OK, I "git" it....

....really I do!
I'm wordy (understatement of the year),
tend to ramble on,
have banished the word "concise" from my vocabulary...
So these posts have a tendency to grow and grow.
I know too that I'm still feeling my way along when it comes to how this editor thing works but, in the immortal words of another of our "new best friends", Carlos, "I came to Ecuador with ten thousand dollars worth of PATIENCE - been here two weeks and I'm down to a couple bucks worth left!!!!
In his case, the comment was made in reference to a recent bout with the bureaucracy regarding a resident visa.
In mine it's in regard to the 6 or 7 hours spent on the previous post attempting to get it right.
I've been around computers for a fair amount of time and consider myself somewhat above "average" when it comes to convincing them to do what I want them to do. I recognize that some apps are better than others and that all have their little "quirks". But after all these years most developers have settled in to accept some commonly accepted "standards" and ways of doing things.
This blog editor though seems to want to make its own rules and to make them up as it goes along.
I can't tell you how many times I've added and removed pictures, attempted to cut and paste captions to put them back where they belong because they were moved when a new pic was added in the wrong place.
Why must one scroll all the way back to the top to access the toolbar?
Why does the "Link" button seem to push itself whenever it feels like it? (necessitating another trip back to the toolbar to deselect)
Why can't one edit fonts with a simple "highlight > right click > edit"?
Anyway, I finally gave up and published (when it FINALLY decided to save what was there without "error saving") despite not completing the day. We'll pick it up here and (hopefully) finish out the Quito phase and move on to the coast.
I realize that, as NorteAmericanos, we're a spoiled lot and patience isn't particularly one of our strong suits. I came to Ecuador fully recognizing the cultural differences that exist and totally aware that a healthy dose of adaptation was in order.
Night before last and then again last evening we met and spent time with three more of our "new best friends" (more on both of those experiences later). One of the topics of conversation centered around television. As the leaders of the pack when it comes to being certifiable "news junkies", at home we typically have at least two tubes burning 24/7 and each of us expends considerable energy yelling at the idiot talking heads and political commentators. It's been two weeks with zero TV, zero US "news", zero political banter, and, perhaps surprisingly, not one of us misses it even one iota. Life without a constant barrage of "sound bites" from brain dead politicians and pundants (of both the RePubiKan and DemoCats) is actually quite sweet.
Certain other of our "spoils", however, are more difficult to give up or adapt to the Ecuadorian "way".
High speed internet takes on a whole new meaning (here, at least) when the standard is a usb/gsm modem that, on a good day, races along at 25 or 30kbs and just plain stops for a rest whenever it feels the need. As a reference for the technologically challenged, 28.8 was the standard dial up telephone connection speed back before Dean was born and Al Gore had yet to invent the "internets".
I'll deal with the power going out every couple of days, deal with shutting off the water every once in a while because it hasn't rained enough, even deal with a bureaucratic system that seems to want to emulate the pathetic model created in the US, but, when it comes to my broadband, anything under a Meg is simply beyond my ability to cope!......Oh, well.....

Let's wrap up the Cotacochi/Quito saga and "move on" as they say.
When last we spoke the city was engaged in a celebration of something or other (day after the day after "Independence" from one or another oppressor). Ecuadorians LOVE parades, celebrations, generally just having a good time, and are extremely creative when it comes to providing a "reason" to do so.
As the day was heading toward dusk and our gastronomical clocks have yet to totally embrace the whole almuerzo + midnight diner thing, it was time to take Patricio up on his suggested eatery.

 Not knowing the location of the eatery we paid little attention to the comings and goings of the locals

 

When Patricio announced "este es" (this is it) we had to question if the diminutive but delightful lady was the maitre d'

La Marquese Restaurante - save this one to your Favorites, you'll not be disappointed

Meanwhile, back at the "Festival" the Policia have things totally under "control"

And the intersection "Circle Dancers" have local traffic pretty well stymied as horns blare

"Picture" menus (with posted prices) are an absolute Godsend!

But no pictures can do justice to that which emerges from the kitchen

Patricio is one proud camper and suggests and 80 cent libation

Dean and Grandma ready to chow down

Good thing we had a reservation (nobody, but nobody - except NorteAmericanos - eats "dinner" at this hour)

As the old saying goes.......We Shall Return!!!

Another long, and unforgettable day in the books but now it's time to head back to HotelAndino and prepare for out trip to the Coast in the am. Patricio performs his usual magic wending his way through the onslaught of the "crazies" and we arrive back in Quito around 9:30

The Hurried-er I Go........

.....the behinder I Get!!!

In real world time it's Monday, 11 July and we've been on the Coast for 8 days.
In the blogosphere we're still working on getting you caught up on our final days in Quito.
"Manana" fever is highly contagious......that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
The good news is, while we've been quite busy since our arrival here at the beach, we've also managed to slow the pace somewhat (Mrs. V has transgressed from Type A+ personality to an A-....you'll not recognize her the first few days back<g>).
"Good News" because it will make catching up much easier....one can only write "we walked the beach" so many times before it becomes burdensome to read. While the reading is boring, the walking is a luxury we never seem to have time for in the hustle and bustle of our "normal" lives and as such a sheer delight.
So back to our last day in Quito.
Once again, our two "new best friends" (Miguel and Patricio) outdid themselves. As a sidenote, if we haven't stated it specifically before let me do so here and now. From our experience, if you are Quito bound and looking for a place to stay and a driver to handle your transportation needs you will find none better than Miguel and Patricio. Miguel and his wife Paola own and operate the AndinoHotel with the assistance of a most competent staff. The term "hotel" gets somewhat lost in the translation for NorteAmericanos - think more along the lines of a cross between a B&B and a country Inn, in the city. Within minutes of your arrival you are treated like family and while the accommodations would challenge the hoity toity the rooms are meticulously clean, comfortable, and contain the necessities (including WiFi and HOT showers - not necessarily a "given" when selecting a place to stay in EC). You can click the link above to contact them via their website for additional information and Miguel will get back to you via email in relatively short order. The rates are most reasonable, the food (breakfasts) incredible (and included in the per diem as is the WiFi), and you would be hard pressed to find a hotelier anywhere more concerned with meeting your every need and desire than Miguel. At the end of your stay, departure will be akin to leaving home.
Patricio is, as best we can determine, what we would classify as an "independent" contractor as opposed to an employee. It is evident though that Miguel respects and trusts Patricio to provide the same level of service to his guests as he would and his confidence is well placed. While we can't say for certain, it appears to us that this may be a relatively new venture for Patricio and one which he is bound and determined to see succeed. His vehicle is new and well maintained, insurance and business requirements appear in order, and he actually has a business card with contact info (not a "given" for many in the business). His rates are more than reasonable and his desire to please second to none. He's working on his English and getting better day by day. Mrs. V, in true "teacher mode" helped expand his vocabulary with the addition of the phrase "okey dokey" - guess I'm missing something when it comes to current ESL curriculum protocols but hey, she's the Professional<g>. The easiest way to arrange for his services is to ask Miguel to handle it for you. We did and all went as smooth as glass from our initial pickup at the airport upon arrival to the various "day trips" arranged on the spot and tailored to our specific desires, to a return to the airport and negotiations with the rental car agency (for which he handled the details in Spanish and protected the SSL challenged "gringos". We have his direct contact info as well which we can provide if you contact us via private email as I'm reticent to post it publicly without his specific authorization.

Back to the task at hand - our last day in Quito and the "Highlands".
Upon our return from yesterday's adventure we arranged with Patricio to employ his services for the full day with destinations "to be determined". Once again, on the spur of the moment he and Miguel laid out an itinerary that included each of the venues we "though" we wanted to see, and a few stops in between that they thought we should. He showed up on time (another issue which is far from a "given"), we were "almost" ready, and off we went headed north.
Otavalo and Cotacachi were on our "must see" list - Otalvo for the famous Indigenous Outdoor Market and Cotacachi which is noted for leather goods and as an area with a near perfect year around climate which induces many expats to lay down roots there. The Otavalo Market is best visited on Saturdays for the full effect as it nearly doubles in size that day and includes the livestock sales from 6-9am. Unfortunately, our plans wouldn't allow a Saturday visit but our hosts assured us the trip was well worth the visit anyway and they were right.
Departing the hotel and heading north was the now familiar exercise in vehicular voluntary euthanasia. As the city lies in a valley between mountains running north and south travel in either of these directions can be a rather long, drawn out affair. Eventually though, we pass the airport and things begin to become more "countrified", population density wise, but certainly not driver courtesy wise.
One of the most interesting characteristics of Ecuador in general is the amount of eco-diversity and how quickly local ecosystems change (in terms of travel time). Literally within a few miles things go from lush green, to almost desert like. In addition, while the "seasons" are essentially reversed (from our perspective) it's "winter" here. Finally, the terms "winter" and "summer" have much different connotations then those in the US - think "wet" and "dry" as opposed to "hot" and "frigid". A couple of pictures of the first leg of the days' journey will illustrate.

An hour or so out of Quito

 Closing in on Otavalo

Shortly before arriving in Otavalo, Patricio stops at what appears to be the Ecuadorian version of a very typical US "tourist trap". Turns out, the views were to die for, none of the souvenirs were made in China, and Mrs. V made, yet ANOTHER new best friend.

 "How would you like to come home with me?"

Back into the Hyundai for the final leg to the village

 Laguna de San Pablo

...and FINALLY - a Shopper's Nirvana!!!

Hand Made/Woven articles of every description and color,

 hats, hats, and more hats,

and Silver Jewelry (some of which will be coming home)

3000 miles for Pizza?
(Turns out, it was well worth the trip)

While some of us could have spent days scouring the market for the ultimate "deal" and to be sure not to miss anything, time constraints (still can't get past that "schedule" thing) dictated otherwise and off we go again. This time headed to Cotacachi.

Another Laguna - this time de Cuicocha

A little better shot of the snowcap under the clouds

In Ecuador, if there's an attraction - there's a market and the Parque is no exception

Just up the road the Vistors Center features a modern structure set in an idyllic location

Vistas are, in Patricio's words - "tranquilo"

Patricio explains the legend of Maria Isabel Nieves Cotacachi ("Mama Cotacachi") to Mrs. V. It dates back centuries in Kichwa lore. Her transgressions led to solitude and tears that produced the Laguna. You can read a brief description of the legend here.

Never one to be upstaged by mere "legend", Mrs. V decides to create one of her own to leave behind on the sacred ground. An apparition? You decide.

 

These young ladies (apparently sisters) secured the "market rights" to the center. As the day comes to a close they are packing up to call it a day. One sister appears less than eager to assist until another admonishes her with a threat to "tell Mama" at which point she dives back in to her work. 

Always one to help out kids in any way she can, and feeling "tall" by comparison, Mrs. V lends a hand to hoist the "goods" up and over the wall to the storage area.

Then, finally, it's off to Cotacachi and "Leather Street"

 Leather belts, purses, and wallets - Oh My!!!
Never one to pass up a deal Mrs. V scores a deal.

 On to view the Cathedral (every town, regardless of size, has at least one)
Today, this one is attracting a particularly large crowd

Might be more than just an everyday Mass?

Where there's a crowd (and even where there's not) the street vendors are aplenty


Onlookers line the sidewalks and an informal "procession" through the streets spontaneously takes shape

Garb ranges from traditional to designer jeans

 Everyone Loves a Parade

The revelers proceed through the city streets stopped at each intersection for a "circle dance"

with predictable results regarding traffic flow - and, of course, the ceremonial "exercising of the horns"

Dean's Here!!!

There really WAS a reason why our last post ended with "to be continued...."
Despite the fact that his flight was scheduled to arrive yesterday at 11:15pm (which it did), AND despite the fact that our trusty driver Patricio got us (almost) to the aeropuerto with time to spare, AND despite the fact that we had arrived on the exact same flight the night before and things went smoothly and crowds were modest.......
What difference a day makes!!!
Well - two days, actually.
To set the stage, the Quito Aeropuerto is one of two international airports in Ecuador (soon to be three when Manta is scheduled to become "international"). It is, by US standards, a "medium size" airport (think smaller than Albany).
When we arrived the night before total time from touchdown to exiting the arrival area was probably on the order of 30 minutes - including deplaning, picking up luggage, and clearing customs and immigration.
Patricio was able to park within a 100 yards of the terminal and, while crowded, the arrival lounge (where visitors were allowed to wait for arriving passengers) was relatively sane.
This night, traffic was backed up/stopped a good 3/4 of a mile from the terminal. We waited in line for a while and finally decided that I'd walk the rest of the way while Marilyn and Patricio stayed with the car so as to be there in time for Dean's exit.
So far, so good. Right up until we get to the arrival doors.....a veritable sea of humanity. The lounge is about the size of two good sized Micky D's placed side to side - including a snack bar/gift shop area and an "exit lane" cordoned off through the middle to allow egress for arriving passengers. When we arrived people meeting arriving passengers were probably 3 to 4 deep on both sides of the exit lane and thinned out as passengers they were awaiting, arrived.
This night it was literally a can of sardines - shoulder to shoulder in every available square inch (or square centimeter here, I guess). Seems, instead of the one plane that normally arrives at that hour there were three (apparently a weather diversion from who knows where). Regardless, three at once isn't really within the design capabilities.
OK, so we're going to have to pay real close attention to not miss him when he comes through since he'll never be able to pick us out of the crowd - and we'll have to expect a bit of a delay due to the numbers being processed.
11:45 comes and goes as is to be expected,
12:15 slips by, c'est la vie
12:45 - by now bunches of people have emerged from the customs area and met their parties - but no Dean. I'm fairly confident that Marilyn has passed the threshold of "everything's fine" but going to look for her and leaving "my spot" meant missing Dean when he finally did emerge
1:15 - Dean's plane having been the first of the three to land should have, one would surmise, been the first to complete the process and the first passengers to leave the airport. As more and more of those of us waiting were beginning to voice concerns it became apparent that such was not the case. Those currently clearing the doors were from the third arriving plane.....hummmm
1:30 - not normally one to allow such situations to induce elevated levels of blood pressure I continue to believe it's just "one of those things" - luggage on the wrong belt, prematurely removed from the belt by an over zealous baggage handler, or worse case, still in Panama. As the hour crept closer to 2 am though, I have to admit a few pangs of "detained by immigration" crept into my grey matter.
2:10 - Now in full blown panic mode as the terminal waiting area is really thinning out as the last of the stragglers and their handlers depart Marilyn goes into action. "YOU (Patricio) - come with me, you speak Spanish!!" We'll get to the bottom of this. Mrs V in protective Mom mode is a sight easily recognizable in any language and one which pretty much guarantees a resolution ex poste haste. Sure enough, no sooner had the onslaught begun than it was resolved - Dean comes marching through the doors undaunted. Little did he know how close we'd come to having mandatory conscription reinstated for our impending invasion of Ecuador at the hands of Brigadier General Mrs V.
2:30 am ish - Patricio squeals to a halt at our door....tonight he REALLY earned his $10 fee.

After a, somewhat less than good night's sleep we're at the Andino Breakfast Factory recharging and preparing for another day of "vacationing" and playing the tourist game.
We'd previously "booked" Patricio for a 9:30 am pickup and full day of touring. Planning ahead and figuring Dean would be arriving per schedule and have a good nights sleep - so much for "planning".
Following a somewhat lively discussion in Spanish (so as to spare us the details) between Miguel and Patricio the "itinerary" was established based on our previous conversations with Miguel. It should be stated here that despite it being a second language for him, Miguel speaks excellent English. Patricio is somewhat more limited although his English is head and shoulders above our Spanish. Having him with us was a world of help and while he's not yet up to "interpreter" status I have no doubt he will be before long as shows not only a strong desire to become proficient but a thirst for learning - we only wish we had as much devotion to learning the Spanish language (and the benefit of 30 years or so fewer dead brain cells. Why, oh why, don't we start ALL of our kids on a second language at an early age?
Shortly before 10am the five of us pile into Patricio's Hyundai Something (a model not available in the US, legally a 5 seater in the same way a school bus "legal" with 3 to a seat - at least a few of those "legals" better be "little legals".
Entering the traffic flow in Quito, even on a tiny, one way street, is akin to merging onto an interstate at 5 mph. Ecuadorians are, by and large, the kindest, most considerate, happy, and easy going people I've ever met....UNTIL they get behind the wheel - at which time they morph into raving maniacs, hell bent on not stopping (or even slowing down), EVER, for ANYone or ANYthing. "Defensive Driving" is a phrase that not only has no literal translation from Spanish to English it simply does not exist. How they manage to survive can only be explained by their absolute belief in the divine "power" of the horn - beep it loud enough and often enough and it has mystical powers capable of either vaporizing any intruders in "my" space or, at the very least, physically shoving them out of the way with magical beams of energy.
After a harrowing 30 minutes of vehicular warfare (and two "brief" stops for changes of underwear) we left the confines of city life behind and ascended the mount towards the Pululahua Geobotanical Preserve - a valley formed in the Caldera (crater) of the Pululahua Volcano and believed to be one of the only inhabited Calderas on Earth. The pictures speak for themselves but once again can't approach that taken in with one's own eyes. Splendor beyond belief is thy name.

Here's the road leading up to the overlook from which you view the Caldera

At the end of which you reach the Reserve and pay your Tarif (or get waved on by if you qualify for one of the "NO" categories as we did - don't ask any questions)

 

 Once you get past the sheer beauty of that which your eyes have taken in reality sets in an you ask, "Why would anyone live in the Crater of a Volcano?"

 That's the point that "George" (I swear that's his name, I didn't believe it either) launches into a thoroughly researched and documented dissertation on "his" mountain

 

 If he didn't actually "write the book" on the history of the Caldera he knows it as well as any man alive and the pages of his "book" bear witness to the fact that if not him.......

We bid George a fond farewell figuring we'd seen more than any person had the right to enjoy in one day but Patricio (that's him in the background in photo above) had other ideas and off we headed, down the volcano, up and down various and sundry mountains and valleys, to the Mitad del Mundo.

Hummm, not what you were expecting? If you've seen pictures of the Mitad Del Mundo (Center of the Earth) they've probably looked something like this:

Turns out the "Official" Monument, which actually isn't even the "Original Official" (it was rebuilt when deemed not impressive enough) also isn't in the right place - the ACTUAL location (as measured by GPS) is a couple hundred yards (or meters) down the road. You can take my word for it, read up on it here, or google "the actual Mitad del Mundo" and decide for yourself. As for me, I'll see them both as long as I'm here but spend my money (and time) at the "REAL" Mitad.

Now THAT'S A MONUMENT worthy of the name!

And a SIGN to boot!

 Obligatory "One foot on each side of the World" photo

How many of your Teachers can say that?

 

Circles to the Right, Circles to the Left, Goes Straight Down Here

That Coriolis Cat was one bright dude!

 If two people attempt to balance an egg upright on a nail -

whom would you put your money on?

History lessons and Science experiments completed we prepare to depart the "exact" Mitad del Mundo but first must wait for the ceremonial presentation of the Certificate of Accomplishment to the ONE individual in our party who stood the egg on the nail - wanna bet who received it?

Then it's off again to TeleFerico - the cable car ride up the mountain overlooking Quito. We had originally planned to do this first thing as on most days it's clear in the morning and tends to cloud over later in the day obscuring the view. Today, of course, was just the opposite but it all worked out fine as Patricio simply altered schedule and, just maybe, got lucky.

 On the way UP!!
Only 6000 (vertical) feet to go

 Topside

 View from above
(those "dots" below are the buildings in a city of a million and a half people)

 Churches are everywhere - but not many at 15,000'

 One has to wonder what would posses a bunny to choose THIS for his home - much less climb up here to see if he was going to like it!

 

 Heading back down

 

A bit of perspective coming in for a landing

Another action packed day in the books.
Now to find Patricio and have him return us to the Andino, then to dinner and the sack - tomorrow is another day and we've convinced Patricio to put up with us for another "road trip".

Today's excursion was just a "warm up" - stay tuned.