A Road Trip

The other day we took a road trip courtesy of Efrain and his Mio Tours company, and a mighty fine trip it was. We started out by heading to Parque Nacional Cajas, a national park. On the way, though, we made a stop at the place where, in 1991, a crowd of over a million people gathered to hear a young woman of 16 who claimed she had been visited by God in a dream and given a message to give to the people. There is a long story here, of course, but our guide, who was in the Ecuadorean Special Forces at the time was among those assigned to protect this young lady. Our guide said that it was a cloudy day but as she began to speak the clouds parted and she was illuminated in sunlight. She then spoke in a variety of languages, including Chinese and German, languages that she didn't know. He said he is Catholic but not a big believer in miracles or anything, but there was no denying what he saw.

Her message was simply to drink of the water that flowed from a nearby spring and to bring water back to those who were sick and they would be cured if they believed. The other part of the message was that even if you have very little, share it with those who are in need. She also claimed to have received a secret message that could only be delivered to the Pope. She did travel to the Vatican and delivered the message which remains a secret to this day.

Here Is Where The Message Was Delivered


Of course I drank of the water but I haven't noticed any results. Probably because I don't believe. Millions of people still make a pilgrimage to this site every year and they have built a small and rustic chapel where they hold services every Sunday.

By A Nearby Stream


Of course the scenery along the way to the park was quite spectacular.

Spectacular Scenery






We had to check in before entering the park. Recent changes in the government here have resulted in a lot of changes in Ecuador. Income taxes were introduced for the first time and a lot of work is being done to upgrade the roads, achools, and the infrastructure in general. I already mentioned how a University education is free to all who qualify. Plus, the new Vice-President is handicapped so a lot is being done for the handicapped and to make things accessible to them. Also, women's rights are being promoted much more than before. Needless to say these changes aren't popular with everyone and there has already been one attempted assassination.

Okay, so that all had to do with the fact that up until recently this wasn't really a National Park, but now it is and you have to check in and pay a small fee. In my case, because I am over sixty-five (I know, it is hard to believe) was fifty cents.

Us At The Lake By The Check-In


And then we drove on to the highest point in the park where you could get to by car.

Almost Top Of The World, Ma


That Was Just A Sign, Here We Are


I had to admire this fellow, he bicycled all the way up here from Cuenca.

What A Man


After taking in the sights we headed to a little restaurant where we had a delicious lunch of fried trout.

The Restaurant


After The Meal


I was going to take a picture of the trout before we ate them, they looked fantastic, but we were so hungry we dug right in. It wasn't until afterwards that I thought about taking the picture.

The trout were as fresh as could be, just caught earlier in the day, and simply prepared by frying in a pan. Just like you would do if you caught them yourself. There are a lot of trout streams here and people come up and pay big money to stay overnight and do some trout fishing.

From here we drove to the other side of Cuenca where there is a little town and a place where they still make the traditional fabrics.

Doing It The Old Fashioned Way




And, yes, even these people now have to pay taxes. There is no escape.

This was also a museum and we were given an explanation of the whole weaving process, from the spinning of the yarn to the coloring of the fabric. All natural dyes are used, made from flowers and even insects. In fact one insect produces an orange color when mixed with lime juice and then this color turns purple if you add baking soda.

The Mixing Pots


An Old Loom


Stuff On The Wall


And, of course, the Mysterious Chinese Woman couldn't pass up a bargain.

Modeling Her New Shawl


I would tell you what she paid for it, but the I am afraid this place would be inundated by bargain hunters. Suffice it to say that it was much, much less than you would pay in the United States for one that was made by machine.

Our next stop was at a town famous for its silver jewelry. People come from all over South America to shop here. We didn't linger long because nobody, including the Mysterious Ones, was that interested in spending time in jewelry stores. We did take a stroll around the little park here and I got a nice picture of the local church.

The Church On The Square


And then it was off to the Panama hat factory, the first factory in Ecuador. Again, this place is a bit of a museum. The hats aren't made in the factory any more, they are now made in homes. Ecuadorean men earn about $265 a month and the women supplement the families income by making the hats.

When we got there several of the women were cooking up something because they were going to have a big party for the workers the next day.

Preparing For A Feast


And they were obviously going to be roasting a few pigs as well.

Umm, Succulent Looking


And, in keeping with the generous nature of the Ecuadoreans, we were invited to attend the day long party. But, to be honest, I think it was because the head woman was a bit sweet on Efrain.

We were shown around and Efrain explained the process of making the Panama hats as well as the evolution of their design, from something fairly rudimentary to the fine looking hats you now see.

Efrain Demonstrating A Hat Press


Hand Stitching The Hatbands


This factory also has the distinction of having produced the largest Panama hat in the world.

It Is In The Guinness Book Of World Records


And then we were off to the last stop of our tour, an overlook of the town of Cuenca. Of course on the last leg, because I was singing, or attempting to sing, Pink Shoe Laces, a 1959 hit, Efrain, in self defense, put on a CD of hits of that era. Everything was going fine, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Dean Martin, until Honey I Miss You by Bobby Goldsboro came on and the Mysterious Ones started weeping.

But they were cheered up by the time we got to our overlook of the town.

Another Spectacular View


And then it was back to our hotel. We had a great time and were treated to a special fruit and oatmeal drink that was unique to just one town and some sugarcane juice at another stop along the way. As I mentioned before, tomorrow we are going with Efrain again to visit some ruins.

And, yes, I did buy a Panama hat and I won't keep you waiting any longer so see how positively natty I look in it.

Eat Your Hearts Out


I bought one for Jim, my brother-in-law, as well so now we will be just like twins. Kind of like that guy and Michael Jordan in those commercials for Hanes Tee Shirts.

And now we are off on another day's adventures which, I think, include a large shopping mall and another ride on a local bus. There is a couple staying here who moved to Ecuador from Dallas, Texas and they live in a small town about four hours away by van. They came here just for shopping at this mall. I am so excited.

I Couldn't Eat The Whole Thing

Just a quick post before heading out for our river walk and a visit to a museum. The Mysterious Ones are hot to trot.

I had my cuy, or Guinea pig last night and it was way to much for one person to eat. I had no choice but to order one for myself because the Mysterious Ones refused to participate. The price, $19, was twice as much as anything else on the menu, so that should have been a give-away. Later in the evening a group of five Ecuadorians came in and ordered one for the table.

My Cute Not-So-Little Cuy


The skin was nice and crispy and thinner than pork skin. The flavor was unique, I personally didn't think it tasted like pork. It wasn't gamey, though. Maybe more like squirrel than anything else that comes to mind.

I ate about half of it and took the rest back to the hotel and gave it to the night-clerk who seemed happy to get it. It really is considered a delicacy here.

And these aren't the small, cute cuddly ones we have for pets in the United States. These are much larger and feral. They attack in packs and have been known to bring down a puma. You never want to go out in the woods at night unless you are well-armed and in a group. Lately they have been invading the outskirts of town and killing dogs and small children. When the school bus drops the children of from school there is often a pack of guinea pigs just waiting.

Okay, we are back from our days outing which included a visit to a museum, some archaeological ruins, a botanical garden and a bird sanctuary of sorts for birds that were rescued from smugglers. But more of that later. And tomorrow I will post about our day-trip with Efrain of Mimo Tours. But for now I will just put up a few more pictures of our meal at Guajibamba Cuyes.

The restaurant was recommended to us both by Efrain, our tour guide, and Alberto, the hotel proprietor as the best place in Cuenca to get cuy, or Guinea pig. And it was just a short walk from our hotel which was handy because it was drizzling out. And drizzling was good. After a beautiful morning we had one hell of a thunderstorm in the afternoon.

It takes an hour to prepare the Guinea pig and it is recommended that you call ahead. Of course we didn't know that. But no matter, as soon as I ordered it the waiter immediately went back to the kitchen to get it started and then came back to take the rest of our order. We got some appetizers to start along with our drinks.

We ate the appetizers and drank our drinks and the hour passed by pleasantly enough. And then the food arrived.

All This For Three People


As you can see, that was way too much for us to eat. The Mysterious Chinese Woman ordered chicken and the Mysterious Sister-In-Law ordered a steak that came with an egg on top of it. Both were quite good as were the appetizers which were little potato empanados.

A Contented Group


Like most of the world, the Ecuadoreans seem to dine latter than we gringos. The place did begin to fill up with more of a local crowd as the evening wore on, but I was able to take a few pictures of the restaurant before it filled up.

Some Pictures Of The Restaurant


That is a puma skin on the wall and you can see where its feet had been gnawed off by the feral Guinea pigs.

Hats On The Ceiling


I know, you are all waiting to see a picture of me in my new Panama hat. Be patient, it will show up soon.

Wall Decorations






You can see that they keep a few rifles handy just in case some feral Guinea pigs decide to seek revenge for the serving of their brethren.

Efrain, our guide, stopped by. He was there arranging some kind of a party for next week. We are going to go on another day-trip with him on Sunday. This time to visit some ruins. It should be a fun trip, he is an entertaining fellow. He was born and raised here but has been working in the United States up until last February when he got laid off. He is an electrician and was working on the new Freedom Tower, or whatever they call it now. His whole crew and more got laid off for 76 weeks so different people could get jobs. Not sure of the logic behind that. He decided to come over here and open up his little travel business while he waits to get called back. He is an electrician and belongs to a union and you are not allowed to seek other non-union work in the United States while you are laid off. Such is the way of the world. But more about him tomorrow.

We are about to head out for a pre-dinner walk and then dinner so, until tomorrow, adios.

A River Walk And A Bus Ride And More

Some more pictures of the walk we took along the river here in Cuenca. It is the Rio Tomebamba and separates the historical part of the town where we are staying from the newer part of the city. The city has grown a lot in the past twenty years or so, from a population of about 150,000 then to around 500,000 now. And there are about 30,000 ex-pats living here as well. Trip Advisor recently rated it the number one city in the world to retire to, and I can certainly see why. Cosmopolitan and quaint at the same time, a great public transportation system, nice restaurants, friendly people, and really inexpensive. Plus, if Ecuador had a national basketball team I might be able to play center.

A River Runs Through It


A good part of the historic half of the city is quite a bit above the river so you need to walk down several flights of steps to get to the river walk.

Down, Down We Must Go


The Mysterious Ones


I saw a nice little fixer-upper that had a great view and had a room for rent as well.

Just What I Am Looking For




And, being from New York, I am always a fan of graffiti.







I will have more scenic pictures of the river for another time but how much can you take all at once?

One afternoon we decided to just hop on a public bus, of which there are many, and ride it to the end of the line. Hey, it only costs a quarter.

On The Bus


Of course it wasn't like there was anything all that exciting to see at the end of the line, pretty much just the middle of nowhere where the buses turned around.

The End Of The Line


Oh, There Was A Cow


And A Field


And then we got on the bus and headed to the other end of the line.

About To Get Back On The Bus


After we got to the other end of the line we just stayed on the bus, paid another quarter and headed on back home. Hey, for only seventy-five cents how much more fun can you have. Plus it is a good way to see some out of the way parts of the city. We might do it again on another line on Saturday. We are easily amused.

Yesterday we hired a driver and visited the Parque Nacional Cajas and three small towns I bought myself a fine Panama hat for only $35 and the Mysterious Ones bought some hand-made shawls for, coincidentally, $35 each. They bought them at a different place, though, so I don't think there was any collusion. Plus I was initially quoted a price of $50 for my hat but our guide, Efrain, talked the lady down. You will just have to wait to see a picture of me in my new hat, though. Trust me, it will be worth the wait.

This morning we went to an interesting mercado where they sold just about any food product that you could imagine. Well, not processed food, farm stuff. I am a sucker for crispy pig fat so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy some.

A Face Only A Bar Man Could Love


So I ordered a plate from these lovely lasses.

Lovely Lasses Serving Up The Pig


And Here Is What Two Bucks Buys


I thought I would just get some pork skins in a bag to go, but obviously my Spanish isn't very good. What I got was succulent pork skin, onions, pozale (a puffed up corn), some sweet potatoes mixed with lard (I think), and some chopped up tomatoes. I shared it with the Mysterious Ones and after that we didn't need lunch.

I have more pictures of the market and another craft market that we went to, but I will save those for another time. I have lots of pictures.

Tonight I am going to a restaurant that serves authentic Ecuadorean food and, by golly, I am going to have the Guinea pig. It is quite a popular dish here and I understand it tastes very similar to pork. At the craft market there was a lady selling it out of a cart.

Guinea Pig To Go


They even sell barbecue/rotisserie devices specifically for roasting the Guinea pigs.

Looks Painful


It is that contraption on the right with the wooden cone shaped things. I guess you just shove those up the Guinea pig's butt and roast away. I will try to get a better picture of the device another day.

And The Guinea Pig Traps


Okay, so I lied. Those aren't really Guinea pig traps.

Last night we finally got out to see the fireworks display and it was really something. Kind of like what you see in old Mexican movies. The whole display is set up in the middle of the festival and, of course, everyone crowds up close to see it. Then, when it is lit, all hell breaks loose and everyone runs away when the things starts to go off and fireballs begin landing everywhere. Really gets the old heart pumping because, of course, I was one of those crowding up close.

Really Exciting Fireworks


There is a big thunderstorm going on now so that is why I had the time for a fairly long post. I haven't even gotten to the tour we took yesterday. Lot's of stuff going on here.

Because it is raining and we are all kind of sitting around taking it easy before dinner, the hotel proprietor, Alberto, gave me a small glass of their local "moonshine" and a big bottle of beer to pacify me. Great guy, that Alberto.

Who Cares About The Rain


I noticed that Roberto had a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch whisky. I mentioned that it was really good and hard to find. It turns out that Roberto is a bit of a collector of whiskies. He had a bottle of Maker's Mark and I said that it was my favorite Bourbon and, as it turns out, it is his favorite as well. Will wonders never cease.

You may have morticed how neatly coiffed I was in that last picture. That is because I got a haircut this afternoon before it started raining. Two bucks and a 25 cent tip. And that included getting my beard and moustache trimmed as well as those embarrassing ear and nose hairs.

My Barber


That is the barber's daughter with her, but it isn't me in the barber chair.

Okay, enough for now. I don't want to bore you. But believe me, I have a lot more to post about so be sure to check back.