Bulls at the Bull Ring

After the horses came the bulls.  This was just for fun, there were no bulls harmed during this event and, in fact, there was far more likelihood that one of the crazy kids in the ring would be injured than the bulls but they all fared well and everyone left all in one piece.

Ah, poor Ferdinand.  If have no idea what his name really was or if he had a name at all, but he was Ferdinand to me.

There were two kinds of people sparring with the bulls--guys like these who had capes and were officially sanctioned to be here and the less formal ones (coming up). It took at least 10 minutes to get the bull worked up enough to be willing to charge the capes but once he got the hang of it, he did just fine.

There were young men hanging around the edges of the arena, some very young (like ages in the upper single digits) but they all managed to escape injury as well.

This "observer" got a little too far out into the ring when the bull discovered him and decided this looked like it might be fun even without a cape to chase.

He made it by the skin of his teeth.

I think this may be the most beautiful shot of the day.  Too bad the shadows eat up so much of it. This wasn't even one of the official matadors.  Maybe next year he will be.

RUN!  He made it, too, but it was a near thing.

The bulls were as much comic relief as anything else.  I enjoyed it and look forward to it again next year.

At the Bull Ring

Well over a month ago I promised photos from the bull ring after the Paseo de Chagra and I'm finally going to fulfill that promise.

After the parade through town, I went out to the Plaza del Toros (Bull Ring) and saw the same horses and rides as I saw in the parade but this time they were performing much more seriously--this time they were being judged and there were awards to be had.

Let's start with the horses and move on to a few other things in posts to come.

One of the more popular exhibitions was two horses, one on either end of the arena, one with a rider and one without, both holding tight with a rope as if in a tug of war.  I'm sure there are myriad uses for this skill out on the ranch but I don't have a clue what they are.  I just know the horses were beautiful and quite impressive.

A Day In the Life--Nov. 7, 2012

I'm often asked by folks who don't live here already, "So, what's a typical day like for you?"  It's hard to say because there is no such thing as "typical" for me.  I have a few things I tend to do with regularity but most days just seem to happen.

I've asked several people and they have agreed they'd like to see an occasional post that goes through a day with me, possibly including photos if I happen to have my camera with me and think of taking them.

Here's the first in this series.  If you like it (or if you don't) please feel free to let me know.  I love feedback.

Today I had one appointment and one thing I really wanted to do.  Of course it didn't actually turn out that way.

I started out with a quiet morning.  I chatted with my landlord for a little while, had a leisurely breakfast, and such things.  At 11:00 I had an appointment with a potential pet sitting client so I left here with plenty of time to get there because I was relative certain I would run into someone I know and we would want to share a few minutes catching up on what's been going on with us over the past however long.  I ran into two people friends and a dog friend in the park--just one of the perks about living in a small town--I always run into someone I know.

I got to spend about an hour talking with Kathy and Chuck and snuggling with Shatzee and talking about all kinds of things, some of which included puppy sitting and some of which didn't.  I even found out Obama was re-elected yesterday. (When I say I pay no attention to the news, I really mean it.)

I had intended my next stop to be the ATM but Eddie's (not the official name but it's what we call it), just a few doors down, called to me and I stopped in for a cafelatte' e caramello that rivals anything I've ever had in the States and I lived in Washington, espresso capitol of the U.S.  His shop has a very warm and comfortable feeling with comfy furniture along with some regular tables and chairs. He has a WiFi connection and there are magazines on the side tables and books to read (in both English and Spanish) in the bookcase up on the mezzanine level.  I wish I could do a little editing to lighten up some of these photos but we'll just have to go with what the camera takes.  That's Eddie behind the counter and a friend of his he roped into being the customer.  It was very quiet there today.  The last time I was in I got the last seat in the place.

Cows

While I was pet sitting this last time, I had a new experience.

First of all, I should mention that this particular cat sitting gig was at Primavera II, a condominium community at the edge of the downtown area of Cotacachi.  At the far end of the community where I was staying I can look out over a rather pastoral setting of trees and some open grassy areas just before you get to the river.  It's quite lovely.

One day, as I was approaching the gate, I noticed there were some cows grazing within a few feet of the entrance to the condos.  I'm not kidding--I was within 30 feet of the nearest cow as I went inside.  Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a problem, just something I hadn't seen before here in Cotacachi.

I'm standing at the gate as I take this photo.

Security Measures and Unhappy Campers

I just received a comment from one of my readers about not being able to find comments or information from people who didn't like living here and left.  He also said, "Though people say there is crime in all countries, I have yet to see a town as small, that has so much security around homes and businesses."

I started responding to the comment with a comment of my own and decided both these issues deserved their own post, so here goes.

Official News From Cotacachi

Thanks to Dan Delgado of the Communications Committee for English-Speaking Residents of Cotacachi, I have lots of information for all of you who currently live here and those considering the move. Things here are definitely changing and it's good for all of us to stay abreast of those changes.

IESS (pronounced YYess) I must thank everyone who came out to the IESS workshop last time. IESS officials were unable to make it to that meeting saying that they were called to other functions. I am sorry about that. Thank you for your patience and understanding and also for your support. Mr. Ivan Andrade, the regional director at the office of IESS in Otavalo would like to come into Cotacachi to meet with us all this coming Friday at two in the afternoon. Mr Andrade's office has direct jurisdiction for IESS in the Cotacachi area and he will be here to answer as much as possible on the following issues for people who would like to try to understand the process for hiring helpers themselves. After this meeting, you are welcome to join the senior citizens who come to this center for their afternoon program. Fridays is a musical event - chorus, I believe. Mondays at three is Bingo.

Bits and Pieces

When I was on my way home from the Parade of Horses, I saw this woman going into an unfinished building.  I wasn't sure what she was doing until she had gone back into her house and I passed the place she had been.  She had food in that container and had put it down in there for the dog to eat.

I recently splurged and bought an electric juicer.  This isn't the kind where you peel the fruit and run it through and it pulverizes everything and separates the pulp from the juice.  No, this is just one of those things like the manual citrus juicer we're all familiar with but it's electric.  I juiced about a quart of juice in less than half an hour and the cost of the oranges was only about 30 cents.  I would have gotten more juice out of them if I hadn't had them hanging around for so long.  I was having a terrible time juicing them by hand and the older they get, the more the juice dries up or evaporates or something.  Now I can take advantage of sales on juice oranges and have fresh juice whenever I want it.  Some days it's the little things.

Have you noticed the Cluster Map at the top of the right column?  I've been fascinated by it.  Sure, it tells me where people live who are reading my blog (and I'm shocked, amazed, and very pleased that they are from such diverse locations) but it also breaks things down by state in the US.  In addition to that, it shows me where the last 10 people who have viewed the blog live.  It's fun for me.  I have no idea if it might be of any interest at all to anyone else but, you know me, it struck me as interesting so I shared it with you.

After writing about what to pack when you come here, it occurred to me that I had left something rather important out.  Bring your hand sanitizer.  I suspect you can buy it here but I haven't noticed it and you'll want both a little portable one and probably one to refill it.  Bathroom sinks here do not have hot water and there are many places where the public restrooms won't have any soap.  (Of course many of them don't have toilet paper, either.)  If you have germ issues, the hand sanitizer is a good idea. Quick update on what's happening in my life these days. My computer still awaits its new hard drive which has either already been sent to me from the States or will be in the next few days. I'm cat sitting at two separate home. It's a wee bit more challenging than it originally would have been but, well, life happened. One of the kitties managed to escape and was on the run for pretty close to two weeks -- she came home yesterday -- hurray! I've gotten a tiny job doing administrative work for a friend of mine. I've spent lots of time with new friends who have been avid blog readers. We have a new restaurant in town. In other words, lots is going on here and there's a ton to write about as soon as I can blog with a bit more ease. Thanks for hanging in there with me.