Photo Roundup -- February 17, 2013

It's been a while since I've done a photo roundup so I went through my photos for the last month or so and came up with quite a few that I don't think made it into regular posts that I want to share.

I love this picture.  I took it quite a while back when I was in Ibarra.  The indigenous people have different traditional outfits for each tribe or sub-group within a tribe.  Please understand that I really know almost nothing about this. It's on my list of things to do: get more information about the place I live and the people who live there.  Until then, I'll just have to share what I know for sure and what I kind of know and correct things as I go along.

There are a few things of interest here.  The first one that caught my attention when I first got here was the amount of stuff women and men carried on their backs.  They carry their babies (as you've seen) but they also carry huge loads of any number of things.  Just based on the fact that one of the women is carrying a bowl and I think I might see a blanket poking out of the top of the carrying sling, they may be vendors who plan to set up shop along the street and scoop whatever they are carrying on their backs into bags from the bowl the one woman is carrying.  I could be all wet but it's a possibility.

People here always wear hats or have something to put on their heads if they're walking out in the sun or it starts to rain.  Some of the groups have the folded shawl-type things I see here in Cotacachi but others have the fun hats.  I think I like these--they aren't as versatile as the folded fabric from here but they have character.

Did you notice the shoes?  I can't even imagine how they can wear those shoes.  They are not well-made and they are tied with something like twine in most instances.  They always look so uncomfortable but I suspect they look at many women and wonder how in the world they can wear shoes with heels that high and platforms that far off the ground.  I have to admit, I wonder the same thing.

There's nothing particularly remarkable about this sign but it's indicative of so many signs I see here.  It's old--very old.  First of all, it's very worn so that tells me it's old, even if the picture didn't, but that's the give-away for me.  When't the last time you saw a Coca-Cola sign with a glass bottle on it?  Of course they still sell Coca-Cola in glass bottles here so that might not be all the much of a clue here.  Still, there's the obvious wear and fading going on.

People here don't change out a sign just because there's a newer, more modern version.  They put up a new sign when the current one falls apart or when they start selling a new product or something.  I like the attitude that there's no need to keep changing things all the time.  It works for me.

There's nothing particularly noteworthy about this jug.  I just saw it and really loved the look of it so I had to take its picture.  I wish I'd had something to put in there for you to have a general idea of the size of it.  It's about three feet (one meter) high.  I don't know if it's actually in use and, if it is, how in the world anyone lifts it when it's full, but it's lovely just sitting there.  Now, here's the funny part.  It was tucked out of the way where it obviously can't be enjoyed by the people who might see it as they come and go.  What a shame.

And finally, just another of those pictures of what you can get for 50 cents in Cotacachi.  I put the cup in the background because these are little bananas and I was hoping it would provide a little scale.  When I went into the store to get them I wasn't thinking in Ecuadorian so I picked up the large bunch and told the young man I wanted 50 cents worth, please.  I had intended for him to break off what would take it over that amount but instead he picked up the smaller bunch and added them to the first one.  Good grief!  I could have told him I actually only needed 25 cents worth but I didn't want him to think he could charge me 50 cents for 25 cents worth the next time I came in so I took them.  I ate a ton of them myself but then my carpenter came over and I sent the rest home for him and his family.

When I first got here I was concerned about insulting the locals if I were to offer them food I didn't want rather than throw it away or something but I've discovered that people are thrilled to share with me.  If they don't want to eat it themselves, they'll either share it with a neighbor or a street person or even just feed it to the pigs if it's not suitable for eating anymore.  I love that!  I never have to worry about offering food that might otherwise go bad because I bought too much or didn't get around to eating it or whatever.

The other thing is the brown spots on the skin.  That doesn't indicate they're too soft on the inside or that they're bruised.  That's just how the skins on bananas are here.  It took me a little while to get used to it but now I just go ahead and buy the bananas that look like they're only good for banana bread.  They're nowhere near ready for that.

That's it for today.  I think I have more to share soon.