Posting Comments

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

Parade

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ecuador Realities

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

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

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

Cotacachi - our little town

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The town square in front of the church.

Municipal building across from the town square

A flower nursery a few blocks from our apartment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our Favorite Playground

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

Yes, that Cameron up there with the kids!

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

Lunch After Meeting at our new Favorite Restaurant

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

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

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

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

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

Things That Make Us Laugh

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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