O sea Ecuador... so far

I have a confession... I wasn't prepared for my trip to Ecudor in the slightest. Is this a bad thing? I would have to say no... I boarded my flight out of Bozeman with a few email exchanges with a farm in the area I wanted to see and that was it. The last minute booking of hotels from my last few gigs of data and getting directions to the farm worked out just perfectly, and more so it is a telling tale of where I am in my life.

I find complete joy in my new ability to stay present. I know that is something really pushed in society these days, and I found myself really in that place in the last few months. As a seasonal worker, always having to fill in the days, months, and weeks with jobs and accommodations, enjoying the present moment wasn't a problem, but precoccupation about the future was. Something about this fall made things really click for me. My lack of planning allowed me to fully enjoy the New England fall and everything that came with it. Seemingly magically everything filled in from there: a cheap flight home, a promotion with Nature's Classroom, three different jobs for my month at home, an opportunity to be abroad with a purpose, and time spent with those that have watched me grow and those who are nearly as chaotic in their way of living. I couldn't be in a better place. 

Yet, this blog is about my time in Ecuador so far and the small little moments of bliss I've had here.

As I mentioned above, I started my stay in Ecuador on a farm about 5 hours from the Quito airport. The town nearest, is a our sites for the VISIONS Ecuador program which I've always wanted to see. 

My first week was spent on the beautiful farm of Hector and Rosa Mecias. Having raised five kids and established a life there they needed a bit of help with all the things around the various gardens they have. I spent my days of work sorting tomatoes by size, clearing out the cucumber plants and the hoses around them, boxing up babaco to ship out, cutting new hoses, harvesting choclo and beans, and harvesting and cleaning trout. I really did the whole shabang in my 9 day stay. In the days between work I hiked up to the very top of their property to get a view of the surrounding communities. The first time I went up the hill side, I went with Hector. He told me all about the history of the area and how it became accessible and such a hub for agriculture. They call Patate the valley of eternal spring and it seems to really fit s place with so many crops growing from bottom to top. The hike with Hector was rainy and cloudy, but I could visualize how beautiful it would be on a clear day. I decided that I had to have another go at it before I left. When I woke up on my last Saturday and saw the clouds clearing from the volcano my anxiety to see neurotic things hit me and I set out on my own (Hector's compliments became a bit too suggestive for my liking on the first go.) 

                                          

I couldn't have had a better view for the day. The purple potato plants and green fields with the volcano Tunghaura framed in the distance made me giddy the whole way up. Despite the sunburn on my chest (I apparently missed a spot) the hike was priceless. 

Mission completed and having my fill of telenovelas, I decided to duck out of the farm to go the tourist town of Baños to see what all the hype was about. Baños itself was beautiful, but I think Patate takes the real cake. Deposite my opinion, I jumped a bus to Baños and was quickly wrangled into a group to bike to the waterfalls on the eastbound highway. The ride it self was quite a treat. We got a few rain showers and the surrounding mountians had a nice glow about them. Our last waterfall was full of a lot of impressive force. From there we ate some empanadas and made our late ride back. Out of the five of us that went together only two of us made it all the way back on bike- purely out of stubborness. Something I didn't take note of was the downward slope of our ride to the falls. The way back was by all definitions of the phrase and uphill battle, and we made it before it fell completely dark (I use that term liberally.) That night in the hostel I got a hysterical caracture done by a delightful language enthusiast Dutch. Your opinions are welcome.

The next morning I woke up with out any plans and booked a last minute day trip to the jungle. One of the best $20 tours I have been on. In the trip we visited a zoo for animals unfit to live in the wild, stopped at the outskirts of a local tribe to practice our dart shooting and learn of their ways of living, and a hike into the jungle: rope swing, insect eating, plant testing, clay facials, and waterfall swimming and all. It was exciting to me because I felt like I was on a big kid field group, learning the ways of the jungle just like the kids learn the ways of the forests of New England with NC. I'd highly recommend the lemon flavored ants to anyone in need of hyration.

The next day I set off to the Casa del Arbol which is all over the to do lists of South America. I have to admit, it was pretty neat. Whoever thought to put a tree house with swings on a mountainside overlooking volcanoes  really had it figured out. It was a great way to spend my last morning as a tourist for a while.
Visiting Baños after the farm reminded me what I love about traveling. It isn't the excursions, but the people and the landscapes that I love so much. Although, it was nice to be in Baños with the influx of Chilean and Argentian tourists to keep my Spanish going I happily returned to Patate to do some work for VISIONS. Having purpose to my travels and adventures to go with that is part of what really keeps me going.... So I'm embracing a bit of work with a hearty "YES!"