Here is the latest from Ecuador:
Monday was pretty uneventful. Pauli and I jammed packing the McCrackens’ house. We even got to Steve’s massive computer equipment which he did amazingly quickly. The other thing that happened was that evening we had the Bath’o’thon. For each level of boiled water the kids take a bath. First Grace & Holly bathed at a low - level not too hot. Then Emma bathed, a little hotter and higher. Then me, perfect level, lots of hot. Finally Jake, the dirtiest and the one who takes the longest. When Jake came out of the tub, I noticed a little cut on his chin. I asked him what happened. He told me, “I just cut myself shaving.” I proceeded to lecture him about not touching razors when he informed me that he never cut himself when he shaved before. GreatK I have done a little more talking to him, and I think he gets it now.
Tuesday we loaded up the car to take a trip to Mindo, about a 2 ½ hour trip west of Quito. (Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=mindo,+Ecuador&sll=-0.229498,-78.524277&sspn=0.3392,0.455246&ie=UTF8&ll=0.041199,-78.774719&spn=1.356779,1.820984&z=9&iwloc=addr )
About 1 ½ hour into our trip we pulled over and took a guided great rainforest hike. It was great. We had studied the rainforest for school. The hike reminded me of our little one we had set up in our basement. Large trees, big leaves, colorful flowers, some neat insects, and beautiful waterfalls. This was pretty impressive to me, but this was just mini compared to deep in the Amazon rainforest. As we left it started to rain. I guess that makes sense (the rainforest). The rain continued all of the way to Mindo. We went to see the butterflies at Mariposas de Mindo (http://www.mariposasdemindo.com/english/) . However the butterflies like the sun so they were unavailable for us to see. So we looked into spending the night.
Bill and Steve found a cabin 200 meters up the road for both families to share (you can see the cabana on this site: http://www.quindepungo.com.ec/indice.swf ). There were one bed and two hammocks below, and 4 beds in the loft. Of course the large hole in the floor where the ladder lead up top was not “OSHA approved.” I only relaxed when the unhinged board was put over it. Some parts of the windows were only screen, so you could hear the rain and the river out side. I loved falling asleep to the sounds! The river sound kept Pauli awake, along with 1 ½ year old Kyle, who has trouble sleeping away from his own bed. Again, there were cool rainforest plants everywhere. In the morning, on our way to the lodge where breakfast was served (another hike on a trail through the rainforest), Bill even caught a cut little frog.
After breakfast (Wednesday) we got to spend a lot of time with the butterflies. Jake and Holly were horrified, but the rest of us loved it! I think they didn’t like the randomness in which they would fly past or on our heads. When I looked at the trees and could see the eggs, I longed to raise some butterflies of our own. We’ve raised Painted Lady butterflies at home, but the Painted Lady caterpillars and the butterflies were puny compared to some of the ones we saw. Later we spent a little time in the town of Mindo looking around. We found this cool juice stand. We all sat on these fun bamboo swings, drinking our favorite fresh tropical juice mixtures, mine pineapple coconut, at $.70 each.
My only other memory of this rainforest trip was that Jake LOVED the puddles, walked through everyone, and could not stay dry. We even had to buy him a pair of rubber sandals, because we didn’t want him to get sick wearing his wet shoes all day.
That night when we got home we did a major load of laundry and packed for our two day trip to Papallacta 2 hours east of Quito & over the continental divide in the Andes. (Map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107841345159433272593.0004525eb4b842e4c7516&ll=-0.019226,-78.137512&spn=1.35678,1.820984&z=9 )
On the way we stopped at a lake to fish and eat trout for lunch, but the restaurant was closed. It didn’t matter. We loved walking around the little lake, enjoying the views and cool llamas.
Papallacta is a very small town with a great thermal bath resort and a hydroelectric power plant owned by Ecoluz, a for-profit subsidiary of HCJB Global. The town sits at about 10,500 feet. We stayed that night at the Ecoluz / HCJB guest house. (More later) We checked in there then went to the Termas Papallacta thermal baths at 10,824 feet (http://www.papallacta.com.ec/termales.htm ). They were great! Bill, Emma, Grace and Steve “enjoyed” jumping into the icy cold river then back into the thermal pools. I lay with my head between pools floating (tummy out) while the kids played “hair salon.” It was very relaxing and got my mind off the nausea that comes with pregnancy. I’m afraid more and more I don’t feel that good. This was a great distraction. We spent about 3 hours there.
The next morning (Thursday) we got a quick but really neat tour of the hydroelectric power plant. This power plant made up of two turbines and the river generating them. It generates up to 6 megawatts and powers all of the needs of HCJB Global in Pifo (the short-wave radio towers we visited on the 4th of July) and Quito (the broadcasting buildings and the Hospital Vozandes). Excess power is sold via the Ecuadorian power grid, and proceeds go to fund HCJB’s mission. What an operation!
Part of our experience was our first taste of fresh sugar cane juice at a little stand on the way out of town. Of course we had to try it out. What a treat. We got to watch them wash the cane (looks kind of like bamboo), cut it with the machete, run it through a hand cranked machine, and watch the juice come out. Really neat! Jake is going to get one of those machines for his pirate ship someday. The lady served some straight and some with lemon juice. It was super sweet as you can imagine. The one with a little lemon was like extra sweet lemonade. That’s the way Grace and I liked it. We bought some chunks of raw sugar cane to chew and suck on for the road. I liked that too! It was neat to talk to the kids about how this was the plant we get sugar from when we cook. Bill was offered an extra serving with an added shot of home-made aguardiente (sugar cane alcohol). Oh well, when in Rome…
We stopped for lunch when we returned to Quito. Behind the restaurant there was the most amazing playground right on the premises. There were lots of things to climb on, slide on, swing on, merry-go-round on, tight rope walk on, and (the favorite) zip line on. There were two zip lines. One that Jake and Kendra liked and a huge one that even Bill & Steve went on. It looked like a thrill. I might have even tried if I felt better. They would climb the rope web to a tall platform, sit on a little rubber circle attached to a rope on a pulley attached to a wire; then down the zip line they would go. The only part I didn’t like was at the end, the top where it was connected to the wire, would hit some tires and jolt the kids jetting them like a big push on the swing. Kendra almost went upside down (of course there was only hard dirt under them). I guess it’s the mother in me.
Tonight we got an e-mail from the folks whose house we are staying at. They had been reading our e-mails and gave us some advice on the cold bath situation. Tonight we got hot baths with water from the faucet. What a blessing! Thanks McFarlands!
Tomorrow (Saturday) we venture to the Quito on that busy bus without Pauli. Bill has a lot of confidence in his ability to get me to the market to shop and get us back home alive. I’m glad!
Please pray for us! Pray for continued safety and that I would be feeling well. Grace & I have little colds too. Please write to us too. I look forward to hearing from you all. It takes my mind off of not feeling so great thinking about all of you.
More road safety… I’ve twice seen kids standing upright in the back of a moving pickup truck, on the busy highway, holding large pieces of glass, as it was being transported. Someone was fixing something on the top of a pole, on the side of the busy street, standing on a long ladder, leaning against the pole. Don’t worry though; there was a singular orange cone in the street to warn the cars to be careful of it. J
We were waiting at red light (the green light didn’t work). So when it went from red to nothing. So we assumed we could go.
Next Tuesday we go with the McCrackens as they move to Shell, Ecuador, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest.
Monday was pretty uneventful. Pauli and I jammed packing the McCrackens’ house. We even got to Steve’s massive computer equipment which he did amazingly quickly. The other thing that happened was that evening we had the Bath’o’thon. For each level of boiled water the kids take a bath. First Grace & Holly bathed at a low - level not too hot. Then Emma bathed, a little hotter and higher. Then me, perfect level, lots of hot. Finally Jake, the dirtiest and the one who takes the longest. When Jake came out of the tub, I noticed a little cut on his chin. I asked him what happened. He told me, “I just cut myself shaving.” I proceeded to lecture him about not touching razors when he informed me that he never cut himself when he shaved before. GreatK I have done a little more talking to him, and I think he gets it now.
Tuesday we loaded up the car to take a trip to Mindo, about a 2 ½ hour trip west of Quito. (Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=mindo,+Ecuador&sll=-0.229498,-78.524277&sspn=0.3392,0.455246&ie=UTF8&ll=0.041199,-78.774719&spn=1.356779,1.820984&z=9&iwloc=addr )
About 1 ½ hour into our trip we pulled over and took a guided great rainforest hike. It was great. We had studied the rainforest for school. The hike reminded me of our little one we had set up in our basement. Large trees, big leaves, colorful flowers, some neat insects, and beautiful waterfalls. This was pretty impressive to me, but this was just mini compared to deep in the Amazon rainforest. As we left it started to rain. I guess that makes sense (the rainforest). The rain continued all of the way to Mindo. We went to see the butterflies at Mariposas de Mindo (http://www.mariposasdemindo.com/english/) . However the butterflies like the sun so they were unavailable for us to see. So we looked into spending the night.
Bill and Steve found a cabin 200 meters up the road for both families to share (you can see the cabana on this site: http://www.quindepungo.com.ec/indice.swf ). There were one bed and two hammocks below, and 4 beds in the loft. Of course the large hole in the floor where the ladder lead up top was not “OSHA approved.” I only relaxed when the unhinged board was put over it. Some parts of the windows were only screen, so you could hear the rain and the river out side. I loved falling asleep to the sounds! The river sound kept Pauli awake, along with 1 ½ year old Kyle, who has trouble sleeping away from his own bed. Again, there were cool rainforest plants everywhere. In the morning, on our way to the lodge where breakfast was served (another hike on a trail through the rainforest), Bill even caught a cut little frog.
After breakfast (Wednesday) we got to spend a lot of time with the butterflies. Jake and Holly were horrified, but the rest of us loved it! I think they didn’t like the randomness in which they would fly past or on our heads. When I looked at the trees and could see the eggs, I longed to raise some butterflies of our own. We’ve raised Painted Lady butterflies at home, but the Painted Lady caterpillars and the butterflies were puny compared to some of the ones we saw. Later we spent a little time in the town of Mindo looking around. We found this cool juice stand. We all sat on these fun bamboo swings, drinking our favorite fresh tropical juice mixtures, mine pineapple coconut, at $.70 each.
My only other memory of this rainforest trip was that Jake LOVED the puddles, walked through everyone, and could not stay dry. We even had to buy him a pair of rubber sandals, because we didn’t want him to get sick wearing his wet shoes all day.
That night when we got home we did a major load of laundry and packed for our two day trip to Papallacta 2 hours east of Quito & over the continental divide in the Andes. (Map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107841345159433272593.0004525eb4b842e4c7516&ll=-0.019226,-78.137512&spn=1.35678,1.820984&z=9 )
On the way we stopped at a lake to fish and eat trout for lunch, but the restaurant was closed. It didn’t matter. We loved walking around the little lake, enjoying the views and cool llamas.
Papallacta is a very small town with a great thermal bath resort and a hydroelectric power plant owned by Ecoluz, a for-profit subsidiary of HCJB Global. The town sits at about 10,500 feet. We stayed that night at the Ecoluz / HCJB guest house. (More later) We checked in there then went to the Termas Papallacta thermal baths at 10,824 feet (http://www.papallacta.com.ec/termales.htm ). They were great! Bill, Emma, Grace and Steve “enjoyed” jumping into the icy cold river then back into the thermal pools. I lay with my head between pools floating (tummy out) while the kids played “hair salon.” It was very relaxing and got my mind off the nausea that comes with pregnancy. I’m afraid more and more I don’t feel that good. This was a great distraction. We spent about 3 hours there.
The next morning (Thursday) we got a quick but really neat tour of the hydroelectric power plant. This power plant made up of two turbines and the river generating them. It generates up to 6 megawatts and powers all of the needs of HCJB Global in Pifo (the short-wave radio towers we visited on the 4th of July) and Quito (the broadcasting buildings and the Hospital Vozandes). Excess power is sold via the Ecuadorian power grid, and proceeds go to fund HCJB’s mission. What an operation!
Part of our experience was our first taste of fresh sugar cane juice at a little stand on the way out of town. Of course we had to try it out. What a treat. We got to watch them wash the cane (looks kind of like bamboo), cut it with the machete, run it through a hand cranked machine, and watch the juice come out. Really neat! Jake is going to get one of those machines for his pirate ship someday. The lady served some straight and some with lemon juice. It was super sweet as you can imagine. The one with a little lemon was like extra sweet lemonade. That’s the way Grace and I liked it. We bought some chunks of raw sugar cane to chew and suck on for the road. I liked that too! It was neat to talk to the kids about how this was the plant we get sugar from when we cook. Bill was offered an extra serving with an added shot of home-made aguardiente (sugar cane alcohol). Oh well, when in Rome…
We stopped for lunch when we returned to Quito. Behind the restaurant there was the most amazing playground right on the premises. There were lots of things to climb on, slide on, swing on, merry-go-round on, tight rope walk on, and (the favorite) zip line on. There were two zip lines. One that Jake and Kendra liked and a huge one that even Bill & Steve went on. It looked like a thrill. I might have even tried if I felt better. They would climb the rope web to a tall platform, sit on a little rubber circle attached to a rope on a pulley attached to a wire; then down the zip line they would go. The only part I didn’t like was at the end, the top where it was connected to the wire, would hit some tires and jolt the kids jetting them like a big push on the swing. Kendra almost went upside down (of course there was only hard dirt under them). I guess it’s the mother in me.
Tonight we got an e-mail from the folks whose house we are staying at. They had been reading our e-mails and gave us some advice on the cold bath situation. Tonight we got hot baths with water from the faucet. What a blessing! Thanks McFarlands!
Tomorrow (Saturday) we venture to the Quito on that busy bus without Pauli. Bill has a lot of confidence in his ability to get me to the market to shop and get us back home alive. I’m glad!
Please pray for us! Pray for continued safety and that I would be feeling well. Grace & I have little colds too. Please write to us too. I look forward to hearing from you all. It takes my mind off of not feeling so great thinking about all of you.
More road safety… I’ve twice seen kids standing upright in the back of a moving pickup truck, on the busy highway, holding large pieces of glass, as it was being transported. Someone was fixing something on the top of a pole, on the side of the busy street, standing on a long ladder, leaning against the pole. Don’t worry though; there was a singular orange cone in the street to warn the cars to be careful of it. J
We were waiting at red light (the green light didn’t work). So when it went from red to nothing. So we assumed we could go.
Next Tuesday we go with the McCrackens as they move to Shell, Ecuador, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest.
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