Sorry it’s been a while since we’ve posted an update. We’ve been really getting into the swing of our life on the road these last two weeks and nothing has particularly seemed blog-worthy in its own right. But now that so much time, and so many activities, have passed, we thought we’d put together a montage of sorts to show you what we’ve been up to. We’ll call it: reading in a hammock while looking at a volcano, talking to dogs and slowly befriending a very dubious llama. Continue reading
Yesterday we arrived via bus to Otavalo, about an hour and a half north of Quito. For the next three weeks we’re staying just out of town, at Peter and Sarah’s house on the grounds of Casa Mojanda. Aside from having all the comforts of home, it is insanely beautiful. Every window boasts an expansive view of farmland, two volcanoes (Cotacachi and Imbabura), and rolling hills full of shining blue Eucalyptus. Otavalo has a rich cultural and political history, which we will delve into in a future post.
Today we decided to take “the back way” into town to buy some food at the market. The hike felt as though we walked right into a children’s book–idyllic farmland scenery, people tending crops, and the usual: the cow goes moo, the pig goes oink, the rooster goes cock a doodle doo.
On our walk, we were struck by the juxtaposition of the hard work of sustenance farming, and impoverished living conditions, with the utter serenity that surrounds. We took a taxi home with our bags full.
This trip will be about many things for us. One that stands out is our abundant privilege to be able to undertake this journey, and the learning experiences we will have in such beautiful, albeit complex, locations.
Here’s where we are right now:
(Peter & Sarah’s House, Otavalo)
VIVA LOS KNICKS! BEAT THE HEAT!
Continue reading
We arrived in Quito and checked into Casa Kanela, our hostel in the new and busy part of town. We’re taking it easy, getting used to the altitude and learning how to use a “normal” cellphone again (read: no apps, just phone). We stopped for lunch at a cafe within another hostel, which is where we learned this delicious, new* word.
Patacones are a snack or appetizer made of fried plantain slices, covered with your choice of toppings (cheese). Eric’s challenge is to try and convince me to eat anything other than this for the rest of our time in Ecuador. Buena suerte.
*Eric points out that patacones are exactly the same as tostones. So, not new. But still delicious and exciting.
Here’s where we are right now:
(Casa Kanela, Quito)