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The Serenade
As I type Roman’, the owner of the El Roy Hotel where we are staying in Cotacachi, is serenading Kathy and me with Ecuadorian music while his wife, Manuela, harmonizes and serves us mojitos. It is a magical ending to an amazing day.
View from our breakfast table at El Roy, Cotacachi, Ecuador
It started wonderfully with a breakfast prepared and served by Anita of the hotel staff, dressed in native costume. Roman’ came into the room and asked if we would like Manuela and him to take us on a tour of the area. “Sure!” We had no idea of the wonders the day would bring. Where, but where, would guests at a hotel receive such royal treatment?
We spent the day getting a cultural immersion. Everywhere we went, the beauty of the mountain setting around us set the tone. We visited the wood carving city of San Antonio and watched people at work in the shops. We saw the beautiful Laguna (Lake) Yahuarcocha surrounded by mountains. It is famous for the Formula One race held there, and we followed along the track. We watched ice cream making in a local shop and tasted the homemade treat. We had never seen ice cream made in a stainless steel pot lodged in ice as it was stirred by human hands with a huge spatula, the ice cream slowly being separated from the cream. Italian gelato, you have a rival. We drove through neighborhoods and cities to see how people lived, with wonderful commentary by our hosts. We toured a neighborhood where expats retiring to Cotacachi congregate and even walked through a beautiful home that was for sale. Everywhere the mountains loomed above. We visited one of the oldest restaurants in Ecuador. The grounds were fabulous. Our new friends, Roman’ and Manuela held their wedding dinner there. Along the way, we learned that Roman’ was a retired Ecuadorian army colonel and Manuela had been an Ecuadorian diplomat to Panama and was also a two term senator to the Ecuadorian Congress.
We felt truly honored and privileged to experience such a day. WEG
TRAVELIN’
Today was an experiential travel day for us because you cannot fly from Quito to Cotacachi, Ecuador, and I had made no prior arrangements for the two plus hours of travel to reach Cotacachi from Quito. The folks at our Quito Hostal (hotel) were more than helpful. They made arrangements for the hotel taxi to take us to a bus station where we could buy tickets to Otavalo, which is a short distance from Cotacachi. Upon arriving in Otavalo, we could board another bus that would take us to Cotacachi, where our lodging for the next six nights was located.
We were impressed with our Quito hotel. It is family owned, and every employee is a family member. They were more than solicitous–we received first class treatment. The colonial home had been remodeled into a small hotel. Everything was modern and tastefully appointed, while retaining the charm of the original colonial home. I will nearly always choose this kind of establishment in an old town area over a modern chain hotel and rarely have I been disappointed.
The hotel taxi was cool–new, with embroidered headrests bearing the hotel name. The ride to the north bus terminal was about 30 minutes and the cost $10. The driver parked and took me to the ticket counter to make sure I purchased the correct ticket. He then took Kathy and me to the bus with our luggage and made sure it was safely packed and we were on the correct bus. Amazing! I gave him a generous tip, and he was overjoyed. The terminal was large, with buses coming in and out continually. Wonderful food stalls and shops lined the walkways. The bus was amazing. I admit, I haven’t been on a public bus in a while, but this bus had beautiful, comfortable seats; a built-in large screen TV showing American movies; a driver, accompanied by a “conductor” who received pre-paid tickets and/or cash for ticket purchases. Along the way, people would flag the bus, and it would make a quick rolling stop to pick them up, and then move on. Several times along the way, people in uniform would come on the bus selling drinks, ice cream, sandwiches, etc. The majestic scenery along the way was mesmerizing; the two hours passed quickly. Up and down the mountain side we traversed. Deep ravines with rushing water deep in the earth caught our attention, sometimes because the road ran right along side these deep cuts in the earth. All along the way the trees and flowers were in beautiful bloom.
We arrived in beautiful Otavalo, impressed with the cleanliness and well kept traditional Ecuadorian homes. Once off the bus, the conductor was waiting for us to give us our luggage, and he pointed me to the Cotacachi bus. We walked up, the luggage was secured below by the conductor, and as we stepped aboard, the bus was on its way. Did I tell you that our combined cost for the first bus tickets was $5.75 for the two-hour trip and our second tickets 75 cents for a thirty minute ride?
Cotacachi is a charming small city nestled, at 8,000 feet, between two volcanoes. It is one of Ecuador’s eternal spring cities. It is 75F by day and 55F at night year round. Palm trees grow in the city’s squares. The streets are pavered, not paved, and the sidewalks are bricked. Our hotel is wonderful–another family-owned establishment–and our lodging comfortable and roomy. The owner already took Kathy to tour the gardens, visible from our room. Many fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs will provide for our morning breakfasts. We ate at a nearby restaurant for dinner, and my T-bone with fried plantain, French fries, avocado and pickled salad was really delicious–all for $11.50. No wonder so many American and German expatriates retire here. WEG
Raw Beauty
Wayne and Kathy Graumann below Cotopaxi Volcano, Ecuador, May 28, 2017
In all of our world travels, we have not had a day like today. Our long day was spent exploring Cotopaxi National Park. Mighty Cotopaxi, at 19,342 feet, is the second highest active volcano in the world. As such, climbing on the glacier to the top is forbidden. However, we were able to get to about 14,000 feet, close to the base of the ice. Doing so, however, was an ordeal, well worth the energy expended. The drive out of Quito was great with views of the Andes everywhere. It was a bright and clear day. As we began to climb higher towards Cotopaxi, we traversed changing ecological climates. First, were the eucalyptus trees; then, the pine with various pampas grasses; then, succulents and desert-like plants with no trees; then, wind-swept plains with yellow, then purple, and then orange flowers; and finally, nothing but volcanic landscape. The conical snow-covered peak of Cotopaxi was in clear view, a blessing not always available to visitors. As our day tour bus ascended higher, many cars were stalled out and most were turning around. The road consisted of hairpin turns on volcanic sand and rock with gulleys and ruts everywhere. We were told to hold onto our seats or we could be shaken out. Our guide mused that we were receiving a “Cotopaxi massage!” Once we arrived at the final stop up the volcano, we were given the opportunity to climb another 500 feet higher to a look-out point, the Jose Rivas Shelter.
Wildflowers in Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador
Kathy and I were the seniors on this day tour; most were in their 20’s and 30’s, but we were game. We donned our sock hats and sun glasses, jackets and gloves. But when we stepped out of the bus, the wind was so strong we were almost blown over. Our tour guide said the gusts reached 60 mph. However, never to say never, we trudged upward. The wind was picking up volcanic sand and pebbles and hurling them into our faces. Some people were knocked down. About 1/5 of the way up, we said, “Done!” Going back was harder than going up, since we could not lean into the wind, so small sideways step by step we went down. Some of the younguns eventually came back as well. Once back in the bus, we realized how out of breath we were. Sand was caked to our faces and grit was in our mouths, but we were out of the wind. Yet, mighty Cotopaxi remained in clear view! It is an experience we will never forget!
Kathy Graumann, resting on the ascent to the Cotopaxi Volcano Shelter, May 28, 2017
On this day, we were able to look down the Avenue of the Volcanoes and see four volcanoes in clear view. Our guide said this is almost never to occur. As we stopped on the way down at Limpiopungo Lagoon, a clear mountain lake, we had clear views of the majesty of raw beauty all around us.
Wayne Graumann at Limpiopungo Lagoon, Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador, May 28, 2017
As we left, we saw herds of wild horses and, amazingly, a large mountain fox, Zorro, trotted close to our bus. As foxes are quite reclusive, our guide declared, “We had a perfect day.” I agreed. Descending further, we entered a mountain climbers’ lodging establishment where we were treated to a delicious mountain trout dinner.
After almost ten hours of exploring, we arrived back at our hotel, content that we are still adventurous and enjoying the adventure, while also eager to relax and clean off the dirt. WEG
Exquisite
The weather is Quito is remarkably wonderful: 65-70F by day and 45-50F by night. Kathy and I stroll the streets past Ecuadorians in native dress and others in modern dress selling all sorts of items: plastic sleeves filled with apples or pears; lima beans in boxes; multi-colored shawls; bowler hats; ice cream and back scratchers, to name a few. The city is alive with people. Cars and buses vie with people in the narrow streets, the sidewalks being packed. El Centro is filled with colonial buildings, most in good repair and many quite handsome. Surprisingly, we do not find pharmacies or banks–which have been a constant presence in every country we have visited over the past several years.
The Church of the Society of Jesus, locally called, “la Compañía,” is our must-see for the day. To say that it is exquisite would be an understatement. Begun in the early 1600s, it is a baroque masterpiece. Considered one of the most beautiful churches in South America, its baroque splendor easily rivals its counterparts in Europe. Intricately carved and gold-leafed from floor to ceiling, with porcelain statuary adorning the altars, the church is a jaw-dropper. The ten side altars blend harmoniously into the whole, leading to the main altar. The gold ceiling reflects the light making a golden hue that gives a heavenly feel. We sit for a least an hour in silent contemplation of the faith that would produce such beauty.
We also amble through the Central Bank Museum, proof that banks do exist somewhere in Ecuador. It tells the story of coin minting, with artifacts, through the centuries in Ecuador.
Our hotel has pure hot water dispensers and anis tea. The tea helps with acclimating to the altitude and it works! Both Kathy and I are feeling good, maybe even exhilarated! Hmm, is it really anis tea? WEG
Autumn 2016 Travels in Europe: One Last Look
November 11, 2016 – From the Cotswolds to London
Over the past two days we have thoroughly enjoyed the Cotswolds of England. It is a land of honey-gold stone buildings with moss-covered slate roofs. Beautiful and quaint villages are around almost every bend. Between villages are rolling hills and valleys where grazing sheep idle the day. Stone walls line the narrow roads between villages, and elegant manor houses are abundant throughout the countryside. Our cottage in Burton-on-the-Water has been lovely and spacious, a moment’s walk into the heart of the village where shops and eateries are abundant.
We drove up to Warwick, with its famous castle, right out of the Middle Ages storybook we read when we were young. One could see in the mind the knights in shining armor riding over the mote into the castle. We watched owls circle above our heads and land on a trainer’s arm. We saw many live peacocks in the peacock garden with its topiaries of peacocks around a spraying fountain. We walked the main rooms of the castle and marveled at the cross bows and the catapults.
We spent another day in the Blenheim Palace, the only non-royal palace in England. It is a marvelous structure and is the home of the Duke of Marlborough, the descendant of the great military general of England who led the armies of England to victory eleven times. As a result, the monarchy granted the first Duke money to build the palace on 5,000 acres that belonged to the monarchy. The only rent payment for the land is the presentation of a French flag to the monarch each year in a regal ceremony in Buckingham Palace in London. That is still the rent price to this day. The palace is stunningly beautiful. So are the grounds of the palace. We took time to enjoy the day with a leisurely stroll on our sunny day.
All throughout our trip, the trees have been in fall mode. This was especially true here in England. Driving through the Cotswolds, we often drove under golden tree archways, in some stretches for quite a length. Allen kept spotting pheasant, sometimes dozens meandered the fields close by. All of this shouted, “Autumn!” We spent the evenings in cozy pubs and quiet time by the roaring fire in our living space.
Our trip now comes to a close. We arrived in London today and fly home tomorrow after a God-blessed trip with wonderful friends. WEG
Autumn 2016 Travels in Europe: The Cotswolds
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 – From Oxford to Bourton-on-the-Water in The Cotswolds
We drove into the beautiful Cotswolds today. It was obvious we had entered this dreamy place. The hills and vales were sweeping; the rock walls were formal; the roofs were of slate; and the stone on buildings was honey gold, for which the area is known. It is the England of one’s imagination.
We are staying for several days in Bourton-on-the-Water in a wonderful rental cottage. The entry is through an ivy-covered arbor. The home is magnificent! Tonight, the fire is roaring in the fire place in our cozy sitting area. We are in the center of the beautiful village right by a stone walk bridge over the river. Idyllic! We explored the village and also drove to nearby Upper and Lower Slaughter. Wonderful, wonderful! Our evening meal was at a local restaurant. The food was delicious and the setting comfortable and stately. We sat near an English couple with whom we had an interesting conversation. The gentleman was a rugby player, and so Allen and I learned the rules of rugby. Now, we can watch and understand the game in the future. Visiting with locals has been a delight on this trip. WEG
Autumn 2016 Travels in Europe: Whoops!
Monday, November 7, 2016 – From Salisbury to Oxford
Our trip has been basically error and stress free, nearly everything working wonderfully as planned. Monday morning was different. We needed to take our rent car back to the rental company in Salisbury. We left with plenty of time in order to get gas, return the car and get a cab to the train station. We dropped Kathy and Rhonda at the train station with the luggage and headed to the gas station as indicated on the GPS (SAT navigation in Europe). Things started to go wrong when we arrived at the filling station and found it boarded up for renovations. Allen quickly reprogrammed the GPS for a new station, and off we went. It was on a round-about and we entered, but the gas tank was on the wrong side for the traffic pattern. I finally repositioned to get a gas pump and, in order to save time, Allen gave me his credit card to pay while he reprogrammed the GPS to the car rental agency. We have never had to show ID’s on this trip, except this time. I am obviously not Allen, and so they would not accept payment (Allen owes me money since I have been paying for the rentals, and that is why he wanted to use his credit card), so I had to run out and get Allen to come into the station. We finally were on our way, but the GPS got confused on the round-about and sent us the wrong way. Whoops! In the recalculating, the GPS got us into another round-about, but in the wrong lane. The traffic was so heavy I could not get over, and now we were in another wrong direction in very heavy traffic. After twenty minutes, we were finally back to the right direction and still one hour to get to the train station. However, we could not find the car rental agency and the GPS was no help. We called to the rental agency, and no answer; we stopped for directions several times and were sent in the wrong direction; we drove up and down streets since we knew we were close, all to no avail. Allen reprogrammed the GPS, and finally it found the Europcar rental agency. Off we went, only to find that it took us to the train station. Allen said we should tell our wives to buy new tickets since we would not make the train, and then I saw the taxi cabs and yelled, “Ask a cab driver to lead us to the Europcar agency.” Sure enough, that worked. We had the cab wait while I ran in to return the car keys and told the agent that we had nine minutes to make our train. The guy was quick, but the printer was not working properly. I begged, and he hand-wrote a signed statement that we had turned in the car. Off we went in the cab to the train station, but the road was blocked by a truck backing out of a warehouse. The truck finally moved, and then we came behind another truck doing the same thing. The cab driver said, “You guys can’t get a break.” Finally, we were off and, at last, arrived at the train station. Kathy and Rhonda informed us that the train had been delayed by several minutes. Through the turnstiles we rushed and to the train platform, just in time to catch the train. It was overcrowded, and Allen and I had to stand. We had one train transfer in order to get to Oxford. The new train was also delayed and so, with time to spare, Kathy went to the restroom. Unfortunately, the train arrived on time, and Kathy was not waiting at the platform. Allen and Rhonda took our luggage onto the train while I ran to the restroom area, yelling for Kathy. What panic as she and I ran to the train, with an impatient conductor forcing us onto the last car while Allen and Rhonda rode in the first car. I was exhausted from a stressful day driving on the opposite side of the road, maneuvering around round-abouts in heavy traffic in a Mercedes that drove differently than I am used to driving. Looking back, we realized that, in spite of it all, we made it to Oxford in one piece and as planned. God be praised!
Oxford is elegant and the architecture is stunning. We walked through the various colleges of Oxford University. Basically, the university is the city of Oxford. All of a sudden, our morning seemed far away. Our evening meal in an English Pub was grand. WEG
Autumn 2016 Travels in Europe: Another Amazing Day
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Winchester High Street winds its way from the King Arthur statue through the old city gate to the Great Hall containing King Arthur’s Round Table. Along the way we passed a city market selling antique type products. Rhonda had never eaten roasted chestnuts, and Kathy and I were used to buying them from street vendors, and so, when we ran into a street vendor roasting them on a charcoal fire, we could not resist. Delicious.
When we entered the Great Hall, we were told that a concert was soon to begin. Sure enough, almost immediately we heard the voices of the London Philharmonic Choir singing as the singers entered the hall to stand under King Arthur’s Round Table, mounted on the wall above. The conductor called it a “pop up” concert because the choir simply decided to sing in the almost perfect acoustics of the Great Hall. There were no prior announcements or advertisements, and the people visiting the hall were the only guests. It was an unplanned, planned event and was another unexpected pleasure of our travels.
Heading back to Salisbury, we went straight to Salisbury Cathedral and gazed up at its majestic steeple. Entering, we learned that the Bishop of the Anglican Church was soon to lead the Sunday Evensong service along with the Cathedral Choir. Dressed in green and white, and lit by candle light, the choir was resplendent in harmony as they sang the psalms and liturgy. The robed young boys who stood in front of the choir had beautiful voices and wore cowls (pleated round collars) around their necks. Looking around at the wonderful woodwork, the high Gothic arched ceilings and the beautiful stained glass windows, the music washed through the soul. A beautiful worshipful time ensued. We were once again blessed with unexpected events on this sunny English day. WEG
Autumn 2016 Travels in Europe: Living Like the English
Saturday, November 5, 2016 – Stonehenge and Winchester Cathedral
Night fell over Winchester, England, as the candles in the chancel reflected light in a darkening cathedral. We sat on 700-year-old choir stalls with the full men’s and boy’s cathedral choir. Leading the Saturday Evensong service, the choirs were in full stereophonic glory, and our ears were treated to majestic harmony. The pipe organ above us roared forth with such force that the vibrations could be felt and the reverberations could be heard for seconds as the sound bounced off the huge cathedral’s stone walls. It was an awesome moment in worship.
The day began with another thrilling adventure as we visited Stonehenge, the iconic stone monument over 5,000 years old. Possibly used for religious, astronomical, or community purposes, we walked the entire perimeter to get different angles of the pillars. The new exhibition hall was filled with informative displays about the monument.
We were thrilled with our day, believing we had experienced supreme examples of English existence. Yet, when we left Winchester Cathedral and walked out into the cold evening air, we were greeted with fireworks. It was National Fireworks Day in England, commemorating the failed attempt of Guy Fawkes to blow up the English Parliament on November 5, 1605. We soon saw a massive torch light parade winding its way toward a bonfire and fireworks display. It was a fun way to end a marvelous English day. WEG
Autumn 2016 Travels in Europe: Wales
Friday, November 4, 2016 – Cardiff, Wales
Cardiff, Wales, is a delightfully pleasant city. The center city is pedestrian-friendly, and the Cardiff Castle is one of the United Kingdom’s best examples of medieval fortress building. The keep in the center of the complex, situated on a hill and surrounded by a moat, is especially attractive.
We arrived in Wales via ferry from Ireland. Once again, our trip was pleasant and the seas quite calm. When we debarked (alighted) the ferry in Fishguard Harbour, Wales, the train was literally right at the door. We traveled across Wales quickly, arrived in Cardiff, and hailed a cab. All safely packed into the cab, Kathy gave the address of our hotel to the driver. He looked at us in amazement and pointed down the street and there was the Marriott hotel right in front of us. We all laughed, unpacked the cab and went on our way. As has been the case in our travels, the people we have met are helpful and friendly and we have been blessed over and over again by them. WEG
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