Hi, I am writing from Otavalo on 2nd August. Will continue the Tinalandia part of our adventure first and then tell you what a fantastic time we are having here in Otavalo, even though there was one major disappointment last night that had me virtually in tears.
TINALANDIA
Day 2 here wasn´t such good weather as the day we arrived which made us wish we had walked more in the forest instead of trying without success to find our way down to the river. It was lovely to see the toucans - pale mandebilled araucaris - tucking into breakfast the same time as us and as we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast we were soon marvelling at lots of other colourful birds, blue and grey tanagers, abricot and beige ones with a fantail at the back, a yellow rumped tanager who is really beautiful with lustrous black feathers and pale yellow at the back which is a huge expanse of yellow when he flies - the females are brown and pale yellow. We also saw hummingbirds and a kind of beige and brown bird known as the Ecuadorian thrush. There are so many varieties of birds there that identifying them came later. Even with the help of the huge field guide Sergio lent us it wasn´t always easy to exactly identify the birds.
In addition to the birds the butterflies are fantastic, the first one we saw had a five inch wingspan when flying and on the inside was a glorious irridescent turquoise with a navy blue lacework around the edges. We later saw an even bigger one in shades of beige and brown with what looked like an eye on each wing - this one had all its beauty on the outside of its wings. When the turquoise one alighted on a plant the outer leaves were quite dull brown so that it blended in with the background. We saw many smaller butterflies in all shades of the rainbow. It was always such a pleasure to see them flitting about.
We didn´t do too much walking that day apart from around the outside part of the golf course but not too far because the grass was so wet even though it had stopped raining. We had more fun chatting to Sergio´s workers in the grounds who were either harvesting fruit from the various trees or cutting down the bromeliads which grow in the trees as too many of them on a tree gradually kills it. We were offered fruit which was luscious and sweet.
After another great lunch it was time to set off on a new adventure with Sergio driving us to visit the Tsachila indigenous indians who live within the province of Los Domingos de Los Colorados. After driving for about 40 minutes we turned off the main road onto an unpaved road which eventually led us to the Tsachila community - without Sergio´s brilliant off road vehicle we would never have got there any other way as the road conditions were appalling.
The purpose of our visit was to visit the museum, and we were met there by Sonia, one of the Tsachila women, who took us around various outdoor parts of the museum so we could learn all about their culture and lives. In a glass bottle was a snake called X because of the markings on its skin and next to it grew the plant from whose roots was the antedote if anyone was bitten - one has just 45 minutes to find the plant, grind up the roots and take it by mouth in order not to succumb finally! This made me realise there are snakes to worry about in the rain forest as well as all the insects and this quite put me off venturing too far off the beaten track in Tinalandia´s forests and trails. I decided there and then to be wearing long trousers the rest of the visit, instead of the cropped ones which showed off my hundreds of mosquito bites - I managed to gain at least a dozen new ones of these each day or night!
We saw the achiote plant from which they get the red dye which principally is used to dye the hair of the men - hence the name Los Colorados - as well as colouring the textiles they weave. The men´s hair is coloured and in a distinct shape at the front and laquered as hard as wood. They have distinct eyes that look as though they are looking at you intently. We saw every aspect of the way they live and how they go about their daily lives - they live in one huge room with no doors so the beds are about 6 feet off the ground in case wild animals enter the house at night. The children are placed in something similar to a walker but it does not move. This is to strengthen their legs. The baby stays in there and when it cries the parents know it has had enough and take it out. They also had textile hammock cradles suspended on poles in which to put the baby to sleep - rocking it up and down, not sideways otherwise the pole would become dislodged from the ground. Other parts of the room contained cooking utensils and a fire, somewhere else a loom on which they weave the cloth - from the cotton they cultivate themselves and then colour using different plants.
Later we were shown instruments, the main one being the marimba, plus bombo drum and other types of drums. A man appeared and played the marimba for us, and then Sonia and another girl took up other instruments and they played together. Later in their shop I bought a CD of their music - incredibly that was the first CD bought in this trip - plus I bought a textile bag made from their own woven and brightly coloured cotton. That day ended perfectly with another delicious dinner. When I complimented the waitress on the delicious soup I was amazed when she said it was cream of carrots ... because normally I cannot stand carrots. Colin would never believe it! We ended the day on our verandah marvelling over the different moths - I don´t mind those but have seen some awful looking beetles and a stick insect crawling up the window at least 6 inches long. Thankfully I slept well and the only insect evidence was a load of new bites on my arms and back next morning, not all of them from mosquitos either! They all seem to go for me as the others have hardly been bitten at all.
Day 3 at Tinalandia was another warm sunny one and after breakfast and resting awhile in a lovely outdoor setting overlooking the pool down a hundred steps below we decided to take a longer morning walk, this time across the golf course instead of around the edge. The night before Sergio had promised to show me the club house where he was intending to create a new dining room closer to the cabins, with a recreation room on the second floor. By reminding him of this and him offering to show it to me straightaway I managed to avoid walking up the steep stony trail to our cabin - the other three preferred to walk because the going was so rough they felt more seasick than on the Yolita yacht!!! I preferred avoiding all the huffing and puffing involved!
He was open to suggestions for the recreation room and I suggested a bar area where tea and coffee could also be served at intervals throughout the day, plus a couple of pool tables and a ping pong table, a seating area with a selection of games, and perhaps a book exchange where people could deposit books they have read and take one in its place. The views were fantastic. I said the sooner he could get this done the better it would be. I also suggested paving a pathway up the track to the cabins making it easier for people who might have some difficulty walking, older people and overweight ones like me. I suggested some kind of lighting at intervals as well, although mainly this didn´t matter too much because Sergio always drove his guests back to their cabins after dark.
Afterwards we all four went walking across the golf course trying to follow a trail suggested by Sergio although it was difficult to follow, to see in the quite long grass, me worried continuously about any snakes being present. Watching intently for such dangers it was difficult to see the birds and butterflies that abounded. After half an hour we came to the pasture where Sergio´s horses are tethered but I refused to go any further as I am a bit nervous around horses. Rosalind continued as far as the cemetery where Sergio´s parents are buried, where there is also a lovely pond with lily pads. There was another trail continuing from there which would have made a 4 hour walk. We headed back and Ros rejoined us at lunchtime, telling us that Sergio´s dog Dag had been with her and had hurt his paw. She was able to remove a nasty thorn, but despite this he walked on three legs thereafter. He loved all the fuss she made of him and then again from us when she recounted this story later.
I spent the whole afternoon after lunch relaxing by the side of the swimming pool in the sunshine, staying until it was almost dark, then climbing all those steps and sitting with a couple of Canadian guests who were very keen birders, chatting with them until the others appeared and it was time for yet another fantastic dinner. The night before Sergio had agreed to play my Tsachila CD so you can imagine my chagrin to find I had left it behind in my cabin!!! He said it would have been the first time ever there had been music whilst dining at Tinalandia - so that was another suggestion from me - to have andean music as background music at meal times at Tinalandia.
Day 4 was our last morning. We had breakfast and then walked back to our verandah to finish packing. We also managed a short walk mainly to admire gorgeous plants. Between the plants, birds and butterflies a visit at Tinalandia is worthwhile, even though not easy to get to on public transport. One would have to get a bus from Quito to Los Domingos de los Colorados and then look for a taxi. You can therefore see why we paid the 160 dollars between us for a lift to and from Tinalandia. At 10 quid each way per person it was well worth the extra cost.
At 1 pm we set off back for Quito but the journey back was pretty horrendous as opposed to the outward one. The traffic was appalling, with so many slow moving trucks and buses that it was a continual anxious wait to overtake and even when we thought it was safe to do so, sometimes an overtaking truck in the opposite direction was on a collision course and one could hear the gasps in the back seat. I was up front with Sergio because there wasn´t enough room in the back with me in there. The villages we passed through were quite poor ones, one having a kind of toffee that is continually being stretched from door posts and other convenient hooks, stretched by hand, taking in all the fumes of the passing traffic and probably a few flying insects as well. I think Layla was pretty horrified at the contrast between North and South America and not quite so enamoured of it as me. Life in South America bears no resemblance to the life we know in Europe and the US and whereas I am charmed by it, Layla was utterly appalled.
Before we got halfway a dreadful misty fog descended which made the slow journey even more horrendous. Although part of the Panamerican highway and a main route between Quito and Guayaquil on the coast, is only two lane, ie a single lane in each direction, and with so many slow moving vehicles was horrendous for car drivers. Also the truck drivers wouldn´t leave enough space between the next one to enable cars to nip in, and some sounded their horns in panic in order to avoid yet another huge truck hurtling headlong towards them. We were lucky that Sergio was such a brilliant driver and he often checked I was okay with his decision whenever he went to overtake.
When we left that road for the road leading to Quito we were so relieved - the mist dispersed here too and we could see better the passing scenery although not as well as on the outward trip. We were so glad when we got to our destination, which had taken at least an hour longer than the outward one and then we had to find our new lodging which was the Auberge Inn, situated between the old and new town. We found it okay and said our goodbyes to Sergio and went in. Carol was flying home a bit later and we got her taxi organised. Layla and I then had to run as we had to get to Ormeno and pay for our bus tickets to Trujillo and then get to El Ventenal restaurant which had been recommended by Sergio and who had made our reservation for us. I think I have already written about that.
On 1st August we had until 10.30 when our taxi would come and take us to the bus station for our journey onward to Otavalo. It was a mad rush and we just about did it. We were lucky that we could get a good part of our luggage locked away into huge boxes, themselves behind a barred and bolted door to that luggage room. We packed 5 of our bags into three such boxes and in each instance were given the keys to the padlock and a receipt, and upon production upon our return to Quito we will have to pay only about 13 dollars for the lot to have been looked after for a whole week. Whilst the concierge was writing out our receipts we noticed there was a laundry service at less than a dollar per kilo on offer and we wished we had seen it the day before so we could have got some of our things washed. The coffee shop was brilliant too where we had our breakfast, four fantastic substantial breakfasts on offer at less than 3 dollars complete with juice and coffee. Breakfasts here can keep you going all day long they are so substantial.
With the brilliant internet room with about 8 computers, this is an excellent place to stay and so reasonable in price. Hotel Quito is 100 dollars a night or more per room - there at Auberge Inn, we paid 17 dollars for each en suite double room and single rooms ensuite are only 11 dollars ensuite, or 8 dollars with shared bathroom. One could arrive in Ecuador at the airport and call a radio taxi to get to Auberge and then enjoy all these facilities at such excellent prices. All the rooms are situated around a central courtyard. In addition to the breakfast room there is a restaurant downstairs serving meals or coffee and snacks all day. It is perfectly safe to walk around there in the daytime but not so safe at night but then, even a high class restaurant like El Ventenal was in a dodgy district. As long as one goes and comes back by taxi and we paid 5 dollars for each trip that night, one can stay there and come and go safely without it costing the earth. I think I will do this next time because there is hardly any point paying Hotel Quito´s prices when we are not there long enough to enjoy all its fantastic facilities.
Next day it was less traffic so our taxi driver only charged us 3 dollars to get to the bus station and I thought it was brilliant that he took us directly to the Otavalo bus and that we were actually on our way to Otavalo within a couple of minutes of getting out of his taxi. I laughed until tears were rolling down my face though when Layla and I sat down together in a double seat on the bus. Our two big backsides were such a tight fit and her expression was so comical and every time I thought of it as we went along it set me off again and people must have thought me crazy laughing away to myself like that!
A radio taxi soon whisked us from the bus station up the mountain to Casa Mojanda, about 3 km from the bus station which is slightly on the edge of town, a kilometer or so from the centre. We are about 500 yards up and right in the heart of the mountain - well volcanoes really, Cotacachi on one side and Imbabura on the other. Rooms are a series of little houses dotted around over quite a large area and we are in number 10 which is huge. Ros bagged the huge double bed in the first area which also has a fireplace and chimniere and rocking chair and lovely antique furniture - Layla chose the twin bedded room off the kitchen area and I ended up in the small room at the end next to the bathroom. This proved a disadvantage really because every time the bathroom was visited during the night I was woken up and found it hard to get back to sleep again even though I´d only had two hours the night before.
Once in Casa Mojando the others did not want to leave and go back to town so I decided to stay as well. We were taken around the farm and shown all the areas where food is grown, the horse pasture, another building housing the library which as well as being full of books and games, has a computer with internet access and this is where I headed first after lunch whilst Ros went on a walk to a waterfall half an hours walk away and Layla had a soak in the hot outdoor tub. We were also shown another room with huge tv screen and a library of movies to choose from and watch, loads of games etc. With ponchos draped over furniture that we are welcome to borrow and wear if we ever feel cold. Although I didn´t see them that day there are also 6 llamas there.
When planning our itinerary for this trip, I centred the whole thing around arriving at Otavalo on a Friday in order to visit a live folkloric music pena in the evening - such pena music evenings only being available on Friday and Saturday nights. I could understand Ros not wanting to go as she isnt mad on folkloric music like me or Layla, but when it came to, Layla didn´t want to go either as she was feeling tired, and of course I could not go alone - and being so far away from the centre made it yet more impossible - a foreign female entering a pena alone would have been asking for trouble. I was so disappointed that it was an effort not to burst into tears and I felt so downhearted over it that I did not even feel like dinner and it was a real struggle to recompose myself and try to get over the disappointment. Even when Betty our hostess put on andean music in the dining room it didn´t immediately get me out of the doldrums. For me to fall to such depths of misery is practically unheard of, and I must admit not very pleasant.
For dinner we were all seated at a long table, along with the other guests, and it was nice to chat to the other guests so gradually little by little I came back to normal. I at least had andean music the next day to look forward to because Betty said an andean band were booked to play there at Casa Mojanda after dinner and there would be dancing as well. The band are Ali Huayra whose CD which was recorded live in Casa Mojanda is on sale out at reception. Betty put it on during the evening so we could hear it, and I ended up buying a copy there and then as only a few were left. The band are made up of andean farmers who form a group at night to play. Four of the songs on the CD which is called ´Mojanda Arriba´ are their own original compositions which is what made me decide to buy it as well as it being the perfect souvenir of my visit to Casa Mojanda, so last night I had 2 new CDs to add to my collection. Dinner was fantastic, a delicious soup followed by five different dishes on one plate all of them different than anything I had ever tried before and all of them vegetarian! We had a fantastic juice called Guayaba with it, and we could help ourselves to wine from jugs which with tax work out at 7.5 dollars a glass but the glass contains at least half a bottle. I enjoyed an excellent Chilean red wine and so did Layla and Ros, but they only got through half of theirs and bead weighted covers were put onto their glasses and put aside for them to have with their dinner tonight.
I had set my alarm for 6 this morning, having also been disappointed that no one wanted to get up early and get to the livestock market which began at 6 am. But this was only a minor disappointment after last night´s pena one. We went to the dining room at 7.30 and breakfast was brilliant, different again than in other places we have stayed in - two pancakes covered in a delicious blackberry syrup, the usual pair of fried eggs with toast, a dish of varied fruits, fruit juice, coffee etc and more of everything if we wanted - yoghurt and granola were on offer as well but I decided to have that another morning. The time is now 4.30 in the afternoon and I havent felt the need to eat a thing all day even though when in the food market areas the array on offer looking stupendously delicious.
At 9 am our taxi arrived and the driver deposited us in the Plaza de Ponchos which is the main square which was completely full of hundreds of artesania stalls, these stretching out in all the streets going off the square for considerable distances. We managed to stay together for about an hour or so and then lost each other. I came across Layla once more during the day, about 1 pm, and when I showed her the silver and enamel blue booby brooch cum pendant I had bought she bought a condor one herself. She then went off to an internet cafe and had to get back to Casa Mojanda by 3 pm as she had an hour long massage booked with a local shamen. Ros too was having one either an hour before or after that. I declined preferring to spend the 35 dollars in the market today ... although I must say I have spent much much more than that. I came into this internet cafe about 2.30 pm, finally with time to copy all my emails into those two chapters to put on my website (parts 1 and 2 of this saga). So to those who are only reading about our trip for the first time from today 1st August, my apologies for not writing into my blog sooner. The problem was hardly any opportunities for internet visits, or lack of any internet facility at all. Those first two weeks of our trip were pretty intensive - the 10 days in the Galapagos, 4 days at Tinalandia, and now this is day 2 of our Otavalo visit.
I have yet to examine my purchases but I have bought at least 6 different bags, either handbags, backpack style or with carry handles - a warm alpaca jacket, a lovely colourful cardigan in thick wool with embroideries, probably 8 or 10 blouses. I was taken to a shop 2 blocks away by a woman who made blouses with the Ayme label, because I had stopped to buy from her market stall and she recognised the pink embroidered one I had bought in the Galapagos as being one that she had made there in Otavalo! In the shop I bought three more as well as a dress each for Tia Jade and Jasmine as well as a beautiful white skirt for Jasmine as I had earlier bought a tunic and trousers outfit in pink and white for Tia Jade (in the Galapagos). Add to this a mug covered in birds, a pretty purse, and a couple of tee shirts, plus 3 blouses which are typical from here, it is plain to see that I went a little mad on the purchases but I don´t regret a thing. I had allowed for a bit of a spending spree here in Otavalo, knowing how enraptured I would be with everything on offer.
As long as I leave here before dark and get myself back to Casa Mojanda in a taxi there will be no problem going alone, but really when walking around in Otavalo one feels completely safe - the people are absolutely lovely and so friendly and helpful. It costs around 4 dollars in a radio taxi which is safer than hailing a taxi on the street but here in Otavalo I would be surprised if there was ever a problem - it is quite a small town and the people are very courteous always. I am pretty sure that all three of us will have gone back separately today.
Once back at Casa Mojanda we have a brilliant evening to look forward to. Dinner will be around 7.30 and the band are booked to arrive at 9 and will probably play until at least 11 and we will be able to dance. In fact Betty said the band will probably play as long as people want them too, so you can imagine how enthusiastic and persuasive I will be. Layla is looking forward to dancing to live andean music and so am I - it is so rare to get the opportunity to dance to this beautiful music live - just now and again on my visits to London whenever anything with live andean music is going on.
Tomorrow being sunday we are planning to visit the Condor Park which is a refuge for rescued condors, hawks and other such birds, all of whom are rescued birds from illegal trafficking in them, birds injured etc. We can hire a taxi for around 8 dollars an hour, and probably only need to hire it for 3 hours as it is half an hour there and back and we need about 2 hours to see everything in the park. Layla and I are hoping to visit the village of Peguche on the way back - most people go there to see the weavers on their looms but my interest in going there is to see if it is possible to meet any andean musicians. A brilliant band called Nanda Manachi hail from there as well as countless other famous groups - it is unlikely we will hear any live music on a sunday I imagine but just to meet and chat to any musicians there would be a treat for both Layla and me. Who knows, maybe Rosalind will get to love this music too by the time she flies home in just over a week.
We were originally planning to visit Banos but I cannot now see how it will be possible. Obviously paying 70 dollars each for our bus tickets to Trujillo is preferable to the 600 dollars Layla and I were considering paying to be driven there by car - but the downside is that the bus only goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and instead of staying on here until Saturday the 9th we really only have until Wednesday the 6th, because 2 hours after midnight on the 6th, 2 am on 7th August our bus leaves. We cannot defer it until the following Tuesday because every other hotel is booked thereafter. The only option would have been cutting our visit in Trujillo to 2 days but with so many friends to visit there that would have been impossible. We are booked and paid here at Casa Mojanda until Tuesday 5th, so I am hoping Rosalind will agree to us staying an extra night at Casa Mojanda. The only other alternative is to cut our visit here by one day (and lose what we had paid for it) in order to get a morning bus to Quito and then another 7 hour bus journey onward to Banos, and just have the evening there (and no doubt they would be too tired to visit any of the penas) and then just the following morning to see Banos before the long bus journey back to Quito. Ros loves it at Casa Mojanda and was planning to buy artists materials to do some water colour painting whilst here and wants to participate in a shamen ceremony as well as go horse-riding on mountain trails, so hopefully she will want to stay and not endure all that travelling yet again as this is really tedious, especially as we have gone from two items of luggage to three and by the time we leave Otavalo will probably be 4. Banos could be saved for our next visit to Ecuador. Layla and I are willing to do the trip to Banos if Ros insists on it, mainly because we feel guilty leaving her the last 2 days alone in Quito, but somehow we have to voice the suggestion to her tonight and if she agrees ask our host if we can stay on an extra day - even if we have to move to a different casita. Although I haven´t seen them yet there are also 6 friendly llamas at Casa Mojanda so hopefully sometime tomorrow I will get to see them - plus I have yet to try out the hot tub as by the time I finished on their computer yesterday it was starting to rain a bit so I didnt get to try it out yet. Apparently it is a bit of a balancing act getting in so whether I can manage it remains to be seen. If I end up having to jump in probably all the hot water will cause a warm rainfull for miles around!!!
It could be on 6th August when we are back at Auberge Inn in Quito for a few hours before I get to write again. The bus we are catching starts its journey in Venezuela, continues all through Colombia, then all through Ecuador and finally Peru. So as you can imagine arrival times are pretty unpredictable. The man in the bus company said he would ring our lodging about 8 pm on the 6th to give us more of an idea of its arrival time so that we can at least stay longer at Auberge if it is seriously delayed. We booked a single room and Layla can sleep until we have to leave. I would be too on edge to get even a wink of sleep for fear of oversleeping and missing it, so I am happy to stay in the internet area until they close it at 11.30 and then wait in the room reading until it is time to set off. I am not looking forward to that long journey to Peru but luckily it is the only really long bus haul during our trip. On the next leg of our journey it is just an 8 hour overnight bus journey (in the luxury downstairs part of the bus which has just 9 seats that recline into beds), then a taxi to the airport in Lima and getting ourselves on the next available flight to Arequipa. After that it will be flights to and from Cusco, a luxury train to Macchu Pichu etc. We will now have 6 days in Trujillo and it will be nice to relax a while from all the travelling and have time to get some washing done. We are scarcely anywhere long enough to get things both washed and dried. Without the new purchases we would be running out of clothes by now.
