The children await the activities!

This year Alex and I decided that we would not give any Christmas presents, as apart from the fact that neither of us are believers, we find the commercialism and money spent around the event rather offensive. We have slowly been cutting back over the years, and this year we decided … no more!  We did decide to ‘give’, however, in another way. Our brother-in-law Christian’s auntie is involved with a poor community on the outskirts of Quito. For the last five or so years, she and her extended family (on Christian’s mother’s side), go out to the community close to Christmas and spend a day there. Each family donates food and goods (such as clothes and shoes) as well as organise a pantomime and activities for the children. Everybody gets involved, adults and children alike, and in the true spirit of Christmas it’s all about giving! This year, we got involved too.

Dad helping with the hampers.

In the weeks before the visit, each family donates something like tuna, corn flower or margarine (staples) and approximately 100 bags are made up. The families also collate clothes and shoes that they may have, that can also be passed on. These are also divided up into bags. The reality in Ecuador is that there is still a massive divide between the rich and the poor. Sad but true! The day started with the people from the community lining up to receive a bag of food and a bag of clothes/ shoes each. We all helped hand them out, from our youngest niece Isabella, to my Dad. The look of gratitude in the eyes of the people receiving the goods is beyond description. I can still see and feel those eyes boring into mine as I retell the story. It breaks my heart! I will never understand how, on a planet where there is enough for all, some still have so incredibly little and some have so much! I found it beyond difficult to compose myself at times and my eyes were constantly welling up with tears!

The actors.

After all the goods were distributed, we went into a hall and put on a pantomime for the children, where they were also handed out drinks and sandwiches. Later we had various games and prizes for them all, as well as dancing and games.  Again, we all got involved. The sparkle in their eyes impacted greatly on me. How often did they get ‘this much’? One little girl lost a game and bawled inconsolably, tears streaming down her face, for not having won the prize. She was not being a spoilt brat, she was simply devastated by her loss. When would she be able to ‘win’ something like this again? In a year? We gave her a prize! The injustice was doing my head in!

After the event, after all the children and adults had been and

Fun and games.

gone, we all sat down in the hall to a meal ourselves, which Chris’s aunties had prepared. It had been a good day, a fun day, a ‘successful’ day. Amidst our chatting I heard a lot of people reflecting upon the event and I wondered if ‘one day’ could really make a difference.  Now I think back to the laughter, the smiles and the hugs that so many children gave me that day. I can only hope that I did help to make a difference … however small … on that day!

With Carola and her family.

In the time around Christmas, we also caught up with Carola and her husband Jorge. Carola had stayed with us for a few weeks, a year and a half earlier, in Melbourne. We went to her place for dinner (and an excellent one at that!) and it was a really lovely night. Carola had been to Dad’s place for dinner and she commented on how great it was for her to be able to do the same, this time in her country.

Santa with our nephew Thomas.

A few days later we would be having our own family Christmas celebrations. In Latin America, they celebrate on the eve and not on the actual day. Karen and Chris invited various members of their families over and we celebrated at their place (where we were staying). People started trickling in at 7.30pm and the last of them rolled up at around 10.00pm. We hung around, chatted and reminisced. We even got a surprise visit from Santa (aka Alex’s cousin Ronald). One of the games played involved us all pulling a name out of a hat and then decorating (arts and craft style) a plastic cup for that person with whatever was available. We had ten minutes in which to make it and when finished we all had to go around describing the person we had decorated the cup for, and when the name was guessed, the cup was presented.

Christmas with our Ecuadorian family.

At midnight we all wished each other a Merry Christmas and had some dinner. But it was after dinner that the real festivities began. Tables, chairs and the likes were shoved to the side, and the dancing began. As the night went on and people tired, one by one they drifted off to beds, couches and chairs, but a group of us partied on until the wee hours of the morning. Needless to say, we were totally knackered the next day and did not do a lot apart from sleep in and take it easy… very easy!

With Iliana.

Over the next few days I also managed to catch up with Iliana, a great friend I had made when I worked in Ecuador in 1999. We had taught at the same school. Over the years we had kept in contact but she had moved to the USA. Although she often comes to Ecuador for short trips, it does not always tee up with when we go there. This time I got lucky and we managed to catch up. We caught up in the food court of a local shopping centre, and chatted, laughed, reminisced and laughed some more. It was just like the old days … nothing had changed. Well, perhaps some things had. Thirteen years ago you could not find a decent coffee to save your life! Sad but true, the best coffee gets exported. These days, however, it’s not such an arduous task. Colombian chain Juan Valdez provides an excellent drop of liquid gold. We also had lunch at a sushi place that left me pleasantly surprised, and in fact was better than a lot of places I have been to back at home.

Fact or fiction? Balancing egg in the centre of the world.

We also managed to do a few different things on the weekends with Karen, Chris and the kids, as they both work during the week. We went out to visit The Temple of the Sun, a recreation of an Incan temple, not too far from the Centre of the World monument we had visited when we first arrived. Set on a misty plain it really evoked the feeling of bygone times. We were greeted by two young ladies, dressed in traditional garb, who showed us around and explained some of the history and culture as well as explained Andean naturopathy and natural healing and

Ortega and his ‘flash’ painting.

medicine. We were also treated to a presentation of Cristobal Ortega Maila, who painted an Andean landscape for his audience in only minutes. He is renowned as the fastest painter in the world. He was truly incredible to watch. And the painting was amazing! He also took the time to explain the benefits of coca leaves in tea as an herbal remedy (great for altitude sickness) or in liquid form for muscular aches and pains. He had some very interesting facts and figures. And NO, unprocessed coca leaves are not a drug.

Isabella and Boli (her Grandpa) boogie on New Year’s Eve.

No sooner had Christmas passed than New Year was upon us. In the same way as Christmas, New Year is celebrated with a dinner the night before as well as a number of other festivities. We would be spending at it Chris’s parents and brother Johnny’s house, across the road. The turning of the calendar in Ecuador from the old to the new, however, is as much a purification ritual than anything else, and provides a New Year’s celebration like no other. The ‘Año Viejo’ (literally Old Year) is, quite literally, a fiery tradition that symbolically burns up the failures, regrets and anger of the old year in order to usher in the hopes and resolutions of the new one. On the last day of the year, people construct life-size dummies that might represent an irritating person, a disliked political figure, or even disappointment about past mistakes or unachieved goals. Then at midnight they are burned and ‘put to rest’. It’s quite quaint to see little ‘bonfires’ burning all over the place. Not sure how that would all go in fire-prone Victoria!

The ‘widows’ out on New Year.

We also all went for a drive to see the ‘viudas’ (the widows). Men dress up as women — the viudas alegres, or merry widows — and beg for money to pay for the funeral of the Old Year. It’s quite a spectacle; all dressed up to the nines, and strutting out to the middle of the road, they stop the traffic with the aim of relieving you of your small change. This often involves a lot of bantering including dancing in front of the car, leaning in to give you are kiss and thrusting their pillow-clad breasts into your face. We also saw three widows jump onto the back of a motorbike and one even rolled across our car bonnet. It’s rather hilarious and lots of fun to both see and be a part of. The traffic, as you can imagine, is banked up everywhere. But nobody seems to care … it’s New Year’s and the Ecuadorians want to party.

Burning our ‘Ano Viejo’!

 seemed to take us forever to get back home, not due to the distance, but because of all the viudas on the road. We counted in the New Year, gave each other kisses and hugs, went outside to watch the Old Years being burnt to smithereens and then went back inside and ate. I must say, Dad found the late night eating rather odd, custom or no custom. And then the party started … with lots of music and dancing. A few other Ecuadorian New Year customs include: Wearing yellow underwear for prosperity in the new year; Eating 12 grapes, one for each month of the year, starting the minute before midnight. With each grape, you are supposed to make a wish for the upcoming year; To hope for abundant travel in the upcoming year, Ecuadorians run to the end of the street they live on and loop back to their house.

New Year Part 2 with the Benavides Clan.

At around 1.00am Alex’s cousin Sandy and his brother Rodrigo came to pick us up and we went
to his Uncle Raul’s house with Alex’s other brother Jean Pierre, where the Benavides Clan (Alex’s Dad’s side) were celebrating the New Year. His Dad is part of a big family and it was lovely to be able to see them all again. Unfortunately, on this trip, it would be the only time we got to see the bulk of them. But we were warmly welcomed and immediately made to feel at home. They were eating just as we got there, and of course Alex went another round. Alex never says no to food! Very rarely, anyway. It really is the way to his heart! And then … the dancing began. We were having so much fun. I danced until I simply could not stand up any longer (and hey, I do not go down that easily!). I think it must have been about 4.00am when I crawled into someone’s empty bed. When the dancers had all ‘gone down’ the singing and karaoke started. I am sure that it went on until after 6.00am.

Alex’s cousin Oscar, the morning after New Year.

At around 7.00am, one of Alex’s uncles finally took us home. The streets were dead! Absolutely null and void of any life or activity! In fact I had never seen Quito so empty ever. With lots of little burnt mounds of Old Years from the night before, it looked like a scene out of Mad Max! Desolate, barren and bare!

When we got home, everyone (except for Dad) was still asleep. Alex and I were exhausted, so we went to bed, and did not get up until the early hours of the afternoon. Needless to say, the rest of the day was very, very, very laid back.

It was hard to believe that it was already the first day of the New Year. We only had a week and a half left. How much more could we possibly pack in?

Ombi

Next: Visiting Ecuador’s jungle in the Amazonian Basin.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”  – Robert Frost

Partying with the Benavides’ – New Year.

New Year with the Benavides’.

New Year’s dancin’ … me in the green!

With the Benavides mob.

With Papa Jacinto, Alex’s grandpa.

Master painter, Isabella, at the Temple of the Sun.

Shaman, Temple of the Sun.

Indigenous lady, Quito.

What kind of chicken is that?

Thomas and Axel.

Me and my Superman!

New Year’s Eve dinner at Boli and Lili’s house.

Hello 2013!

Alex with his ‘other son’; Chrismas in Quito.

Sexy New Year’s widow.

L to R: Lili and Samy, with decorated glasses.

Dad and Aunty Paty.

Aunty Paty with Deni, Christmas.

Thomas, Christmas Eve.

L to R: Axel, Chris, Santa, Thomas, Karen and Deni.

Brother-in-law Jean Pierre.

Isabella too tired to wait up for Santa.

Dad with Aunty Gladys.

Enjoying yourselves?  Yes!

L to R: Axel and Jean Pierre with Santa.

Christian handing out food hampers.

Gratitude or sheer relief?!

L to R: Miguel, Deni and Axel.

Look at me in the photo!

A kiss of sheer gratitude.

Lining up for Christmas food hampers.

Johnny (Chris’s brother) and Boli, his Dad.

Dad giving out food and drinks.

Priceless look upon receiving foodstuffs!

The look of gratitude, as this lady receives her Christmas hamper.

Who’s a cheeky girl?  Sisa!

Catching up on the local goss’, Quito.

Nonno reading a book to Sisa in English.

Man in historical centre, Quito.

Viva Ecuador!

The first few days in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, were spent hanging out at home, acclimatising and reconnecting with our family. Normally, we jokingly call it ‘Full House’ for all the people that live there, but with us there as well it was more like ‘Packed to the Rafters’!  Add Alex, Dad and I to: Karen, Christian, Denisse, Axel, Thomas, Isabella and Jean Pierre (Alex’s brother). That’s a lot of people in a smallish apartment! But it was wonderful! Dad felt comfortable from day dot!

With Alex’s mum’s sisters at Karen amnd Chris’s house

Over the coming weeks, Dad would really bond with all of them. Language wasn’t a big problem, as most of Alex’s family speak English in varying degrees … he also had two personal translators/ interpreters with him! Little Isabella took a real shine to Dad and he soon became ‘Nonno’ (Grandpa in Italian). Actually, we all got side-swiped for Nonno, as when he was around it was Nonno this and Nonno that. It was lovely to see! Dad has always been great with kids; I remember my own childhood where he would read and play with us.  I loved my Dad then and nothing has changed now!

Isabella with Nonno

In the nights to come we had visits from several family members, including Alex’s four aunts and their families (Alex’s mum is one of five girls, and they and their families all live in Quito, except his mum who lives in New York). It was great to see them all again, as it was for Dad to see me in my other home environment. As our lungs slowly adapted to less oxygen, we started to go out and do a few more things. We would often go with Karen in her car as she drove to work and then do our own thing. Dad was blown away by the traffic, and I must say that it does seem to get worse and worse every time we come over. The reality is that as the economy grows, so does the number of people buying cars. The problem is that the streets and highways are in no condition (both physically and space wise) to accept this growing number of vehicles.  So being stuck bumper-to-bumper in traffic is the order of the day!  Add to that the unroadworthiness of many cars and a ‘simple’ drive into work can become a logistical nightmare.

Isabella helping mum put away the shopping

Having said that, it certainly gives one a lot of time to observe. Dad was bowled over by Quito’s spectacular position, high in the Andes, amid dramatic, mist-covered peaks, which were always visible in some form or another, from most parts of the city. Due to the such slow moving traffic, Dad was also able to observe daily life; unlike Australia, a lot of it happens on the streets. Kids selling lollies, adults selling fruit and whatever else they could, and amputees begging … all doing whatever they could in order to eke out a living. Dad found this very confrontational, and in the first few days, he was overcome with emotion! It threw me back to some 14 years ago, when I had first come to Ecuador, when the poverty and lack of equality overwhelmed me so much that I often felt sick to my core. How many times I had simply stopped and cried, as I did not know what else to do! Not that I didn’t care now, but I had seen it so many times (not just in Ecuador but in other third world/ developing countries) that it wasn’t new to me. Dad’s reactions brought back all of my own feelings of sadness and despair about our unjust world, and my own overwhelming feeling of wanting to make a ‘wrong world right!’ Dad and I would later chat about this often … he was getting an insight into the world beyond Australia; the different world that his daughter has long been an inhabitant of!

Near Otavalo, Quito

Karen works in the area of Quito called Amazonas, otherwise known as Gringolandia (gringo being the slang word for foreigner). With so many foreigners staying there (as I did some 14 years ago and it’s also where I met Alex) it is abundant with restaurants, cafes , internet cafes and all that pertain to being a tourist, as well as a craft market, which showcases a variety of beautiful things from all over the country. We took Dad for a browse through there. Over the years, however, I have noticed imports from other countries slowly filtering through, yet they still try to pass them off as their own.  That’s globalisation for you!

With Don Pedro in Otavalo

We had found out that our good friend and the person who used to supply us with the bulk of our jewellery when we had an import business in the early part of the noughties, Byron Ushina, would be displaying his jewellery at a local fair called Texturas y Colores (Textures and Colours). This fair showcases the work of Ecuadorian artists and artisans. Dad and I thought that we would pop in and surprise him, as he did not know exactly when we would be arriving in Quito. And what a surprise it was! We casually walked up to his stand, and when he saw us, his mouth dropped to the floor, and then he came over and hugged us both. Dad had heard so much about Byron and Byron so much about Dad. For me it was wonderful to be able to see my Dad join the dots of the fabric of my life; for so long he had heard about my world and now he was living it!

Fresh bizcochos, Cayambe

Our first weekend in Quito was spent at Humberto’s house in Ibarra, 70 kilometres northeast of Quito,Cayambe, famous for its bizcochos (savoury biscuits made up of buttery flaky pastry) and queso de hoja (cheese wrapped in ‘atzera’ leaf, which is typical to the region), which is Alex’s all time favourite cheese.  I love both! We took Dad in to a place and showed him how the biscuits were made. It’s like a ritual, whenever passing through this town, we go to the place that makes them (there are many) and then order both the cheese and the biscuits and dig in!
where he had a party for all of his cousins (Alex’s mum’s sisters and their families). He normally does this in the middle of the year, but this year he changed the date in honour of us and Dad being in Ecuador. The three of us went in Marcia (Alex’s auntie) and Gustavo’s van, along with other relatives in their cars.  It was like a convoy, and we all stopped in different places along the way. 

Indigenous lady, Otavalo

Next on the list was the famous Otavalo market. As we neared the town we stopped for some more spectacular views of the surrounding area. Ecuador is a visual feast where beauty and striking scenery don’t descend but, rather, impose themselves upon you! It’s the best type of imposition, however, as each time you go around one of the (many, many, many!) curves, you are treated to yet another visual spectacle!

Indegenous man, Otavalo

For hundreds of years Otavalo has hosted one of the most important markets in the Andes, originally celebrating the gods of commerce. The colourful open-air market place is abuzz with products from all over Ecuador, and as mentioned before, imports are cleverly disguised, but slowly creeping in.  Having said that, it’s still a great place to see the local indigenous people (as well as many from surrounding villages and areas) bartering with Ecuadorians and foreigners alike, selling their wares. Bartering is a totally acceptable practice, but one has to be careful about haggling over the last ten cents!  The deal should be a happy medium, a ‘good for you, good for me’, outcome.  I am generally pretty good at bargaining and speaking Spanish fluently is a huge bonus.  Alex has often said that I am able to get a better deal than the average Ecuadorian!

Indigenous child, Otavalo

I must admit that Otavalo holds a very special place in my heart as it brings back many wonderful memories of my backpacking days through South America in 1999. It encapsulates everything that backpacking is about … a totally different culture, indigenous people dressed in their garb, the buying and selling of different goods … the memories flooded back … and I do have a multitude of amazing memories from my travels of all over the world.  Yet, here I was today, not ‘really’ as a tourist, but with my Ecuadorian-born husband and ‘my’ family. Wow, life’s twists and turns are often unpredictable. If you had have asked me 13 years ago if my path would have included marrying an Ecuadorian, I would have said that it would have been about as likely as me learning ancient Arabic overnight!  But here I am today, happily married (almost 11 years) to my soul mate and the love of my life, Alex … the Ecuadorian!  Life!

At Humberto’s house with the family

After an early start to the day and a  full day of sightseeing, we arrived at Humberto’s house close to 6.00pm, where we were greeted by Humberto, his wife Karina, and her parents. What a night it proved to be. All of the relatives rocked up slowly, one by one, and by 8.00pm it was well and truly a full house.  They had prepared food for us, which we were eating in rounds, due to the fact that there were so many people. Food washed down, the music cranked up! Time to get the party started!  We sang and we danced, and danced and danced!

Humberto and I did a rendition of Gangnam Style and whilst we provided the group with a good laugh, the next day, I felt like I had been belted. I refuse to admit that I am not 20 anymore! Even our one and a half year old niece, Isabella, was bopping to the music. Bed?  No way, this little party animal was out to play!  It runs in the family! The next morning, we were treated to breakfast and then slowly, we all made our way back to Quito. Everyone was clearly tired. Not only did it end up being an early night, but the next day was a day of rest at home.

Isabella and Chris, party animals

In the weeks before Christmas we would do lots of day trips here and there as there is so much we wanted to show and share with Dad.  This was interspersed with a bit of resting and visits to the doctor.  Unfortunately Dad ended up with both bronchitis and gout. It appears that it was his body rebelling against the high altitude. Whilst the gout was able to be treated almost immediately, the bronchitis seemed to go on forever, and in fact, despite taking antibiotics, it didn’t go away properly until after we came back home.

Smack, bang in the Midde of the World!

There were a couple of things that were on Dad’s more immediate hit list.  The first was a visit to the Centro del Mundo or  ‘The Middle of the World’. Ecuador’s biggest claim to fame is is its location right on the equator, and is the place where measurements were made in 1736 showing that this was indeed the equatorial line. Touristy, yes, but some things just need to be ticked off the list! Whilst the site now has lots of restaurants, cafes and handicrafts stalls, there are still lots of interesting displays.  The 30 metre high stone trapezoidal monument topped by a brass globe not only has a viewing platform at the top (more spectacular views of the surrounding Andes!) but also houses an ethnographic museum. The displays  of the several indigenous groups of Ecuador through various models, clothing displays and photos, give a real insight into the variety housed within such a small country.

Cruz Loma, 4100 metres above sea level

The other ‘must do’ on Dad’s list was the TeleferiQo, or cable car; it is one of the highest aerial lifts in Cruz Loma. Although both Alex and I had done this before, it was still very exciting.  Dad was blown away, quite literally! As the cable car zooms up the slope, and leaves the city behind and below, one can only gape and gaze in wonder. The views at the top are mind blowing! Dad absolutely loved it. In fact, any view in Quito is spectacular, simply due to the altitude. We walked around a little, took in the fresh air (certainly cleaner and fresher than down below), had a coffee and empanada, and contemplated the meaning of life!  I was loving my Dad experiencing my world, and watching him love it as much
the world. The cable car is in central Quito and  reaches 4050 meters on the summit of
as I do!

Dad and I in Quito’s historical centre

Another day or two were spent in Quito’s old town, or historical centre. Its claim to fame is that it’s one of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas. It has been listed as a world heritage site through UNESCO since 1978. Yet another of Ecuador’s many hidden gems.  In fact I have backpacked all over South America and have often wondered why so many people skip this tiny but fascinating country. In my opinion, it truly is the jewel of South America. I have now known about this secret for years! With its narrow streets, restored colonial architecture and large and lively plazas (brilliant for people watching), the historical centre, or El Centro as the locals call it, is a marvel to wander. We ate, we visited churches, we watched; always fascinating. Our ex-jewellery supplier (for our fair-trade jewellery import business that we had a few years back) and now friend, Byron Ushina, has a gallery in San Francisco Plaza, in the historical centre, so we popped in to see him and show Dad the gallery. Again, it was lovely to be able to show Dad the elements that had been part of my world for so long. It also worked in reverse; this gringa had been coming to Ecuador for years, from a place far away called Australia. My Ecuadorian family and friends were also learning a bit more about me, who I was and where I came from.

El Panecillo

I was actually quite enjoying being the tour guide for Dad.  It made me feel a bit less like a tourist myself. Dad and I decided to go on the Quito Tour Bus (whilst Alex hung out with his own Dad) which is a double-decker that takes you all around town and shows you Quito’s most important sights.  Dad and I agreed that you got a totally different perspective of the city from up high. You can also hop on and off as many times as you like, taking in the sights in at your own pace. One of the final stops is to El Panecillo (the Little Bread Loaf), the ever-present hill to the south of the Old Town. A major Quito landmark, it is topped by a huge statue of La Virgen de Quito (Virgin of Quito), with a crown of stars, angelic wings and a chained dragon atop the world. Quitenos (the people native to Quito) proudly claim that she is the only Madonna in the world depicted with wings. From the summit there are eye-catching (running out of synonyms to describe Quito’s aerial views!) views of the sprawling city and the surrounding volcanoes.  Dad was left gob-smacked yet again!

With Maria Antonieta

Quito is also home to a multitude of excellent museums. With so many to choose from we went with the Museo Nacional, or the National Museum, which houses one of the country’s largest collections of Ecuadorian art. The most impressive rooms, however, are the archaeological ones, which showcase more than 1000 ceramic pieces dating from 12 000 BC to AD 1534. Whilst here is only so much one can see and take in, we were giving it our best shot!

Belen with baby Elias

Christmas was only around the corner yet we felt like we’d packed in a lifetime since our arrival only a few weeks earlier. Amongst all of the sightseeing there were also the many catch ups, get togethers and meeting up with various members of Alex’s family, as well as our friends. With so much to do and relatively little time, we had to see some of our friends separately. I did manage to see my very dear friend Maria Antonieta a few times. She too holds a very special place in my heart as she was one of my best friends when I lived in Ecuador for a year between 1999 and 2000. I also managed to catch up with some other friends, through Maria Antonieta, that I hadn’t seen since in years. One, Geovany, has a new partner, Shirley, and we hit it off like a house on fire. We also took Dad to Edison and Belen’s house and met their new little baby boy, Elias. Unfortunately, Edison was at work and due to time constraints we would not end up seeing him on this trip. When I left Ecuador for the first time in 2000, Edison gave me a beautifully painted wooden mask, which holds prize of place on my wall … so I may not have seen you this time Eddy, but you and your family are never far from my thoughts.

Ombi

Next: Christmas and New Year Ecuadorian style.

“Never go on trips with anyone you do not love” – Ernest Hemingway

My two best friends

Dedication: To my Dad, Dino, and husband, Alex. On this trip I travelled with the two people I love most. This trip was all about you Dad! I wanted to show you the other half of my life, the other half of my world. I know you got it! I know that you understand what draws me back to this tiny country called Ecuador, again and again. I know that now you  understand both parts of the world I live in. Alex – thanks for showing your other Dad your first world, the world that has helped shape the person you are today. I thank you both for loving me unconditionally, supporting the crazy gal that I am, and for helping me to become the person that I am today!

Alex with brothers Rodrigo (L) and Jean Pierre (R)

The two ‘fathers’ meet

Baby Elias, future backpacker

Not all are equal, historical centre, Quito

Historical centre, Quito

Deni and boyfriend Miguel (Fosfi)

Busker in historical centre, Quito

Cable car back down from Cruz Loma

Fresh air on Cruz Loma, 4100 metres above sea level

Indigenous lady, Otavalo

Friit vendor, Otavalo

Otavalena

In the historical centre of Quito

Dad and Alex, near Otavalo

Cemetery, Cayambe

Thomas and Karen trying on hats, Otavalo

Alex’s sister Karen and family

Woman from Otavalo

Thomas … unadulterated bliss!

How’s this for fashion?

Fresh bread anyone?

Thomas in his school’s Christmas concert

Isabella

Artisan shop at Centre of the World

Thomy and his beloved dinosaurs

The many faces of Ecuador – Ethnographic Museum

Straddling both hemispheres

Me with Dad at ‘the Centre’

A ‘chiva’ (party bus) at the ‘Centre’

Our niece Isabella … cute as a button!

Alex and our nephew Axel.

We had so much fun in the ‘full house’ we stayed in for three and a half weeks in Ecuador. We laughed, we cried, we shared and I fell more in love with my new little niece, Isabella, by the day. I love all my nieces and nephews equally, but it was the first time we ‘met’ Isabella (as opposed to goo and gaa at her over skype). Whilst it made me happy to see that little bundle of joy giggling and smiling at me, I was also accutely aware that it would end soon enough, and that I would have to revert back to watching her grow over Face Book and skype.  How things have changed!  (Geez, now I sound like my mother). I love Ecuador and I love my family there.

Ombi and Axel.

What didn’t we do whilst we were there?  Apart from lots of socialising, eating and doing things such as visiting the dentist (way cheaper than back at home) we spent lots of quality time just hanging out.  On our second weekend in Ecuador, all of Alex’s family on his mum’s side was invited to go to Ibarra to a party that Humberto (Alex’s mum’s first cousin) and his wife would be hosting. The idea was that various groups would go in several cars or vans and meet up there.  We would be going with Tio (uncle) Gustavo and his family in his van. We were supposed to get picked up early Saturday morning … did you hear that ….’early’ … well, early for Ecuador was around 10.00am.  Not bad I thought! And off we went, van chockers!

The Middle of the World.

Ah, the beauty of my second home never ceases to amaze me. After getting through the (normal) and ridiculous amount of inner city traffic, we started to weave in and around the mountains, which is what you need to do to get anywhere in a mountainous country. The visuals are always breathtaking and rarely disappointing! We would pass through the ‘middle of the world’ as well as the famous Otavalo market, but not before a pit-stop in Cayambe, which is renowned for its queso de hoja y biscochos (cheese wrapped in leaves and crumbly, savoury biscuits). Trust me, they are delish! We finally made it to Otavalo, and all the memories came

Freshly made bizcochos, Cayambe.

flooding back. I was transported to 1999 and my travels around South America, of which I have a multitude of poignant memories. I first came here as a ‘gringa’ (foreigner) and now some twelve years later, here I was with my Ecuadorian family.  I was now on the other side of the fence, a defector!? Who would have thought all those years ago that Ecuador would become such a huge part of my life. Amidst the hustle and bustle, I pondered and absorbed … life, hey!

An Otavalena selling her wares.

I love Otavalo, I really do.  Boasting one of the best handicrafts and textile markets in the world, its bright and colourful goods and people hold a very special place in my heart. Although goods are sold every day the market days are officially Wednesdays and Saturdays, especially Saturdays, where the central Plaza de Ponchos fills up with people from all over the world haggling for a bargain. It’s mostly all good-natured though, and the vendors will usually give you a rebaja (discount), unless your request is totally unreasonable. Over the years I have come to know what things are worth, and so I am able to get a reasonable price pretty much off the bat. Age and

Otavalena food vendor.

maturity, however, have also also taught me that that last dollar means far more to the vendor than the buyer, so whilst an ‘amicable haggle’ is fun, I am always very aware that that last dollar means far more to the vendor than the buyer. We all had fun and bought lots of bits and bobs.

Peguche Waterfalls.

The family at Humberto & Karina’s house, Ibarra.

Time to move on, but not before a brief stop to the Peguche Waterfalls only a couple of kilometres from Otavalo . We made it to Ibarra by just after 6.00pm, where we were warmly greeted by Humberto and his wife Karina. What ensued was a night of feasting and merriment. We ate, we drank, we danced, and … drank and ate and danced some more! I was even given a special vegetarian plate. I was particularly exhausted, but even between power-naps on the couch, I was up and dancing. There was a massive congregation and the partying went on until the wee hours of the morning; I am sure that I did not get to bed before 4.00am. Humberto’s house is quite large, and we slept wherever we could find a bed or a spot … somehow, we all found a spot! In the morning we were all treated to a cooked breakfast. We had all been treated like royalty. And like all good things our fun came to an end, and we had to all go back home. Needless to say that Sunday night was a very early night.

Alex’s Uncle Gustavo and Auntie Marcia have a beach house on the coast in Rio Verde, and we were invited to go. Again, it would be a family affair with quite a number of us going up. Unfortunately Alex’s sister, Karen, and husband, Christian, could not go as they had to work, but Alex and I went with Rocio (Alex’s mum), sister Angie and niece and nephew Denisse and Axel. We took an overnight bus and were greeted in the early hours of the morning by Alex’s uncle Gustavo. What a great place!  It was like something out of the movies. Gustavo had built it himself out of timber. It had that really relaxed and isolated feel about it. Despite my many trips to Ecuador over the past ten years, it was the first time I had ever been here. And yet again (as often

Outside the beach house, buying some fish from the locals.

happens in Ecuador) I fell in love with the place! We all put in some money which went towards having three home cooked meals a day. Fabiola was a local and our ‘master chef’ … I had patacones (fried green plantains) coming out of my ears by the end of our five day stay there, but … I was not complaining.  I love patacones and always ensure that I get as many into me as I can in Ecuador, as plantains are not that easy to find in Australia.

Five days of sleeping, eating, going to the beach, going to various watering holes, sunbaking and going for runs along the beach. Ah, this is the life! What I loved most about Rio Verde was how unassuming it was; rather than a bustling tourist metropolis, it was a quiet and local backwater. This is MY kind of tourism.

L to R: Dad Hugo and Alex with brothers Piero & Rodrigo.

With Daniel and Dani and baby Felipe.

Time was going by way, way too quickly. We managed to see Alex’s dad, Hugo, a couple of times, but unfortunately he was busy working interstate a lot of the time. We also caught up with his brother Rodrigo, his grandad, Papa Jacinto, and a number of other family members on his dad’s side. Time is NEVER our best friend in Ecuador, and it’s hard to pack it all in in such a short amount of time. We gave it our best though. Even catching up with many of our friends proved impossible, but we did have a night out with our very dear friends, Edison (Eddy) and Belen, finding out that they are pregnant with their first child. Eddy used to work with Alex when I met him all those years ago and we have all remained very good friends since. Eddy and Belen, you hold a very special place in our hearts! (Eddy y Belen ocupen un espacio muy especial en nuestros corazones!) We also caught up with Dani, her beautiful mum Martha, her partner Daniel and their gorgeous little boy Felipe.

With Mel and Dan ‘on top of’ The Basilica.

We also caught up with our friends Mel and Dan who are backpacking through South and Central America. I used to work with Mel and Dan is her value-for-money-partner (we love you Dan!) It just so happened that they would be in Ecuador at the same time we would be and we managed to spend a entire day with them. We had so much fun, being led by Alex, our personal Ecuadorian tour guide. Even I got to do things that I had never done before! We met in the historical centre of Quito, and took it from there. It’s always fun and exciting when you get to meet up with friends in a totally different country.

Crossin’ the plank; The Basilica, Quito.

Our morning started with some decent coffee (Ecuador has gotten much better at this over the years) and lots of chit-chat about the highlights of their journey. In my case, as I was doing that exact trip when I met Alex some 12 years ago, there was also a lot of reminiscing. We visited (I for the first time) La Compania Church, which was physically spectacular, but it was the Basilica that I thought was most impressive … for a number of reasons. In Australia we’d probably say, “Only half built mate!” Its construction began in 1926, and it was clearly never finished.
The highlight is the basilica’s towers, some of which I had the nerve to climb and others not. To get to the towers however  you need to actually cross a rickety wooden plank inside the main roof and  THEN climb steep stairs and ladders to the top (with nothing on either side except for some thin metal rails and fresh air). Hmmmmm! You can also climb the spiral staircase and three sets of ladders into and above the clock tower. I was so not going to do that!  So, whilst Dan, Mel and Alex climbed, I stayed on the ‘lower rungs’ and made some new friends, whom also had no intention of going any higher. I believe the views were arresting!  I will simply have to take their word for it!

“La gente es una puta …solo jode “

Meanwhile, back at base camp (ground level that is) we saw a man sitting down in the grounds of the Basilica with a sign saying, ‘La gente es una puta – solo jode’, which loosely translates to ‘People are arseholes – all they do is bust chops’. Very interesting. We went up and had a chat to him. Whilst it appeared that he was indeed a little senile, there was a method to his madness and he made some very poignant comments. I questioned him about his sign and he kept repeating that people did not care about each other or treat each other with respect anymore and that their only focus seemed to be around themselves, material wealth and money. He was not too off the mark. He was also a painter and gave us a self-portrait (Mel and Dan we are looking after this for you until you get back). As we all waved and said goodbye, I could not help thinking who was really mad, him or the ‘others’?

Itchimbia, with Mel, Dan, Axel & Angie (Alex’s sister).

Our day finished off with a spectacular night at Cafe Mosaico in Itchimbia. We went with a whole bunch of Alex’s family and Mel and Dan came too. The food was  great, but the views even better. Itchimbia is very close to the historical centre of Quito and as it sits up on a hill the views are amazing. The view at night with all of the lights over the old town was very pretty, and a good time was had by all. What more can you ask for, good food, good company and great views! We had had a fantastic day and we were glad that we had been able to show Mel and Dan a part of ‘our’ world! Looking forward to reminiscing about this when you are back in Melbourne guys!

With Byron’s kids, L to R: Dylan, Amy & Mishell.

We also managed to catch up with our special friends Byron and Alexa, who live out in Sangolqui, about 20 kilometres from Quito’s old or historical town. Many of you may recall that when Alex and I had our fair-trade import business that they were our first suppliers. They have their own wholesale business called Ushina Jewelers, but also have a beautiful gallery, Ari Gallery, in the Plaza San Francisco, in Quito’s historical centre. As always, a night at their place in the countryside not only provides a tranquil getaway from the buzz of the city, but Alexa always cooks up a storm (her home made aji di mani, or chilli sauce with peanuts is to die for!) We spent the night chatting away to them and also spent some time with their three children Mishell, Amy and Dylan, who are delightful. Clearly a night was nowhere near enough, but no time ever is.

Catching up with Carola.

Fortunately, we also caught up with Carola, our Ecuadorian friend who stayed with us when she came to Australia a few months back. We had lunch and a couple of hours together … not long enough, but better than nothing. We know that we have made a lifelong friend in you Carola!

Our time in Ecuador was clearly coming to an end, and I am never a good one for endings. Alex’s mum and sister would be flying back to New York on the Saturday, the day before us, so Friday night at Karen’s house was FULL, FULL house with all the relatives coming to  say goodbye. Alex and I both went to the airport the next day. Life certainly can be interesting – whilst I have the honour of living with my soul mate and the love of my life on ‘the other side of the world’, I have fleeting moments of sadness as I realise that Alex is unable to spend more time with the rest of his family that he so dearly loves.

Christian cooking up a storm!

Next day was our turn; we would be leaving later on Sunday night. Karen and Christian cooked up a parillada or BBQ and also some yummy vegetarian food. Everyone was in a sombre mood as we knew that sooner, rather than later, we would all be saying goodbye. I felt particularly sad. My gorgeous nephew, Thomas, had grown so much since I last met him as a baby more than two years ago and as I watched tiny Isabella gurgle and giggle I wondered when I would see her again, and how much of her growing up I would miss. My nephew Axel was now 14, and no longer the little two and half year old I met 12 years ago. It was a very emotional day. Boly and Lily (Christian’s parents) and Jonathan and Naty (Chris’ brother and girlfriend) also came over to say goodbye. Tick, tick, tick … so did Carola and her husband Jorge (first time we met him and what a great guy). Alex’s Dad and Rodrigo were there also.

Isabella.

The time had arrived and we had to go to the airport. Hugs and tears all around. My last goodbye was to little six month Isabella, who I gave one more hug and kiss to before I left. She was too little to understand the bond I had formed with her in only a few weeks and how much I would miss her! The person I had least trouble saying goodbye to was Denisse, as we had just submitted (after days and days of work!) the paperwork for her to study in Australia for six months to the Australian Embassy in Chile (there isn’t one in Ecuador). We would hopefully soon have a little piece of Ecuador with us in Australia!

Before we knew it, we were on the plane flying to Buenos Aires in Argentina, where we would spend the last week of our holidays. I closed my eyes, and sighed deeply … when you gain something you lose something, and when you lose something you gain something!

Ombi

Denisse and Axel.

Dedication: To my nieces and nephews in Ecuador, Denisse, Axel, Thomas and Isabella. Although you live far away you occupy a very special place in my heart and I love you all very much. Distance is no barrier to the great love and pride I have for all of you. I want you to know that you can always count on me – your auntie, La Gringa Loca.

PS  And Angie, my beautiful American sister-in-law, who isn’t so little anymore … love you too precious!

Dedicacion: Para mis sobrinos en Ecuador, Denisse, Axel, Thomas y Isabella. Aunque viven tan lejos ocupan un espacio muy especial en mi corazon y les amo montones. La distancia no es una barrera para el gran amor y orgullo que tengo para cada uno de ustedes. Quiero que sepan que siempre pueden contar conmigo – tu tia, La Gringa Loca.

PD  Y Angie, mi cunada americana linda, que ya no es tan pequena … te amo tambien preciosa!

Books read:
“Outliers – The Story of Success“ by Malcolm Gladwell.

Next blog: One week in Buenos Aires.

Flying into Quito from Santiago.

Our nephew Thomas hangin’ out in the kitchen cupboard.

This is what happens when you hang out in kitchen cupboard for too long!

Fruit and veggie market – Quito.

Do you think Isabella looks like her Dad, Christian?

Chocotos rule!

L to R: Jean Pierre, Axel & Alex.

The beautiful countryside on the way to Ibarra.

Rocio (Alex’s mum) dancing with Humberto.

L to R: Paty, Maricela, Humberto, Rocio & Marcia.

Humberto and Alex at Party Central!

Futbol (soccer) on the beach at Rio Verde.

The way to Alex’s heart … it’s no secret, food!!!

Fun in the sun in Rio Verde.

Downtown Quito. Cotopaxi Volcano

Alex with his Grandpa, Papa Jacinto.

At the Basilica, Quito.

Colourful scarves at Otavalo market.

Lunch at a seafood restaurant in Quito with Alex’s family.

Thomas with Naty.

Alex’s sister, Angie, with Isabella and Thomas.

Diego and Christina.

This is what cute looks like … Isabella.

The Andes as seen from Karen and Christian’s house, Quito.

Paty Lu y yo (Alex) cerca de Rio Verde – Esmeraldas Ecuador

Quito by night.

Faces of Quito.

Aunts, uncles & cousins at crazy Uncle Raul’s.

L t R: Piero, Angie, Oscar, Rocio, Alex, Geno, Thomas, Ombi , Karina & Rodri. The ‘farra” … Alex’s birthday party.

Alex with siblings Karen and Jean Pierre.

It is no longer a secret that my ‘home’ now lies between two continents … I live in Australia but frequently visit, and think about, Ecuador. Having met and married an Ecuadorian and having returned more times than I can remember in the last 13 years, it is a country that I have grown to love on so many levels and for so many reasons. Primarily a huge portion of my family lives there and they play a huge part in my life … not to mention Alex’s. This was a very special trip as Alex’s mum, Rocio, and 13 year old sister Angie who live in New York would also be meeting us over there. It would be the first time that Alex’s mum would be with all of her children in the same place, at the same time, in over 20 years. How do you put a price on that? Needless to say, we were all extremely excited!

Dad takes us to the airport, as usual.

The trip over would be a long one … a particularly long one! We had managed to purchase some ridiculously cheap flights over but with lots of  stop-overs. Lan Chile and Qantas would code share and get us from Melbourne to Buenos Aires (BA) in Argentina and then Lan Chile would get us from Buenos Aires to Quito. The flight was leaving early and luckily we were organised (for once) as the alarm had been set incorrectly and so we did not get up when planned. Having said that we did make it to the airport on time, courtesy of Dad’s taxi service, and we even all had time for a cuppa together once we got there. We eventually said our goodbyes and we were off. Nothing unfamiliar to my Dad!

Pizza at Pedro Telmo with Charito.

Our flight across would be Melbourne–Sydney–Santiago (Chile)–Buenos Aires … overnight in Buenos Aires … and then Buenos Aires–Lima(Peru)–Quito. The flight to Buenos Aires was fine; as I usually sleep most of the way long flights for me do not usually seem so long anyway. We had to spend a night in BA as the BA-Quito return portion had been bought separately and we were afraid that we would not make the connection to Quito if we did not do it this way. We were excited anyway as we would be spending the night with our very special friend Charo, who I actually met in Uruguay way back in early 1999, before I met Alex. The last time we saw her was in 2000 when Alex and I passed through BA on our way back to Australia; the year when Alex moved to Australia and made it his ‘home’. Over the years we have always kept in close contact.

Alex and I with Nico at Pedro Telmo.

Charo lives in the heart of Buenos Aires in a gorgeous suburb called San Telmo. It is renowned as the tango capital of Argentina. We were surprised at how expensive BA had become since we’d last been here. The airport is around 35 kilometres from the city centre and a taxi ride in costs AUD $40.00. Whilst the bus is way cheaper, the ride in would take around two and a half hours … with or without suitcases this is not an option, unless you particularly want to spend that amount of time on a bus and especially after such a lengthy flight. It was soooooooo lovely to see Charo again after such a long time. Hugs all around and in seconds it was as if no time had passed at all. We briefly went to visit Charo’s parents Gladys and Roberto who live in the same apartment block but on a different floor, and then went off to have some pizza. Nico, Charo’s nephew who is staying with her at present, also came along. I must say that we were rather tired so despite the fact that we had lots to catch up on it wasn’t a late night. Besides, on the way back we would be spending a week in Buenos Aires, which would give us proper catch up time.

L to R: Aunty Marcia, Uncle Ruben, Rocio (Alex’s mum) and Alex.

Up early the next morning we had a quick breakfast with Charo and before we knew it we were back in a taxi on our way back to the airport. Our flight to Quito was via Lima, Peru. We were due to arrive in Quito at 3.30pm on Friday 19 August. The view as the plane descends into Quito, surrounded by the Andes Mountains, is always spectacularly breathtaking either by day or night. And then for Alex and I there’s always that heart-flutter moment of … we’re home! The plane landed on time, and as we disembarked, collected our luggage and went through immigration we could see Alex’s mum and sister waving at us through the glass at the level above us. More heart-fluttering! Before we knew it we were through the doors and hugging Rocio and Angie. Alex’s aunt Patty, cousin Samy, sister Karen, niece Denisse and dad Hugo were also there. Those first few moments always offer a mix of emotions; we felt excited and overwhelmed but also very happy. Alex and I also felt knackered! There simply ain’t a ‘quick way’ to get to Ecuador.

Alex with his mum and siblings; Angie, Karen & Jean Pierre.

We would all be staying with Alex’s sister, Karen, and her family in Ecuador’s capital Quito. Let me introduce you: Karen, husband Christian, Alex’s brother Jean-Pierre (who we also call Piero) and our nieces and nephews Denisse (18), Axel (14), Thomas (2.5) and Isabella (7 months). In addition Alex’s mum and younger sister were staying there as well as us. Talk about a full house! Karen lives in the north of the city in an area called El Condado, which is perched up on one of Quito’s many hills. Consider that Quito, at approximately 2800 metres above sea level is the world’s second-highest capital after La Paz, Bolivia, we were pretty high up. At this altitude breathing is a tad more difficult as the air is thinner due to less oxygen. We had to walk up a flight of stairs to get to Karen’s apartment and we were gasping for air, and feeling like we had run a marathon. High altitude is tough and acclimatisation can take several days if not longer.

L to R: Denisse, Axel, Jonathan (Christian’s brother), Isabella and Piero.

That first night was great although we were tired. We met our little niece Isabella for the first time, and I instantly fell in love with her. Of course we all keep in touch via skype, but face-to-face is another story. Unbeknownst, to Alex I had been communicating with Karen to organise a surprise birthday party for him with all of his cousins and relatives on his mum’s side. His birthday was on 10 August and his party would be on 20 August. Karen had effectively organised everything. The POA (plan of action) was that Karen would pretend to have a work appointment on Saturday morning and that I would go with her so that we could get everything set up and organised, whilst Alex hung out with Christian and Jean Pierre. Alex’s Aunt Maricela and Uncle Reuben would have the party at their house, which is quite large and on the outskirts of Quito.

La Banda del Pueblo.

Karen had organised a ‘banda del pueblo’ (village band) which is effectively a local band playing local music, some mime artists, a DJ and the food. Maricela had organised the marquee, tables and chairs. When Karen and I got up on Saturday morning (I was still exhausted!) we still had some running around to do. The morning began with us going to the hairdresser to get our hair straightened and styled (a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!), which put us out of pocket a whole $3.00 each. We then had to go and pick up the cake, some balloons, a few other bits and pieces and then go to Maricela’s to get everything organised. The guests had been told that it was a surprise birthday party and that they had to to be there at 10.00am promptly … yeh right, in South America, fat chance!  The birthday boy was to arrive at 11.00am on the premise of visiting a cousin. Karen and I worked furiously to get things organised. As it worked out most of the guests were late but then so was Alex (we kept calling Christian and told him to delay their arrival). The band arrived and set themselves up by just after 11.30am, and most of the guests were there by just before midday. Alex was fortunately the last to arrive and did indeed get a huge surprise.

The mime artist wish Alex a Happy Birthday.

Alex gives thanks to the Chocotos in his birthday speech!

With Alex’s arrival the village band started to play, and with this the party went off! After hugging all of his family, the party got into full swing; we danced to the local band, ate local food, were entertained by mime artists, did some pole-dancing and danced to the rhythms of the DJ. Adults and kids alike had so much fun. That’s what a party is like in Ecuador … fun, fun, fun!!! Karen had organised for people to bring gifts for Alex which had to be hand-made and have some personal significance. Each person presented their gift with a short speech on its significance. His Aunt Gladys got him a huge canvas print of the both of us in Machu Picchu several years ago and his Aunt Patty put together a photo album of all the cousins … there were both tears and laughter as we all reminisced about how and when the photos were taken. We cried as we recalled Santiago, Patty’s 26-year-old son, who died earlier this year! I cried because I was so happy to have been able to give my husband, partner, confidante and love-of-my-life the present of a lifetime, the gift of his family!

Ombi pole dancing with Mr Paparazzi.

Alex’s brother, Jean Pierre, also gave him an amazing gift; he put together a video of Alex growing up, including pictures of him as a little boy right through to the present day. It was really touching and we all found ourselves crying once again. The only other time we stopped was for a delicious locally made lunch. The rest of the time was party central, which even included a bit of pole dancing! Alex’s Uncle Gustavo, with his video camera, was the official paparazzi, and his mum with her roving iPad was the official ‘mamarazzi’. The ‘day’ ended after 10.00pm. Slowly, slowly everyone went home and we stayed back to clean up. It had been such a good day, despite the fact that by this stage Alex and I were totally exhausted!  Adrenalin was our saviour! We went home and flaked it! Thank goodness the next day was Sunday … nobody would be getting up for anyone or anything!

Ombi

Family shot … far left Samuel (Santi’s son) and mum Andrea.

Dedication: To our cousin Santiago. You were the only one physically missing at Alex’s party, but we know that  you were with us in spirit. We will always remember you with much love. You will never be forgotten.

Dedicacion: Para nuestro primo Santiago. Estuviste la unica persona que no estuve fisicamente presente en la fiesta de Alex pero sabemos que estuviste con nosotros en espiritu. Siempre nos acordamonos de ti con mucho amor. Nunca nos vamos a olvidarnos de ti.

Books read:
“Belching out the Devil – Global Adventures with Coca Cola” by Mark Thomas
“The Link – Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor” by Colin Tudge


“Change your thoughts and you change your world” – Norman Vincent Peale.

Next: What we did in our three weeks in Ecuador.

Alex with Tio Chucha on left and brother-in-law Christian.

Alex with mum Rocio and sister Angie.

Alex with nephew Thomas and Boly (Thomas’ grandpa).

Alex with his mum and younger cousins.

Alex and sister Karen during ‘la hora loca’ (the crazy hour).

More fun during the crazy hour.

It’s Uncle Gustavo, the official paparazzi!

Alex and Angie.

Band members.

Mr Paparazzi with his wife ‘la tigressa’ (the tigress, Marcia).

Family shot.

Happy Birthday Alex!

L to R: Aunty Gladys, Isabella, Alex and cousin Valeria.

Sisters L tio R: Marcia, Maricela, Rocio, Patty & Gladys.

The good time crew, L to R: Ronnald, Gladys, Volney & moi!

Our last week in Ecuador was a flurry of activity! We were invited to Marcia and Gustavo’s house for Alex’s cousin, Valeria’s birthday; we were invited to both Gladys and Patty’s respective houses for both lunch and “cafe y pancito” (coffee and bread, which is a tradition over there and happens at around 4 or 5pm, after lunch, but before dinner). We were also taken out for dinner by Bolivar and Lily my brother-in-law, Christian’s parents. Prior to this last week, we had also been to Christian’s parents’ house to celebrate Jonathan (Chris’s brother’s) birthday. Everyone had been so open, warm and welcoming. In my last few days, I could feel the walls closing in on me!

Oh, and the list goes on…I caught up with my friend, Manuela and her mum Ana, whom I actually had not seen in years. It was great to be able to pick up where we left off. We were also invited to Alex’s Tia Norma’s apartment (actually his mum’s auntie), with sweeping views of Quito. And of course, no visit to Ecuador would be complete without a visit to CEIB primary school (now called St Patrick School) where I used to tech English to Grade 3 children. All the kids I used to teach have now long gone, but the highlight of my visit there is always catching up with Don Carlitos. Don Carlitos used to be the gatekeeper of the school, and now he is the handy man. Each and every time I return to Ecuador and visit the school, he greets me with a “Hola Teacher Ombi” and gives me a big hug. He holds a special place in my heart!

We had had so many great times over the last few weeks, and now they were coming to an end, all too quickly. Denisse, more beautiful than ever, was a young lady now, at 15 years of age, and 11 year old “Axelin” was no longer a baby. I thought about all the time that has passed in which I had not seen them grow, and it made me feel sad. But what is the solution? This is the story of a love that straddles two cultures and two hemispheres. Regardless of where we live, we miss out on something. The most difficult thing for me this time would be having to leave behind little Thomas. So cute and so small. He seemed to laugh as he recognised my voice, but would he even remember me in a year’s time? This made me feel the saddest of all, and every time I thought about this my stomach would sink to my toes.

Our week was also “made” shorter than we thought, as on the Tuesday morning before flying out, we realised that we were flying out to New York on the Wednesday morning not on the Thursday. In effect, we were chatting to Alex’s mum in New York, who insisted that we were coming tomorrow, on Wednesday! Well, talk about flip out! Karen had stepped out for a bit (as she is home on maternity leave), and when she got back at around 11.00am, we hit her with, “OMG, we are leaving tomorrow”. Despite the initial shock (but believe me, she couldn’t have been more shocked than we were), we got ourselves organised and did what we had to do the day before flying out! We packed our bags, and then thankfully for Karen, we used her as our taxi service over the next few hours, as there is no other way we would have been able to do all the last minute things we needed to do. We quickly went to the Mercado Artesanal (Artisans market) where we bought a few things we still wanted, and also caught up with Maria Antonieta briefly to say goodbye.

Our last night at Karen’s was lots of fun, with many relatives popping in to say goodbye. We got some pretty snazzy t-shirts from Christian and Karen, but I am afraid I cannot translate their meaning on this blog. Here is the picture, but you need to ask me personally for the translation. Karen and Jesus, you will SOOOOO get this! After everyone had left, Alex and I, stayed up talking with Piero and Karen. We got to bed at 2.00pm. Normally, that wouldn’t be brutally late, but we had to get up at 3.00am. Blink! We were up and ready in a flash. We were exhausted! We slithered into all of the rooms and kissed Piero, Karen, Denisse and Axel goodbye. I said my own little farewell to Thomas, but did not touch him, as I did not want to wake him up.Fortunately, we were too tired to feel sad. Christian dropped us off at the airport, and we hugged him goodbye. It was all starting to feel so final. Just before we went through the main doors, Alex’s Dad showed up, so we were also able to bid our last farewells. Then we were inside; very tired and very sad! To make matters worse, it felt like we were lined up for ever! I have never been so glad to plonk my tired little butt onto a seat. In fact, I was so tired, that I slept through take off! Now THAT is hardcore!

I should also mention that Byron and Alex came to visit us briefly on our last night, and gave us a beautiful gift each. Alex’s was a necklace and mine a pair of earrings with a beautiful sun/ moon representation. I know that it’s the thought that counts, but they know us so well; I couldn’t have picked something more appropriate out myself!

Our flight back to New York, would see us pass through Miami, and I only woke up before touch down. Now, it seemed that despite only having 24 hours here, before then going back to Australia, the authorities were going to give us a run for our money! We passed through passport control as a couple, Alex going first. Yep, all good! Ombi’s turn? Nah, something’s a “mismatch” I was told. My passport was promptly handed to a Passport Control Officer, who then placed it into a plastic sleeve, and I was told to politely, “Stand over there!” Luckily Alex was able to come with me. We finally got shuttled off into a room, full of what appeared to be anyone and everyone other than caucasians. OK, it’s a full house, but I’m still not panicking. It’s almost 1.00pm though and we have a flight to New York to catch at 3.00pm. I ask someone if we’re going to miss the flight. She’s not sure. Great! We need this like a bullet in the head. I see some officer holding up a Mexican Passport, and tell another officer that it looks dodgy and like it’s been tampered with. It’s getting worse! Another guy tells me that he’s been waiting for over two hours. It’s going to be a long wait! To my surprise, I am called up after some 45 minutes. Do I live in Australia? Yes. What’s the weather like there? I tell him it’s winter. But it’s hot in the north, right? Yes, I tell him, we only have a “real”winter in the south-east and Tasmania. He seems satisfied with my answers, and then tells me I can go! Go figure! Can’t say that I understood what that was all about, but we did manage to catch our flight to New York. Anybody have any idea? (Harry……OIFA!)

We landed in La Guardia, where Alex’s mum and sister were waiting for us. Our last night together was great, and we filled her in on our time in Ecuador. In a few weeks time, Angie would be going to Ecuador by herself, and staying with Karen. What can you do in 24 hours? The next day we chatted some more, whilst having breakfast, and then lunch. In no time at all, it was time to go to the JFK airport. We thought we’d check ourselves in, before going downstairs for a coffee.

As we went through the usual, check-in rigmarole, “Frances” informed us that we would not be able to sit next to each other on the LA to Sydney sector. (Remember, our flight path was New York – LA – Sydney – Melbourne). Now, WHY would I want to sit next to my partner for the longest portion of the trip, which would take approximately 13 and a half hours? Face, body language…….she was clearly not interested. Frances was clearly having a bad day, but nonplussed, I figured I’d fix it up in LA. I mean, it was our last half an hour or so with Alex’s mum and little sister. I have to admit though, I had not appreciated her attitude! Once downstairs, and having coffee, both Alex’s mum and Alex reiterated my sentiments; “That gal had a baaaaaaaaad attitude!”

Alex was keen to “fix it up”, so back we go to the counter. Now Frances was in luck, and I was feeling rather tranquil. Just thought I would go over and explain the situation, no names involved. So, I went to the counter and simply asked the woman if she could change the tickets so that Alex and I could sit next to each other. At that precise moment, Frances comes along, and utters to the woman helping us, “I’ve already told them that there are no seats together!”. Well, something snapped! You know, poor Frances at the Qantas counter picked the “wrong chick at the wrong time”. After what had happened in Miami, I was over it! I whipped around faster than a flash of lightning, eye-balled her and hissed, “Why don’t you just do a Harry Houdini and disappear! You are clearly useless, so let me continue speaking to someone who’s not!” I’m not sure who was more stunned, Frances or me! She then sat down and smirked at me! Have I ever told you how much I loathe smirking? On a roll, I now couldn’t help or stop myself. Next I blurted out, “That smirk on your face makes we want slap you!!!!!”……….Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! Alarm bells! We ARE in the USA? Did I just “threaten” her? Is she going to sue me? The lady helping me was very pleasant, if not a little thrown back by my outburst, and she listened patiently as I continued to explain that whilst I did not need or require any red carpet treatment, was asking Frances to do her job THAT difficult? The lady helping us made it clear that the changes actually could be made. Despite the fact that I was not raising my voice, the lady behind the counter could see how irate I was. I suggested that Frances may benefit from being locked up in an office away from people, or perhaps they should enrol her is a customer services course, as she clearly had no skills in this department. Well, we were offered two passes into the British Airways/ Qantas lounge. I will reserve my judgement on this for another time, but I really must mention one of the many magazines that were on “offer” (free, of course!! ); “The Private Jet Lifestyle Magazine – Elite Traveller”. Pages and pages and pages of expensive, consumerist, advertising dribble! I mean, one of the ads was for a Private Honda Jet, with the caption, “Is it possible to find a more efficient alternative?” No, but certainly a more stupid, energy-wasting one! Give me a bucket!!!!! Heaven forbid, that one would have to sit in a bigger plane, with the masses! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease! What is this world coming to?

Once in the plane, we settled down comfortably. We felt a bit sad, as we always do saying goodbye to family. Alex’s mum was OK, but Angie looked sad. That’s always a tough one. The flight to LA was fine, as was the flight to Sydney. Due to our connections, we missed our flight from Sydney to Melbourne. Whilst it was no big deal, we were tired and just wanted to get home. We finally made it to Melbourne by 11.30am on the morning of Saturday, 20th June. As usual, we were picked up by Dino’s Taxi Service. We chatted as we drove home, and all had lunch together, but I was feeling tired. Jet lag? Not sure, as I do not normally suffer from this, but….I did manage to sleep on the couch from 12.45pm until about 11.00pm that night!

I woke up, and went straight to bed. We had missed two functions: Di Baini’s 21st ( a really special friend of ours) and an Inti Raymi (“Festival of the Sun”) celebration at Mick’s house in Croydon. Just a little bit of information for those of you who way not know too much about Incan culture; Inti Raymi marks the winter solstice, and was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire, in honour of the god, Inti. Whilst I was disappointed at having missed both, I was also way too tired to give it much thought!

Ombi

Dedication (English): There are two parts to this dedication. The first part is for my brother-in-law, Christian. You are a wonderful person! I saw you be a wonderful husband, father, son, brother and friend….and of course, brother-in-law! You showed how loving and warm you are, and I would like to above all thank you for the amazing way you treat Axel and Denisse. Respect does not just happen it is earned. Despite the fact that we live far away, you will always hold a special place in our hearts. The second part is for our sister and sister-in-law, Karen. Finally, you got what you truly deserve. You are an exceptional mother and person, and we love you with all of our hearts.Christian and Karen, we wish you the best in life, and never forget that we will always be here for you and your family.

Dedicacion (Espanol): Hay dos partes de este dedicacion. La primer parte es para nuestro cunado, Christian. Eres una persona maravillosa! Pudimos ver que eres un buen esposo, padre, hijo, hermano y amigo….y tambien cunado! Nos demostraste lo carinoso y amable que eres, y sobre todo, quiero agradecerte en la forma fabulosa que tratas a Axel, Denisse y Thomasito. El respeto no ocurre simplemente, el respeto es ganado. No importa que vivimos lejos, siempre vas a tener un lugar especial en nuestros corazones. La segunda parte es para nuestra hermana y cunada, Karen. Finalmente ganaste lo que verdaderamente mereces. Eres una persona y madre excepcional y te amamos con todo nuestros corazones. Christian y Karen, te deseamos todo lo mejor de la vida, y nunca se olviden que siempre estaremos aqui para ustedes.

“There is no calamity greater than lavish desires. There is no greater guilt than discontentment. And there is no greater disaster than greed”. Lao-tzu (604 BC – 531 BC)

(Photos: 1.- Valeria’s birthday. L to R: Sara, Denisse, Valeria, Junior and Volney, in front, Quito. 2.-L to R: Ana Miranda and Manuela. 3.- Alex, baby Thomas and his brother Jean Pierre. 4.- Alex with his aunt, uncle and cousins. L to R: Alex, Israel, Valeria, Gustavo, Ombi , Gustavo Jr and Marcia. 5.-Ombi and Alex, with imprinted obscenities! Karen’s house, Quito. 6.- Ombi and Alex with “La Tia Loca” (the crazy auntie), Gladys. 7.- Alex with his cousins. L t R: Andres, Alex and Ruben (Junior). 8.- With my brother-in-law Christian’s family at Jonathan’s birthday. L to R: Bolivar, Lily (parents), Christian, Thomas, Jean Pierre, Jonathan (Chris’ brother), Naty (girlfriend), Ombi and Karen. In the front, Denisse and Axel (neice and nephew) and Alex. 9.- Locals at the Otavalo Market. 10.- Dad and the boys! . L to R: Alex’s Dad (Hugo), Jean Pierre, Rodrigo and Alex. 11.- This time with Rocio’s (my mother-in-law’s) sisters. Lt R: Gladys, Ombi, Patty and Marcia. 12.- BBQ time! Alex with his sister Karen, outside her apartment in Quito. 13.- Happy family! Karen, Christian and Thomas. 14.- Alex and Karen enjoying an espresso…with Italian coffee machine and ground coffee brought from Australia. When I lived in Ecuador, I left my legacy….a good coffee! 15.- Alex and his mum in New York. 16.- Alex and Angie at JFK Airport, on our way back to Australia…with Aussie paraphenalia. 17.- Christian at home with his family; Thomas, Denisse and Axel. 18.- Alex and his brother Rodrigo). 19.- Diego and Christina (their mother Deisy works in Karen’s house).

So, we had spent time with family, caught up with some of our friends, and done a whole lot of other stuff, but there was still so much more to do! So many friends still wanted to catch up with us, but time was a tickin’!

Now, we couldn’t possibly leave Quito without going for a boogie. So, one Saturday night we got a little group together and off we went to Flashback. As the name suggests, the music played was from the 70s and 80s. Our little group was Alex and I, Jean Pierre, Karen and Christian, Jonathan (Christian’s brother) and his girlfriend Naty, and Andrea (his cousin) and her husband Paul. Oh what a night! Oops, no pun intended! It was lots of fun, and we had a great time dancing. In my usual fashion, I was on that dance floor and goin’ for it in no time at all! And Christian was my partner in crime. What took a bit of (more like a lot actually) getting used to was the cigarette smoke! Apart from gross and repulsive, it seems oh so very yesterday to smoke in a confined space! So, here we are almost 3 kilometres above sea level, dancing in a pool of smoke…….at times I thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest. Apart from the smoke, we survived (of course, again, no pun intended), and didn’t leave until almost 3.00am. On the way home we stopped for some hot dogs with the lot (it’s what you do in Ecuador, after a big night out). Whilst it was no thanks for me, all the others went for it! Vegetarian or not, I don’t do mystery bags!

The next day was rather peaceful, and we all relaxed at home, only stepping out to buy some ice-cream.

Whilst we were in Quito, Andrea (Santy’s wife) gave birth to little Samuel. She chose a water birth, which is not so common in Ecuador. Alex, Karen and I went with his aunties Gladys and Patty, and were amongst the first to see the little baby. He was only hours old when we saw him. Santy was at the hospital too, as were several others. The baby, tiny as he was, was being passed around. They seem to have a much more laid back attitude to pregnancy and giving birth in Ecuador. As Alex’s aunt Patty told me some seven years ago when she gave birth to Samantha, “Pregnancy and child birth are not an illness, they are a way of life”. She’s right, and sometimes we can be a bit precious about it all in the western world.

Now, we all know that the world is a small place, but……..after we visited Andrea and little Samuel in hospital, we stopped by a small set of shops close to the hospital …I noticed a little girl in a wheelchair, and I was sure I had met her before. Now, whilst I am hopeless with numbers, I never forget a face, and almost never a name. Memory bank, memory bank! I looked at her father…yes I knew him, and I thought his daughter’s name was Eva….it all came back to me. I had met “Eva” in a shop her father owned on the Galapagos Islands, when we were there three and a half years ago. I went straight up to the father and asked him if his daughter’s name was Eva, to which he replied , “Yes, Evaluna!”. He looked at me as if to say, “How do you know her?” I then jogged his memory, and we chatted about our meeting in his shop in the Galapagos. I reminded Pato that I had met him and his wife Katy, and their gorgeous daughter. We had given her a little toy koala, and had played with her for a while. They now have another little girl called Sol. I went up to Evaluna and gave her a big hug, and reminded her too of how and when we had met. She have me a big hug and even bigger smile! I told Pato how I had often wondered about them all, and especially Evaluna! We swapped e-mails and vowed to stay in touch. Destiny!

We managed to catch up with Edison and Belen too, which was wonderful. Eddy used to work with Alex at El Comercio, Quito’s leading newspaper, when I met him 10 years ago. He is still there and works as a graphic designer. And Belen, who actually also works there now, used to be one of Alex’s students at the Journalism Club in which he used to teach and be involved in. They picked us up fro Patty’s house and we went to La Ronda, in the old part of Quito. It is in the colonial part of the old town, and is one of the oldest and most historic parts of Quito. As it was during the week, it was not that crowded, but there were still plenty of places selling canelazo, a traditional hot drink (with or without alcohol, but usually with), empanadas, and souvenirs. In addition, there were lots of restaurants and cafes. We stopped at one of them, and I had one of the best hot chocolates ever!

There was no way that we were leaving Quito without a meal at his Tia Bebita’s restaurant. Not only is she a wonderful cook but she is also a lovely woman. Every day her father (Alex’s grandfather) Jacinto, goes there for lunch. We surprised him by just rocking up one day without saying anything. You should have seen his face when Alex said, “Excuse me, do you mind if I sit down next to you?” More hugs all around! After lunch we caught the taxi with “Papa Jacinto” (as he is fondly referred to) back to his place, and caught up with some more members of Alex’s extended family. Again, never enough time!

We also managed to catch up with our special friend Aidee, who is still working at Hostal Centro del Mundo in Gringolandia. It’s where I stayed when I first came to Quito. I met her before I met Alex! We truly surprised her when we popped into the hostel. On that same day we also caught up with Ely from Moggely Travel (who run various tours all over Ecuador) and met her cousin Marco who is also working there now. Another friend I was able to see was Iliana; I used to work with both her and her mum (also called Iliana, and who now lives in Chicago). We went to a place called La Tortilla, where we were able to sit down and catch up on 10 years! Iliana’s mum found me on Facebook several months ago and we re-connected. She then she gave me her daughter’s e-mail. I had not been in touch with either since I stopped living in Ecuador 10 years ago. It was great, and like no time had passed at all. Unfortunately, we were neither able to catch up with Alex’s friend Raul, or my Colombian friend, Maria Pia……time just ran out!

I did, however, catch up with Maria Antonieta and her partner Chula. Maria Antonieta was one of my very closest friends when I lived in Ecuador. It was so great to see her once again, and it really felt like no time had passed at all. I went to hers and Chula’s place for dinner, and we chewed the fat for hours! It’s amazing how with good friendships, upon reconnecting, it actually feels like no time has passed at all. I only wish we had have had the chance to spend more time together, but as I have mentioned before, time is not always our best friend!

Now, there was no way that I was coming home from Ecuador not having visited the famous indigenous market of Otavalo. Alex and I took the two hour bus ride north, with Denisse on a Saturday morning, which is market day. Without a doubt, the beauty of the market lies in the indigenous people of the area, who always look spectacular in their traditional garb. The women with long, dark braided hair, colourfully embroidered shirts, and rows upon rows of gold beads around their necks, and the men, with their hats and their ponchos. Think Otavalo, think South America! As soon as we arrived we went straight to Mama Rosita’s for our humita fix (humitas are a type of roll, made from corn and can be sweet or savoury). I first met Dona Rosita (Mrs Rosita) when I was living in Ecuador, as I would go to Otavalo regularly. Unfortunately, it started to rain early on in the piece, and it got to the point where it was no longer enjoyable to walk around. We stopped in a cafe for a hot drink and a snack, after which we bought very little (but did include a couple of really cute woollen jumpers for Thomas), before proceeding to go home. We did manage to see both Don Pedro (Byron’s dad) and Norma (his sister) who have separate stalls there.

For me, Otavalo is like a life line. It epitomises all that I love about South America, and is a fascinating place to people watch. It reminds me of the culture that I love, and for me, no trip to my second homeland would be complete without a visit here. Unfortunately, due to the rain (it was hammering!), I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I usually do.

Mindo, the last bastion. I was determined to see it! Mindo is an area of low lying rain forest just a few hours north of Quito. It’s a bird lovers paradise, as it has one of the highest concentrations of birds in the world, with more than 350 bird species. I just wanted to relax and get away for a few days. We left on a Wednesday and came back on a Friday. We went by bus, and only half an hour out of Quito, the scenery changed and we were presented with undulating hills, covered with lush green trees. So many memories came flashing back to me, and this trip reminded me of what it is about South America that I had fallen deeply in love with in the first place! Indescribable sentiments, lodged deeply in my heart! I would do a backpacking trip again with Alex in South America in a heartbeat. I will…..one day! As we arrived in Mindo, it was raining heavily, but Byron had given us a contact of a place to stay. We ended up calling Elizabeth of Mindo Real, and she promptly came to pick us up with her daughter. If you click here, you will see the picture of the beautiful little cabin in which we stayed for 2 nights. It was only a 7 minute walk from the small town centre, but it was just far enough that the only noise we could hear was the sound of the river which ran through the property.

Each morning we were treated to a sumptuous home-made breakfast, compliments of Ely. Everything was fresh, and everything tasted fantastic! We were in no rush to wake up early on either of our days there, as it was so relaxing. On one of the days, we went on a really long walk, past the Mariposario (butterfly enclosure) and on a little mountain trail, ending up at some waterfalls. There were plenty of beautifully coloured butterflies flying around, and we both felt very serene. It was like having the place to ourselves as we only came across a person or two. Our walk through the mountain trail, was lovely, if not steep, and at one point we literally got attacked by a type of ant that, whilst not poisonous, bites with voracity. Their pincers were closing in all over my feet, and as I was wearing sandals and not shoes, I was jumping around like a grasshopper. I was also screaming expletives, whilst trying to swat them. Yes, I DID freak out! Luckily, no one was around, because I was screaming like someone who was being attacked! Well I was, wasn’t I? After the attack, and with my ankles and legs covered in bites, I slathered them in even more insect repellent, and we continued walking. Insect repellent? All too little too late?!

Soon, we reached a place where there were some waterfalls. We had to walk a little more inland, but the views were worth the walk. Again, we were alone. We had a dip in a pool which was what I would describe as natural, but somewhat enhanced by man. The water was bloody freezing! Just as we were getting ready to leave, the heavens opened and there was an alluvial downpour! We tried to wait until it passed, but this natural phenomena was not going to come to the party! So, we pulled out our ponchos and rain jackets, and walked back in the rain!

We had found a great little street stall on the first night where we bought our dinner, and went back the second night as it was so good. Grilled plantains (savoury bananas), were served with mayonnaise and grated fresh cheese (trust me, if Gino had tried it, he would have said, “‘fully sick!”). Then there was menestra (a type of stew, in this case with lentils) served with rice, salad, and aji (a chilli sauce which I just love). Add to that grilled meat and chicken, which Alex tells me was also great!

No sooner had we arrived, than it was time to go back to Quito. As we caught the bus back, and I once again admired the fantastic scenery, I was brutally reminded that we had less than a week to go! Where had the time gone? We wound our way back to Quito as I continued to both ponder and admire!

Yet another adventure was coming to an end!

Ombi

Next: Saying goodbye!

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act” – George Orwell (1903 1950)

(Photos: 1.- Ombi and Alex boogie-ing on the dance floor, “Flashback”, Quito, Ecuador. 2.- The “family gang” at Flashback. Lto R: Naty, Jonathan, Christian, Karen, Andrea, Jean Pierre, and Paul in the front. 3.- Andrea, Santiago and baby Samuel only hours after his birth. 4.- A surprise reunion – Ombi, Evaluna and Pato. 5.- Belen, Edison and Ombi at La Ronda, in the Old Town (historical centre), Quito. 6.- Alex’s family on his dad’s side: Papa Jacinto (grandpa), Alex, Salome, Jacinto (behind), Esteban, Monica (behind), Simona, Soraya, Sandy and Alexandra. 7.- Ombi and Aidee at Centro del Mundo. 8.- Maria Antonieta (front) and Chula at their place in Quito. 9.- Mama Rosita, Ombi and Denisse eating humitas at the Otavalo Market, Ecuador. 10.- Fancy a bit of pork, or a ham sanga? Fare of the porcine kind, Otavalo Market. 11.- Spools of thread, Otavalo Market. 12.- Mindo – loy lying cloud forest. 13.- The beautiful flowers of Mindo. 14.- River running through Mindo. 15.- Ombi and Alex; on our way back from a walk. It was only the poncho that saved me from the wet t-shirt competition! 16.- Eating out at the “local”, Mindo. 17.- (Left): Alex and Ely, of Moggely Travel. 18.- (Right): Ombi and Iliana at “La Tortilla” – reunion after 10 years.)