Incredible Day

We arose this morning to the beautiful sunshine and had another great breakfast at our hotel. Met three more new Gringos, one from Canada and a couple from Denver, Colorado.  Glen, from Canada is a retired Chiropractor and now travels the world.. He has practiced Chiropractic in Malaysia for the past three years now travels around teaching a course  Learn to Speak Spanish in 4 Days with a new method using music.  He has also developed a weight loss program geared to fit the different age groups.  Robert and Dawn from Denver are here looking the place over, as a possible place to move. They are competitive Roller Skaters and won the National Title in 2006  in roller dancing.

We then met our new landlord (and friend), for an incredible day of exploration.  He knows everybody and so much about Ecuador and Cotacachi. He is a walking history book and a connoisseur of every kind of food you can imagine.  Our first stop was Lago San Pablo, a beautiful lake, with a volcano reaching to the sky on both sides of the lake. We stopped at a restaurant and lodge located on one side of the lake where many of the Ecuadorians go for their weddings and stay for their honeymoon.  It looks very much like a place you would see in Seattle or anywhere close to water that uses a nautical theme.  It was designed to look very American so the Ecuadorians love it.   We then went to the other side of the lake which is the location of the other excellent restaurant on this lake.  Cabanas del Lago, the restaurant where we dined, is a most modern, resort style facility, with a fine dining room, cabanas by the water, speed boats & jet ski's, and  fully equipped resort type cottages.  They also have a large pontoon boat that goes out at 6:30 in the evening with a mariachi band to entertain the guests as they drift over the lake.  We enjoyed a fine meal while taking in the sunshine and the natural beauty all around us.  It was so peaceful watching the shifting colors and shadows as they crossed the Andes  with the setting of the sun. We lingered by the lake until late in the day, then began our journey back to Cotacachi.. You do realize that all this exploring was done via Taxi, and remember that all the Taxis have one speed. :-)

On the way back, a stop at a special market in Otavalo was made to pick up some extra virgin olive oil from Italy, fresh Parmesan cheese and other special items for cooking.  Then on to our hotel in Cotacachi.

We have never been to a place like this..  There is poverty most evident; there is evidence of wealth; every place we have been has been clean and inviting; and everyone here is kind, friendly, and seem  so happy. We continue to enjoy every minute here.  Tomorrow is a big day.  Stay Tuned.

The following are three pictures of the first restaurant/hotel we visited.
These are some of the lodges.

This is the entrance to the restaurant.

A closer look at the lodges.

This is a view across the lake from restaurant where we ate.
Interesting side note this lake is approx 6 miles from the equator.

This picture was taken up the side of the mountain just a 180' from the above picture.

This is the boat that goes out on the lake in the evening.