3rd World?

I have been called "Suzy Sunshine", and I know I have a tendency to put a positive spin on EVERYTHING. Sounds like a good trait, but it can have it's down side. I would never want anyone to make a life altering decision based on how I view things (unless, of course, it's the decision to learn what the bible really teaches).
I live in a really nice apartment. It is furnished with what looks like nice furniture. I am going to buy a wicker chair and ottoman because I have been here a month and sitting on the love seat everyday has already caused the foam to squish down. I have no hot water. The landlord is going to install a hot water heater, but only in the bathroom. We have special soap here so that we can wash our dishes in cold water, but most times I am boiling water because it just doesn't seem right.  The air conditioner never goes off in the bedroom.  You can't sleep in the oppressive humidity.  I am going to buy a big fan tomorrow so that might change things a bit. No one can complain about dust the way I can. I have to wipe down everything everyday. It doesn't help that there is a big construction site a block away. Don't come here if you can't climb stairs. Remember, I am on the third floor and we are always encountering stairs in our ministry.
I have been "sick" for a week now with what most would call "Montezuma's revenge". At first I thought I had gotten a parasite so I started to take the medication for that, but it should have gone away right quick, but it didn't so I am now taking my grapefruit seed extract with lots of lime juice and not eating very much. I have lost a lot of weight (the Suzy side of me) and can control things so that I can still be out in service then spend the rest of the day and evening close to the bathroom.
It's 6 am Sunday morning. I just went to make coffee and heard the big gate at the front of our property open. (Everything is behind locked gates here.) There is a big water truck out front which is really good news.  Last night I was cleaning up after cutting up some fruit and there was no water. I had been warned that this could happen. Our cistern was bone dry and my neighbor was trying to get a hold of the landlord.  We have a really good landlord. I know this because I have spoken with others who have had to wait for days for water.
AND Manta smells bad! Maybe not horrible all of the time (Suzy, again), and maybe I'm getting used to it, but when we go out of town, even just to the next town for service, when you come back you get a whiff of the fishy, port city that it is.
While trying to maneuver around my washer that I have to put in the bathroom to do laundry, I fell on the toilet seat and broke it.  Oh well, stuff happens, but you don't think about how you have to get a new toilet seat and carry it home in the taxi.
There is always good news and bad news. Yesterday I came home and there was a new microwave oven waiting for me. Only problem is I spent an hour trying to find a manual on line because all of the instructions are in Spanish.
So, is life easy here? Am I just on an extended vacation? Is this really retirement? If that was the case I would have picked an easier place to live and I could even find that here in Ecuador, but I will tell you what makes it all worthwhile. Yesterday I got to stand out in the heat and watch hundreds of people get off of a huge cruise ship and mill around the open market that was set up just for them.  I got to watch as they looked, with curiosity, at our literature cart.  I got to talk with a couple from Niagara Falls, Canada and give them a tract. We talked about JW.org and they had not heard of it before. Then I met a brother and sister from Austria. They were on a month cruise celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary, but the brother wanted to tell us how happy he was that he was able to witness to people on the ship everyday. He was so excited to be able to help people know Jehovah. That's how I feel.

A Need To Vent

Really, I need to talk. I've come to the realization that there is no one to talk to.  I went from so many to none.  I've always said that change is good and I still believe that, but sometimes change is hard.
I have had a bad week. I very rarely get sick, but I have been sick for a week.  I'm not dealing with it very well.  Started out with allergies, turned into sinus infection and now it has gone respiratory. Started coming on Monday night. I had to go to the legal office Tuesday to check on my visa or I wouldn't have left the house. I haven't left the house since. Perhaps I just need to get used to the weather or living with air conditioning or I just tried to do too much, I don't know, but I don't like being sick.  Sick males you feel sorry for yourself.  I have so much to be grateful for that I don't like the self pity.  Sick doesn't allow you to do what you want to do so that is upsetting. On the positive, sick has made me understand the chronically sick better.  I will pray for them even harder.
What I really want to do is be out in the preaching work.  I feel that this is my main purpose in life and when you can't do what you are meant to do it is worse than being sick. It's crippling.
The friends here are wonderful, but they don't really know me yet.  A few have checked in, but they don't know if I just don't want to be bothered.  How could they? I don't know that myself. I know I could call any one of them and they would be here with anything I needed, but I don't know what I need.
 I can't talk with my friends or family back in the States.  Phone calls don't happen because it's too expensive. Amanda and I have a plan and I can talk with her on the phone, but there are so many variables. The time difference is hard.  I am constantly considering what the family is doing 3 hours earlier. When I am most available they are sleeping.  I am assuming it's the same for them. They are busy with life as am I. It's not their fault that I have been isolated for almost a week and they are on vacation.  So, I went from talking to my daughter everyday ( sometimes many times in a day) to not talking to her for days. So there you are. No one to talk to.
In the middle of this I tried to blow myself up! It's kind of funny now, but it also made for some more revelations.  Still, even though not feeling well, my comfort comes from cooking.  There are so many things I want to try here because the ingredients are so different I am so curious as to how to make them work.  This week I made dinner rolls, cookies, spaghetti sauce, quiche, meatloaf. Yep, been experimenting. Most turned out pretty good.  My stove is hooked to a gas tank under the counter.  Probably because I couldn't smell (stuffy nose) I didn't realize I had turned the gas on much before I put the lighter to the oven.  HUGE explosion!  Well, it was to me.  It, of course, could have been much worse. After all, I'm still alive. When I realized that there was no fire and I was still alive I went to the door in time to hear my neighbors below me hollering up, "Are you okay"? I yelled back that I was and then ran to the bedroom to get the tea tree oil because I knew I was burned.  Mark was assessing the situation.  Basically the stove had blow UP.  Everything went up.  All of the racks inside went up, the burners went up and the pot of spaghetti sauce went up. When everything came back down it didn't land in its proper place.  Mark put the stove back together ( do you believe it, nothing was broken) I cleaned up sauce from everywhere.  Mark lit the stove and oven and I proceeded to bake the cookies that were waiting to go into the oven. My hand and arm hurt really bad for a couple of hours, but the tea tree oil did its trick and I don't have any residual effects. I do have singed hair on one side of my face, but I'm wearing that as a badge of survival (stupidity).
The revelations? I am not as invincible as I might think. Anything can happen at any moment. AND I still love it here.
This place is crazy. Mark said, "Welcome to Ecuador". I will learn, I just hope it isn't always the "hard way". Okay, I feel better. Not the sick, but the emotional.  Seems this might have worked, because I am thinking I am talking to you.  I'm okay, I hope you are too. Thanks for letting me vent.

A DAY

Yesterday I woke up at about 4:30 am. My alarm was set for 5, but I guess I was excited to start the day.  I had been invited by the Guyton family (the friends that live downstairs that have helped me so much to get settled into my new home) to go with them to the country (el campo) to help a small congregation in their seldom worked territory.  This congregation has about 20 publishers, one elder, but their meeting attendance is always around 70-80, which shows the interest.
We left about 6:30. Four Guyton's, Mark, Heather, Jonas (12) and Rylan (10), Karina, and myself.  It would be about an hour and a half drive through some beautiful country.  We made it to the Kingdom Hall just before the meeting for service. The Hall was built about 2 yrs ago. Modest and small with decorative, open pattern bricks between the roof and walls to let in the air that is then moved around by fans.  The seats were filled by the many from our Spanish congregation and the English group that had come to help. The greatest help comes from the brothers who have vehicles so that they can make it out to the territory which was about an hour from the Hall. One of our English brothers even rented an SUV in order to help. When we left the Hall our vehicle had 10.
The terrain was up and down steep hills and dirt roads.  We climbed higher and higher with cliffs that just seemed to drop off the edge of the road. Then we stopped at the side of the road which seemed to be no where.  Our Spanish brother took off up a side road where he had spotted a couple sitting on the side of the road.

This is where we stopped and this is what we were all looking at over the edge of the cliff. Not easy to see, but those are howler monkeys.  There were about a dozen in the trees. The sound they make is unbelievable. I googled them and found a great YouTube, but the sound echoing in the valley is even more awesome. 

After waiting about 30 minutes for the brother to talk with these people (they were very interested and took a lot of literature) we drove up that steep road to find the one house that was up there. There were several open windows so while Alfredo and Heather were talking with this young woman there were other family members listening.  She had never heard God's name before and was amazed when they showed it to her in the bible at Palms 83:18. 

When we turned around in the driveway to go back down the hill these people were coming out of a path with large bags full of cacao. Our brothers jumped out of the car to talk with them.  Not included in the picture are another couple of the friends talking with some more who came out of the trees. Again, they talked for a very long time and placed much literature as these people have probably never heard anything about the bible, but they love God. Hard for us to believe in this day and age that there are still those who have not been contacted, but down the road a little bit we stopped and two of our brothers left us for a twenty minute hike back to a house where they found an older man who had never talked to witnesses before. He was very happy to have company, but very surprised that someone would make that trek through vegetation that harbored snakes.  Thankfully Brother Guyton isn't fearful, but the 40 minutes he spent in the bush not easy.  Slipped in the mud, climbed steep hills, etc. The other car group that was with us had stopped to visit 4 homes down one road. It took them over an hour as the homes were difficult to get to. Our sisters bravely climbed hills and encountered many critters.  I got to get out of the car one time.  The homeowner was not there which was very unusual but the dog was and it didn't like us being there. The Spanish sister I was with had suffered a bad dog bite so she was also very cautious.  The brother came out of the car and placed literature in the gate.  

By now it is after noon so we head back to the town where one of the sisters from the congregation has prepared lunch for us.  She made ceviche and a chicken with rice and spaghetti noodles.  Plantain chips and plenty of water or soda to drink.  We were tired and dirty, but were told that the congregation was planning a little get together for us, so we took a drive over to the brother's house.  We were so happy to be there. We danced and laughed and talked with our new friends, but the best part was eating fresh fruit off of the trees that were all around us.  We were dancing under a cacao tree. That is where chocolate comes from.  The brother opened one of the pods and I was so surprised to see the seeds were green with some fruit around them.  We put them in our mouth and the fruit is sweet and kind of tastes like mango.  When they are dried they turn the brown color we know as chocolate and that amazing flavor comes out.  We stopped at a little place where they sell the dried cacao. You grate it right off the bean.  I bought a piece that would probably cost about $30.00 at Whole Foods for just $2.50.

So, we danced and had a wonderful time and then the brothers started to talk to the crowd about their appreciation for the help.  There were experiences told and hugs and kisses all around.  They brought out a cake and I cried.  This was an experience that I had only read about or seen pictures in the magazines.  I was so blessed to be a part of it.  Two weeks in this country and I am able to see that Jehovah's promise that "this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth" (Matt 24:14) is being fulfilled.

Made the long trip back home.  Got detoured in town by a parade (any excuse here) for the Ecuadorian Soccer team. Stopped at a restaurant for dinner. Mark had the car washed by a guy on the street while we ate. So funny, these guys hang out at busy restaurants and they do a pretty good job.
Life here is great. I wish everyone I know and love could experience this.  I know that isn't possible, but I do believe it is a glimpse of the new world and we will all be living the "real" life soon.

Little Annoyances

Some irritations are because I am in a third world country, but some are because I'm in a third world country and I'm still thinking like I'm not. The washing machine is cute. Sherry will remember the one we used in Otavalo that's called manual even thought it is electric. You put a hose on your faucet turn on the water and fill the tub. Put the clothes in and turn it on and it agitates. When it's done you open the valve so that it will drain. Here in lies the problem. The drain hose comes out of the bottom and I have to drain into my sink. Funny thing is water doesn't want to run uphill. Undaunted, I drained the water into a big trash can a little at a time and dumped it into the sink. Then fill again for the rinse. Drain again, ( I moved the washer into the bathroom so that I could drain into the shower. Still the little lip into the shower was to high) refill, agitate, drain. Then you take the clothes out and put them into the spinner. Standby with the bucket to catch the water spinning off of the clothes. Exhausting, but do-able until you forget to close the drain when you go to fill the tub with the rinse water and by the time you figure this out your apartment is flooded. I've never been so thankful for tile floors. I'm sure the 2 apartments below me are too. And now I have a load of towels to do. Yes, a third world modern convenience, but a brain that just can't grasp that some things don't just turn on and do it all for you. All of you with your fancy washers and dryers (hanging my clean clothes on the line 3 flights down) don't take them for granted.  Isn't it cute?

So, I'm not complaining (even though it does sound like it) just making some comparisons in my own mind.
Now, here's a complaint. You all know I'm a cook. Love to cook, it's my passion, it's my joy, it's what keeps me sane, mostly. My complaint is that things don't taste the same here.
Case in point:
Side story - Tonight there is a going away party for 4 friends that have been here for a month. They are young people who took a month off of work to come to Ecuador to help where the need is great. They are from Germany and they are very sweet wonderful new friends. The group is making Mexican food for the party so I said I would make chicken enchiladas.
I did, but they only vaguely resemble what I made in the States. That's mostly because nothing tastes the same here. I spent over an hour in the local grocery just trying to figure out it they had anything resembling green chilies. I bought a few things that might come close, but when I got to the produce I was excited to find pablano peppers. Not in a can so should be even better, right? Not as much flavor as I would have liked, but I just used more of them. Cream cheese is about the right consistency, but it just tastes like thick cream. The cheese here is just weird. It does melt nice, but the flavor of cheddar and jack is just not what you expect. I'm told that the package says "sour cream" but it is not even sour. Flour tortillas aren't bad, but very expensive. I may have to learn how to make them from scratch. So what I have is not what I want to have, but think most here expect that. They have been dealing with it for longer than me. Good news is that my Butter Almond Cake turned out great and I have won the heart of my neighbor, Rylan. At 10 he has very discerning taste.

Sorry Karina

The last couple of days I have run my friend Karina all over this town. Karina is Ecuadorian and she was so helpful to Sherry and I when we were here in July. She arranged for me to have the apartment I'm in now and is always there to help me with my next requirement. Yesterday it was to a government office to find out the requirements for my 6 month visa. Today it was a washing machine and a phone.
The day started out with me hailing a taxi and this time I got a very rude young guy. Never spoke a word to me. I gave him the address to the Kingdom Hall and he started driving. When ever we passed a pretty girl on the street he honked and starred, but he got me to the right place so guess I'll just be grateful for that.
I got to work with a sister that is visiting from Ohio. We were right on the boardwalk at the beach with the cart. Here's proof. Look at those palm trees. They are loaded with coconuts.

The afternoon was crazy with Karina and I running around from one taxi to another trying to get my phone fixed (didn't happen) and buying a washing machine. Karina had to go help someone else (don't know what any of us would do without her) and I got in a taxi and headed to the shopping center by the apartment. I did a little shopping for incidentals, pot holders, bath rack, cutting board, hooks, cake pan, pie plate, you know, the necessary things in life. The amazing thing was that by the time I got back to the house Karina was there and so was the washer! That's like record time for an Ecuadorian delivery.  Mark, the brother downstairs had unpacked it and checked it all out with the delivery guy and it was on my doorstep.  Wonderful friends are a blessing.

I'M BACK

Needless to say I am very bad at sitting down and writing when there is so much more to do.  When last I wrote I was making plans, the plans turned into doing and bottom line is the target date was met and I am now sitting in my apartment in Manta, Ecuador. I am happy.
Where to start. Maybe I'll just start with today since there was a milestone reached. I live on the third floor of a very nice apartment building that has 4 apartments. There are about 30 stairs that spiral up to my place, very nice tile.  I love it up here because people don't seem to look up.  I can spy on my neighbors and they don't know it. It's a nice neighborhood, very quiet, except for the dogs. Everyone has at least one. There are a lot of cats here too, but they are mostly strays and only appear when you put the trash out. Then it's like you have brought them catnip and they practically attack you. The best part of living here is that there is a family of Witnesses on the second floor just below me.  Mark, Heather, Jonas and Rylan.  Very sweet family that has helped me so much with everything, starting with picking me up at the airport with the family of 4 that I traveled with and all of my luggage.  A blessing for sure.  Mark has an old Toyota Land Cruiser which, he claims, has seem many adventures. It's a rare thing here as I think that among the brothers in our English group there are only 3 or 4 with vehicles. So it's a ride to the Kingdom Hall for me.  Except when I'm going and they are not.  That happened today. My service days are Wednesday through Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off. The family wasn't going today so I had to make my way there all on my own.  I did it! But not without some amusement. My friend Karina (the Ecuadorian sister who has helped me through all of this) wrote down on a piece of paper what to tell the taxi driver.  I handed him the paper and he couldn't read it. He stopped a couple of girls that were passing by and they read it to him.  I managed to understand him when he asked me how much Spanish I spoke and we laughed a lot when I told him Hello, Goodbye, I'm sorry and how much? We got to one corner and he didn't know which way to go and neither did I. We took a chance and went left and sure enough we ran into the Kingdom Hall.  I walked in with the meeting in progress, but everyone was so happy to see me. Trust in Jehovah and you will find your way to the Kingdom Hall.
We had our Circuit Overseer visit last week. First one ever in English for this group. We have the Spanish Overseer next week.  Sunday meeting was a record.  53 in attendance with 7 bible studies! The English group only has 20 publishers.  Service here is so amazing. It's an ongoing census work then calling on interested ones.  We find more Spanish that want to talk about the bible than we do English.  They will talk to us because they like to talk to foreigners.  They may never have heard the Truth if we weren't doing this work otherwise, because they are really steeped in their religious rituals.
So, I'm hoping this will be a trend because it really does help me to put my (all but scattered) thoughts down in writing. There is so much to say, but it can be overwhelming.

This Is Why

I'm sure the feeling will lessen as time goes on, but right now I don't want to be here.  I want to be in Manta, Ecuador.  Actually, I would love to be in the mountains of Otavalo, Ecuador, but Manta is where I will start out.  November 1st is the target date.
After traveling throughout the country and visiting in the mountains, the big city, the beach, small towns, even the rain forest,  I have found that I love this country for its amazing beauty, friendly people, unique way of life, not to mention the food.  If you know me at all you know that the food would be a big draw.  Sherry asked me towards the end of our trip if there was something I was craving from home.  What I was actually craving was Ecuadorian food.  We spent so much time looking for American food in Ecuador that I really didn't try as much of it as I would have liked.  That will be part of my life in the new country.
There is a big rumor that other countries are dangerous.  I had more fear in the LA airport and on the streets of Portland than I did in any town, city or village in Ecuador.  When we walked out of the airport in Portland to get a taxi I was hit in the face with cigarette smoke.  I had not realized that I hadn't smelled or seen anyone smoke in a month! Sherry and I walked the streets after dark in Otavalo with no fear.  We rode on the bus with locals for short trips and long 5 hour trips without a care.  The only time I felt sad was when a taxi driver looked at us with animosity and drove past us.  I'm sure he had probably been treated badly by a Gringo and now didn't want anything to do with us. I fell in love with the indigenous mountain people.  They are meek, gentle, industrious people who run the country.  Isn't that a concept; a country run by the people.  The president wants to change the law that says he can only be in power for so long because he's coming to the end of his term.  Because he is good to the Quichua people and he does what they want he will probably get the law changed. All they want is to live life the way they have for centuries.
I will settle in Manta, a port town right on the beach, because that is where there is a great need for kingdom proclaimers.  There is an English group there and they are affiliated with one of the Spanish Congregations.  When I spoke with the Service Department at the Branch it was suggested that this would be the best fit for me.  Part of the meeting is in Spanish so it will help me to learn the language. There is so much territory that needs to be covered that I will always be busy.  I love the English speaking people there also.  They were so welcoming and helpful. Lots of families with amazing stories of how they ended up in the country.  I am looking forward to sharing those stories with you later.
So, decision made.  I will keep you posted as to how it goes here with the selling of stuff and the visa process, which I hear is a nightmare, and still relating what happened during this visit because there is still so much.  If you are still with me, thanks.

What's The Verdict?

Home. Home? I went to Ecuador because I thought it was a place I might want to live.  I went to see if there were any deal breakers because I had done so much research that I felt I already knew everything I needed to know to make an informed decision.  Well, decision is made, but nobody gets to know until I talk with my family.  So that subject is for another time.
I promised to tell you about dogs and ice cream.  In Otavalo where we were most of the time, in our little apartment behind the Cruz Azol Pharmacy, we really didn't realize how special it was to be there.  Otavalo is one of the most famous and most visited towns in Ecuador.  It's mainly because of the market and the indigenous people. Everyday the streets are filled with local people doing their everyday business, living life.  Saturday is crazy day!  The market goes from a city block to miles of streets filled with booths and people.  This is when the mountain people come to either sell their wares or buy supplies, or both.  Everyday there are lots of stray dogs.  When we think of stray dogs in this country we think of skinny, starving miserable creatures.  Not the case here.  These dogs are, for the most part, well fed.  They are not pets in the sense that we know dogs.  They don't interact with people.  They don't seek out affections from humans.  It's not something that they have ever known. They are not aggressive either.  They are just a part of the community just like all of the humans that are roaming the streets.  Oh, there are pet dogs.  These people like to put little sweaters on their pet dogs.  They are kept in the shops or behind closed doors in there homes, but it's the roaming dog population that is so interesting.  Kind of like the clean up crew that helps keep everything tidy.
They do have ice cream in Ecuador, but I'm not sure it's made with dairy products or it could be that it is made with very fresh cream and that is why I don't have a problem eating it.  I have an intolerance to dairy and I don't have a problem eating this ice cream.  How they make it is not an issue for me because it is so delicious.  It is a treat though because it can't be sold the way most things are here, off a street cart.  There are a few cold carts, but they are rare because they are costly.  You do see vendors walking around with huge bowls of "ice cream" with cones on top of the pile.  It is a local favorite.  The vendor gets a request and he takes the cone and piles the "ice cream" on and it looks just like the real deal.  Difference is this will never melt because its made with egg whites that have been whipped and flavoring added.  I'm told that it's very good, but never got around to trying it myself.
So, I am filled with emotions that I have never had before.  I drove home alone from Portland.  I finished listening to a book that I had downloaded then I put in the CD that I bought with South American music, I prayed and tried to put my thoughts together, but mostly I cried.  This experience has changed me forever.  Later, I will try to explain why.  Thank you my friends for listening.

Garbage

Probably the most impressive fact about Ecuador is that it is very clean.  Oh, it's like most places that have there not so picturesque spots, but for the most part it is impressive. That is especially true when you take into consideration that they don't recycle here and they are pretty much used to just throwing their trash down where they stand or out the car window.  I was walking down a path yesterday that was lined with beautiful bushes and there was a potato chip bag stuffed into it.  The impressive part is that it all gets cleaned up DAILY. You can be out in the evening and there is a crowd of people milling around being trashy and when you go out the next morning the streets are amazingly clean.  There are men in overalls with brooms that look like they came out of a fairy tale (twigs on the end of branches) sweeping, sweeping. There are those with heavy brooms and shovels to pick up dog poop and other sticky stuff.
Then there is the trash trucks.  EVERYDAY! Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday is food trash day. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday is trash day. Guess that could be considered recycling of sorts.  You hear the trash truck coming because it sounds like an ice cream truck. The truck that delivers gas canisters has a different tune as does the bottled water truck in some cities.  It's a remarkable system that really works well and it keeps the multitude of dogs out of the trash.
The massive amount of dogs and ice cream are fun subjects, but they will have to wait until next time.  It's almost 3 am and the taxi will be here at 4:30 to take Sherry and I to the airport in Quito (about a 2 hr drive) for our flight home. Bittersweet for me.  Love it here, but anxious to see everyone and get on with life.

My Brain Is Leaking

There is so much happening on a daily basis that I feel like I am forgetting.  Things come out in a jumble because they happen in such random order.  For instance, the things I don't want to forget have no barring on each other.  We were walking down the street today and there was an indigenous man with 2 goats.  He was bent over milking one of them because a woman was buying a cup of the milk.  He handed it to her, she drank it and paid him and walked off.  This evening we were walking home with our Ecuadorian fast food and we passed a man peeing on a bush.  Makes me laugh because it's so common here that you really don't think anything of it.  What I don't understand is how they keep this place so clean.  The young people come out at night and street food is eaten everywhere and there is trash and dogs and men peeing and in the morning when we come out and make our walk to the coffee shop everything is sparkling clean and there are never any bad smells.
We went out in service yesterday. Took a taxi to the bus terminal, then the bus to the Kingdom Hall (well, close to it. We have to walk about 4 blocks).  So amazing how these brothers work at trying to find interested ones.  The addresses are so hard to find because they don't have them.  You look for the yellow, two story house next to the blue one story on such and such street.  We went to the territory with two brothers in a car, then met up with another group because the brothers were going on a study.  We walked and walked and walked some more.  Found a couple of people we left literature with.  Went to lunch and then to a place that makes donuts pretty close to American made, then took a taxi to the bus terminal in that town, the bus back to our town and the taxi home.  There will never be any whining in my car group.
Food, glorious food.  Almost every restaurant in every place we have visited has the same lunch special.  It's a bowl of soup, small salad, rice, vegetable, meat and a glass of juice.  Now, it's never cooked the same so there in lies the diversity.  Soups have different ingredients, salad can be lettuce with tomatoes or cucumbers with onions, the veggie can be potatoes, beets or whatever. You can get chicken, fish, beef. One place had tongue.  All of this and its usually $2.50.  Some places cater to the American taste buds.  There is a guy here from Florida and he has a place called "Sloppy Joes" and he serves the best hamburger and fries. Usually a hamburger here is kind of a meatloaf patty with who knows what in it.  Today we had chimichangas and they were pretty close to what we can get in the states. Tonight we went to the open air market.  They pack up all of the booths at dusk and then the food vendors take over.  We ate corn on the cob roasted on a grill, these tamale things that are not made of masa but fresh corn ground up and mixed with other ingredients and steamed in a corn husk.  A version of that that is sweet and steamed in a grape leaf.  And my favorite fried bread.

We went to a neighboring town today to visit a couple of weavers.  We saw them comb lambs wool and how they die it natural colors and weave it into beautiful wall hangings and blankets and clothes.  These are a very industrious people.  

Sherry was just reminding me of the exciting bus trip that we had.  We took a taxi over to this little town, but decided to take the bus back.  We had Charie with us so she was explaining the difference between the buses.  We got on and the bus took off before poor Sherry could get in her seat.  She never made it back to where we were before she had to plop herself down.  We couldn't tell her that when we got to our destination that because we were on the "blue bus" you had to get off the back.  The bus stopped and even though all of these people were pushing past her she was making her way to the front.  The bus driver let her off the front anyway, so all turned out okay.  It just gives us a good laugh when we think of all of the funny things that happen to us.  

What Is Your Town Known For?

Here in Equador all of the little towns are know for their speciality.  Makes sense because if they didn't have a reason to be here they wouldn't.  No big factories or employment oppertunities so they are a town based on their abilities.  Otavalo is known as the textile town.  Yesterday we went to Cotocochi which is the leather town.  We started out the day with a recheck at the doctor, Sherrys doing fine.  Charie came with us and then we went to breakfast.  Our usual coffie place is closed on Monday so we tried another place.  They had the Americano breakfast; eggs, bacon, juice, coffee and some wonderful warm bread with butter and jam.  Also on the menu was Pappa Hash Browns, so we ordered that also.  Here they bring you everything at once.  You don't get your coffee or juice until the meal is ready. The hash browns came out first.  It was like a huge potato pancake served with a salad. The eggs came on a small plate with the bacon on top.  Juice here is abundant and you don't go many places that it just comes with your meal.  It is ALWAYS fresh made and the flavor is nothing like what we think fruit should taste like in the States. Sherry and I don't even like papaya, but here we love it.
We decided to go to leather town so we hailed a cab to the bus terminal.  It was about a 15-20 minute ride.  We had heard from some of the friends that there was a shop owned by a brother who sold leather goods for our ministry.  We walked halfway through the town to get to the place only to be greeted by a closed door (siesta time).  Trecked back into the busy part of town and went to a really nice restaurant that Charie recomended and we had banana splits.

The ice cream is so delicious but haven't figured what they make it from. I know it's not cream or milk because I don't deal well with dairy and this causes me no pain.

We walked back toward the brother's shop and we met up with a man who was carrying his little son.  He said to us "I speak English" We asked where he learned and he said "himself". Turns out he is a guide and takes people to various villages where the indiginous people live. He was going to his house so when we got there he took us into his yard where his passion for orchards was clearly seen in all of his various plants. 

It was so interesting talking with Luis and turns out his mother is a Witness.  As we continued our walk we were a little startled by a bunch of goats coming around the corner.  They were followed by a cow and her calf. Then a bull.  Then a young boy.  Gotta love this place.

No Malaria

Poor Sherry has been feeling so bad for about 7 days of our trip.  She has been such a trooper and tried to carry on, but she started getting a high fever when we were in the Amazon rain forest.  We got back to Otavalo last night and we called Cherie, the sister we are renting the apartment from here, and she came over and took us to the doctor.  We had been introduced to him the last time we were here. He's German and speaks very good English.  He was very interested in Sherry's symptoms as we told him that we had been to the Amazon.  At first he wanted to test for Malaria, but since her symptoms had started before that trip he went in another direction.  Final conclusion: Sinus Infection.  She is on antibiotics and a nasal spray and is already feeling better.  The most astounding part of the 45 minute visit is when he told her "that will be $9.00".  Our mouths probably fell open.
So, when we flew from Manta to Quito and stayed in the cute little hostel we figured out that we could catch a bus to Tena from near there instead of going all the way back to Quito.  We did that and rode the 5 hours to Tena.  I had found The River People on line after they were recommended to us by some brothers in Manta.  We reserved a lodge with them in a package deal.  Best choice we've made so far.  They said they would pick us up at the bus terminal and they did.  The taxi driver took us to lunch to a place that was recommended because they cooked this amazing fish in paper over hot coals.  It was fabulous.  Sherry got chicken and didn't eat much because she was having a miserable day.  Needless to say I got to try both dishes.  We were then taken to the River People office and on to our lodge.  Thatched roofs, no electricity except at the reception area where we could charge our electronics, everything made from sustainable local materials.  We had our choice of river rafting or hiking to waterfalls.  We (yes, even sick Sherry) chose the class 3 river rafting.  What an amazing day.  We traveled 17 miles down the river and will never forget the sights we saw or how many times we thought we were going to drown.  We had so much fun and Sherry did so good the whole day, but by the time we got back to the lodge she was burning up with fever and went to bed.  To bad cause she missed the "after dark bug hunting expedition" I went on.  Actually not to bad...she doesn't handle the bug situation to well.  We saw a poisonous snake, a tarantula eat a grasshopper twice it's size, and a multitude of creepy stuff.  The night before we watched them make chocolate out of the cocoa beans that grow wild here.  Yummy! The rain forest can't be described.  The change from the top of the Andes to this dense, lush forest with the biggest ferns I've ever seen is remarkable.  Memories I will never forget.
The next day we were taken to the bus terminal by taxi, rode the 5 hours back to Quito, transferred buses to Otavalo, rode another 2 hours, took a taxi to the apartment.  We have become world class travelers when it comes to bus and taxi.  Bus ride cost $8, $3, taxi  $2.
As I'm writing this there is the sound of an ice cream truck outside.  Funny thing is it's not an ice cream truck, it's the garbage truck.  They come by every day, every other day being either food garbage or paper garbage.  Everyday the street sweepers (actual people with brooms) are out sweeping.  This is a very clean place with very good smells as the street vendors are cooking all day.
I'm sorry this is long and believe me I could go on and on, but I'll give it a break for a while.  Just making up for lost time in the Amazon Jungle. (Can't say that enough cause it doesn't seem real to me). Miss you, but having the time of our lives.

A (very) Little Down Time

We are in a little suburb of Quito staying in a hostel.  Very interesting place.  We asked for a travel agent in the Quito airport. They didn't have one but the girl at the desk was very helpful and spoke English.  We wanted to stay in a hotel close to the airport, but guess that isn't an option.  She recommended this place and it was about 20 minutes away.  Very nice inside.  We are heading South to a small town that has hot springs.  It's on the way to Tena.  Yep, like Sherry's last name.  Tena is in the Amazon rain forest.  There are some brothers there who own a river rafting company.  Look up The River People in Tena, Ecuador. We hope to be there in the next couple of days.
So backtracking a little.  Manta was wonderful. Went to the meeting on Tuesday night.  The school is in the back in English, then we moved out to the main hall to get the service meeting in Spanish.  Service days are Wed. - Sunday.  Went out everyday but Sunday.  Hot and humid so not what we are used to, but so fun.  We were doing a census work looking for English speaking people. Saturday started the campaign to invite people to the convention.  Friday was the highlight of our trip as we got to visit the Ecuador Bethel Branch.  Amazing! One of the friends in Manta wrangled us an invitation to lunch.  So special. We met many friends from all over the world.  Samuel was from Italy and spoke the best English. The tour was excellent. Laundry was most interesting because of all the different machines they use.  Our tour guide was a sweet young girl whose husband is from Oregon.  They might come visit in October.
Another early morning tomorrow so will close for now.  Thanks for tuning in.

In The Beggining......

I want to go back a bit to our arrival in Otavalo.  Really Sherry and I were both feeling like we had bitten off more than we could chew.  When things are so different but you have no choice but to live with it, it's a little overwhelming.  The shower, for instance.  The water is heated by an electric device that is right there on the shower head. A little unnerving when you have been told your whole life that water and electricity don't mix.  Then you have to turn the water faucet just so until you see the spark.  Spark?!  But, after the first cold shower and you finally figure it out then it's not so bad.  Oh, it's the only hot water in the whole house.  We heated water on the stove [only one burner works] to wash our dishes.  There is a washer.  It's a funny contraption, but it does the job.  You put your clothes in one compartment and fill it from the hose.  Turn the dial and it spins the clothes in one direction, it stops and then goes the other direction.  It does this for however much time you set it for.  Then you turn another dial and the water drains out.  Repeat the process for rinse.  Take the clothes and put them into the next compartment.  Turn it on and it spins the water out.  We were amazed at how well the dryer worked.  The Ecuadorian sun did a great job after we hung the clothes on the line.
Sherry and I are constantly reminding each other how blessed we have been on this trip.  Yesterday morning, on the way to the airport in Quito I called a brother in Manta.  I had been given his phone number the night before at the meeting.  I told him we were flying in and could he please recommend the area that was safest in Manta to get a hotel.  He asked when the flight arrived and told me to call him when we got here.  We did just that.  He said he would be there in 15 minutes.  I asked how I would know him and he said " I will be the gringo with the Panama hat and orange T shirt standing next to a super model".  And there he was 15 minutes later.  Cute couple in their 60's drove up in an old SUV and immediately threw our bags in the back.  He said there was an apartment we could stay in while here as an American Witness family had gone back to the states to work for a few months.  The price was right....free.  There is a young Ecuadorian sister living here also.  Korina speaks perfect English [she teaches English to children 5-12 years old at a local school] and is in the English congregation.  She has helped us so much.  When we got here we were greeted by another witness family that lives upstairs.  They have been here a month from Australia.  He has already been appointed an Elder in the English.  They invited us to dinner.  Tonight is the meeting which will be half in English and the service meeting will be in Spanish.  Tomorrow we are invited to their apartment to watch this months broadcast.
So, just to prove my point.....yesterday morning we didn't even know where we were going.  Today we have new friends that we will have for life...forever.  We spent the day with our new Aussie family, went to the best bakery [recommended by Korina] put our feet in the pacific ocean, ate lunch at a really good restaurant, did some grocery shopping at the "Super Maxi" then came home and took a nap.  Excited to meet more new friends tonight.

Tomorrow Never Comes

Here in Ecuador manana mean "not today". Could be tomorrow or it could be next week.  So when I say I'll write tomorrow, don't hold your breath.
Yesterday, Sunday, we went to the meeting.  That's an understatement.  About 10 am we went to the coffee shop. I had a breakfast sandwich and Sherry had this huge hunk of bread that has become her favorite thing in life.  I drink brewed coffee which comes in it's own little pot and Sherry has her iced green tea.  We putzed around there for a while watching the market across the street, then went to the ATM and then home to get ready for the meeting.  Our new friend Cherie was coming to get us to show us how to get there.  She was late so we ran out the door to hail a cab.  This was our first taxi ride.  I bet there are more cabs here than there are in New York.  We got in and before I got my door closed the driver was making a u-turn and I was almost out the door. He thought it was funny.  He took us to the bus terminal for $1.  The bus was about to leave so we had to run.  Sherry and I didn't know what we were doing so we followed Cherie, only problem, I was pushed on the bus first.  It was full, but I did manage to find two seats together.  Cherie was close by.  The ride was about 15 min, two towns  over  and cost .35 cents.  The buses are huge so you can't really see the road which is a good thing because they drive like Taxi's.  When we got off the bus it was about 3 blocks to the Kingdom Hall.  Have I mentioned that I have already lost 5 lbs with all of the walking?
The meeting was wonderful. A brother came from Quito to give the talk.  After we met all of our new friends.  A sister with a 9 year old daughter invited us to her home after. She had a car!!!  We stuffed 7 of us in and we were off to the most amazing part of the country that we didn't know was this close to us. Beautiful, lush green lawns and spectacular homes on 1/2 acres. The road we went down had many homes and most were occupied by Witnesses.  We took a tour of a couple of them and then the sister and her daughter took us to dinner in the little town of Cotacochi.  It was called a bar and grill and they served the best hambergers and pizza. Really catered to the Gringo population. Off for now.

Making A Dream Come True

About 5 years ago Walt and I started planning our retirement in Ecuador. A lot can happen in 5 years. Six or eight months after Walt died I decided I still wanted to investigate the possibility of living in a foreign country.  So, skip ahead a year and a half, selling a piece of property in Kansas, intense research and convincing my friend Sherry to go with me and here we are in Otavalo, Ecuador.
The trip here could have convinced me that I was barking up the wrong tree.  It took almost 20 hours, 3 different planes.  The planes were crowded and the flights were long and they lost one of Sherry's bags.  Sherry has been a trooper with only one shirt [the one she was wearing] an extra pair of pants and she had to buy pantaloones the first day we were here.  
As promised by the brother here in the Atuntaque congregation we were met at the Quito airport and driven the 2 hours to the apartment in Otavalo.  That was an interesting ride and I think the driver was being respectful of our foriegn feelings and didn't pass on as many blind curves and double yellow lines as he would have liked to.  We pulled into a narrow street [they all are] next to the pharmacy.  There was an ornate wooden door with an interesting knocker.  Behind that door was a long hall, a flight of stairs [to another apartment] and then the door to our apartment.  We were met by Charie, a 70 year old sister who has lived here 4 yrs.  She is in the sign language congregation.  She has been such a blessing to us, showing us around the town and introducing us to all she knows.  
We actually arrived here early Thursday morning, today is Saturday, but it feels like we have been here a week at least.  Thursday, after being introduced to our favorite "hang out", a coffee, sandwich, pastry shop owned by a young brother and sister [couple] from the US, we came back to the apartment and took a 2 hour nap.  We got up and took a shower then went out and looked around a bit before we went back to the coffee shop. We weren't able to get on the internet at the apartment yet so we hung out at the coffee shop a lot until we were connected at home.  Sherry kept referring to things that had happened that morning as yesterday.  I would correct her, but she always seemed a little confused.  Finally we figured it out when I realized that she thought we had slept the day and night away and it was the next morning.  Poor thing was so disappointed to find out that she had only slept 2 hours. 
Don't want to overwhelm so I will write more tomorrow.