Weeding by machete (yes, real machetes)

Sunday morning, our Canadian/Rhodesian neighbour dropped by because Serge wanted to show him the new plantings and chat about water management in one of our fields close to the Apuela river (affectionately known as the rice paddy), so we all trooped off to the south coffee field again. This time we all had machetes so my first action was to hack off that banana bunch and flip it out into the horse pasture, then I set off to help clearing out extraneous banana clumps. You want one banana plant to provide shade, but not so many that they start crowding out the coffee plants. Banana plants are nearly unkillable (as I said, giant mutant dandilions) so you can whack away as long as you take care around the coffee plants. 
In a way, it is quite relaxing, and best of all, if one arm gets tired (or, ahem, blistered) you can switch arms and still be just as effective. Discovered that while I can hit harder with my right hand, I am more accurate with my left. All in all, it was a great upper body workout! Luis (our neighbour) agreed. He carries a machete with him all the time for the exercise. Then he started extolling the benefits of working up a good sweat! I pointed out that while I didn't actually disagree, that me swinging a machete around during my lunch hours might not go over well at work (actually, I am reconsidering this, it might cut down on the frivolous complaints and whining I get from the tenants (the concierges are are harder to pin down while I am easily found in the office!) Next year, I will get Serge to take a video!

Anyway, as we left that field, I noticed that the banana bunch that I had left for the horses had been completely stripped clean. Apology accepted!

Monday, we headed back into town, and discovered that in true Latin disregard for time, the 9am bus to Otavalo had gone early and we had to wait for the 11am bus. Wasn't a hardship. The weather was lovely and we could sit in the shade of the brand new canopied town square/Sunday market/soccer field/volleyball court and chat with locals we knew, and tourists we met (the expat community is very social when opportunity arises). 

Serge and I are neither locals nor tourists. I guess you can call us 'Regulars', which makes us objects of curiosity as we look like total gringos but can chit chat (haltingly) about the weather,  conditions on the roads, changes as compared to previous years, and whether or not removing the undergrowth next to a slope is a good idea or not (depends how you do it). 

We are now relaxing back in Otavalo for a couple of days (hot showers!!) before we head to the south part of the country to actually do some touristing! I also just picked up some waterless dish soap to bring home, which sounds weird until you realize that a small puck costs $15 or more in Canada, and I just picked up the equivalent for a whole 95¢.

Hasta luego!

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