The Beginning of Our Journey to Mexico

Nancy and I landed in Mexico last Sunday afternoon and two friends of ours, Debi and Van Figensau were suppose to land with us, they coming from Calgary and we from Seattle. But due to a big snow storm in Calgary they did not make it to Houston on time so Nancy and I went on by ourselves. We did not think they would show up until the next morning but through sheer determination and a race through the Houston airport, they also made it on Sunday and luckily we had told them the hotel we had arranged for our stay in Mexico city and how to get there, if the unbelievable happened.

We stayed right in the old Historic centre of Mexico City for three nights. It is very busy during the day but shuts down a bit at night. We did some of the highlights of the historic center, others we left for another time. And here are a couple of photos from Mexico City

Many of you know them but for you who do not, here are Debi and Van along with Nancy.

After our three days in Mexico City we travelled by bus to one of the silver cities of Mexico called Queretaro. We are still here and will be here for a couple of more days and are doing day trips from here. The first photo is the central park in Queretaro.

On one of their walks in Queretaro, Debi and Van stumbled upon this old bar that was once a pharmacy.

We are not sure who was teaching whom and there was no music but they were having great fun practicing and we were enjoying watching them.

This morning there were many young kids visable on the streets of Queretaro and we followed one group to their lunch hour.

Our first day trip out of Queretaro was to another silver city called Guanajuato. It was a long bus ride and a very busy but worthwhile day. We took a trip up to the top of one of their many hills and these next two photos are from that vantage point. It is a spectacular city.

It is famous for many things but one the most famous is a very unique museum called the museum of the mummies. The soil here mummifies all bodies and the ones that cant afford to pay for their funeral, pay after death, by being displayed in this museum. It is most interesting.

Today, Nancy and I are having a rest day and we have sent Debi and Van to yet another silver city called San Miquel Allende. Nancy and I had been there many years ago and we thought that we needed the rest more than we needed to see the city again.

Tomorrow we go to small town that is called a magical city in Mexico. In our next blog we will tell you why they call it magical.

Last Days in Ecuador

These last photos show mostly the Banff type town of Banos and the surrounding area. It is a real touristy area and it seems when there are as many tourists as there are here they are not so friendly as in other places that are a bit hidden and hard to get to. Oh well, we love the place anyway.
We sent 3 pictures a while ago that showed snow covered mountain tops right on the equator. That was in Otavalo a bit north of the Equator. When we moved to Banos, a bit south of the Equator and particularly between Quito and Banos, we pass many mountains that were snow covered and that is so rare in this part of the world. There are glaciers but not just snow.
Making new shoes out of old shoes.
This is the volcano that was causing problems a month ago when we were deciding where to go in Ecuador. It is very rarely seen as it is mostly covered with clouds but we lucked out when we were arriving in Banos and here is one of many photos Nancy took.
We were in Banos 10 years ago and stayed at this hotel. It was the best place in town 10 years ago and still is the best place in town as far as we are concerned.
Making pull taffy. There are stalls and stores all over town who sell candy,

Many years back this was a convent and now it is a museum.
Nancy is the only one who has tried it. It is Cuy, roasted guinea pig. It is a delicacy in this part of the world.
This hardware store had as much merchandise as Donny Reids hardware in Warner but in about 1/10 of the space. We bought 2 batteries and the owner knew exactly where they were.
One of the two main streets in Banos. Always very busy and good for people watching.
Just two cute girls, coming home from a special time at church.

There are many places like this in Banos but this one was particularly busy with leather goods. Much of the goods for sale are made in indigenous villages and carried this way to town to entice the tourists.
This morning was Palm Sunday and these ladies are just coming from church.
Again, an after church Palm Sunday celebration, in a very small town we were passing through on our way to Quito.
The bus was leaving and this man had to run with his heavy load to catch our bus.

We are cutting our time a bit short in South America and making a detour via Seattle on our way home to spend some time with a son who is in hospital, and his family there .

We do plan to send out one more blog from this journey showing churches in Colombia and Ecuador.

The Indigenous Market Town of Otavalo

Our search for sunny skies and warm temperatures certainly have not come to reality in Otavalo but that aside, it is a delightful town. It is a very wealthy town, funded mostly by a world famous market, run by the local indigenous people. It is active every day of the week but on Saturdays it is enormous and spreads out into the adjoining streets. And tour busses with occupants from all over the world arrive and the locals are experts at negotiating them out of their money. We visited this town a couple of times we think 11 years ago and there has been a huge change in the infrastructure of the village. They have used their wealth wisely.


We had gotten a tip of a very nice hostal in Otavalo so upon arrival, we got a taxi to take us there. It is 4 km from the town and most of those kms were up. So instead of being at 3000m in the town we were at 3300 m at the hostal and it is hard to believe but there was at least 5 degrees C difference in the temperature. This is the path to our cabin and here it looks very nice but when it is dark and it is pouring rain and the water is running down the path it was not so nice.
And this is what was at the end of the path, our home for one night.
Here is the main lodge of the complex but no sun to enjoy the hammocks.
The view in front of our cabin.


This fireplace was in our room and there was some dry wood outside the door and we tried for a long time to light a fire but both the wood and the paper were so damp from the rain and humidity that it just would not light. We sure could have used some gasoline. A couple who were staying there also got their fire going but said all the heat went up the chimney so was a bit useless.

This is Emma, the child of the owners of the hostal. She will grow up not knowing what was her first language as her father is a Scot and her mom is Ecuadorian.It was just too cool for us up that mountain so the next day we moved down to Otavalo.
This lady is only about 1.2m tall and we saw many people, both men and women just as short as she was. There must be a short gene in the population.
Just one corner of a very busy market. The market is not a food market but a crafts market, filled with very beautiful weavings, art and jewelry, all made by the locals. It is easy to look after your child if you run a stall in the market. Just plunk him down in the middle of everything.

This is one thing that has not changed over the years. What a great way to carry your baby and save money on strollers as well. The typical dress of this particular indigenous group. It is very striking.
And this child is using mom's ears as a steering wheel. A street scene in Otavalo.
The central park is very beautiful, particularly with all the rain they have had.

We are leaving here tomorrow, to another famous Ecuadorian town called Baños. It is much lower in altitude than Otavalo and should be much warmer.

Snow On the Equator

Our location in Ecuador is about 30 minutes north of the Equator. For the past 3 days that we have been in Otavalo, it has been quite cold and rainy and we have not seen the sun or the surrounding mountains because of heavy cloud. Last night there was a huge rain storm and this morning, the hostess of our hotel came to us all excited and told us to go to the roof and look at the sourrounding mountains. And lo and behold, this is what we saw. Snow on the tops of three of the mountains. She has been here for 15 years and it was the first time she has seen this. It is amazing, realizing we are right on the Equator. We are hoping the sun will stay out for a few days so we can enjoy the warmth of the equator!!!!!!!

.

Protest in Colombia, A Parade in Ecuador

On a previous blog we wrote about some struggles Colombia was having with its neighboring countries, Venezuela and Ecuador.

On our last day in Pasto Colombia, we heard lots of noise coming from a couple of streets away so Nancy and I went to investigate. It was students, many, many students, maybe 500 or more protesting, not the fact that Hugo Chavez was sticking his nose into a struggle between Colombia and Ecuador but the very fact that their own government had the audacity to invade a neighbouring country to capture and kill Farc guerillas in the first place and totally ignoring international law.
And what was wonderful about it was the fact that they were allowed to have this protest. There were many police around but none of the riot gear we had shown previously. It was all very peaceful and lasted a couple of hours.


There was no tear gas but she was prepared.


At the end of the march, the students put on a play that was ridiculing the Uribe government and its lack of human rights.

The next day we changed countries, moving from Colombia to Ecuador, a big day as we travelled all the way from Pasto to Ipiales at the border in Colombia and after crossing the border we were in Tulcan Ecuador. We still had time to go a little farther so hopped on a bus heading for Ibara and once again, upon arriving we heard noise and music coming from a few streets away that drew us to witness a grand parade.


Not mounties but the uniform sure is similiar. We think it is firemen, rescue workers etc. We were pretty tired when we arrived here yesterday so we think we will take an extra day before we move on to Otavalo and right now plan to spend a few days there.

.