We finished our ten days in Bahia with daily seashell collecting, yoga and workouts on the beach, watching beautiful sunsets, playing soccer with the locals, and lots of market trips. We hiked up to the top of La Cruz, a huge white cross on the side of the mountain, overlooking Bahia's busy city center and the fishing boat-filled bay. We visited a 114 year old, giant Galapagos tortoise named Miguelito, who resides in a banana-tree lined playground, in the courtyard of the local escuela fiscal de Bahia. He trotted, as fast as giant tortoises trot, over to us and ate a banana out of Mike's hand! The boys were thrilled. We made fresh ceviche from market shrimp and ate it with green plantain chips. We visited the very modern Museo de Archeologico (one of the biggest and best museums in Ecuador) and learned about the native Incans. We sipped fancy coffee (all of $1.75) at the local and very cool Coco Bongo, a favorite among international backpackers. We spooned boiling hot (literally, the soup was bubbling in its clay cauldron) viche, a local and heavenly specialty that combines peanuts, black eyed peas, corn on the cob, and shrimp into our mouths. And then cooled them off with a silky coconut flan, best eaten while watching the sun go down over the beach.
We had an amazing time in Bahia but it was time to move on.
We boarded a night bus (the correct one! ejecutivos for the win!) around 10pm and spent the night, reclined and in air conditioning all the way to Quito. Let's be honest here, it wasn't the best 8 hours of sleep I've ever had, constant fear of your sleeping baby slipping out of your arms and onto the floor doesn't make for deep sleep, but the boys slept soundly and we arrived in Quito at 6am. At approximately 6:10am, we were running for the Cotacachi bus, which apparently left 2 minutes previously but that the ticket counter lady assured us was still at the terminal. It was. We boarded with every bag and family member intact and set off through the beautiful mountains to Cotacachi!
We arrived and were promptly deposited on the side of the highway, about five miles from the actual town of Cotacachi. Nowhere near the promised terminal de autobuses. We rallied and asked the smiling Andean natives, bedecked with gold necklaces and colorful head scarves, where we could find a taxi to the town centre. A bit of a miscommunication sent us up and over the highway bridge following a cattle herd (seriously. they were leading cattle over the bridge!), but ultimately ending up in a taxi and on our way to the town square, where we were to meet our landlady.
While waiting at the lovely park, some locals befriended the boys, apparently falling in love with their blond hair and insisted on taking pictures. Michael was wary but Jack (of course, our little social butterfly) hammed it up. We enjoyed our new friends and the park until our hostess, Maria, arrived. Elegant and gracious, she drove our weary bodies and heavy backpacks the two blocks to the townhouse, Jardines de Pichavi.
Beautiful does not describe this place. We are tucked away behind a quaint gate to the busy street, about two blocks from the square. We walked along a cobblestone path, lined with enormous avocado trees to a literal secret garden. Our complex has 9 private townhouses, all situated to face the abundant flowering fruit trees of the garden and the mountains and volcano Cotacachi beyond. The townhomes house mostly all expats, most of whom are grandparents who have retired here. We are trying to the keep the excited squeals down out of respect but our neighbors smile and wave to the boys daily. Every morning, we enjoy coffee on the chilly porch (after I stay snuggled under the wool alpaca blankets while Mike gets the coffee going), and let the boys loose among the trees to find fresh fruit to accompany breakfast. They come running back, arms laden with clementines, wild plums, lemons, and a small, sour mystery fruit that we haven't identified yet. And they always bring Mama a few native flowers that I have zero hopes of ever identifying! The temperatures are perfect, low 50's all night (and we always keep the windows open for burrowing under the covers) and the daily highs are in the mid-70's. It's partly cloudy most of the time - the clouds just add to the mystique of the looming volcano and the sun warms everything up. But make sure and bring sunscreen...we are right on the equator so the sun is very, very strong! The breeze and temperatures keep all the bugs away so we keep the windows and doors open most of the day. We are within walking distance of everything you need - the outdoor market for fresh veggies and fruit, the supermercado for dried goods, the Americano market for jam, wine, and Nutella (of course!), the cathedral, where we went to mass yesterday, and the bus station for a few touristy things coming up. The locals are incredible friendly and the native Andeans are so unique and plentiful in the small craft market, where they sell their blankets and woven baskets. We feel so safe (we can walk along the tree lined and lamp-lit streets at night without feeling nervous) and so welcomed (there are a number of expats here and we've already been invited for home-cooked dinners!). Mike is actually having local coffee and fresh pastries at a new friend's house to discuss real estate as I'm typing this morning! But never fear, he's not the only one having pastries...I'm typing, by the open window, listening to the native birds chirp and the local church bells tolling, chocolate croissant and fresh coffee in hand. You can't really beat that.
*this is a splurge. apparently, our freshly ground peanut butter at the market was a specialty to Bahia. peanut butter is nowhere to be found here and Nutella is everywhere. Nutella it is! ...and someone was a bit excited to see it*
We have a lot on our agenda, between investment hunting, real estate tours, visits to the local world renowned indigenous markets and the famous leather district, nearby museums, and all the nature adventuring, like visits to an endangered bird park, waterfalls, local shaman massages, volcano crater lakes, healing hot waters, and much more! We have 18 days here and can't wait to fill them with more adventures! Stay tuned here and remember to check out our instagram hashtag, #dclandromomania.
No comments:
Post a Comment