Change of Address

For further posts from Ecuador, please go to http://www.perfectgimp.com/EcuadorBlog/.

--Glenn Hebert

Lago Yahuarcocha

Domingo, 9 de mayo, 2010

Boats on Lago Yahaaurcocha

At 2:00 p.m. sharp Marcello, Viviana, and David showed up for our trip to Lago Yahuarcocha. Marcello lived in Belgium for a year and thus treats time differently than a lot of Ecuadorians. We hopped in the car and away we went.

David at Bow

Macello, Marilyn, Viviana, Glenn y David

Egret y Patos

Mountains and Sky

The day was beautiful, especially after all the rain we’d been having. The beauty of the lake matched the beauty of the day, with brightly colored paddleboats, tour boats, and different shore birds decorating the slate blue waters encircled by vibrantly green mountains. The paddleboats were not like the utilitarian paddleboats we see so often. These were much bigger, and they were in the shapes of swans, ducks, turtles, and dragons. We even saw a whale. We took a tour boat and had a wonderful ride around the lake. Getting in was quite exciting for me. There was a space in the front a little bigger than my silla de ruedas (wheelchair) and four or five people lifted me (wheelchair and all) up one foot over the gunwale and then down three feet to “my space”. Marcello and David sat on the bow, while Marilyn and Viviana sat in chairs near me. Of course, Marilyn was back and forth between her seat and the bow.

The tour around the lake was magnificent. When we got near the shoreline, we could see coots, egrets, and ibises. When we were too far away to see water birds, our eyes could wander up the rich green slopes of the mountains. And, of course, when our eyes wandered even further upwards, they were rewarded with a deep blue sky highlighted by fluffy white clouds.

After the boat ride, it was time to eat tilapia. We were going to stop at the place Blanca and Luis took us because we knew it to be safe, but Marcello vetoed that and directed us to a tienda in the pueblo of Yahuarcocha. OK, we didn’t get sick when we ate fish at their house. Guess he knows what he’s doing. The tilapia was great, and so was the company.

After we ate, we drove around the rest of the lake before doing what we nearly always do when we’re in or near Ibarra – stop at Rosalia Suarez’s for helado (ice cream). Perfect end to a perfect outing.

When we returned to Otavalo, Marilyn decided to take our guests home instead of dropping them at the hotel and letting them walk. They kept protesting, and we couldn’t figure out why. Finally, we understood. Marcello works in Ibarra. He leaves home early and returns late. This would be the last chance for four-year-old David to play in the área de juegos (playground) with his father on the hotel grounds. Our offered ride home paled by comparison.

Viviana

Martes, 11 de mayo del 2010

Yesterday, when Marilyn found out she wouldn’t be able to teach class at Huaycopungo today because of a strike in the community, she arranged with Isabel to take the whole family to Lago Yahuarcocha, near Ibarra, at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon. I was a little disappointed we weren’t going somewhere different, especially since we had just been there on Sunday. But it turned out to be the perfect salve for our wounds over having to put Cuatro down. Cuatro was a stray dog Marilyn wanted badly to rescue and place in a nice home. I had her put him down because I felt he was too aggressive and I was afraid he’d bite someone at the hotel.

We were a little late leaving, and picked up Isabel, Brayan, and Victoria at about 2:15. Elvis couldn’t get home from the university in Ibarra in time, so we arranged to meet him there.

Not far out of Otavalo, the police directed us off the Pan American highway to a road that would take us part way up Volcán Imbabura to the antigua carreterra (old highway). Groups of indigenous people were protesting a new water law by blocking the main highway to Ibarra. As we traveled along the antigua carreterra, we went around some rocks that were being placed in the road and I vaguely wondered if we’d be able to get back to Otavalo. After a few miles, the police directed us back down to the Pan American highway.

Victoria

Isabel y Marilyn

We reached Ibarra without incident, picked up Elvis, and went on to Lago Yahuarcocha. The weather was perfect, but, because most people only go on Sábado y Domingo, the lake’s tour boats were not operating. We both had our hearts set on that, because we had enjoyed it so much on Sunday. Marilyn figured they might take a boat out for six people, so she asked around. Sure enough, there was a person willing to take us.

As on Domingo, I was lifted, wheelchair and all, into the boat. Victoria sat in a seat near me, and the rest alternated between the seats and the bow of the boat, sitting mostly in the bow. Isabel’s two sons, of course, stayed in the bow.

Lots of Birds

Because there were far fewer people there than on weekends, we saw more birds – egrets, ducks, ibises, and common gallinas (what I would call common coots). The boat operator also took us nearer the shore than the operator had done on Domingo. Marilyn got some great photos.

After the boat ride, Marilyn and I were surprised to find that none of the family had ever taken the boat tour at Lago Yahuarcocha. It’s less than 20 miles away from Otavalo, but when you don’t have a car or a lot of resources, even that is out of reach.

We then walked along the lakeshore. I was surprised at how far Victoria, who has cancer and is a little frail, was able to walk. When we sensed she was beginning to tire, Marilyn went back and got the car while the rest of us walked on to a place where we could sit.

Isabel, Elvis, Glenn, Marin, y Victoria

When Marilyn and the car arrived, we drove on to find a tienda where we could eat tilapia. Our first choice, where we had eaten with Blanca y Luis, said they were only open on Sábado y Domingo. So we went to our second choice, where we had eaten on Domingo con Marcello, Viviana, y David. Marilyn and I decided to share a tilapia, and Isabel knew Brayan couldn’t eat a whole one, so we ordered four tilapias among the six of us. They were huge! Marilyn and I barely ate all of ours, and none of the rest were totally consumed. They went home in go-bags.

We finished driving around the lake and then headed for our lugar favorito por helados (favorite place for ice cream), Rosalia Suarez in Ibarra, as if we really needed anything more to eat after all that tilapia. Indeed, I had a hard time finishing mine. But, hey, it’s helado! What else could I do?

Brayan y Victoria

On the way home, we didn’t have to get off the Pan American highway. There were no protestors after dark. But there were rocks lining the road in preparation for blockages the next day. We had been fortunate enough to squeeze through a small window of opportunity to have a fine time, in a fine place, with some fine friends.

Once we got back to nuestros habitación (our room), we started thinking about Cuatro again. Sadness descended once more. We went to bed early to try not to think about it. Even though I thought it had been necessary to put Cuatro to sleep, we both felt an acute sense of loss.

Cuatro

--Glenn Hebert

Tocagón Boda

domingo, 21 de marzo del 2010

Blanca, Victor, and Luis of FEDICE picked us up at 9:30 a.m. for the wedding of Sebastión’s hijo (son), which was to begin at 10:00 a.m. Sebastión is a community leader in Tocagón, a nearby indigenous community, and works closely with FEDICE. We were a little late, but they had reserved seats for us just behind and to the right of the bridal couple, two attendants, and four parents. The wedding is called a matrimonia or boda. Indeed, there was a sign that said, “Bienvenidos a nuestro matrimonia,” or “Welcome to our wedding.”

The ceremony was in Quichua, so we didn’t understand a word, but could deduce what was happening most of the time. There was a straw mat (representing la cama, or the bed) in front of the altar, which the couple knelt upon during part of the ceremony. As far as I could tell, there were two ministers. The first said several things about la cama - I know that much. Wish I knew what he said. Throughout his portion of the ceremony, he said things that caused people to laugh or snicker. I found it interesting that the entire wedding party never cracked a smile, though. To them, this appeared to be serious business, and so it was.

All young women present came and stood at the front of the church. Then the bridal couple stood and the young women bestowed their blessings on the bride. The young men were then summoned to the front of the church and bestowed their blessings upon the groom.

The young women blessing the bride (or novia).

At one point, the groom stood on the left, between his parents, with all three facing to the right side of the church, toward the bride and her parents, who were in turn facing the groom and his parents. The bride and groom each embraced their own mother and father and shed tears. I’m sure it was a symbol of leaving one life behind and embarking on another. It was very touching. Families seem closer knit down here than in the U.S. That may be because they don’t generally scatter as far and wide.

Next, there was some music, before the second minister took over. He performed the actual nuptials. He didn’t tell any funny anecdotes, like the first minister did. The happy couple (I assume they were happy) and their two attendants gathered around the altar as the wedding was performed. This was when they knelt on the straw mat (la cama) for part of the time. Also, two young girls showered the bridal couple with rose petals at various points.

Bridal couple kneeling before the altar.

When the “knot was tied”, there was more music and singing. This time it was performed by a women’s group, and was traditional Quichua in nature.

After the music, the couple processed out of the church, being showered with rose petals the entire way, and were followed by the rest of us. They didn’t stop at the church entrance and get into a limousine. They kept walking, all the way to the home of the novio (groom), where the first part of the reception took place. And they were showered with rose petals the whole way, a distance of at least half a mile. We followed by car a few minutes later and I couldn’t believe how festive the road looked with so many rose petals strewn along its cobblestone and dirt surface.

The church's aisle covered in rose petals.

Entrance to wedding feast. Toilet paper can be decorative, too.

There was a large tent set up next to la casa del novio (actually, his parents’ home), where guests sat, both inside and out. The novio y novia, con sus padres (with their parents), sat at the head of the tent, behind a table that held an enormous cake and many hors d’oeuvres (extremeses) of fruits and vegetables, plus cups of punch.

Reception tent with people starting to gather.

A view from near the reception. Strawberries and corn in the foreground.

Guests would bring regalos (gifts) to el novio y la novia from time to time. Some regalos were wrapped, and others were not. Among those that were not wrapped were many cases of 2-liter bottles of soft drinks, and trays and trays of eggs. Oh, and we saw a few live chickens carried in by their feet, as well as cooked chickens and guinea pigs. We had never seen those types of wedding gifts in the states and probably never will.

Victor, Glenn, Marilyn, y Blanca.

We conjectured that part of the foodstuffs that were given, were certainly being used for the wedding feast. And a feast it was. I had always heard the term, “wedding feast”, but failed to appreciate its true meaning. First, soup was brought to everyone. The cocina (kitchen) was about 100 yards away from el novio y la novia, so they served the food by forming human chains and passing it from one pair of hands to the next. It was very efficient. After the sopa (soup), came pan (bread). After the pan, came giant dishes of hominy, and a mystery meat that was quite tasty. I figured that was the main course. But I was wrong. Next, there were plates of rice with half a chicken. And I do mean half a chicken on each plate. Finally, came the delicacy – plates of papas (potatoes), each with half a roasted guinea pig. There was also a soupy mixture based on maize (corn). (I think it’s called yamor, because there’s a festival here by that name. Our hotel has festival posters, which depict the corn-based beverage or soup.) The first helpings of the soup were served in individual bowls. If one wanted more, they simply dipped their bowl into any one of a number of buckets of the stuff.

Bucket refills of yamor.

They also served soft drinks and some sort of liquor, I think. The way they served the drinks was interesting, too. Someone would come by with a 2-liter bottle (of a soft drink), or a pail (of what I assumed was liquor), and one cup. They would offer a drink. If one didn’t decline, the cup would be filled and its contents had to be drunk before anyone else could partake. I thought this was about as inefficient as the food service was efficient. Of course, it cut down on the plastic cups. People back home would probably gasp at the unsanitary nature of the procedure. We ate most of the food and drank some Coke. Five days later we were not sick.

A treat - guinea pig and potatoes.

There was music throughout the reception. A group of traditional musicians would play for a while, then they played CDs. They alternated that way throughout the day. We, of course, liked the live musicians better than the CDs.

We had to leave about 3:00 p.m. (after five hours), because Blanca, Luis, and Victor had to drive the two hours back to Quito. But the boda wasn’t over by a far cry. The wedding reception was at la casa del novio now, but would shortly be moved to la casa de la novia. There would be more food and more entertainment. I hoped the bridal couple would have a chance to at least walk around. To this point, they had been sitting for three hours.

It was raining when we left, and pretty chilly. But it was sunny and warm when got to Otavalo. The distance is no more than 10 miles. But the change in elevation is probably 500 to 1,000 ft.

The first part of the video clip we’ve included was taken by accident. We got a new camera just before leaving the states and didn’t have time to experiment with all of its functions. While taking pictures of the band, Marilyn accidentally changed the setting to video. After we figured out why we couldn’t take pictures anymore, we took an intentional video of the inside of the tent. Notice the elaborate pasteles de boda (wedding cake). To my disappointment, it hadn’t been cut after three hours.

--Glenn Hebert

The "Parts" Block (and the Hazards of Being Tall)

lunes, 4 de mayo, 2010

This morning I went out to make copies for my students. The ink for our printer is expensive, so it's really cheaper to go to one of many area tiendas (little stores) that make copies for 3 cents each. All day yesterday, there was no electricity in the central part of Otavalo. I believe they turned it back on for the night, but come full daylight this morning, it went out again. (Fortunately, we have had electricity.)

The "Parts" Block

So, my normal print store around 2 blocks away was "dark". I was directed to go near the bus station, which is two blocks away in another direction. The street I went up is one I don't often walk, just because it's usually pretty crowded with open tiendas, waiting taxis, people coming and going from the buses. On the way up the street, I passed tiendas with open 50 lb (or kilogram) bags of beans and corn and rice and pasta. One shop had several different breeds of baby or adolescent chickens in a four level cage/tower. Another shop had pieces of chicken parts (feet, heads, etc.) Yet another shop sold spare parts for blenders.

Sacks of Staples

Broods of Baby Chicks

(Chickens Brooding?)

Chicken Parts

(A Chick's Goal in Life?)

Blender Parts

I turned the corner and walked another block to find a tienda that made copies. It was busy. While I was waiting, I looked at greeting cards for .75 cents; pencils, pens, erasers, markers, folders, tablets, etc., all of which one can buy in quantities as small as one. The other end of this little tienda had a step up to a glass case with calculators, more notebooks, and school information sheets (like info on names of body parts; info on world history, etc. - I guess students buy these pages of information instead of books). I turned around and stepped down, but on the way down, my head hit the crossbeam and broke a one foot by eight foot mirror that was hung as a decoration. Thank heavens I was not hurt, nor was anyone else, as a triangular dagger shaped piece of the mirror hit the floor.

The shopkeeper was downcast. It turns out they had just put up the mirror two months ago, so it was new. She charged me $5 to replace the mirror. I was very apologetic. I don't mean to be so tall that my head hits ceilings in a country where the "normal" height of a person is about a foot shorter than I am. I figured I could afford the $5 more than the owner could and gladly paid.

--Marilyn Cooper

The Driving Ministry

sábado, 26 de abril, 2010

Today we took Isabel (an employee here whom we've become friends with), Elvis and Brayan, her two sons, and Victoria, her mother, to a thermal water park about an hour and a half away. It was suggested that it might relieve some of Victoria's pain. She has cancer. Because our car only seats five, 7 year old Brayan had to sit on a lap. The drive through the mountains was a gorgeous one, as are most drives around here. Housing standards may not be up to those of the U.S., but the natural scenery never fails to delight the traveler. At one point we kept going down, so I said, “Abajo, abajo!”. Brayan picked up on that and he would say, “Arriba, arriba!” whenever we had long stretches of up and, “Abajo, abajo!” when we had long stretches of down.

Elvis, Isabel’s 22-year-old son, is studying tourism at the university in Ibarra, so he was our primary guía, though Isabel also knew the way. Elvis also got to practice his inglés with Marilyn, just as we constantly practice our español with Isabel. The place where we went is called Chachimbiro, and it’s just past Tumbabiro. I actually found Tumbabiro on a National Geographic map online. No luck with Chachimbiro, though I found it on our Ecuadorian road map.

The park is operated by the provincial government of Imbabura (the province in which we live) for the benefit of several surrounding communities. The insides of Volcán Chachimbiro warm the waters that are diverted into piscinas (swimming pools).

There were many ways to get to the various pools and we kept trying to find the one with the least amount of steps. We found it. Unfortunately, it led to a pool that was closed. It was getting late, and I wanted to make sure Victoria got in the water, so I told everyone I’d wait up in a restaurant and watch them swim. Marilyn is used to me staying back for the sake of convenience. The others were not, and it took a lot of convincing for them to go on without me. Just then, we spotted a pool that only involved a few more steps, and the workers were kind enough to help, so I got to go swimming after all.

There was a huge waterslide camouflaged as a serpent that Brayan and Elvis liked. I was surprised at how reluctant Victoria was to get fully immersed in the water, especially because it was so warm and felt so good. I suspect she may not swim. Or, it could be that she was afraid of increasing her pain instead of decreasing it.

We splashed and floated and swam and played for about an hour. When Marilyn would tire of keeping my head above water, she would pass me off to Elvis or Isabel. How relaxing it was to be enveloped by warm waters and almost completely encircled by mountains as we watched the moon and stars appear in a darkening sky.

We had brought along some pan dulce (sweet rolls) and jugos (juices), and when we got out of the water, got dressed, and got back to the car, we had a picnic of sorts. There’s nothing like a good swim to sharpen the appetite.

The trip back to Otavalo didn’t take any more time than the trip to Chachimbiro had taken, even though it was dark. But, when I think about it, that makes sense. The crookedness and steepness of those mountain roads (not to mention hazards such as cattle on the road and mini rockslides) limit speed day or night.

After taking Isabel and her family home, we got back to the Ally Micuy and fell into bed. It had been a tiring day, but one full of fun and new experiences. The best part was that we had gotten to know new friends better.

domingo, 27 de abril, 2010

On our walk to church today, Marcello hailed us from his rooftop and asked us to wait until he came down. We met him and his family a few weeks ago. He asked why we hadn't come to his house for coffee Thursday night. He lived in Belgium for a year and wants David, his 4 year old son, and Viviana, his wife, to be exposed to as much English as possible. We had to explain that we were really tired that night. (We knew that was no excuse for not calling, however, and that our bad manners had been exposed.) He immediately invited us to visit after church. What choice did we have?

When we arrived after church, he had to carry me up and down a few steps, while Marilyn brought my folded wheelchair along, because one of the doors was too narrow for my wheelchair to fit through while I was sitting in it. We were sitting there having pleasant conversation, when he asked what we wanted to eat. Now, to put this in perspective, one of the perks of staying at the Hotel Ally Micuy is that they know how to cook for the “tender stomachs” of foreigners. Therefore, I was not anxious to eat in a typical home, and I told Marilyn so. She said it would probably be alright and, besides, we had medicine. That was comforting. So, we ate some very tasty baked fish that Marcello got from a street vendor across from his apartment (with the 4 year old picking at the fish eyes) and had more pleasant conversation. (As I write this, it's been about 24 hours and we're not sick yet.

This afternoon we took Margoth, Verónica, and Rosa, three hotel workers, to Lago Cuicocha after they finished work at 4:00 p.m. The lake is about 45 minutes away and is in a protected area on the flanks of Volcán Cotacachi.

When we got there, we stopped at the information center (which I don’t believe is ever open) so Marilyn could take them on a short hike that she had discovered on our last visit. At first, they didn’t seem to want to go, but quickly acquiesced. I think they had a good time, because they returned talking about the sign indicating peligroso (danger) that they had all climbed through or over. This got them down nearly to the edge of the lake where it was amazingly quiet and peaceful. They also brought back some plant parts. Verónica told Marilyn that one was good for el estómago (the stomach). That might come in handy after the impromptu lunch we had earlier at Marcello’s.

Verónica, Rosa, Glenn, Margoth

We drove on to the part of the lake where there is a boat dock, bar, restrooms, and small tiendas, where we parked and got out. The clouds were low this afternoon, so the lake wasn’t as beautiful as it had been the last time we’d been there, but it was still a pretty dramatic scene. As I said, it’s on the flanks of a volcano and looks like it’s in a caldera (though not the Cotacachi caldera). There are three conical islands in the lake, which I suspect are old cinder cones. I also suspect that the lake is in the caldera of a side vent of the volcano.

Lago Cuicocha on a sunny day

Margoth, Rosa, and Marilyn wanted to take the scenic boat ride, and Verónica and I decided to wait at the top of the stairs. Unfortunately, the last boat ride for the day had departed before we arrived, so everyone spent the time taking pictures, walking around, and looking at the shops and stalls. We left when it began drizzling.

Verónica, Glenn, Marilyn, Rosa

Just before dropping Rosa at her home in Quiroga, a few kilometers away, we stopped and had a picnic (picnic) in the car of some pan and jugo that we had brought. As we ate, we were treated to a great view of Volcán Imbabura, even though it had many clouds on its slopes.

Next, we took Verónica and Margoth home. They are sisters and live with their parents. As with Rosa, we had to be directed to their casa. It was up the hill just east, or southeast, of Otavalo – and I mean UP. Ever been on Lombard Street in San Francisco, CA? This was much steeper, and even more crooked, with hairpin curves so tight that they could only hold a few strands of hair. Molly, our car, labored mightily, but got us to our destination after Marilyn gave her a few reassuring strokes on her dashboard. Along the way, there were several great views of Otavalo lit up at night. After saying hasta mañana, we came down the hill in four-wheel drive. We probably should have gone up that way, too.

We have decided that, since we had to buy a car for Marilyn’s work anyway, we may as well use it to take friends who can't afford cars on excursions. A minister friend at home has called it our “driving ministry”. If that’s what it is, than the ministry was working smoothly this weekend.

--Glenn Hebert

First English Class

lunes, 19 de abril del 2010

Today Marilyn taught her first English class at Huaycopungo. When we drove into the courtyard, it was packed with children from the community who were playing. Marilyn parked about as far from the church as possible, trying not to disturb the play nor to drive through it. We were quickly directed to park next to the church by some of the children – we had parked too close to one of their soccer goals! Fútbol is a national pastime in Ecuador, as it is in many countries around the world, and both children and adults play it every chance they get.

The church FEDICE works with in Huaycopungo feeds many children each day. It also provides a safe place for children of the community to play each afternoon (assuming Marilyn does not hurt any of them on her drive across the area three times a week). This church has really become a community center.

First, the car attracted mucho attention, especially from the younger children. The crowd grew substantially when Marilyn got my wheelchair out of the back. It swelled even more when Marilyn helped me get into my chair. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 50 pairs of curious eyes on us by the time I was comfortable.

In the classroom, the children who had registered for the class were pretty excited, and therefore pretty chaotic. It was a good thing that Blanca, José Manuel, and the pastor of the church were there to introduce Marilyn and the class. This helped to settle them down.

It was still pretty noisy. The classroom was at the end of a hall and children were playing in the hall, fairly lustily. You could close the door, but it didn’t help much because there was a large opening for an absent pane of glass above the door.

Still, the students were remarkably attentive once they settled down, despite the outside noise. Marilyn taught some greetings first, such as, “hello”, “good morning”, and “good afternoon”, and things went pretty much as expected. Pronunciations had to be repeated often.

Then Marilyn started to teach the numbers 1-15, and we got quite a shock. The students fairly ripped through these without any hesitation. Had they all had experience with inglés numbers in the Mercado (market)? Had they learned these in some English class in school? We don’t know the answers yet.

Next came a song. Marilyn explained that this was a song for niños (very small children), while the class was made up of jovens (youths probably 11-13). However, it would help them remember their numbers. They all seemed to enjoy learning it and singing it, including the hand movements. In fact, some were still singing it after the activity ended.

Simple addition and subtraction problems followed. Most students also answered these easily (after Marilyn explained that “plus” meant más and “minus” meant menos.)

To end the class, Marilyn taught them how to say, “goodbye”. She had them leave the room one by one, each stopping to shake her hand and say goodbye.

The first class was over, and we started preparing to leave. However, José Manuel, a community leader in Huaycopungo, had other ideas. He asked Blanca and Marilyn if Marilyn could teach a second class to youths who were a little older, say high school age. Unlike the first class, this class would be composed of students with widely varying degrees of English language ability. Marilyn said she could try.

José Manuel then left for ten or fifteen minutes and came back with a crowd of young people. The classes were explained to them and they were given an opportunity to sign up. As with the first class, if they completed the 30 hours of instruction, they would be given a certificate from FEDICE acknowledging the achievement. The certificate, in turn, would be helpful in colegio (high school).

At the same time, Marilyn and Blanca were evaluating the English-speaking abilities of the potential students. Three or four had very good skills, while some didn’t have many skills at all. This class would clearly be a challenge for Marilyn.

When we woke up this morning, we thought Marilyn would be teaching one class three times a week until May, when she would add another class at the nearby community of Tocagón. Before we even went to cena (evening meal), Marilyn was teaching two classes (with 21 students in each) three times a week and we were not certain where Tocagón’s students would fit in. The weather is not the only thing that can change quickly in the Andes.

--Glenn Hebert