Ecuadorian Adventure part 1

October 3 2018

Ron and I got up at 1:00 a.m. to catch a red eye flight to Quito Ecuador. We were using our mileage plan so the tickets are almost free but the schedule is never ideal with free tickets. A red eye is not my idea of a good way to start a trip. We had planned to sleep between Portland and Chicago but two and a half hours of turbulence prevented that. We also were looking forward to breakfast in Chicago and but changing terminals that involved a bus ride prevented that from happening. Next we landed in Panama City Panama. We had a bad breakfast on the plane and fortunately our connecting gate was right across from our arrival gate in Panama City. We made our connection to Quito. We arrived in the late afternoon and Ann met us at the airport. Jeff was in Washington for training.

Our friends Ann Melville and Jeff Smith are currently living in Quito where Jeff works for the State department and they invited us down for a visit. We first met them when Ron and Jeff were working in Tbilisi Georgia in 2009-11. We have stayed in touch and twice visited them in Myanmar when they were posted there.

This trip was different; we decided to leave our computers at home and use my tablet and his phone for internet access. Consequently this blog will be less detailed as I only took cryptic notes during our travels. However Ron took lots of photos of our wonderful trip.

Quito is a city of 1.6 million and is located at 9,300 ft above sea level. Jeff and  Ann’s apartment is in a seven or eight story building high above the city. They reside on the sixth floor and have a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains and the city. Every room has a view that is mesmerizing. They have two bedrooms and an office with three and half bathrooms. It is spacious and beautifully furnished which is standard for state department employees. Ann and Jeff have been posted in China, Republic of Georgia, Hungary, Myanmar and now Ecuador. Next will be Mozambique. Their home reflects their love of travel and appreciation for textiles, crafts and artwork from places they have visited or lived. Both Ann and Jeff had traveled before Jeff started with the state department about 10 years ago. Jeff actually worked in Antarctica for a period of time. We were lucky enough to see some of his photos of his time there.

We thoroughly enjoyed out time with them as the four of us have much in common in terms of our values and approach to life. Ann prepared fabulous meals during our entire stay. Not willing to stand by, we insisted on helping and Ann willingly agreed.

Oct 4

Our first day Ann took us on a walking tour, all downhill. Quito is built in a basin. We noticed the altitude and had to take our time. We experienced mild effects of the thin air but nothing serious. Ron had taken a prescription to lessen the effects but I didn’t because of my glaucoma. I was thankful that the impact was quite mild overall. Quito struck us as a modern, prosperous city with malls, high end stores like Tiffany’s and Ferragamo and incredibly good roads. Ann cautioned us to never ride the city buses. They are crowded and pick pockets abound. Ann has had five friends who had their phones and or wallets stolen while on the buses Taxis are cheap so we heeded her words. Ron and I have traveled to over sixty countries and been in large cities like Bangkok with 14 million folks and the only time someone tried to steal my purse was in downtown Portland at dusk in front of a Catholic girls’ school. A two man team tried to steal Ron’s wallet in Addis Ababa but we had read about this technique in our tour book so he was alert when it happened and whacked both assailants with his baton (his collapsed umbrella) when they tried to trip and distract him. They ran away quickly. We take precautions and are vigilant when we are out and about. It can happen anywhere.

We visited the fresh market on our tour and walked through a nearby park and got a feel for new town with Ann. To avoid the strenuous up hill climb back to the apartment we hailed a cab.

Ecuador, one of the great success stories of Latin America, has invested in new roads, hospitals, schools, and social programs. Ecuador has vast oil and mineral wealth which have played a pivotal role in the country’s new prosperity.

October 5

 Ron and I ventured off on our own. Ann had just returned the night before we arrived from three months in the US where she oversaw repairs on her family home in PA. We knew she had a lot of catching up to do in Quito so we told her to stay home and we would go exploring old town. 

We grabbed a taxi and we took a two hour self guided tour and saw neighborhoods, cathedrals and churches.  We went into the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, (construction began1605 and was completed about 150 yrs later) Quito’s most ornate church from the baroque period. Well, let’s just say it was over the top with enough gold leaf to sink a ship. No photos were allowed.

 

Afterwards we visited a small museum, the home of Maria Augusta Urrutia. The home is splendid example of a 19^th century home. Maria was one of the city’s best-loved philanthropists. After the death of her husband she dedicated herself to helping the poor. The home’s furnishings, stained glass windows and European artwork were clear indications of her wealth.

We also visited the Basilica del Voto Nacional, a massive Gothic church built over several decades starting in 1926. Rather than using gargoyles on the exterior they used indigenous animals and birds such as the tortoise, penguins, and iguanas.

  

Oct 6

Today is Saturday and a big day in Otavalo, a town about 90 minutes from Quito. Otavalo has hosted one of the most important markets in the Andes for hundreds of years. Ann wanted us to see the animal market first before heading across the street to see the crafts market. We got up real early and made peanut butter toast sandwiches for the trip to get an early start. I think we left around 6:30. Ann graciously drove us there in their car. When we entered the animal market we had to squeeze through a gauntlet of vendors selling chickens, ducks and rabbits. It was totally claustrophobic and fun. 

So many sellers and buyers wore traditional dress which is always a thrill to see. We were astounded at how short some of the locals were, under five feet tall. I felt sure some were just over three feet.

Women wore either stiff felt hats or a headdress that was tied in a wide variety of ways. Some were simply folded and placed on their heads. The women wore tightly pleated skirts  with countless pleats and sometimes the skirts were highly decorated with jewels or colorful embroidery. Others wore a plain wrap skirt of black, blue, green or purple with a thin band of embroidery at the hem. Underneath they wore a white underskirt. Their white blouses were highly embroidered and their belts were woven with very bright yarn. The traditional dress for men was white drawstring, mid calf pants with a dark blue wool poncho and a  black hat. Both men and women work  simple black cloth sandals. Both sexes wear their hair in braids, men wear a single braid and women two braids.

After seeing chickens in every stage of development, guinea pigs which are eaten here, rabbits, and ducks we wandered over to the cattle market. 

Afterwards we crossed the street and entered the fabulous crafts market. Here we found jewelry made from silver, beads and the like. The textiles are so beautiful with the array of bright colors. There were tablecloths, blankets, cloth woven belts, ponchos, embroidered blouses and so much more. Ann got a couple of new tablecloths and I got a few gifts like scarves and some stone disc carvings.  Ann took us to a great restaurant on the edge of the market where we had lunch. On the way back to the car we stopped and watched two groups of dancers performing in a covered market place.

On the way home she took us to a hacienda that has been refurbished and it now serves as high end guest house. We were allowed to roam the grounds and go into a few of the buildings. It was a real treat as the artwork, textiles and décor had been carefully selected. It made me wonder if the owner travels around the globe colleting items to decorate his prize home. All in all it was a great side trip, allowing us to see more of the area high in the Andes and get a feel for the indigenous cultures. We rested when we got home and after dinner Ann left for the airport to pick up Jeff who was returning from DC.

  

Oct 7 

Today we struck out on our own again and this time we hired a driver/car to take us to the equator, about 45 minutes from Quito. This place now has developed  into a commercial venture with two vendors. We chose the smaller venue to avoid crowds of tourists. We were given a tour which was informative and I got a small weaving from a man who had a loom set up in the gift shop. 

We ate a small, quick lunch at the café there then headed to a collapsed volcano, Volcan Pululahua. When the volcano collapsed it left a crater 400 meters deep and 5 km across. The flat fertile bottom is ideal for farming. At the bottom there were small farms. I would think it is kind of scary to be farming in the bottom of a volcano. Our Driver and his "business partner Veronica

We returned to Quito and had the driver drop us off at Museo Guayasamin and Capilla del Hombre. This was my favorite experience of the trip. A short distance from Ann and Jeff’s, perched on top of a hill in Bellavista neighborhood is a complex of two sites: the Chapel of Man and the home of Oswaldo Guayasamin (1919-1999)., one of South American’s most important artists of the modern era. His home was a huge building filled with his collections and artwork. We visited his studio where they played a video of him painting a portrait of a composer who was a friend of his. He completed the portrait in a couple of hours and it was magical watching how the painting was done. Next door was a monument he had built to show his works ’that depict the suffering of Latin American’s indigenous poor, coupled with a humanist’s undying hope for a better future. The artist integrated pre Columbian symbols with echoes of Van Gough, El Greco, and Picasso among others’ in paintings that are moving and impressive. We had a 60 minute tour by a wonderful woman who was extremely knowledgeable of his work and how he used these symbols, motifs and themes repeatedly in his work. We were so taken with is work and how he used it in his mission to make others aware of the plight of the poor.