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