Ecuador.....Odds n Ends after 5 weeks or so.....and now..... the end is here....we did it our way..

Prologue

Ecuador...what can we say...from the Andes, to the Amazon...to Isla Galapagos...it has been a blast....😎....5+ weeks of bumping around the country on local transport...going up and going down...spectacular sights and wonderful people...warm, kind and so gracious...we've eaten well and slept just fine. Where else can one get a 1hour shave for only $8 (US)....high altitude walking left us short of breath...but the $3 (US) wine bottle size beers help get us through....Come and visit here under the shadow of the volcanoes...

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Enjoy the odds 'n ends of some of the moments that never 'made' the final edit of our Ecuador posts...Happy reading!

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Follow the Music...

...cause you never know what you discover...

(This ended up being our most memorable moment in Ecuador....and, it happened on our first day in Ecuador....)

Within an hour of waking up in the small town of Yaruqui....we come across a school/community folkloric music/dance festival...

Some are in costume/traditional clothing and others are just dancing in a large circle...

Of course...Yvonne gets pulled up to dance by the 'head hombre'

Once that set of dancing was over, conversations ensued and group pictures were taken for their benefit and ours...

That's Yvonne in the middle

...then later she's presented with a handmade waist sash from these two lovely women...

After several hours of watching...sharing....dancing.....

we leave...with flowers in our hands...and tears on our cheeks...

OMG....if this is Ecuador ...we want more...

Shaving (this is way better than any beach massage)

Shayne gets a shave in Quito after 4 days in the jungle...

old school ... with a straight edge

...takes 1 hour...costs $8 US....face is bambino-culo (baby-bum) smooth...at least that's what Yvonne says...and the female barber beside me.

The Train to Nowhere

In tiny Alausi, high in the Andes is a little train ride called ....the Devil's Nose (Nariz del Diablo). We arrive to ride the train; called one of the most dangerous in the world. 

Tracks apparently run back and forth on what seems to be just a cliff face...

We say 'apparently' and 'seems to be', as we never did ride the train.  We woke up to a rainy, cloudy morning. There would be no 'staggering' gorgeous views, or 'heart-pounding' moments on this dreary day...we do see the train though...

So, we saved ourselves $35 US/person ticket, hopped on a bus out of town and went in search of cuy. Next time.

Murals... Beautiful Murals!!

These murals were sometimes found in the oddest places but they still caught our eye...

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Epilogue

(....inspired by Sinatra, Anka y several other writers...)

                                               .......And now, the end is near                                                        And so we face the final curtain                                                              Our friend, we'll say it clear                                               
                 We'll state our case, of which we're certain                                                    We've lived a life that's full                                       We've traveled  (almost) each and every highway                                                                    
                              And more, much more than this         
                                        We. Did. It.. Our. Way......

                                                ....................
             
                               Gracias.....Shayne y Yvonne

Ecuador.........A Tale of 2 Cities....exploring the richness that is Otavalo and Cuenca....bookends to the north and to the south on the Andes ruta.

                         

                                             Prologue

                           In the Sun....everything looks better

Otavalo......the warm sun on a Sunday afternoon....old men on park benches...children chasing pigeons...young lovers steal a kiss....old ones caress a shoulder...people eating sweets...in the sun...families stroll...music plays..laughter drifts across the grass.....under the shadow of the Andes, in the sun, everything looks better. .... Otavalo






 A bustling vibrant city two hours north of Quito...Otavalo is home to an indigenous outdoor market and is a regional hub to a variety of artesian villages and outdoor activities.

We spend 4 nights at the fabulous Hotel Doña Esther during our last few days in Ecuador.

With a backdrop of the Andes...a number of lakes and waterfalls are just a short bus ride away...

The lush greenery, unfolds across productive fields growing various produce. The land is dotted with greenhouses; this is a vibrant flower export center. 

Cultivated fields seem to climb the sides of the mountain slopes only to disappear into the mists and clouds.

Otavalo's climate, wonderful landscape and interesting towns nearby make it an attractive getaway and permanent escape for a number of Americans and Canadians.

We take in the local market...one of the largest in Ecuador. Yvonne finds a deal.

An easy $4 taxi takes us to the Raptor Rehab Centre (Parque Condor) found high in the Andean hills overlooking the valley and Otavalo, is run by a dedicated staff intent on rehabbing injured raptors.

Cages are quite large compared to some centres...

The raptors, magnificent!!!

The flight demonstration, spectacular!

Most magnificent of all were the two Andean Condors, the national symbol of Ecuador and many other South American countries, with wingspans of up to 3.3 metres...

We were in luck to watch them dry their wings in the breeze for several minutes.

Wow!!!

Continuing further down the road through more picturesque villages we come to the well-groomed town of Cotacachi, famous for its leather.

And Ibarra...just a 30 minute bus ride north for only 80 cents. Close to the Colombian border it is a bustling, diverse city.

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                            Cuenca (We're All Shook Up)
                       

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake rolls through our 3rd story room about 5:20 am. It is dark, the bed shakes and the closet doors bang. We awake from dreams of noisy neighbors banging doors and moving furniture.

As the dreams fade....the wake up call becomes clear ... the 30+ seconds tremor has set off car alarms and voices are heard in the streets.

We scramble to find clothes, passports and money; not knowing if things will get worse. 20 minutes later a second earthquake rumbles through; dogs bark and car alarms go off again. Slightly less @ 5.9 magnitude...but still enough of a rock 'n rattle, that it convinces us to dress ... just in case the tremors return...we sleep, the sleep of the shaken.....not stirred.  😎🤣

The only noticeable damage from the earthquakes was in one of the artisan villages we bussed to later the same day.

An old clay, stone wall surrounding a cemetery had partially collapsed. Crews were already trying to repair it.

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                                                 Cuenca

Cuenca, near the southern end of the Ecuadorian Andes corridor, is a bustling hub and centro to easy day trips out to the surrounding artisan or guild villages that showcase leather, silver and the 'famous' Panama Hats.

A city of many spectacular murals...

It is also the place we eat cuy...it's my childhood pet; a guinea pig. Tastes like duck- the crackle is decent, but there's little meat on them' tiny bones. I enter Therapy to recover. Haha!

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                       The Hunt For the Panama Hat

We have taken a local bus out to some area villages. After spending the day checking out the leather and silver, we head further down the narrow valley.

It's late afternoon and we have arrived in the tiny, dusty town of Sigsig in search of the Panama Hat. All we know about the 'hat'...is that it is made in the old hospital.

Our limited Spanish vocabulary sends us off in the direction...down a steep hill to ...voilá (sorry, that's French)...to the new hospital....we ask again...get sent further along the windy river bank....until...Yvonne asks a local police officer for directions.  He explains where the old hospital is (sounds like a long way to walk...it is), so Yvonne asks if he can drive us.

"No, problemo!"..the officer replies...and a 5 minute drive later we have arrived at the old hospital/factory/women's co-op and the center of the Panama Hats.

You may ask why Panama Hats are made in Ecuador??  Firstly they are a traditional brimmed straw hat made from a palm like plant.  In the 1800's an entrepreneur decided he would export these century old traditional hats via the Gulf of Panama. Their point of international sale being Panama became their namesake even though they are made in Ecuador!!!  The name stuck!!

"The art of weaving the traditional Ecuadorian toquilla hat was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists on 5 December 2012.^[3] Panama hat is an Intangible Cultural Heritage, a term used to define practices, traditions, knowledge, and skills communities passed down from generation to generation as part of their cultural heritage.^{[citation needed]. Wikipedia"}

Once at the 'hospital', we tour the shop...

...see the giant hat made for a Guinness Book of World Records competition...  It certainly is big! Would easily fit on Shayne's head!

and then go to the centre where they actually make the hats...

shape and press them...

and finally trim them for sale...

Yvonne finds one...

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Otavalo and Cuenca are just two of many cities in Ecuador that have become favourite long-term or retirement destinations for Canadians/Americans.

Both are blessed with decent climates, affordable housing to rent or buy. Close to airports and well-serviced by buses, the cities making 'getting away' pretty attractive.


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Travel Tips

Getting to Otavalo...lots of buses run from Quito's northern bus station. Steep, windy, and scenic roads.

Sleeping and eating....a whole range of prices and foods. Won't go hungry and beds should be easy to find

Getting to Cuenca....it's way south; if you are traveling the Andes ruta, you'll end up passing through/staying there by default. Bus station goes to everywhere...

Sleeping and eating....if you can't find something, you might think about washing your clothes 🤣😎

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