SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD

I loved geography when I was a kid. Globes were especially fascinating to me ~ all those colorful puzzle pieces uniting to create our one amazing world.  Even then I sensed that all the different cultures they represented had to be extraordinary, too. Maybe some day I’d get to know them...

The concepts of latitude, longitude, and the equator were also cool to me. I saw the order to things, the consistent and proper place for everything. Could I imagine ever standing on the actual equator line, with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern? Was it even possible? I even remember loving the name Ecuador...who knew I’d get here?

On our way back home from Quito, Jeff, too, was determined to find the exact middle of the world. It was loosely marked on our map as a tourist destination, but we weren’t sure if we’d know it when we saw it. And then there it was - a special site in a town called Cayambe designed by an Ecuadorian scientific research group called Quitsato. The big sign hailed us: LA MITAD DEL MUNDO, or, THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD.

We pulled off and into a totally empty parking lot and got out. Following a short path, we were surprised to come upon a massive stone sundial. Standing next to an informational display in the center of it was one lone young person, apparently waiting to teach whomever came by all about it.  And that he did, in English to boot, for the princely sum of $1.00. It was a fascinating presentation.

Excited, Jeff took out his GPS. We were definitely standing directly at 0 degrees longitude and 0 latitude. But the guide was telling us how, approximately 1000 years ago, the first inhabitants had actually built a monument of the middle of the world right on the top of Mount Catequilla nearby. No GPS, no technology ~ just plain astronomical and mathematical reasoning. Incredible. 

Turns out, the archaeological site of Mount Catequilla is precisely located at 0 0 00 on the equinoctial line. By studying other archeological sites nearby, Catequilla is believed to have been the center of a very complex organization of other sites that correlated to each other astronomically. Intriguing. We all know how scholars have often dismissed, or at best, underestimated, the astounding knowledge of our ancestors. It makes my heart glad to see that they’ve not only been proven correct, but also clearly exceptionally intelligent.

Standing in the middle of the solar clock, we were in direct line with another mountain in the distance called Mount Cayambe. We learned that it’s actually the highest point crossed by the equator, and the only place where the equator has snow cover. The presentation got even more interesting when right in front of us we could see how the shadow of the solar cylinder fell incredibly short ~ this because we were just days away from the September equinox. We were so disappointed not to have been able to be there to see the effect when the sun bore directly down the tube!

Well, at least we can say we once stood in the middle of the world. Fascinated with the presentation, we also ended up buying a $20 CD and poster set explaining the essential, and very intimate, role astronomy has played for our ancestors. Even today celestial phenomena like the equinoxes and solstices continue to impact our spiritual, agricultural, intellectual, and possibly even, our emotional lives. Thank heavens!

More information at www.quitsato.org

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OF WELCOME

Pure and simple serendipity landed us at the Hacienda Cusin, circa 1602.

We’d spent a great day exploring Otavalo and Cotacachi and had considered finding a place to stay in the area. Unfortunately, though, the intense smoke of a local uncontrolled fire choked us so much we just had to get out of there.

So now what do we do? Passing through a lot of nothingness and a handful of one-horse towns, I sat with my iPhone to tap into trusty old Trip Advisor. We were all getting hungry and tired, and desperate to find us a decent place to lay our heads. The Hacienda Cusin kept coming up in nearby San Pablo del Lago, but I kept ignoring it because it was on the pricier side ($120 for the night). There wasn’t much else to choose from, though, and we were all feeling ready to just sit with a cocktail and chill. Okay, we said. Let’s bite the bullet.

Well, this is one bullet we’d take in again in a heartbeat. It wasn’t easy to find off the main thoroughfare, though, and we were frustrated not to see any signs. The GPS  struggled to locate it, so eventually we caved and stopped to ask for directions. Turns out it was directly off the highway, down a winding road through a little township. Once we arrived, it wasn’t hard to miss with its imposing white fortress-like walls that

                                           surround it. 

It was a quiet Monday at the hacienda, so when we checked in at reception we were graciously given lower room rates. We couldn’t believe our surroundings. Everywhere we looked we sensed its significant history.  We were escorted through pathways to our rooms, meandering through lovely paths and old-world buildings with period art and furniture. We passed vegetable and flower gardens and a working carpenter’s workshop. 

Ultimately we reached our guest cottage, complete with a full length front porch and rustic furniture. Each of our rooms had a personality of its own with a corner fireplace, unique furnishings, wall niches, bookshelves, and sitting areas. The baths are completely updated and modern. This was not a typical run-of-the-mill place to stay. Everything about it felt sweet and special.

Once settled in, we had our few cocktails on the porch and headed to the inn’s restaurant for dinner. It was a bit nippy both inside and outside the room, so it was arranged for fires to be set up in the hearths while we were eating. We entered the long, elegant dining room, framed in a massive wall tapestry with its old-world decorations. Once again I sensed the history deeply, half-expecting Simon Bolívar himself to walk in. Believe it or not, this absolutely could have happened at Hacienda Cusin in the early 1800’s. He was known to camp near San Pablo de Lago when in the Quito area during his campaigns to liberate Ecuador from the Spanish crown. The Chiriboga family apparently wasn’t in residence at the time, but it was definitely a possibility. Very cool.

I know this because we’d been provided an extensive written history of the hacienda when we checked in. Its approximately 50,000 hectares was originally purchased in 1602 by the wealthy Luna family of Spain as a dowry for their daughter’s marriage into the prominent Chiriboga family. Throughout the years, various Chiribogas owned it, although it wasn’t used consistently as a main home between until the early 1900’s by one of the female heirs Clementina. The farm was then turned into a guest and tourist destination in the late 1960’s by yet another family member, but was unsuccessful and ultimately left in disrepair. The Cusin was then sold outside of the Chiriboga family for the first time in the 1990’s to an eccentric Englishman who made massive renovations and put it on the map in 1993 when it was highlighted in The NY Times Sophisticated Traveler, Travel and Leisure, and the Condé Nast Traveler as well as a PBS program and other magazine articles. At that time the rate was $55 for a room including breakfast. Throughout the 90’s the inn continued to grow to include the Monastery and more guests rooms ~ easily accommodating grand weddings, conferences and fiestas.

Anyway, we finished the lovely meals and headed back to our rooms. The fires were raging beautifully and the rooms nice and toasty. We noticed two bumps on our bed and had to investigate. They were heated water bottles! Now that was one unique luxury I’d never expected. What an awesome sleep I wound up getting!

The next morning we checked out the entire property even further before heading on to Quito. It’s a fantastic place, horse stables, monastery and all. So, if you’re ever in this area of Ecuador, it’s a must-stay. We promise!

CONTACT INFORMATION
www.haciendacusin.com         hacienda@cusin.com.ec            tel (593) 6 291 8013/017

OUR STAY IN BANOS The Casa Amarilla

Moving on up to Baños, we arrived fairly early and decided to spend the day having fun in and around town instead of going right up to the Casa Amarilla (The Yellow House). That ended up to be a very good choice. You could spot it on the hillside if you looked up at it from town, and we knew there was no way to get up there but to hike or take a horse ride up (yeah, right - now that's me!). Better to do it later and only once, that's for sure!

I was a little anxious while we “played”, not knowing just what that hike up would entail. Would we find their parking spaces in town? I emailed, but didn’t get an immediate reply. Then I tried to call, but I didn’t have the right phone number exchange you have to dial first. It was late afternoon. We were cutting it close, and the rain and the dark started closing in. We knew we had to get up there. Just in time, a young guy at an internet cafe finally told us what numbers to dial. As easy as that, the young manager met us at the foot of the hill and set us up with parking. So we left most of our belongings safely and took what we needed in our backpacks. We were on our way!

No doubt about it. I huffed and puffed up that ragged path, light rain and all. It was about a 20 minute hike, and I was definitely happy to arrive. Once there, though, it was well worth it. The view of Baños and the surrounding mountains is wonderful. The inn itself is simple and homey, and the two young owners immediately made us feel welcome. We chatted with cocktails and appetizers while a lovely dinner was being cooked just for us, enjoying the view of the town from the front terrace walkway. Ahhh. Peace. Lovely after our active day of zip-lining, hiking to waterfalls, and zipping around in those buggies. 

The next morning we woke up to so much more. Cups of coffee in hand, we meandered through the pretty garden paths. Jeff spotted birds in a cage and called me over to meet his new warbling friends. We chatted with them for a bit, watched the sun come over the mountains and town. Tranquility at its best.

It wasn’t long before we had to be on our way again - this time to Quito. So we packed up and headed down the hill after a huge and wonderful breakfast, saying good bye to our lovely hosts. La Casa Amarilla is a special stay, but in light of the hike, I think it’s best for those on the “adventuresome” side. I also wonder if it would have gotten a little tough going up and down had we stayed for several days. But for that one night, it was definitely a sweet time. For its very reasonable rate, the Casa Amarilla is well worth the extra little trouble.

Facts: Casa Amarilla, Baños, Ecuador     email: pao475@hotmail.com

Telephone: (593) 099 973 2728    (593) 032 743 147

Special Stays Along the Avenue of the Volcanoes

Well, here they come! Finally. The blogs I’d promised devoted to the really great hotels we’d found along the Avenue of the Volcanoes. I know. Once again, I’d gotten way-laid. We’ve just been having too much fun with our friends visiting from Costa Rica. So sorry!

Anyway, as we traveled up the central valley from Alausi and the Devil’s Nose Train, we figured we’d head up to Riobamba and stay there for the night. I’d already consulted TripAdvisor, and had booked the Hosteria (hotel) “La Andaluza” based on its recommendations. Besides, I’d lived in Spain in the early 90’s and had been to the region of Andaluza. The dark woods and rich, country-regal style of old-world Spain featured in the hotel's photos brought back lovely nostalgic memories.

It also just so happened that friends were traveling a few days ahead of us, and had shot us an email to say they’d found an awesome place to stay. Coincidentally, it was The Andaluza. Now we knew we’d be fine.  Turns out they weren’t wrong about their description of Riobamba as a "trash pit", either. Not a pretty city at all. But as soon as you go through to the other side, the majestic Chimborazo Volcano looms to the left, and the hotel is right on the Pan American Highway on the right. Wild.

Now you’d think that any hotel on the highway is one to avoid. Yet the minute you drive down into its driveway with its tiffany-style lanterns and covered bridge walkway, all the noise magically disappears. You stand facing a complex of several lovely buildings, one marked grandly with a stunning wooden carving of an Indigenous woman. We felt like kids ~ excited to be treating ourselves to such a charming hotel. Dragging our suitcases over the bridge, we marveled at the colorful hanging flower baskets along the way, ultimately punctuated by thriving gardens, replete with white clawed bathtubs. 

We found the office to the right and stepped back in time. Antiques were everywhere. Furniture, clocks, elegant pieces ~ they all welcomed visitors. But then we got our keys and went down the long hallways, and got our breath knocked away. We passed antique sewing machines, Victorolas, and special rooms for reading and playing games. It was easy to sense that this was a hotel decorated and designed to please its guests. 

And then we walked into the room. Rose petals strewn over the beds. Chocolates on the pillows. A fresh fruit plate at the table for two. A desk and a large screen TV. Giggling, we opened the curtains a bit more to see outside. The room overlooked a courtyard gardens, a riding ring, and another building that turned out to be an event hall.

Lovely.

We spent the evening cozily by the fireplaces in the bar and restaurant. The next morning they had a great breakfast buffet (included in the price), to get us on our way. Without a doubt, we knew we’d back on the return trip. And that we were. 

That day we moved on northward to Baños, where we went to the Casa Amarilla, which I’ll talk about next. Stay tuned!

TRAVEL FACTS:

La Andaluza Hosteria   Panamericana Norte Km. 16 via a Ambato, Riobamba, Ecuador

www.hosterialaandaluza.com     

7 Suites, 13 Superior rooms, 35 standard rooms

Recommendation: We really enjoyed the rooms to the right as you go down the hall. On our second stay we were graciously upgraded to a larger suite on the left, but it was situated where you definitely could hear highway traffic. At our request, the staff happily switched us back to the room we’d had originally. Awesome!

    

Day 4: MIXING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE Quito, Otavalo, Cotacachi, & San Pablo del Lago

We awoke in Quito, all of us anxiously wondering what would happen with Joe and Cindy’s residency. We couldn’t believe the so called “immigration expert” responsible for submitting and getting their paperwork processed had abandoned them. What was going on with their application? They had no idea. Thankfully, they at least had a case number which was proof that it been submitted initially to immigration, but where it had gone from there we had no clue. As I’d mentioned before, they had already paid this buffoon the necessary government processing fees as well as most of his for his so-called services, so they should have had their residency visas stamped and all set by this time. Operative words: should have.

With the address in hand that Joe had been given by the immigration office in Cuenca, we set off on foot. Jeff and I thought it a little strange that things around us seemed unfamiliar considering we’d been there before, but we figured it was maybe because we were coming from a different hotel perspective, or that they’d since changed buildings. Nope. They’d been given the wrong address. Which begs the question as to why the immigration office in Cuenca didn’t have the correct address for the one in Quito. Ah, we figured. One of those quirky little Latin American mysteries. So we finally got to the right one, and lo and behold, they were told the fantastic news that their residencies had been approved. Woohoo! Now, how hard would it have been for their representative (a North American, I might add), to find that out for them and shoot them an email? He would’ve been a hero instead of a shmuck who cost them another $630. I’ll use one of my favorite words here: twerp! (which is putting it mild.)

Anyway, that’s when we decided to head up to Otavalo, the site of the biggest and most well known market for Ecuadorian artesan handcrafts. When we drove into the busy little town, my heart sank. This is it? I thought. I’d pictured a sweet little rural one-road town and all I saw was a whole lot of cement, with graffiti to boot. Yet although it bustled, I wasn’t disappointed when we finally found the market. A profusion of color blasted at us. I loved it. Blankets and rugs, sweaters and backpacks, paintings and hand-carved gourds - all kinds of crafts as far as the eye could see. And this was only Monday. Apparently it’s full blown on Saturdays. Can’t imagine. 

And the people. Oh, the people. The indigenous here wear variations of a certain customary outfit - white embroidered blouse with angel sleeves, black skirt, black hat. They sold them in stores we passed, and I was tempted to get at least a blouse. But that is them, and not me. Besides, it almost seems disrespectful.  

So, two watercolors and a sweater for Jeff later, we were off again, this time north to Cotacachi. We’d been reading about it online as an alternative retirement destination for expats - one more peaceful and rural than the city. Unfortunately we didn’t spend a lot of time exploring, so what we saw seemed similar to Otavalo but smaller. What we did do, was spend a lot of time in its stores - one leather shop after another - gorgeous, soft leather goods are Cotacachi’s thing. Jeff and I tried jackets on, but didn’t break down to get one. Maybe some day we’ll go back...

So where were we going to stay for the night? We consulted TripAdvisor, and although there were several places in the area, we decided to go further back south toward Quito. It just so happened that forest fires were all too common in this dry area, and one must have been raging. Its smoke wreaked havoc on our lungs. So that’s how we ended up in the most wonderful hacienda we could’ve imagined - The Hacienda Cusin, circa 1600’s. As I’d mentioned before, I’m planning to devote a blog just to the cool places we stayed on this trip. But this one, cozy fireplaces in every room and all, was the most incredible. Stay tuned!

Day 3: QUITO: SUNDAY IN THE BIG CITY

The trip up to Quito from Riobamba was nice and easy. Yet another gorgeous day with clear blue skies, we easily got glimpses of every magnificent volcano along the way. 

One thing’s for sure - the invention of the GPS sweetened the trip. The PanAmerican highway is pretty direct, but Quito is no little city. Trying to find the Hotel Vieja Cuba we’d booked would probably have been a nightmare without it. I’m convinced that little invention saves wear and tear on a relationship. Gratitude comes to mind on that one!

So we slid right into the city and the Vieja Cuba (Old Cuba) with complete ease. From the outside it looked adorable, and inside it definitely didn’t disappoint. I loved checking out every little charming detail - each contributed in its own way to a warm, understated old-world spanish feel. Very cool. Our rooms were homey, too, providing a perfect respite from the big city outside.

Starved, we headed across the street to what is clearly a favorite local seafood restaurant. It was filled with Ecuadorian families - a sure sign of great eating. Our dishes were really terrific and the prices super reasonable. What more could we want on a leisurely Sunday?

Our next destination was to hit the Old Centro, so we hopped into a taxi. We were dropped off at the Basilica del Voto, an impressive cathedral Jeff and I had seen on our first trip there and wanted to share with Joe and Cindy. We toured around for a while, and then the guys just had to climb up the clock tower. Meanwhile, Cindy and I did our girlie thing and went up to an upper level tea room with a fabulous view of the city. Great choices that made us all happy!

Traveling can wipe you out, but we wanted to take advantage of what little rest of the afternoon we had to get down into the Centro Park. So we meandered the narrow, sloping streets of Quito and got to step back in time. Spanish-style windows popped with bright red and pink geraniums; indigenous and hispanic families strolled in their Sunday best, and giggling children ran to keep up with their parents. This is Sunday in Ecuador, when in general most families take the time to savor and enjoy the day together. The city streets are peaceful, and so seem they.

The Parque Central stands surrounded by proud, well-maintained spanish colonial buildings. It was jammed with people, and there seemed to be several side shows going on at once to entertain. The biggest crowd surrounded a small acting group putting on a comedic skit. The next was a spirited political activist presentation apparently seeking to draw people in to sign on. I noticed that one of the tenets on their poster board was “Let’s not allow ourselves to become little North Americans.” Hear, Hear! I thought.  Around the corner was a religious town crier calling all sinners to repent. Ah, the freedom of democracy and free speech!

Sufficiently exhausted, we moved on back to the hotel. A lovely older gentleman was our taxi driver who seemed oh, so sweet - but took us for a Gringo fare. $6.00!!, we cried. The funny thing is that none of us are greenhorn tourists and knew we should have paid him the true value of $3 or $4, and yet we didn’t. Not one of us fought it. Silly, silly us!

Dinner was served at the hotel, so we decided to eat there and crash. It was amusing to get a menu full of Italian choices in this hotel called Old Cuba, but hey, who was going to question it? And although it took an incredibly long time and many glasses of wine later, the dishes were absolutely fantastic. Who knew?

Time for bed - we had Immigration to go to in the morning. We were dying to find out what was going on with Joe and Cindy’s residency visas. Big Day ahead!