Day 2: A TRIPLE-A DAY: Adventure, Amor, & Altitude

We left the Devil’s Nose Train behind with just enough time that afternoon to get a hotel room and settle in for the night. We’d already had the Hosteria Andaluza booked, which is just on the outside of the city of Riobamba (pretty name; not so pretty city!)

The Andaluza is an elegant, antique-filled hacienda standing in the shadows of the snow-capped Chimborazo volcano. I’ll be writing a blog about the hotels we stayed in later, but suffice it to say we were totally thrilled ~ fresh chocolates and rose petals on the bed and all!

We hit the road bright and early the next morning to make the most of our day in Baños. It’s known for its natural thermal baths, and but more so, for being the adventure capital of Ecuador. You can visit waterfalls, go zip-lining, hiking, rapelling, white water rafting, bungee jumping - you name it. But first we had to take lovely, winding, high and low back-country roads to get there. What a treat. Tiny towns stood humble and proud, each one showing off its unique personality though its parks, churches, and even funky statues. 

One off-beat little town was Pelileo, the Ecuadorian epicenter for jeans. Yep, that’s right. Store after store had big-butted, skinny-legged, mannequins wearing super tight jeans. It’s a wonder they got them on the dummies, let alone real people. Lord knows I couldn’t have managed it!

Anyway, we dropped off the PanAmerican highway and landed into the Baños town square. That’s where the A for Amor (love) comes in. Okay, so sue us. We couldn’t resist taking corny pictures on the “Bridge of Love”. Hey, if you’re going to play tourist, you might as well do it up, right?

We then explored this great little walking town, past one souvenir shop or tour company  after another, trying to decide what we wanted to do for the next A: Adventure. Then they caught our eyes. Cool little dune-buggy-like carts you could rent to go up the “Route of Waterfalls”. That’s it! Just the ticket!  Adventure, Exploring, Independence - what’s not to like?

Sure wish I had pictures of that one. The oh-so-pleasant off the road path we’d all envisioned turned out to be a main thoroughfare ~ dark, wet tunnels and all. Sure, sometimes there were bike paths paralleling the tunnels, but did we take them? No, of course not. Cars, buses and trucks whizzed ominously behind and all around us ~ we with no lights in the tunnels~ and going 35 miles an hour max. Lovely. What a way to go. I’m not typically one for prayers, but they definitely came out often on that little jaunt.

Our first stop on the route was where you could zip-line or take an aerial tram across a gorge beautifully punctuated by a waterfall. I’m a wimp when it comes to heights, and this one was way more than any I’d dared in Costa Rica. So Cindy and I watched the guys suit up and fly to the other side. But woops! They didn’t make it. There they were, dangling yards away from the cliff, waiting to be towed in by this one poor little guy handling at least one way bigger Gringo. I would’ve freaked.

A for Altitude. The next stop was one I knew I had to do. It was a walk down to a waterfall where apparently you could go swimming. It was definitely stunning, thundering spray that created a full rainbow. The climb back up was tough, though, with its steep stairs and perilous heights - plus we were in the Andes highlands to boot. I was really feeling my age. Dang! 

When we finally got back into town, it was time to get up to the hotel. Yep. UP again. The Casa Amarilla (Yellow House) could only be accessed by horse or a 20 minute hike - UP a rough dirt path. Yes, with heavy backpacks in tow. And the liquid refreshments bought in town to help us crash. Oh, joy!

Actually, this little inn was well worth the trek. It’s a lovely place overlooking the town with sweet young hosts. Sufficiently pooped, we flopped into bed early. After all, tomorrow was Quito day. On the road again...

ECUADOR ROAD TRIP! Day 1: The Devil's Nose Train

Sometimes the best adventures are those unplanned. Our little impromptu getaway with favorite amigos couldn’t have worked out better - thanks to great travel companions, a free local tourist guidebook, our GPS, Trip Advisor and booking.com.

Not that the initial reason for our little adventure was all that positive. An ex-pat our friends had hired to help them get their residency visas in Quito had apparently walked away from his business, leaving them (and other clients, I'm sure) high and dry. No phone calls, no emails. He had their money, but had he done his job at all? Were their visas approved, or even in the process? There was no other option but to go to the immigration office to find out for themselves.

Road Trip! When life gives you lemons, you make margaritas, right? Maps out, plans got underway. Yes! We’d go right up what’s called the Avenue of the Volcanoes, towards Quito, which runs right up through two parallel chains of the Andes. Woohoo! 

We threw the bags into the back of the pickup and were on our way. The first destination was just 2.5 hours or so north of Cuenca - a ride on the ominous-sounding Devil’s Nose train. The rail line was built in 1901, and was considered to be the “most difficult train in the world” because it zig-zags through mountains like no other, rising up to 5,723 above sea level. The construction cost was over a half million dollars at that time, but the biggest toll was in the lives of hundreds of workers due to disease and accidents. In fact, many of the workers were actually slaves from other countries who had been promised freedom if indeed they did survive. Nice.

From beginning to end, this jaunt was well worth the $25 fare. As soon as we arrived at the Alausi station, I was struck by its beauty. We were told that it’s been newly renovated in keeping with its original lovely wood and brick design. Inside there’s a lovely little gift shop in which local vendors can sell their sweet Ecuadorian artesan wares.

The adorable, shiny red and black train awaiting us with its “Ecuador - Ama La Vida” logo (Ecuador-Love Life!) was any child’s dream. We climbed up and into the car, surprised to see comfortably upholstered free-standing chairs. Once we got going, we rolled down through a dry, yet pretty, mountain range, listening to a pretty young bilingual guide tell the intriguing tales of how spirits of the construction days still haunt the valley. She explained that it’s not the train itself called the Devil’s Nose, but that one of the mountain formations supposedly resembles the face of Satan looming over the once- treacherous site. Apparently the adage is that if you have difficulty seeing it, it’s because you’re closer to the devil than you might have thought. Hmmm....

We chugged on downwards and came to a station stop where we were greeted by folkloric dancers in their colorful indigenous costumes. There we were encouraged to spend the next hour joining them in dance, walking up to the Museum of the Condor with scenic vistas, enjoy a horse ride, and/or have our complimentary lunch at the restaurant.

So, all that for $25, and it was a class-act all the way. And while the ride wasn’t nearly as hair-raising as it sounded, it was definitely both fun and interesting ~ a great way to kick off our adventure.

CUENCA ~ A FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?

The great Ponce de Leon would’ve been envious.

As I pass along Cuenca’s vibrant city streets, I find myself taking a good long look at its people. I see older indigenous women, their long dark double braids trailing down, not a single gray hair among them.  I see elegantly dressed, sophisticated men and women, physically fit and with soft, well-preserved complexions. People of all ages exercise regularly in local parks and power walk along its rivers. I wonder. Is there a secret to their apparent youthful vitality?

Maybe it’s genetics. Or diet. Or the naturally active and less stressed lifestyle. Heck. Maybe it’s just all in their attitude.

Funny thing, that. I’m seeing the same traits in fellow ex-pats. Generally the people who have emigrated here tend to be leaner, fit, and consciously healthy. I haven’t seen an obese one among them. And gray hair? Okay, maybe in the handsome, gracefully-aging men. We women would probably fess up to a less natural way of dealing with that, but that’s okay. And youthful faces? You bet.

Again, I ask myself why. Genetics? Diet? Active and less stressed lifestyles? Attitude?

Yep, probably all of those. But for some, there’s yet one more secret tool in their toolbox. Cosmetic surgery.

Oh, the thought of it! Not so long ago the very idea conjured up a visceral, negative reaction within. It’s Vanity!  Insecurity!  Deception!  I would think. But that’s when I had the luxury of youth on my side. Before I looked in the mirror and saw my eyes beginning to change and noticed the deep furrowed lines running straight across my forehead. Before my once relatively "cute" body started to betray me.

What I’ve learned is that Cuenca is fast-becoming a significant destination for affordable, high quality surgery. I know this because it seems to be a pretty common topic of conversation here. I stand at parties, knowing that many of those beautiful, unlined faces have had a little boost. And for the first time, I get it. Why wouldn’t someone want their outside appearance to match their youthfulness inside? Is it really so bad?

Well, who knows? Maybe I’ll find the need at some point to tap into that easily accessible Fountain of Youth some day. Or maybe not. For now I’m going to see how far this not-always-so-gracefully aging face and body will take me. It’s a wonderful thing to know there'll always be options, though!

Clearly, I'm learning that aging is definitely not always easy. What do you think?

HOME ~ IT IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Every time I think about our trip back to the East Coast I think of the word Gratitude.

Sometimes it feels like Jeff and I are living kind of a fairy tale life together, and we know it’s because we’ve got so many incredible people behind us. Fortunately, our families and friends happen to be very “together” people with warm hearts and generous souls. THEY are all we truly miss here, and when we go to our other “home”, it’s inevitably one celebration after another as we reunite. We sincerely feel loved, and treasure our time with each and every one very deeply.

I mention “generous souls”, and I’m not exaggerating. When we’re back, we need no less than airport pickups, places to stay, and a vehicle to get around and go back and forth between RI and CT to visit everyone. Which means we impose on those we love, and it blows our minds at how gracious they are. The generosity (and tolerance!) of our family and friends is never forgotten. So I think It’s high time I get to thank everyone for being there for us and making our trips back free and easy - and always a blast!

We typically arrive in Boston, and not always at an easy hour. This time the already late-night plane was delayed, and we ended up getting in at 1:00am. Did my sister Lois and brother-in-law Dan complain? Nope. They just smiled and hugged and welcomed us as if it weren’t any problem at all - and they still had another hour’s drive back to their home in RI! Naturally, we had a lovely guest bedroom awaiting to crash in, too. Ahhh, we thought. We’re home!

Unfortunately, we were destined not to get much sleep that night. Jeff was psyched, though. He’d been invited by his captain friend to go offshore tuna fishing on his favorite boat. No matter how tired, there was no way he was going to miss that. Jim even pushed the sail time up to 8:30am to accommodate him. So here we were, waking up four hours later to get him ready. We hopped into my sister’s car to drive him to our next blessing - the use of his best buddy Andy’s car - no ordinary car at that. We drove up to an unbelievable Classic Dodge Challenger - pumpkin orange with a black stripe running down the hood. Not subtle, mind you, but definitely awesome.  We couldn’t believe he’d lent us his coveted 50th birthday present. 
Now that’s friendship!

While Jeff was into his favorite getaway world, I was in mine with my two “big” sisters. As “the kid”, Lois and Lorraine had always been there for me, and adulthood transformed our sisterhood naturally into friendship. Our afternoon together was especially poignant and celebratory. Lorraine had recently defeated brain cancer! We’ve always cherished each other, but never more than now. We know the gift we’ve been given.

Once Jeff was back, we were on to Connecticut for Andy’s 50th birthday celebration. There we were treated to staying at our brother Jerry and sister-in-law’s home once again in what amounts to our very own apartment upstairs. There’s more than enough room to spread out suitcases and all, and we come and go with ease. And when it was time to give Andy’s car back, Jerry and Jan came to our rescue (again!) and let us borrow their BMW convertible. Man, what luck! Nothing like a breezy ride with the top down on a gorgeous summer day. Better yet, that gave us the chance to see all the other people who are so important to us.

In between jaunts, both dear friends Andy and Kim and Pat and Patty had let us set up in their summer homes in Rhode Island. You know - the kind of lifetime friends who make you feel comfortable doing so. The kind of friends who not only make your life easy, but make it full.

And from those bases we got to see so many others who fill us, too. Gratitude.

Speaking of feeling full, my brother Don had his annual July get together. The last one we attended turned out to be our wedding on the lake, pig roast and all. This year it was held on that exact date - now five years later. Our parents would have been so proud to have seen us altogether. Their six kids with their families, and now great grandchildren and all. My brother Paul came from Milwaukee, and Gerry and his family from upstate New York. It was as crazy and as joyful as ever when we get together. My parents had taught us to value each other as individuals, and as Family with a capital “F”. We do. And again, now more than ever.

Back to Jeff’s family in Connecticut, I feel equally as comfortable and love them just as much. Brother-in-law Bill is the family “pivotal person” - often the one who brings us together. His wife Susan recently painted a fantastic mural in a local restaurant, so there we met with  brothers and sister law Jay and Cindy and Jerry and Janice. Family. Family with a capital “F”.

Oh, but how can I forget Mom, who at an energetic 85 years old picks us up at the airport in Florida and lets us take over her place for as long as we'd like? She's still the quintessential mom - loving, understanding and oh, so patient. She's a joy to be around, too, which makes our visits really great.

So there you have it. I wonder if every “ex-pat” can go back and step right into life again with family and friends as if they’ve never left. I wonder if they have the same support system. For me, it makes living abroad so much easier. It’s people who fill your life and make it what it is.  Whether they’re next door or not, they’re with you on your journey. Gratitude.