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Saturday, October 31, 2020

Exploring Ecuador - Day 5(b) - Latacunga to Black Sheep Inn


Dear Family and Friends,

Our drive from Latacunga to the Black Sheep Inn was filled with so many things I had to make a separate post.  Here I am posing with a local artist, but more about that later.  


We were climbing even higher in the Andes.  The scenery was getting even more beautiful.


This is a typical woman of the region.  She is wearing the typical clothing.  She is also appreciating the beauty of her homeland, just as we were doing.


I don't know why, but I always thought you could not ride a llama.  I was truly surprised when we saw this kid riding a llama.  In this area, very high in the Andes, they are used as pack animals.  We saw llamas everywhere and very few horses.  I think the llamas are more adapted for the altitude.


Besides the bus, this is another common form of transportation.


We shared the highway with sheep.  These guys seemed to be following a dog.


As we passed them, I was able to get a photo that is up close.

We passed through an area of Ecuador known as the Tigua region.  It is known for artists of folk art.  We saw this man on the side of the road and I yelled STOP.



This young man spoke perfect English.  He explained that we was dressed in a traditional celebratory costume.  He told me that he was and artist and invited us to come inside his studio.

These masks are very famous Ecuador folk art,


along with primitive style brightly colored paintings.  He explained to me what his message was in the painting below. This particular painting really spoke to me.

The letters F.M.I. are the abbreviation, in Spanish, for the International Monetary Fund.  The protests we had all over Ecuador about this time last year was about Ecuador securing a loan through this organization. In order to receive the loan, the IMF interferes with how the Ecuador government manages their country.  In the process hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs, transportation costs are no longer subsidized and many other things that impact the poorest of Ecuador's citizens.  It is not just Ecuador, the IMF has ruined lives in many South American countries.


The next village we came to, Zumbahua, had a bunch of makeshift curbside restaurants.  Traffic was pulling off the road and parking.  We stopped because it looked interesting.  It turned out to be adventure eating for us.



The first booth we went to had two ladies cooking food over a charcoal grill.


A close examination of what they were cooking let us know that this was not going to be our lunch.  This is what I can tell is on the grill:  lots of chicken feet, chicken gizzards and things I am not aware of.  The small birds in front are a mystery.  Looking at the size of them compared to the size of the chicken feet says they are extremely small.


We moved on, deciding that there is a limit to our adventure eating.  This lady and many, many more ladies were frying pork in huge caldrons.  They were they all were cooking the same menu.  Fried pork, grilled bananas, boiled potatoes, fava beans and grilled corn topped with a slice of fresh cheese.



We finally picked some ladies to buy our lunch from.  I asked if there was some place for us to eat our meal.  


We were escorted to this dining room.



This is a picture of my plate.  


We were the only people in this dining area.  For an adventure eating meal, it was pretty good.  The pork could have been more tender, but it was chewable and tasty.  Each meal was about $2.00


After we finished lunch, we rode a little way more down the highway until we came to a canyon.  We parked and paid the $1.00 to see it.  


We hiked down a little to have a look.  It is not a ""grand canyon" that is for sure and for my Georgia friends, it is not even a "providence canyon."  But when you are riding along the highway and come to a roadside attraction, you just have to stop.


We continued our journey on to Black Sheep Inn. 

Next post I will tell you all about this eco lodge haven.

Love,
Nancy and Chuck

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