SARAH AND RACHEL’S VISIT: PART I

Monday, December 19   Flew to Quito & went straight to Nancy’s apartment, where she and I had a very nice reunion.  Sarah & Rachel, who had spent the night there, were out when I arrived, getting maps at the Instituto Geográphico Militar for their hiking trek along the Inca trail, which was to begin early Thursday (12/22) morning.  It was great to see them when they got there.  As planned, we had dinner with Javier, my former Spanish teacher.  He picked us up and drove us to a traditional Ecuadorian restaurant.  Dinner was great and filled with LOTS of laughter.  I wanted to pinch myself throughout dinner to test whether I was really at a restaurant in Quito with my daughters and Javier.  Hard to believe that they had really come to Ecuador and there we were with Javier--just like old times!

Tuesday, December 20  We got up very early this morning to take a bus to get to the bus station south of the city so that we could make the bus for Latacunga and eventually get to Chugchilan, our destination for the next 2 days.  All went without a hitch.  The views from the bus were spectacular.  I really didn’t know that Ecuador is as beautiful as it is.  The beauty was one thing, but experiencing the local people getting on and off the bus, was even more remarkable--people’s clothing, the adorable children--and what was on the roof of the bus, was altogether another experience--live chickens, huge bags of grain, a bicycle, boxes of all shapes and sizes filled with food--a veritable grocery store!  Among the things stored under the bus were at least 10 dozen eggs.  We got to Chugchilan and easily found Hostal Mama Hilda, where we had reservations to stay for 2 nights.  It was a quaint little place, in the middle of this little town, really off the beaten path.  We did some exploring, had dinner, and went to bed, with the plan to get up early the next morning to take a bus to the crater/lake in Quilotoa, which we intended to walk around.  However, that was not to be because during the night both daughters were up with significant, unpleasant stomach issues, the details of which I am not going to go into here.  Suffice it to say that they had ingested something that did not agree with them.  

Wednesday, December 21 Sarah & Rachel still wanted to go to Quilotoa even though they were ill.  They knew that their energy level was low due to their stomach problems and had resigned themselves to just see the crater as they were truly incapable of walking around it.  Instead of taking the bus, we hired a man to drive us there and back.  I don’t know how Rachel or Sarah survived the drive there as the road had dozens of switchbacks, was rocky, bumpy, and nausea-creating even for someone without a major stomach issue.  Rachel looked so miserable the whole way there that it was nearly impossible for me to enjoy the magnificent views and take note of the people, goats, llamas walking along the road. As soon as we arrived, we went to look at the crater, but within minutes Rachel laid down on the ground right then and there & didn’t move.  Not a good sign.

Sarah seemed to have a little more energy than her sister.

My mind was on my daughters’ illness and how miserable they were.  They didn’t complain, but they were without a doubt extremely uncomfortable.  The second we got back to our hostel, Sarah and Rachel got into bed and didn’t move.  Rachel’s face was as red as a beet and Sarah’s wasn’t much better.  They ate nothing that day, were able to drink a little, but generally seemed to lose whatever they took in.

I did take a walk; found the Black Sheep Inn, which was closed and went into the town, and observed some holiday festivities.

Rachel never left our room.  Sarah ate a little with me at dinner.  We changed our departure plans for Thursday, hoping that they would feel well enough to get to Latacunga and decided that we would go by pick-up truck instead of bus so that if either had to get out of the truck, it could stop for them, while a big bus filled with people would not.  

Thursday, December 22  Although it was not an easy decision to make re whether or not we should attempt the long trip to get to Riobamba, where we had originally planned to get to today--me spending the night & Sarah & Rachel beginning their hike, we decided to take it step by step.  We took a pick-up truck to Zumbahua--I sat in front with the driver while Rachel and Sarah were outside in the back (& not it seats).  Along the way the driver stopped 3 times and picked up people who were standing on the road, hoping to get a ride.  They joined Sarah and Rachel in the back of the truck.  One woman was carrying her baby, whom she handed to Sarah as she was loaded down with lots of things and climbing into the back of a pick-up truck was impossible while holding her baby.  Once in Zumbahua, where we bought a Gatorade-like drink to try to replenish lost electrolytes, we were immediately approached by a man who offered to drive us to Latacunga.  Like the other pick-up truck ride, it would cost much more than a bus, but we decided that that was best in terms of the fact that the driver could stop if Sarah or Rachel needed to get out.  All of us were inside this time and the driver only picked up one woman along the way.  He was also more chatty and we even laughed a little, which was a good sign.

Once in Latacunga, where everyone seemed to be feeling better, we made the decision to take a bus to Ambato, change buses there & end up in Riobamba.  The second we got off the bus in Riobamba, someone called out to me---my colleagues from my program were there to pick up their son and his fiancée.  I knew that their son was coming there, but didn’t expect to see them upon arrival.  We had previously talked about me joining them for dinner, as Sarah & Rachel were supposed to already be on their hiking trip.  Not knowing what, if anything, Sarah or Rachel would want to eat, I declined the offer of planning to eat together that evening for dinner.   However, once we got to our hotel & things were definitely looking up, I called my friends & made plans for us to join them for dinner.  Both daughters felt well enough to walk around a little.  We saw a holiday parade, with people in magnificent costumes, many dressed in traditional clothing, plus heard traditional music.  

We met my friends and their son and fiancée for dinner.  All had a good time--lots of sharing of experiences, good food, and best of all, Sarah and Rachel were truly on the mend.  If there was any silver lining to the stomach issue, I did get another full day with my daughters, but given a choice, I would have preferred that they had never gotten sick and had been able to pursue their trip as planned.

Friday, December 23  All slept well for the first time in 3 nights.  Sarah & Rachel decided that they would take it easy for another day and would begin their hike on Saturday, December 24, cutting out a chunk of the original plan.  I had previously arranged to have a guide meet me at the hotel and take me in a meandering route south, ultimately getting back to Cuenca by nighttime.  The guide was there and gave Sarah and Rachel some pointers for their hike.  He and I left around 8:30 AM and arrived in Cuenca at about 4:00 PM.  He was outstanding, a much better experience than simply taking a bus back.  We stopped at many towns along the way, went into some small museums, one of which has the bones (spinal columns of cows) woven into the floor:

We saw the oldest Catholic church in the country:

We took in incredible views of mountains, farm land with people working the soil on very steep parcels of land, without any machinery, unless you call their hands, hand tools, oxen pulling plows machinery.  My guide was so knowledgeable about everything--history, the impact of volcanoes & earthquakes on the towns, tradition, culture, farming, etc.  I loved seeing the sheep, goats, pigs, llamas, oxen, horses & mules (many used as a means for transportation) along the road.  

We went to Cajabamba--the original site of Riobamba, before an earthquake destroyed the city in 1797, Guamote, Alausi, and El Tambor.  We also visited Coyoctor, the site of some Incan ruins that are not well-known, from around the year 1380.

We drove through Cañar and Biblián, that has a church built into the steep mountainside:

It was a great day for me and I hope an even better day for my daughters, whom I am supposed to rejoin on Monday, December 26, in Ingapirca, the site of some other ruins, not too far from Cuenca.