On the way to visit various towns outside of Cuenca, we stopped at a museum and exhibition of spinning and weaving. The spinning of the yarn uses a drop spindle similar to what I’ve used and seen. They also color the yarns similarly as other places of the world.
The weaving however is much different. They sit on the floor and the work is done with the arms instead of using peddles to tighten the weft threads.
Winding the warp threadsTying areas of the threads before dying.Dying methods.Weaving.Weaning the weft thread.Knitting the fringe.
Another cute little town but seemed to sell many shoes as witnessed by the number of people in each of the stores. Since my size is hard to find here I didn’t go into the stores.
Chorteleg
Chorteleg is a cute little town. It is known for its silver and gold industry especially filigree designs. Of course I bought some jewelry.
Artisanal beers with my friend Susan.A specific design that is unique to Chorteleg.This is a beautiful ring.I couldn’t resist turtles.
On the way back to Cuenca we stopped at San Fransisco square.
Note the mannequins on there balconies of the pink building.Tortillas de Tiesto.
After arriving back in Cuenca we listened to some singers and danced a bit in the square. Quite the fun day.
These are some of the other things I have been doing since arriving in Quito. School of always busy when starting in a new place: new programs to learn, procedures to follow, etc.
Several of the new teachers would go to a few music venues. This one was reggae type music with rap influence.
In my neighborhood is a great gelato place made with local fruits. Very delicious.
Another music event I attended was an afrobeats concert held at an old theater near the historical center. The headliner act is famous in Chile and the whole evening was fantastic. It was difficult to stay in our seats, everyone was dancing.
The opening band played classical jazz. They were amazing.Afrobeats.
I’ve had a few medical appointments about my knee. Walking home after one of them I spotted this place that had Bolivian empanadas
Colada morada is a warm drink made with a large quantity of ingredients including various fruits and purple corn flour. It is thick and actually quite tasty. It is seen here around various holidays including Day of the Dead. Along with a cheese empanada, it was delicious.
I have also never been to a professional soccer game. The stadium is close to school so what better way than to stay after school, grab dinner with friends, and take in a game.
At school, part of the IB program is to complete a G4 project. We took the students to the museum on the equator. It is actually along the equator as determined by GPS (I have been at the other location of where they thought it was by using maps).
Balancing an egg on a nail at the equator. Can you only do it here? Actually no. It just takes practice.A blacksmith hummingbird. It makes a heavy striking sound when it sings.
We have also hosted a BBQ at our place. So great to see people out of school.
For a relaxing long weekend, I went with my friend Susan to papallacta. The town is located in the Ecuadorian Andes about 40 miles outside of Quito.
We left after school but since both of us work in different schools we left through the center of the city. Unfortunately there was a very bad accident that backed up traffic for over six hours. Even though there was a way to finally get off and go through to the other side of town, Quito has a policy that there is one day in the week each person cannot drive through the city from 4 to 9 pm. It is called pico y placa. Our driver could not go back to the city as the number on his plate does not allow him to drive during those hours on Friday. Eventually we were able to move far enough along to get off on a different exit. We eventually made it there much later than anticipated. *They actually did suspend this policy but we were not able to turn around after a certain time.
The hotel we stayed at was Mamallacta Paramor and is located 200 m from the thermal hot springs at Termas. This area has lots of hot springs due to volcanic activity but that place is the best and most expensive. We were able to get a day pass and also book a hot stone massage for much cheaper than staying at the expensive place. It is worth it. I loved my stay there and will definitely go back.
The food was delicious and the people so helpful.
The hotel is very artistic with some amazing touches throughout. It is beautiful.
They even have an opening in the upper floors for the birds who come in can leave. This one forgot how it entered.
I made a new friend Lenny, the burro. He was not as friendly at first but after I fed him clover he accepted hugs and pets on the neck and face. He actually brayed at me rather loudly when I left but did not give him clover. Of course I stopped and did as he asked.
Besides the hot springs we took several hikes through the forests and along the roads. Beautiful and relaxing!
The Antisana volcano.
The area is surrounded by farmland. Besides cows there were plenty of sheep and of course llamas.
We decided to come back a day early and given the traffic into papallacta it was probably a good idea. Many people finally made it to the hot springs. We visited friends who are moving back to the states. It was a lovely way to end the vacation. Their view from their balcony in Guapulo (South Quito) is amazing.
What a great group of people I work with. There is often a suggestion for a trip that someone starts and quickly a group is put together. This weekend was a trip to Quilotoa. We rented a can to pick us up from school and after around 3 hours we arrived at the black sheep inn.
The drive there was amazing with all of the vistas.
Our destination is way out in the distance.
Black sheep inn is an eco hostel that serves vegetarian food only and focused on nature and preserving and conserving resources. They have a great facility and full meals and snacks all day long. Add in massages, helping with transport to hikes, games and things to do.
Beautiful lodge for meals and gathering.The bunk house with quad rooms to share.Yoga room with hammocks.Single house with private bathroom. All others are shared. This is where I stayed as I love privacy and sleep as I am a very light sleeper.It did get chilly here at night as it is 1000 feet higher than Quito. It is a little cooler here.Composting toilet. It is a pit toilet that you sprinkle bits of leaves etc. for composting.Private shower with hot water. Worth the extra 40 dollars a night.
They have one very friendly cat, named Choco who loved to hang out around my house.
On Saturday, trucks picked us up to go to Quilotoa. The ride had some other great views of mountains. These two peaks are husband and wife, esposo y esposa called Ilinazas.
Quilotoa is a water-filled caldera and is one of the must do hikes in Ecuador. The caldera was formed 800 years ago when the cone of the volcano collapsed during a massive eruption. Over the centuries, the caldera filled with water, and now you can hike along the rim of the beautiful crater lake.
The surrounding area is also home to several indigenous communities that have lived in the region for centuries, mainly the Kichwa. They have a rich culture and history and still practice traditional farming. I love how they maintain a deep connection to the land and the natural resources. Of course they have built structures to support and encourage tourism.
The hike is pretty difficult. It is 1000 meters above Quito so the air is thinner. It is also a pretty difficult hike with the ascents and descents. I decided to do one kilometer and then turn back. The full hike of the rim is 5 hours. I chose instead to hike down to the bottom of the crater and back up.
Carrie decided not to do the full hike with me and we headed back to hike down the crater.
At the start of the hike we were all together.
Three dogs followed us and continued most of the way. I think they smelled our lunches we carried.The path from the top where I am standing down to the bottom is 2 km, steep and lots of loose gravel on a path that switches back and forth.Starting the descent down.There were llamas to get pictures with and mules or horses to take you back up.
The path up was very steep and loose gravel of course. We were not in any hurry as our friends were taking a long hike. So we stopped often to take long breaks.
Finally we made it to the top.
At the bottom we met Mario who we spoke to in Spanish. We decided to all have beers since we decided to hike up. He took a muleThis is taken for altitude sickness.A band playing right before we were leaving.Just a girl and her alpaca.
Sunrise the next morning.
The town of Chugchilan is where the inn is at. I walked around the last morning to look at buildings and people.
A great weekend with amazing people. When Carrie and I left the group, everyone hugged and we were wished a safe journey back. People are very friendly and caring
One week was to just get the visas, get settled in an apartment, get a cell plan, bank account, etc. Finally it was time for the new teachers to be at school for a week.
First day of school for the new teachers.My classroom.
We have an amazing lab assistant who is so knowledgeable, organized, and we have access to a lot of things which I was so happy about.
Prep space and storage.I’m the library, religion and mythology are in the same section…..Another view of my room.Sports field. We are high up and surrounded by all the mountains.The patio de tortugas. There used to be giant turtles here until the government said they needed to be in a preserve or other place.
After another week with all faculty, students returned. I forget how much energy is required into getting to know a new system and culture in a school. In the second week we had an assembly. Students were asked to wear uniforms even though they do not have to on a daily basis. They started the assembly with both the Ecuador and USA national anthems and ended with the colegio song.
I was impressed that the focus of the assembly was on academics and the arts. Awards were given and a shout out to sports were mentioned at the end.
A student band played. They were very good.
Despite differences in how schools are run and a little disorganization especially where new platforms being used this year that there is little experience in, it has been a good start to the year. The students are kind and motivated in my class. There are always a few students who test you and they are in the lower grades, or 10th grade for me. There is a lot of support for any discipline issues which I’m grateful for.
I joined a bike ride with from Quito to Mindo. All the riders were school teachers from my school and another international school in the city. We live in the mountains so the ride was up and down some steep inclines.
I wasn’t sure my knee would be okay and in the end I did not do the two biggest hills. It was a supported ride, so there was a trailer carrying our bags and also could take you and the bike up a hill. I did do some hills and the knee felt good though tired. I did not want to find out I hurt myself in the middle of the biggest hills.
We first went through Quito at 5:30 am to the point where we loaded bikes to avoid the first hill
At the top of that first hill, I got on the bike but waited for the traffic to clear! I stopped along the highway going downhill to get this shot. So cold. It was just under 40 degrees. We stopped at Nono, the first town, to warm up before continuing on. So beautiful.
From here the road was gravel. On the downhills I went slow as I was not comfortable and also the tight turns. Lots of braking! In the end, going slow let me stop and take some great pictures.
A second stop in Nanegelito. Here I realized the next hill was even steeper and decided to skip it.
At the top of the hill was the next stop at Bellavista. This used to be the old highway and when the new one was put in, the little towns suffered. A foreigner purchased all the land and built the hostel resort and also manages the nature reserve. They had hummingbirds and incredible views.
The hummingbirds were amazing.They loved my red gloves.
So many more hours of downhill on gravel.
Finally I noticed that the vegetation had changed and we were no longer in the forests but in the jungle.
I was do glad to see paved road finally which was faster but it was also still downhill! Finally I made it to Mindo!
Such a cute very small town.I finally found a mixed encebollado to try. It’s a fish soup with onions, yucca, and spices. So delicious. It came with plantain chips.Just a guy and his dog out for a drive. In the center park.Service on Sunday.
A new friend from the other school, Cotopaxi, met me in Mindo. We had a good time hanging out, eating, and walking to the butterfly garden.
Those little flashes of blue on the left side were very beautiful and active blue butterflies. Live music in the park. I danced some salsa with him before boarding the bus back to Quito.More flash of blue at the door. They did not alight anywhere during our stay.One butterfly that just emerged from the chrysalis.
We packed up our things but went to lunch to wait for the bus to go back to Quito. Devon and Sergio know great friends of mine from Guangzhou. Kathy and Mitch thought that was great too!
The cacao margarita was fresh (no syrup). We ate at Quetzal, which had amazing food.
Such a beautiful weekend, a bunch of us decided to go to Mitad del Mundo. Well over 100 years ago explorers sought to find the middle of the world (or halfway between the poles) In 1932 a monument was erected in that spot. Unfortunately, now with GPS, we know they are off a little bit. But the site still stands and you can (technically) put your feet on each side of the equator.
Different neighborhood on the way to the site.Another neighborhood.Standing on each side of the equator.I’m facing east with north being to the right of the picture and south to the left.Inside is a museum of history of Ecuador and a great view from the top.A view down where we were just standing.This is the west side. the O stands for Oeste which means west in Spanish.View from the top.In the distance you can see a snow capped mountain near the middle of the picture and surrounded by clouds. That is the Cotopaxi volcano and is south.I will try many different flavors of ice cream. This is cheese and pineapple. It tasted more like pineapple but with the saltiness and texture of cheese in it.
Technically you are supposed to balance an egg on a nail at the equator. This is really said to be only true in spring and fall. However, this is not true. You can balance an egg like this anytime, anywhere if you are patient enough. But it is fun to try and keeps the kids entertained.
The monument along the equator.There is no path to peace, peace is the path.
Not sure why they have a guinea pig on the spit here but it is an Ecuadorian custom and delicacy. There is a sign saying not to take it off the spit. That is actually one really big guinea pig.
Crochet art on the tree.A little cathedral.That is a big guinea pig!I still don’t feel guilty I ate the guinea pig.Difficult to see but we are all sitting along the sign.
What I love about working overseas is the wonderful people you meet. Even on tours you meet amazing people and get to know about one another.
The historical center in Quito is one of the best preserved colonial centers across Latin America. I joined many great teachers from my school to take a walking tour of this beautiful part of Quito. It was amazing to finally go out and start looking at all the fantastic places in this city.
The view from the rooftop of the local hostel.
The first stop was in the market to try various fruits from Ecuador including yellow dragon fruit (Pitaya), golden berry, passion fruit, and others.
A walk through the streets….
In the Hotel Patio Andaluz, we tasted many different percents of dark chocolate and learned about the yellow cacao tree. It is fascinating that it will absorb flavors from other trees planted nearby.
Independence square
Statue honoring those who fought for Independence Carondelet Palace at Independence square is the seat of the government in Ecuador.
Street of the 7 crosses
There are many churches here in the old city, many from Spanish occupation and influence.
Church of the Society of Jesus. This is one of many churches along this street. Cross outside of the church.Museo numesmatico – this used to be a bank and now it’s a museum showing the evolution of Ecuador’s monetary system.Iglesia de Santo Domingo.
San Francisco Plaza
The church is said to be spectacular inside but unfortunately we did not go inside.
Calle La Ronda
This street started as part of an Incan trail. Spanish colonists built houses on the trail in the 1500’s. At the turn of the 20th century it was popular among many types of artists and in the 2005 was restored after many decades of neglect. It is really charming with cobblestone streets and beautiful buildings.
We heard the guide mention cuy, which is guinea pig and a delicacy here in Ecuador. Always willing to try something new, we ate lunch at the restaurant, and that is what I had. I did think of my childhood guinea pig pet, Squeaky. Sorry, I had to try it. It was good. Kind of tasted like duck and a bit like squirrel. They actually say it tastes like a cross between duck and rabbit. The slight greasiness reminded me a bit of duck.
1/4 of guinea pig. That is the back leg.View from the restaurant.
We walked back to a shop we were browsing in earlier. Such beautiful streets.
Besides artisans and street vendors, there were some dressed up as characters. Here Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy is having fun with a small child.
A really great afternoon with some fun colleagues at school. It was a beautiful sunny day and it is pretty hot here in the sun at this altitude.
It was a longer summer than what I’m used to but having that time at home was amazing. Before I knew it, it was time to go to Ecuador.
It is a bunch of flights to get there.
The school put us in the Sheraton until we found an apartment. I had already found mine and committed at the end of June but still needed to sign the contracts, etc. I chose an apartment based upon location and the reputation of the landlord. Here is a link to a quick tour: https://youtu.be/lvdYFYguqrA
View from the rooftop of the building.A different view.Panorama from the top of the building.Signing the lease. I was happy someone wanted to share an apartment as this space was big and at the top of my office range.
The week was filled with obtaining our bank account, visa, and SIM card. Very different from China. Times that we would meet would change unexpectedly, SIM card activation took a couple days, and we were surprised that we received our bank card in three days and not the two weeks they expected…. By mid week I was moved in.
We were in buses or cars most of the week traveling to the agencies we needed to be at
It wasn’t until later in the week that we had time for shopping and walking around. Some of the views around La Carolina and Batan.
Dinner at the directors house. Great Ecuadorian music and three kinds of ceviche: chochos (Andean soybean), camarón (shrimp), and pescado (fish).
There was an assassination of a minor presidential candidate just before I left the US. The city was calm and there were no protests when I arrived. It was the week before the election and I was surprised to learn that it is required for citizens to participate in elections. They must register and voting is on Sunday. If they do not vote, they are fined $450 which is one month’s wage (minimum wage). In order to have an orderly voting process, no alcohol was allowed to be purchased or served Friday through Sunday. Anyone publicly intoxicated would also be jailed. It is called La Seca (dry law)
People in line for registration to vote This vendor at Mercado Iñaquito had bulk dried goods and even refillable bottles for natural laundry detergent.Inside Mercado Iñaquito.This park is named after the Machalilla culture that over inhabited the area for 3000 years. There is a statue honoring the founder of modern day Turkey.This park has outdoor sports facilities and great places to walk around.
Indigenous community that was able to retain their property when the park was created around them.
It was a beautiful hike and that evening our building had a progressive dinner. There are 4 apartments of teachers from our school in the building. Our apartment started and we made roasted potatoes (papa chola) with guacamole and farmers cheese. Plantain chips were also great to dip into the guacamole.
The other apartments contributed with entree and dessert. It was a great way to start in and not be out and about.
Sunday was very relaxing. As it rained off and on and was a voting day, we stayed in and did some work and relaxed. I heard helicopters overhead twice and there was one police car present on a short walk I did. Otherwise, not many people were out and only about a third of the businesses were open.
Our buddy teachers that transported us all week long and helped people find apartments bought us these beautiful flowers. They are such lovely and warm people. Though we spent hours in the car with them, it was amazing to talk to them!
