Yamatout

February 9, 2022 Well, getting the COVID test turned out to be a bit more challenging than expected as locale was suddenly turned into a construction zone, resulting in some last minute arrangements which involved confused guards, conflicting directions, and a lot of walking, but everything did work out and our noses were eventually assaulted with long q-tips. The REAL surprise was that Serge tested negative, as expected, but I somehow tested positive. We'd basically been together 24/7 for two weeks, so it is all a bit mysterious. It wasn't a false positive either because I had an antigen done at a different laboratory the same evening. Yep, positive again. I have my suspicions where I might have picked it up, and if they are correct, I haven't been contagious in nearly a week, but rules are rules, so I am still in Ecuador for another couple of weeks. I will get myself tested again then, but a test will be no longer necessary in order get home. Even the hyper cautious Canad...

February 6, 2022 Otavalo on Market Day is unreal and impossible to properly photograph but here goes. I took these pictures early, during setup and before it got so crowded as to need to walk defensively. We've never had a problem here but it's best not to be careless. My pockets are pretty safe as I inserted zippered pockets inside my pockets (took a Tilley concept and ran with it!) so the only thing a pickpocket would find would be a used Kleenex, and maybe a loose nickel or two. Okay, the market - Imagine a full city block left empty, and then filled with sun parasols; that's Plaza de Ponchos, then extend this concept along the streets for blocks in all directions (including the cross streets) with 2 or 3 rows of kiosks selling absolutely everything portable, not just for tourists but the locals. Actually, mostly for the locals, except the Plaza. Further out, they often sell directly from their cars. It's a madhouse, but a really f...

February 5, 2022 Wednesday, we wandered around Otavalo, finding high places to look at the town. Even our own hostel has a terrace up on the roof. I managed to take a panoramic view of about 25% of the skyline from Cotacachi to Imbabura. Thursday we did a real touristy thing, we took an organized culture tour around some local artisan workshops/villages. The distinction is a bit nebulous because often location dictates what a village will specialize in. For example, the village on the shore of Lago (lake) San Pablo specializes in woven mats and baskets made from a rush or reed that grows in the shallows (we were told many names in both Spanish and Quechua, and I remember none of them). We even got to try some things, weaving mats and narrow bands in the traditional way, and watched someone put together the bamboo pipes that are very popular in indigenous music here. Cutting and tuning the pipes is done by ear. We were also taken to some spots impo...

February 1, 2022 We are still masking in Otavalo, although we now see the occasional real face, usually older and indigenous, but only outside. Whether they have masks when inside is hard to tell because here, you can do just about everything outside. Even when it is not market day (Saturdays) there are open air stalls and kiosks for everything from food to carpets (seriously, I saw a street vendor with a big box of wait for it, bras, fitting might be problematic!), especially when you get out of the tourist area (prices get better too). Not much has changed. Some has, Serge's favourite Chinese restaurant has closed, a victim of the pandemic, but some has changed for the better. His favourite café has moved to just across the corner from our usual hostal! What used to be another hostel built around a very nice courtyard has now become almost a food fair with about 4 or 5 restaurants each taking over a few former rooms. I was quickly adopted by a local cat who decided my...

Jan 23, 2022 Hola los amigos y la familia! Yes, Serge and I are down in Ecuador to visit the farm for a few days. We have not escaped covid, although vaccination, booster, and negative PCR might suggest otherwise. Ecuador takes covid VERY seriously. Temperature scanners are at every entrance to malls and other large venues, and you have to show your vaccination papers to get in. Same thing at restaurants, and when in public, masks are worn All The Time, even walking outside. And you see a lot of double masking and KN-95's. Walking back to the hotel, I even saw one woman, I kid you not, wearing 2 surgical masks under a N95 mask! It will be interesting to see if this vigilance continues in Otavalo and Apuela. The hotel we are staying in for a couple of days is very near the city center. In fact, if you look hard you can see the Quicentro sign (hint it is the turquoise blob between the middle two brown apartment blocks). We can walk there in 20 or 30 minutes (note, walk t...