The highlands of Ecuator.

Again the forecast called for rain, again we had a beautiful day!  That was particularly nice, because we took a trip north, through the highlands of the Andes and it would have been a shame to miss the scenery.  The city of Quito is long and narrow, because it sits along a high valley (the highlands) in the Andes.  So we first drove about 20 miles through the typical poor neighborhoods that surround a lot of cities in South America.  However, unlike a lot of other cities, while these areas are indeed rundown, they do not feel sad or depressed. 

One example is that - again like a lot of poorer cities- there are a lot of dogs around.  But they all look well fed, are usually with someone and are very friendly.  And the streets are mostly very clean and the people smiling and friendly.  In other words- its a nice place, even when straying from the touristy neighborhoods.

 That becomes even truer when you get to the country.  Fist, it is very pretty.  The high valleys are surrounded by volcanoes - some high enough to be covered with snow (The snow line is at 16,000 feet.  we saw one that peaks at over 18,000 but were not able to capture it in a picture because the clouds closed in).

In the valleys, and along the slopes, many fruits and vegetables are being grown:  Since there are no seasons in Ecuador, altitude serves the role of season and climate:  for cold weather crops (apples, carrots, etc..), the fields are higher, while warm weather crops are grown at lower altitudes.  That way, almost any crop know to man can be grown in Ecuador.

  It is for instance the largest producer of bananas (not in the highlands obviously), and of roses - the green houses, which were all along the road grow most of the roses you buy in NY, Paris, or Moscow!

  That makes the entire countryside, a mix of mountains, volcanoes, fields and lakes very pretty to look at.

Along the way, we stopped at the actual equator line:  Joe is standing on the northern hemisphere while I am in the southern one. A little bit of history:  Ecuador got its name not because it sits on the equator - although, obviously it does, but so do many other countries that are not named after it - but because, after Bolivar failed at unifying Venezuela, Panama, Columbia and Ecuador into  one large country called "Grand Columbia", and Ecuador split off, it needed to pick a new name.  At the same time, King Louis the 15th of France had sent an geological expedition to South America, with the goal of measuring the circumference of the Earth at the Equator.  I have no idea how they did that but....  they needed a place very near the equator, mountains as reference points, a clear view of the sky and- this is an important point- being a French expedition a place that had "women and wine".  At the time, the only city on the equator was Quito - so to Quito they went.  And they kept referring to it by the name of their project:  Equator.  Long story short - the name stuck.

 After crossing the equator, we went on to the town of Otavalo, a mostly indigenous town famous for its craft market.  Our guide advised us to negotiate the prices (which I did a bit, but I'm very bad at that) and that nothing they sell is Alpaca, even though they all say it it.

Still they had pretty stuff - I think I look very authentic in my poncho and Panama hat!

Near the same town, we also stopped a a small workshop making much higher end woven stuff- I had to buy a sweater made from baby Alpaca wool, because it's the right thing to do to support the local economy (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!).

We then went on to a water fall, where the locals celebrate the equinox by bathing in it.  Near it is an entire town renowned for its Shamans  .....(the department of health actually certifies Shamans here!).

 We had a quick stop to see a local musician who demonstrated all kinds of local instruments,

  and finally stopped for lunch at an old Hacienda - dating from the mid 1700's, and still owned by the same family.  It has been turned into a lovely hotel and restaurant.  It is famous for being the place where the treaty splitting Grand Columbia (see above) was signed.

One last dinner with our amazing and colorful host Pascal, and his lovely partner Deborah (their life stories should be written in a book)!  Between the 2 two them they have 5 citizenships,  have lived in Panama, Ecuador, Toronto, France, Honduras, have traveled through Morocco, China, walked 10,000km through north America - I could go on an on.  Bottom line, they run the nicest bed and breakfast and, if you ask nicely, will cook you an wonderful dinner for a very reasonable price.  what a fabulous find!