Follow The White Rabbit

Daniela and I signed up for a mountain bike race in Atahaulpa. The distance was 26km (16 miles) up and down but mostly up hill. She invited her family and friends and many showed up to cheer her on and see if the gringo died. She did outstanding and placed in 5th place. I on the other hand finished the race and did not die. Elena and Edwin made a trophy for me. They had left space on it to write “here lies” in case I died it could have been my head stone. I’m so proud of Daniela she killed it. Me on the other hand was probably the only one in the race looking at how beautiful the scenery was.

Sayuri, Hadaluz, Mateo, Daniela and I took a little day trip to check out a waterfall I had not been to. After the waterfall we tried to find some caves but never found them. Had a nice picnic on the mountain. Wonderful Day.

So I thought I would try to show a little about where I have been living.

It is in the city of Tumbaco in the neighborhood of Churoloma in the bario of Caizan. The following pictures are taken from the window in my room.

Las Minas is the road in front of the home. Take a left and you head to town and a right is a dead end before you get to the river. You can be in Quito the capital of Ecuador in a half hour.

To the South is Ilalo volcano. It is close and I have hiked and ridden my bike there.

To the South-East when you go through the pass in a little more than an hour you can be in Cayambe-Coca National Park. One of the largest national parks in the country. Continue down the road for another half hour and you find yourself in Papallacta where you can enjoy the hot springs. Then going farther down the road you get into the Amazon jungle and river basin. That takes 8 hours or so. I have not been all the way into the Amazon yet, just to the beginning but I do plan on it.

To the east you see Las Puntas which is in the Cayambe-Coca National park. I have hiked there and plan on going back to reach the summit.

To the north in the distance about an hour and half drive is the village of Atahualpa. I really like that area.

So that’s my view. I hope that gives some of you an idea of the area where I have been living. Below is a drawing of more volcanos in the area. Some names you may recognize from my earlier posts.

Here I am close to the mountains/volcanos and within two or three hours you can see some amazing peaks. The Pacific ocean is a 5 hour drive. To reach some of the spots I like on the coast is 6 to 8 hours. I haven’t yet found my sweet spot for fishing but am keeping an eye out. The only thing I can say that is a disappointment as far as the natural beauty goes is the cleanliness of the rivers. The waters are crystal clear higher up but once you reach the cities not so much all the way to the coast. This does surprise me knowing how much the Ecuadorians relish the natural beauty of their country. From what I gather most of the pollution has been in the last 40 years as the cities populations increased. Someday they will find the funds to educate people and build water treatment facilitates to tackle water quality problems. I can remember many rivers in the USA that were at one time unfit to swim or fish in that are now pristine water ways.

In some ways it reminds me of my home in California. There I was very close to nature and the things I love to do. Such as whitewater rafting a half hour from my house, salmon fishing was a hour away, closest hiking trails were 15 minutes away, or you could be up country in a half hour entering the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In a few hours you could have your toes in the Pacific ocean. The beautiful redwood forests were only a few hours away. Yosemite one of the heavens on earth was only 3 hours away. It was a good place to live. Brings a smile to my face and peace to my soul thinking about it. I have been a lucky man in so many ways.

Thankful for all that has blessed me, family, friends and nature.

Ya all have a great day!

On Saturday the first big gig was given using most of the new facilities.

Tanya and Marco hired the family and home to have a grand wedding party. In Ecuador you have a civil service where a judge marries you then you have a fiesta with your family and friends. The fiesta consists of a wedding ceremony, food and dancing.

Elena was the master of ceremonies with Daniela assisting. Edwin, David and Mateo all had their jobs to do also. The family did a wonderful job. Elena and her friends also did all the flower arrangements that came out beautiful.

My job was to pick up the bride in town and bring her to the ceremony. Later in the day they both jumped in the sidecar and I gave them a short ride around town. So most of the day I just hung out in my room to stay out of everyone’s way. I wish I had more pictures to share to show how nice it was but I really didn’t want to get in the way.

The family really stepped up and it was a good time for the newly married couple their friends and family.

The second picture was the day after when Rosario and Rodrigo jumped on the bike for a chuckle.

Saruri and Natsumi wanted to go for a bike ride. A little treat is good for the soul.

We went to Atahaulpa to check out the route for a mountain bike race next month. The path goes through a hacienda and some very beautiful country. Danielo and Inti guided us to keep us on the right path. The race is 30km and the first hill is a killer so we will see if I survive. In one picture you see Daniela looking over her shoulder to see if I am still alive (which she does often!). To much fun!

Hadaluz graduated from High School and the family had a wonderful party. I wish her all the best in her new adventures. Great fun for all!

I was asked to be a guest yesterday at an exposition (presentation in the USA). It was given by Michu who is one of Daniela’s English students. The purpose is to show what she has been learning in class.

Michu is 9 years old and has been learning English for 6 weeks or so. Daniela’s cousin Natsumi who is 6 years old also participated. They both gave a presentation of what they have learned and answered questions after.

They both did a wonderful job. It was fun to see the smiles on their faces and they were rightfully proud of their accomplishment. Daniela did a wonderful job teaching and was proud as well. Afterwards Daniela served up cake and lemonade for everyone.

I would like to tell what I know about education in Ecuador. Public schools are ok for basics but private schools are much better. There are a lot of private schools and most are very expensive and out of reach financially for most Ecuadorians. After a high school education attendance to a University is almost mandatory for a good portion of the better paying jobs. Then on top of that is knowing how to write and speak English. That puts you into different category as far as qualifications for employment. Other languages help but English is a huge help.

Tourism is a huge part of the Ecuadorian economy and the pandemic has hurt it tremendously. An example of how important education is to employment is being a tourist guide. It takes a four year degree just to get a license in tourism. Elena has her license. Daniela also studied for a license in tourism and then boom the pandemic. She now is studying to be a translator.

Daniela happens to speak Española, German and English. I am not sure how many English students she currently has. Because of the pandemic most are taught using Zoom. She teaches Michu’s older sister Heidi and her mother also. She has a good rapport with children which makes learning fun and exciting for them. What is so admirable is her heart. She takes into consideration the financial ability for a family to pay and makes her services affordable. That in it’s self speaks of her character and how she is providing a stepping stone for some youth that would never have had this opportunity to get a jump on life. Makes me smile thinking about it.

So as far as education goes everyone around me has way more than me. I barely and I mean barely made it out of High School. In the USA that is not uncommon but around here in the city anyway it’s not common. I think a High school education here is way more intense than the USA and much harder. Education here is taken more seriously in my opinion.

Personal update. Everything is good.

Ya’all go on and have a wonderful day.

The Sunday after going to Cotopaxi Elena asked me to not make plans for the 10th. She said she had made some plans and wanted me to not go anywhere.

The 10th is my birthday. Those that know me well know that I usually keep it pretty low key. A camping trip maybe a little fishing but something quiet and slow paced. I was thinking about where I wanted to go before she asked and was planning a little road trip to who knows where. Last year when she asked me the date of my birthday I told her thinking no big deal I was going to be back in the states then. I mean I don’t advertise it anywhere like Facebook etc…just really do my own thing. If anything I like to do something for someone else.

Yes Elena had made a few plans and I did not realize so many would be involved.

People arrived and all the sudden they were in costume. Many were dressed as characters from the Mexican sitcom “El Chavo”. Not being familiar with the show I had no idea what was going on. They did little skits and all had a good time. The food was good and the company excellent.

Thank you all very much for the smiles and gifts!

A special thanks to Elena mi amiga/Patrona. Thanks you for all your hard work and sharing so much!!!!

My sprained ankle is doing well. On July 1st, my first bicycle ride in 3 weeks was over 18km and it felt pretty good the next day. Daniela asked if I wanted to go to Cotopaxi volcano the coming weekend. It is a main tourist attraction for travelers and Ecuadorians. Time to give the ankle a good workout.

Some information on Cotopaxi. It is an active stratovolcano approximately 50km south of Quito the capitol. It is home to the second highest summit in Ecuador at 5897m (19,347ft). Daniela climbed to the summit about 2 years ago, You spend the night at base camp 4864m (15,963ft) then get up around 2am to start the climb to the summit. You cross a glacier using ice bridges as you work your way up to arrive at the summit for sunrise.

Interesting that the last time the volcano erupted was from August 2015 to January 2016. They officially closed the volcano to climbing. It was reopened on October 7, 2017.

My goal was to make it to home base. You start driving up the road in the high plain at 3700m (12,139ft) and start to wind up the volcano. The road was surprisingly good. Way better than Daniela remembered it. you reach a parking lot below base camp and just walk straight up. We made it in 45 minutes, I should say I made it in 45 minutes because Daniela would have made it in 20 or less if she didn’t hang back for me. I will admit that it makes me feel better when some Ecuadorians are taking a break when walking up a trail. It’s not just the gringo who is out of breath.

It was a shorter climb to the camp than I thought it would be. I did well with no light headed feeling at all. I felt good about the climb. the walk down took 25 minutes go slow to take care of my ankle, she ran down in 10 minutes. While at base camp I had my first taste of coco tea. You drink the tea or chew the leaves to help with altitudes.

We took the back way home which was partially dirt road. Way cool. My sense of direction is still screwed up around here and Daniela says it simple. Just use the volcanoes for your guide. They seem to keep moving on me but I will figure it out. When we got back I bought a compass so we will see if that helps.

Chock it up as another wonderful day in the Andes!