Beautiful Days and Musings

 

The weather had been just beautiful lately.  I haven't been caught in a torrential downpour in a week or so.  lol  We went for a walk on Sunday down by the Tomebamba.  I'm glad I brought my umbrella.  That sun is brutal.

 

Colegio Benigno Malo.  A gorgeous building, but it needs
some work.

The mountains are stunning on these clear
days, but the pictures don't do them justice.

We finally got our car!  Yeah!!!  It is in the shop right now getting all checked over and the suspension fixed.  We should have it back today or tomorrow.  On Friday we are going to Paute to see the farm of a yahoo group friend, Vladimir.  It will be nice to go exploring again. 

2003 Mitsubishi Montero 4X4

Since we have turned away from the creamery idea and have let our minds start to drift away from that frenzy I have become much more relaxed.  I am exercising every day in the morning and taking cat naps when I need it to keep my chronic fatigue at bay.  I can feel myself starting to slow down and enjoy where I am.  To live in the moment.  My jaw tenses up and hurts only once in awhile. (I suffered from horrible TMJ and bruxism due to job stress.)  The weather is just gorgeous and that is a balm to the soul.  My nails have never been this hard nor have grown this long.  I have already had to cut them twice and they are due for another cutting.  Must be all the Vitamin D.  I am feeling more comfortable in the city and the language is coming easier as long as the person is speaking slow enough. I am not feeling like a complete stranger, but more as if I belong here.  It is nice to finally feel at home.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I have plenty to be thankful for.  Family and friends, all the time in the world to spend with my children, and the blessings of a new country.  We are going to have dinner at Don Colon restaurant just the four of us.  It will be nice to give thanks as a family, but we will also be thinking of our family back in the states and missing them. 

Freedom is Comin Soon!

In the last two weeks we have done a lot of soul searching and reprioritzing, if that's a word.  We went with Marcelo to finally see that beautiful property in Tortorillas that we had seen from across the valley.  We started out around 10:30.  We went and looked at another property in Tarqui first.  The guy was asking $30,000 for 6 hectares.  It seems that when the price is too good to be true it is because the land is crap, and sure enough it went along the crown of a hill.  I'm sure the views up there would be stunning, but cutting a road up there and pumping water to the site would be a huge and costly project.  Another one bites the dust.  :(

The Tortorillas property had the same problem.  There is no servicable road.  We had to stop the car about 1/2 a mile away and hoof it in.  The views were spectacular and we were feeling pretty good about it.  We met and talked with the nephew of the owner.  Turns out that another uncle owns 2 hectares smack dab in the middle.  That didn't bother me so much since there were other places to build a house and out buildings.  Two or three actually.  It is really hard to tell where property ends and begins in the mountains, so we really wanted to see a plat map.  The little school down below in the valley was only a 10 min. walk away. 

While dily dalying on the property it started to rain and then turned into a huge thunderstorm with thunder, lightening and a pouring rain.  The kids and I had our raincoats, but Mark and Marcelo only had their shirts.  The rain hit the trail and turned it into a red mudslide that was almost all uphill.  It was quite an adventure for awhile.  Mark and I had to each take a child and help them up the hills.  When we finally got to the car we were sweating, completely drenched from head to toe and full of mud.  It stopped raining when we reached the car.  Go figure, but that is weather for you in Ecuador. 

Hoofing it.

The property is on the other side of that large hill to the
left.

The school down below in that little
cluster of buildings.

The property includes that flat plateau surrounded
by low trees to the right.  We thought that might
be a nice place to build a house.  Here come the clouds.

 

That property is 6 hectares as well and is being offered for $55 we think.  Couldn't get a firm price on it.  So here's when the soul searching began.  Mark really liked it and started thinking of ways we could divide it and split with others.  The price is too high for us, but we do have some other people interested in possibly splitting land with us.  But then there is also the cost of putting in the road and getting the machinery in there.  It started to become very overwhelming for me.  We would be investing ALL of our money in this venture and still not have enough to get the creamery fully up and running.  I kept seeing problem after problem occuring, beginning with the road, and not having the money to get where we want to be.  I've been there before and I didn't want to go back to that place.  Mark had already recognized that in order for us to grow the business enough to meet the demands we would need to take on investors, and that scared the crap out of me as well.  I don't know why I am so freaked out about it, but the idea of involving others in this before it has even taken shape does not feel good to me.  There is the small fact that I have only made a few fresh cheeses and I really have no idea what I'm doing yet.  I had always had the idea to get the goats and begin making small batches of cheese for our family and friends.  THEN, if I enjoyed doing it and IF my cheese was good I would think about making more and selling small batches.  Once this idea of a creamery hit us it was like a freight train that I couldn't catch.  I loved the idea of it, but I didn't know if I really wanted to tie myself down to a business that would need all of my time and energy when I was just starting to get used to the idea of slowing down and enjoying life.  So, I told Mark I didn't want to do it. 

After a lot of round and round, discussion and more discussion we have decided to look for a amall piece of property(one or two hectares) with a small, nice house on it for cheap.  Then we would like to save our money and travel.  We also tossed around the idea of taking yearly sabbaticals in South America and Europe, but even though the kids want to travel that might be hard on them.  Plus, we wouldn't have a car and I really don't want to live in the cities.  So, we decided to buy in Ecuador and use it as our home base.  In the meantime while we save our money we are going to explore Ecuador.  In a couple of weeks we are going to take a week to go to Ingapirca, Latacunga and Ambato, then head to Banos to see the town and Tungurahua.  After that we are going to head to Otavalo and San Pablo del Lago.  We know a woman in Banos and she has invited us to see her property there.  There is also another expat family from Germany and they have a lodge in San Pablo del Lago so we will stop by and say hi to them as well.  We were going to go up last week and tried to rent a car, but the rental companies will only accept a credit card and all we have is a debit car. 

So, instead of a vacation for my birthday we decided to go car shopping.  We spent the day walking the Cuencan automile.  We saw a lot of crap out there for a lot of money.  We were looking specifically for family size SUVs like the larger Chevy Gran Vitara, Mitsubishi Monteros, etc...  They don't call them SUVs though.  They call that size automobile all Jeeps.  We saw a lot of cars with 170,000, 180,000 and 200,000 kilometers for around $17,000 and they all smelled horribly inside.  Finally we found a nice Mitsubishi Montero 4X4 with 70,000 kms on it at a price we could handle.  We took it for a test drive and really liked it.  The kids and I especially loved the sunroof.  So, hopefully tomorrow we will be the proud owners of a shiny, red Mitsubishi Montero.  My friend jokingly asked me if I was 16.  I had to laugh because in the states when we got a new car it was like, okay we've got a new car.  But, I am so excited to have some wheels so that we can go exploring I actually DO feel like I'm 16.  LOL 

I almost forgot to mention that after a nice hot, sweaty day looking for cars on my birthday we did actually go out for dinner the next night with friends and their children.  I have never been to Tiestos and I was waiting for a special occasion to go.  The food and service were amazing!  Chelsea and Brian know Juan Carlos, the owner, so they asked him what he recommended.  He asked everyone their likes and dislikes, counted how many adults and children and then made our plates to order.  For the adults we had surf and turf, langostinos in a yummy sauce and lomo fino two different ways.  The kids had a chicken dish in a tomato sauce.  The tiestos came with potatoes, rice, quinoa, salad, and bread.  Everything was delicious.  For dessert the children got ice cream, but the adults shared three dishes.  Some kind of praline and caramel cake, chocolate mousse with maracuya ice cream (my favorite) and rum flavored ice cream with nuts.  It was the best meal I have had in Ecuador.  I am already ready to go back.  Whose birthday is coming up???

Getting Farmer Fit

As I write this the kids are making chocolate chip cookies with their Spanish teacher, Fabi.  All in Spanish.  :)

Our good friend, Aaron Williams, opened up a CrossFit Gym this week in Cuenca.  According to his website, The Zone, (http://thezonecuenca.com/) Crossfit increases power, strength, cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, flexibility, stamina, coordination, agility, balance, and coordination.  Sounds like all of the things I will need to work on our farm. 

Just about everyone I have talked to has lost some kind of weight after only a few months in Ecuador.  Even my 9 year old son has lost 5 lbs.  But me?  Nothing.  Not one single pound.  In fact, I have gained 3.  So depressing.  That was one of the things I was looking forward to when moving here.  All I heard while we were still in the states was how the weight would just fall off.  Yeah, right!  I've even given up fresh fruit thinking the sugar was causing me to be at a standstill.  That just about broke my heart.  It was all I could think about before moving here...being able to buy and consume fresh, fresh, fresh fruit.  But even that did not affect my weight loss, so smoothies are back on the menu. 

My mom says it may be my age and hormone fluxuations.  I am 45 soon to be 46 this month.  I also think it may be due to a change in my lifestyle.  Yes, I am walking a lot, but I was on my feet almost all day while teaching in Cleveland.  Here I am reading a lot and loving it, but of course I am sitting down.  Back in Ohio I had chores to do.  Mucking stalls, feeding animals, hauling hay, hauling water buckets, moving animals, etc...   Here there are no chores to do.  Just a lot of walking to and fro.  And once we buy a car even that will be reduced.  So, I am really hoping this CrossFit stuff works.  I'm not looking forward to getting up early and getting there by 6:00a.m., but I am also not happy about the way things have been going. Something must be done.  CrossFit, here I come!

Like a Bear

That is how Mark has been lately.  Like a bear.  He is antsy and anxious and wants to have some freedom to get out of Dodge.  So, today we went and looked at a new car.  We have been bouncing around the idea of purchasing a car for about a month now.  We began to feel some pressure once we started looking at properties.  Riding in the back of squishy cars or in the bed of a pick-up is getting old.  The question was whether we should just get a beater right now that would be Mark's car eventually after we purchased the family car later on or should we invest in the family car now, and if so should it be used or new?  Cars are super expensive in Ecuador since they are imported.  This is a big decision.

We started looking at used beater cars, in particular the Lada Niva.  It is a Russian car and supposed to be built like a tank.  They are all over the city, so clearly they are liked by Ecuadorians.  We found one for $5,000.  It had over 200,000 kilometers on it.  Yikes!  The guys popped the hood so Mark could inspect the engine, but then couldn't get it down.  And it smelled like a smoker's car.  Yuck. Anything in our beater price range is extremely old with thousands of km on it, and they are hard to find.  It has been a pretty depressing search. 

For our family car we want to get an extended cab pick-up for the farm.  It has to be utilitarian, but also comfortable for long rides.  F150's and the like are upwards of $40,000 plus they are big and hard to manuever in the city.  We considered and are still considering a used pick-up, but today we headed out to the Mahindra dealership to look at their trucks.  We looked at a 4 wheel drive turbo diesel.  We took it for a test drive and I was impressed with its pick up and the back seat, which was very comfortable and could easily seat three or four smaller peeps.  It climbed a very steep and muddy hill like a champ.  So, we will compare with some used Chevys and then make a decision.  It will be so nice to just get out of town when we want to and go and explore when the mood hits us. 

New Friends and Totorillas Revisited

*South of Zero blog roll readers - I was a blogging fiend two weeks ago trying to get all of my thoughts and pictures about our trip to Puerto Lopez down before I forgot.  I blogged three posts in one day and through no one's fault two of the posts did not make the blog roll.  Please check out posts "Whale Watching and Isla de la Plata" and "Last Day in Puerto Lopez".  I got some nice shots of the whales and a cute video of the Blue-Footed Boobies.  Hope you enjoy.

After recovering from the trip home from Puerto Lopez, things have fallen back into a routine.  The kids and Mark are continuing Spanish classes and we are still continuing to look for a farm.  I have written our vision and goal, as well as a 5 year plan.  This week I'm going to start the business plan.  I am using a Wisconsin pdf booklet on Starting a Dairy Goat Business, but so much of it doesn't apply here in Ecuador. I am muddling through with a lot of unknowns. 

Here are some random pictures:

Parrots in a tree across the street from our house.  I have
been trying to get a picture of them forever.  They
were so green they blended in with the tree.  I knew they
were there because they are loud, but couldn't see them.
I zoomed in my lens and this is the picture I got.  Not bad.

This square is on Padre Aguirre and Gran Columbia.  We ate
our Live Organico smoothie there.  All the kids were out of
school.  Reminded me of Mary Poppins.

Harvest Moon (or whatever they call it in the Southern
Hemisphere.)

 

 

Back in June on our first day living in Cuenca we met a really nice family that lives in Salinas. They were checking out Cuenca as a new home and this week came back to try to find housing. We went out to dinner twice with them and had a great time.

 



 

Finn and Tali with Morgan and Liam.

Mark (no comment) with Neil and Stacey.

Our friend/realtor Aaron owns many, many hectares in Tortorillas, the area where we would love to have our farm.  He was willing to sell us a portion of the property so we went out to take a look.  On the way Aaron needed to drop two kittens off at his farm. 

Here is where they are supposed to be, on Oscar's lap.

 

 

Here they are making there way to Mark, who can't stand
animals. (Exception: goats and donkeys)

And here they stayed.  Nice and comfy.

 

 

This would be the goat pasture were we to buy.

 

 

Looking down on Tortorillas valley.

I love this picture of the kids.  Armando, Aaron's guardia, said
there hasn't been rain in the region for 3 months and yet
it is still so green.  The pasture is fed by the spring above.

Gorgeous bromeliads.

 

 

This hill is a lot steeper than it looks.  They are about
to roll down.

Oscar riding Finn.

One of Jemma's horses.  A beautiful guy - Hanovarian
two year old.  He is going to be stunning.

Non-stop

My family back home wonders what we do all day, and I know that it is a question that comes up with a lot of retired expats.  What do you do all day?
Well, this week was crazy! 

We arrived home from Puerto Lopez on Friday night.  Saturday was spent just hanging out, cleaning and trying to catch up.  On Sunday we had friends come and stay for the night.  Jack and Andrea brought us, our dog and all our luggage from Quito to Cuenca upon our arrival in Ecuador.  They do that for a lot of couples now, but we were the guinea pigs.  When they bring down other families they always stay at our place.  So, we had Jack and Andrea staying for the night.  We also invited Bruce and Linda and Richard and Isabel over for dinner and drinks.  Andrea brought a new friend with her, Enola Gay.  She is half poodle/half pekinese.  So cute.  Only 5 weeks old. 

 

 

The next morning Jack and the guys had to go and move the client's luggage to his new home.  The kids and I hung with Andrea and Enola.  We had planned on doing something fun once they got back, but they decided to just head home instead.  Its a 10 hour drive.  :(

 

On Wednesday we were supposed to have Spanish class, but we had an opportunity to finally see the farm in Tortorillas that we wanted to see, so we took it.  Fabi still came and taught Finn and Tali, but then she was nice enough to watch the kids while we went with Aaron and Brian, our friends and realtors, out to Tortorillas.  The woman is selling 13 hectares (about 30 acres).  There is about 4 acres pasture and the rest is forest (bosque).  Thick forest.  The hills roll so parts of the property are steep.  You might recognize the area because this is where I go horseback riding.  We found a place where we might put a house, but the logistics would have to be worked out.  It is up on a plateau overlooking the valley.  Gorgeous views.  We would need to cut a road and we haven't gotten a clear answer as far as access and an easement. 

 

On Thursday Fabi called in sick, so no Spanish class.  We headed over to a paper store that I have wanted to go to.  I was looking for a calendar, but no go.  I don't know where to get a calendar.  Mark wasn't feeling well, so he headed home and the kids and I went to the market.  Usually we buy our produce at Coopera (the organic market), but I haven't been happy with all of their produce.  Some of it is okay, but a lot of it seems old.  I brought my backpack and we loaded it with 2 pineapples, a big bunch of bananas, 6 pears, 6 oranges, a pound of strawberries, 6 chirimoyas and 5 mandarin oranges...$14.  Not bad. 

 

We had made plans with Aaron to go out to his house in La Jarata on Friday.  We wanted to see the kind of construction his crew is doing if we were to choose him to build our house.  We also wanted to see La Jarata.  We had heard it was gorgeous, but also that it is much colder than Cuenca.  La Jarata is about 50 min. from Cuenca, but on a really good road.  It is also much higher than Cuenca at about 10,000 ft.  The views are extraordinary and we were really taken with the area.  It was a bit chilly at first, but we warmed up as the sun came out.  We definitely noticed a difference in the temperature and altitude though.  Aaron owns about 250 acres and his house is in the process of being built.  They already have the stable up, as well as his guardia's house.  We walked a big chunk of the property and contemplated where we might build a house and dairy barn.  It is much drier at this altitude and a worry here is access to water and food for the goats.  We would probably have to irrigate a portion of it and grow some of our own feed.  Aaron is planning on an adventure/tourist destination on his farm.  Hiking, horseback riding, ziplining, paint ball course, biking, etc...  I know the kids would have a blast living here, but there are so many other considerations.

 

 

Aaron, Mark and Bruce in La Jarata.

Aaron and Jemma's barn.  Jemma has Hanovarian
horses and runs High Horse Breeding.

Their beautiful home under construction.

The view from their porch.

 

A possible building site for us.
 

Aaron built a milking parlor for his cows.  What a
view while you are milking!

 

After we got home from La Jarata we hung out for awhile and then went to a going away party for the Manuel family.  Tyler, Marvel and Greg have been here for 6 weeks visiting Chelsea and Brian.  Now they are heading home to Tennessee.  We went to San Sebas for dinner.  There were around 22 of us, so we took up the whole second floor.  We had a great time with lots of laughter.  I really needed that.

 

Yesterday we were supposed to go hiking on the Inca Trail with some friends, but I was feeling poopy so Mark went alone.  Now I am kicking myself because I forgot it was the Vernal Equinox and the hike also included a shaman ceremony with food, music and dancing.  The hike was in Cumbe and Mark got some stunning pictures. 

 

 

My favorite.

Ancient writing.



More writing.

The actual Incan Trail

 

 

 

The shaman ceremony.

 

Someone being blessed.



Music and dancing.


 

While Mark was hiking and getting blessed I started to feel better and in the afternoon made some coconut milk and energy bars. 

 

 

 

Apple Pie Caveman Bars.  Yum!

 

Today we went back out to Tortorillas with the contractor, Daniel.  He was able to look at the site and tell us that yes, it is possible to build a house on the little plateau.  Access is still an issue though.  We really need to get  a definitive answer on that.  We figured out where we can build a dairy barn and milking parlor, and where the reservoir would go.  Getting electricity to the property will be a hefty cost.  We will also have to put in a road.  After seeing the property again I felt really good about this area.  As we were leaving we ran into the guardia for the notary's hacienda on the hill.  (This is the hacienda where I go horseback riding.)  He told Daniel that he thought there was another piece of property for sale in the valley as well.  Daniel is going to call us when he gets more information.  So, that might be another option as well.

 

 

I couldn't NOT take a picture of the donkeys.

The property starts up the hill aways at the white fence
to the left.

Property starts at the second white fence and goes up the hill.
Way in the back it goes left to another pasture. 
Starting at the pasture here the rest of the property
follows the roll of the hills to the right.  Mostly forest.
Good goat food.
 

 

It is quite narrow, but could be widened on the right and
all the way into the forest. 

A nice touch...these stairs built into the hill leading
up to where we would consider building our house.

 

 

 

I am standing on the plateau where the house would be
built looking northwest through the valley.

Looking ahead from the plateau.

Looking down the valley from the plateau.

I am standing halfway up the hill.  The pasture goes
allllll the way back.

Another picture of the narrow pasture in the background.

From the road, this is the plateau where the house
would go.

 

If you walk down the road aways and follow the forest

you will see another pasture that is part of the property. 

 

 

 

 The horses watching Finn and Tali run down the road like
a couple of crazy people.