Hi all and hope you had a great New Year's Eve & Day!
Can't believe all we've managed to squeeze in already! Realize some of you may not know that we are traveling with our Bob and Elsi Sly for the first couple weeks. They traveled with us to Thailand...and guess we all loved our time together so we're doing it again. And upfront you need to know that the keyboards here are different, there's no spell check & I'm not going to take the time to make corrections myself--sorry. So here's what we have been up to-
Quito-Ecuador Info
At 8 a.m. sharp our driver, Silvanna who was recommended by one of Rog's co workers Buzz Hastings, opened the door to her van and we climbed in and headed to Mindo. On our two hour ride, Silvanna filled us in on a wealth of Ecuadorian information: religion (85% Catholic), politics, health care, salaries (average $300 mo w/ health ins), housing cost, and holiday traditions. Overall, she thought Ecuador was improving in the last 30 years. There are fewer poor and they are receiving quite abit of government assistance. There is strong support for their current president. Their economy has really stableized since they started using US dollars for currency. Ecuador has it's own oil, plenty of clean water & farm land. Family size is 4 to 5. Crime, Columbian immigants & low salaries are the main problems. There...all you ever wanted to know about Ecuador!
Mindo: Orchids, Butterflies & Hummingbirds
Our route to Mindo had us climbing, descending & meandering through the volcanic mountains that surround Quito like a gigantic field of upside down ice cream cones! The valleys were often so deep we couldn't see the bottome. Trees clung to the sides...with occasional homes balancing over the edges. We stopped at an orchid farm to admire the many varieties of orchids that grow in the wild here. Some so tiny we had to use magnifying glasses and others as big as our hand. (Paige, you would have been in heaven.) But my favorite was watching and listening to to the many hummingbirds whose colors seem to glow. Next we went to a butterfly farm where our heads, arms and even noses were resting places for the multitude of butterflies. Hundreds of crysalis were carefully hung on a board and we witnessed several miracle births. I don't think I've had lunch in a more gorgeous spot. We ate on a platform over a fast flowing stream in the middle of gigantic flowering jungle plants. Trout from the stream were stuffed with veges, wrapped in a banana peal and baked to perfection. Mmmmm. No peanut butter today!
Mindo Chocolate Factory
Our last stop of the day was the REAL treat: the El Quetzel Caoca operation owned and operated by my neice, Annie's aunt and uncles. Her uncle, Francisco Mesa had been working elsewhere but came back to give us a personal tour. I will appreciate chocolate even more from now on. He began with the history: over 2000 BC the Olmecs used the beans in a drink known as the drink of the Gods. It wasn't until 1830 that Van Houten of Holland discovered the process that led to today's chocolate. About 50-60 beans grow in a pod on a tree that takes 7 yrs to mature...though scientist have developed a vairety recently that matures quicker but the chocolate is not as good. After the pod ripens, beans are fermented and then dried and finally crushed into nibs. That{s what they export mostly to Switzerland and Holland...and their own Ann Arbor factory. Next it will be ground, mixed with sugar, & boiled. All of this information was given as we walked among the cacao trees, holding the pods, crunching the beans between our teeth, munching on the nibs, tasting the powder and finally feasting on the 100% chocolate! (Hershey is 30%) We also mixed the chocolate with ginger & hot peppers. We tasted two of the latest by products they have developed: BBQ sauce and a sweet vinegar. And finally, we sunk our teeth into the best brownie ever! Francisco also took us through his garden of lava beds where we tasted lemon grass (choc flavoring), stabia (fake sugar) and with much excitment, he showed us his crop of dulcamara (a plant that slows cancer cells). We invited Francisco to Michigan to see Bob's maple syrup & Rog's pumpkin operations. After hugs and pictures, it was Adios!
New Year's in Cusco
Our ride home from Mindo was often interrupted as we came through small villages where young men dressed as sexy women held a rope across the road forcing us to stop so they could collect coins. Tonight, many large puppets sybolizing the old year, will be burned in the streets and these sexy women are pretending to be their widows and thus deserving support. The many laughs we got were sure worth the coins we gave out. After we got back to our hotel, we rested a bit then took off to the center of town to check out the puppets and more sexy women. It seemed pretty quiet & we were too tired to wait up till midnight so we went back to our hotel...and enjoyed the huge, dazzling fireworks & watched some puppets turn to ashes from our hotel window. Feliz Ano Nuevo!
On to Peru
We were on an early flight to Lima and then on to Cusco, a quaint village loaded with churches and museums. The cobblestone streets and narrow sideroads made pleasant walking before dining on pizza. This next morning, we spent time organizing our trip to Machu Picchu and so we'll be off soon!
