Crossing the street into Ecuador: April the Month of a 1000 Rains!

April in Ecuador is known as the Month of a Thousand Rains.. And, that is a very true statement. We have enjoyed several thunder storms, some lightning, and lots of rain. The days of rain are a bit different from Seattle rains in that we have morning sun almost every day. The rain keeps everything green and the flowers looking beautiful.

A couple of weeks ago we observed the way cement is mixed in Ecuador. Our neighbors had a fence installed for their dog, Duke. The workers dug huge holes and filled them with cement to support the fence posts. They mixed the cement by hand in the middle of the road as you see in the picture below. Quite a process and the finished product was very professional. Duke now enjoys his private fenced in back yard.

As we have shared before, every Friday, the "flower man" delivers fresh flowers to our neighborhood. He has a selection of roses and lilies. He has started bringing 'orderless lilies' for those of us who are allergic to the smell. The pictures tell the story. The colors are amazing and we get these fresh flowers every week - $3.00 for two dozen roses.

We were honored this past weekend to be invited to the birthday party for our taxi driver's one year old daughter. Manuel, our driver, and his wife Marie Carmen, have two children - Naria, age one, and John Emerson, age eight. They are a very sweet Indigenous family. Manuel's wife and children often ride along with us in his taxi. Being included, as gringos, in this family celebration is a great honor. Manuel has become more than our taxi driver, he had become a friend (Amigo). Naria was quite the center of attention, playing with her balloons and posing for photos..

Naria was loving all the attention.

These are all family members. The 2 women primarily in black are the Grandmothers. Maria Carmen, the mother, is in the dark pink top.

This is Naria with the elephant we gave her. Manuel, the proud papa, is holding her & her brother John Emerson is on the left.

We met with our attorney this week, as we continue our Visa process. It is amazing the hoops you must jump through to become a permanent resident in Ecuador.. Patience is the key through this process. The government is constantly changing the rules and the people in office. A good attorney is the key to make all this happen.

Our new neighbors from Panama invited us to travel to Quito with them last Friday.. Manuel was our driver and spent the entire day with us, a two hour ride both directions, and a day of shopping and enjoying the sights of the city. Quito is the capital, a city of 2.000,000+, a very modern city. The day included a visit to the local open air market - fresh fruit, vegetables, meat,, etc. We were able to purchase bulk nuts, raisins, and spices, along with Ecuadorian chocolate for baking. We then went to a modern, first class, shopping center where we were able to purchase products that are not available in Cotacachi. The drive to Quito was a visual wonder of mountains, deep crevasses, green fields, rose plantations, and many small villages. Quito is 10,000' elevation; we are at 8.000' elevation.