Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sunday in Otovalo

This morning we got up, fixed and ate a leisurely breakfast, and took a taxi to church. Here in Otovalo there are three wards, with meetings starting at 7:00, 9:00, and 11:00, so we decided to attend the one that started at 11:00. We had been told that some of the meeting would be conducted in Quichua, the native Indian language in this area, and sure enough, the parts in Spanish I could follow fairly well, and other parts were completely unintelligible. We still enjoyed it. Supposedly the ward that started at 7:00 conducted everything in Spanish, but we agreed that we just wouldn´t be in the right frame of mind at that hour.

Given the language, it should be no surprise that everyone there had jet-black hair, and everyone wore it long, men and women. The missionaries had the standard missionary haircuts, but everyone else, without exception, had either a braid or a ponytail down the back, except the babies whose hair was not yet long enough to braid. They all appeared to speak Spanish, and quite a few spoke to us and made us feel welcome. Susan was even asked to play the piano, since apparently there was no one else who could. That has been true two of the three weeks we have attended church here. The singing was in Spanish, at least.

And of course, I stood out like a giant here. I looked around when they had us stand for the rest hymn, and I was the tallest person there by probably six inches. And other than the missionaries and myself, no one wore a tie. The men all wore white shirts, but open-neck, and nearly all wore dress ponchos over their shirts. The women all wore similar outfits as well. Black skirts, white blouses, with cream-colored wool wrap of some sort over that. Smaller than ponchos, but similar. The women mostly wound their hair with a narrow strap that we had observed earlier. Since Susan also has long hair, I bought a strap for her yesterday, but how to apply it was a mystery to us, although we tried. So we asked for help before church this morning, and one of the sisters there had her all fixed up in less than two minutes. I watched, and I think we can manage it again.

After church, we came back to our hostel, and ate some food we had stored there. Later we went for a walk, since Susan has seen very little of Otovalo. She is feeling much better, and appears to be completely over her bug, although she is still a little weak. Much better, however, than even yesterday.

Tomorrow morning we will finish packing up here and catch a bus back to Quito. I asked today, and apparently buses leave every half hour or so, although not on a fixed schedule. We may do some more shopping before we go, as I loaded the suitcases this afternoon, and we are not full yet, either by weight or volume. At this point, I am pretty sure that volume will be our limiting factor. In particular, we are going to look for one of the black skirts that the women here wear, but long enough to fit Susan.

This would probably also be a good time to tell a little bit about the place we are staying, the Hostal Doña Esther. It apparently caters to foreigners, partly evidenced by the fact that they do have a website, which is how I found them. Our room initially was booked at $36 per night, but after one night, given Susan´s need to fix her own food, we moved up to the "suite" on the top floor. It has a small kitchen, which has probably saved us more in preparation costs than the additional cost on the room, and for Susan it has been a lifesaver. For her, one of the worst parts of traveling is eating out, but here she can completely control her ingredients and mode of cooking. And the vegetables and such that she wants just don´t cost very much.

We also have a fireplace that is very pleasant in the evening, when things cool off even more. It draws very well, so we get essentially no smoke in the room, but a pleasant amount of warmth. The wood for the fireplace is included in the cost of the room. The bed is comfortable, and the hot water heaters for the whole place are just behind the kitchen wall, which means that we have virtually instant hot water, which is a real novelty here. The only drawback is that it is up three flights of stairs, 46 steps to be precise, and I am sure that I am in better shape, as I have been climbing them on average 8-10 times a day while here. Actually, the stairs should probably be classified as a feature, not a drawback. Anyhow, it has been a very comfortable place, especially given the bug that Susan suffered from when we arrived here. The people who work there are also very helpful and friendly.

The owners are a Dutch couple who speak fluent English, but they are around only a few hours per day, so it is largely their staff that we have interacted with. Regardless, all are pleasant people. There is also good security, as the front gate is locked, and to get in you ring a bell, and one of the staff will open the gate remotely, and then verify that you have a reason to be there.

I should be posting from Quito tomorrow evening, and then we catch the plane back to Los Angeles on Tuesday.

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