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.

We’ve honestly been spending the bulk of our time relaxing at the house, reading (Laura), and playing with the floppy dogs that roam the property here (Eric). Otavalo is about an hour-and-a-half walk through scenic hills, so just getting to town is an activity. We have discovered a local bus that makes the trip about 40 minutes, but hope to still do the walk on occasion. It is a stunning hike, especially when you don’t get attacked by wild dogs (which has only happened once and we now carry walking sticks and dog mace just in case).

THIS IS NOT THE DOG THAT TRIED TO ATTACK US.

Two llamas/lawnmowers hang out right in our yard at all times. Well, they are tied up there. It’s not because they like us. Eric has tried mightily to befriend the young one who remains quite dubious of us both. He has been able to feed her some grass from his hand once without her balking.

There is a clinic in the village here called the Mojandita Clinic, which was founded, built by, and serves the local community. The owner of the house next door (Mimi, from Seattle) was in town with a dentist friend (Terri) to provide services and training to expand the dental program. Currently, a doctor and dentist each come to Mojandita Clinic once a week to see patients. Mimi and some of her friends are sponsoring a local woman to become the clinic’s dental hygienist. After talking with Mimi and Terri about the state of the clinic, we decided to visit. It’s really impressive what they’ve been able to do with so little, but at the same time upsetting just how little that is. Many of the walls are succumbing to mold and mildew, and the shelves of supplies are meagerly stocked–Mimi pointed out that they are as flush as she’s ever seen them. We are looking forward to volunteering in any way there, and it looks like we’ll be helping to clean and paint, and possibly making a fundraising video about the clinic. We’ll post again once we get more involved.

We have also made some friends here (!), so we’ve been able to do some less touristy stuff in our free time. We found out about a month of cultural events that was coming to a close and were able to catch a free concert in a park. We particularly liked Tribalista, a hip hop artist from Ibarra, a bigger city just north of here (more on that, including video, later). We hiked around a local lake, went to a dinner party and generally have been able to dust off our Spanish beyond “donde esta el baño” and “cuanto cuesta?” We were also taken to the hot nightclub in town, called peñas here, where the young crowd included both Indigenously and modern-dressed locals. And, of course, the apparently universal custom of skimpy halloween costumes. Fueled by a healthy dose of Puro (aka Augardiente, a warm suger cane liquor), we danced to a mix of reggaeton, salsa, hip hop and Andean-electro mashups. We stayed out so late that we had to climb the locked gate to get back home.

We have spent this week brushing up on our Spanish via four-hour-a-day classes. While it’s been tough to be back in school with homework again, we have both seen a much-needed improvement in our vocabulary and verb conjugation. Our teacher is a really nice guy with tons of funny stories, including the time he got drunk, stole a bike, and rode it straight through an early morning mass. El preterito!

In order to keep track of costs and stay healthy we’ve been trying to cook as much as possible, which requires shopping at the local outdoor market (as well as regular old supermarkets). When we first came here two years ago, we found the market pretty overwhelming. This time around we’ve sort of figured out the layout, and have grown to enjoy buying produce this way. We even stopped at a stall to eat lunch before class, and had a long chat with the women there who were concerned for our families and friends in the aftermath of Sandy. Which brings us to what we’ve been up to over the last few days…

We’ve been glued to the internet. It’s a very strange feeling being so far away and watching your home be pummeled by a “frankenstorm.” Thankfully, from what we’ve been able to tell, all of our loved ones are safe, albeit a bit uncomfortable without electricity and heat, and doing okay. We’ve been reading the news regularly and streaming radio (shouts to WNYC) to stay informed. The devastation is massive in NY, NJ, and let’s not forget Haiti, Cuba and elsewhere. We hope you are all staying strong, helping your neighbors, and still planning  TO VOTE!

Don’t forget to check out more of our photos HERE.

Here’s one of the places we were:
(Laguna de Mojanda)