Guayaquil

2012-07-26T08:08:00.001-06:00

We are in Guayaquil for the English District Convention. This has been our primary goal in getting to Ecuador this month. And it is finally here. We arrived yesterday morning after a hour and a half drive from Cotacachi to Quito and a 55 minute flight to Guayaquil. We got checked in at the Hotel Malecon Inn which is located on the Malecon, the restored river walk area. When we arrived yesterday most of the area was closed off for an annual celebration of the founding of Guayaquil. The hotel staff had to walk about 4 blocks to meet us to walk us to the hotel. They have been very helpful.

We had a tour of the Branch office scheduled in the afternoon, so after a quick bite to eat we took the taxi to the Branch and took our tour. What a beautiful location about 23km outside of the city.

Girls at the entrance of the Branch

One of the many iguanas

More to come later....Lorie and the kids are going to try to post some things later today.

We welcome any questions or comments that you might have.

Ecuador Branch of Jehovah's Witnesses

2012-07-25T08:20:00.000-06:00

This morning we traveled from Cotacachi to Guayaquil. That required a 2 hour drive south through the mountains into Quito. Then we boarded an airbus 320 jet and flew another hour south to Guayaquil at sea level. Once we checked into our hotel we changed and hired a taxi to drive us to the branch. We were anxious to meet some more brothers and sisters in our new country. The branch is located outside the city so it took us about 40 minutes to drive there. The countryside is quite interesting here. It's very common to see horses or goats grazing along the highway. At last we arrived at the branch. The grounds were perfectly clean and beautifully groomed, of course. So, it really stands out against the rest of its surroundings. Here are some pictures.

The bethel family is about 140-160 people. The dining room seats 200.

This branch doesn't handle the printing of any publications but their shipping department is very busy. All publications and magazines are received here then re-distributed to the congregations all over the country.

We toured the branch with these sisters. On the left if is Missy. She lives in the mountains near where we are staying and is from Kansas. In the middle is Gretchen. She lives in Kansas and is here visiting Missy. And on the right is Cloris, our tour guide. She is a missionary of many years here in Ecuador and is currently a bethelite at this branch.

Our complete tour lasted about 40 minutes. And we met many friends along way. On our way out we were able to see the Assembly Hall where we will attend the convention later this weekend. Here are a couple pictures of it.

A solid roof for shade and some plastic lawn chairs for seating. It's usually in the high 80's during the day here and the only air-conditioning is the breeze. We are keeping a positive attitude and thinking "cool" thoughts for this weekend!

Cotacachi Apartment

2012-07-23T16:18:00.000-06:00

So here are some photos of the apartment.

View from Street. We have the second floor. 3rd floor is available if anyone wants to join us.

View of living room from Kitchen. Kids found their games.

View of market and square across the street. This is a daily craft market of the local vendors. All sorts of neat items.

View of Kitchen from living room.

View from the roof. We have access to that because that is where we dry our clothes.

Did I mention that it has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. And we can rent month at a time....no long term contracts....things are much more simple here.

2012-07-23T14:56:00.000-06:00

We have found an apartment in the beautiful town of Cotacatchi. Now we can unpack and begin to feel at home. We have already met several friends that live close by. One couple lives just across the square from us. I will post pictures later today as we have lots still to get packed away.

2012-07-20T08:37:00.000-06:00

We have arrived in Otovalo after a long day of traveling. Our flight left Miami on time and the flight went well until we got to Quito....It seems that there were high winds so we circled for about an hour waiting to land. When the pilot finally attempted it we got to about 300 ft and and he pulled out ...then announced that we were out of fuel and needed to go to Guayaquil to get more fuel to try again.
That is all behind us now.

We made it to Otovalo and got checked into Hostal El Pedregal. These are some pictures of the courtyard area and the views of the 2 mountains that Otovalo is between, Mt Cotacatchi and Mt Imbaburra. between the travel and the altitude we are all exhausted. Last night was good night to go to bed early and rest. Our hosts served us a wonderful breakfast typical for Ecuadorians; huevos, cafe con leche, juegas frutas, y pan. Still not too sure about the coffee situation here, it seems I need more caffeine than their coffee has.

We are going to go visit some of the friends that we made during our visit back in march and start looking for a more permanent place to live for the next few months.

2012-07-17T09:25:00.001-06:00

Well the time has arrived.... We leave for Ecuador tomorrow. We are making final preparations here in Jacksonville. Lorie has us all packed up. We will leave for Miami at 6:00 in the morning for a 4:00pm departure to Quito. The excitement level is off the chart right now. I am wondering if anyone will get any sleep tonight. We will post as much as we can over the next few days. We look forward to your comments and questions.

First Ecuador Post

2012-06-03T12:54:00.002-06:00

So now starts the big adventure. I finished my last day at work with the City on Friday. After a couple of days of relaxing it is time to get things in order for the trip. Among the list things to do is to get our airline tickets, get the house ready to rent out, get things put into storage, contact the Ecuadorian Consulate to determine all the paperwork that we need to take with us to establish residency.
Here are some photos from my trip to Ecuador back in March.

Ecuador is home to the Andes Mountain, some of which remain snow-covered year round.

Several are active volcanoes

The country is beautiful

At the Otavalo market you can buy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables

Even some that maybe you have never seen before....This is called dragon fruit.... It was probably the sweetest fruit I have ever tasted.

Flowers and especially roses are available everywhere. You can buy a bouquet like this for less than $10. I am sure Lorie will remind me of this when we get down to Ecuador.

This little girl was adorable. The children are very friendly and they love the attention of gringos.

The traditional dress of the Quichua women. This is their everyday dress.

The buses in Ecuador are privately owned and maintained....they are all very colorful.

This is a street in Cotacatchi. The majority of the shops on this street are leather shops. Notice how clean the streets are. The store owners can be seen sweeping in front of their stores early in the morning to keep them looking nice.

Connor in a $90 suede leather sport coat.

If it is made out of leather you can find it hand made here in Cotacatchi.