Carnival

Last weekend was Carnival time in Ecuador and even though it isn't celebrated formally in Cotacachi, that doesn't mean we don't know it's happening.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Carnival in Ecuador:

In Ecuador, the celebrations have a history that begins before the arrival of Catholicism. It is known that the Huarangas Indians (from the Chimbos nation) used to celebrate the second moon of the year with a festival at which they threw flour, flowers and perfumed water. This once pagan tradition has since merged with the Catholic celebration of Carnival.

What I Wish I'd Brought With Me

I was reminded just the other day that I said I would write a blog post about what I wish I had brought with me.

Well, of course each of us is going to be different and I brought quite a bit with me when I came but here are some of the things I miss or wish I'd brought.

The big things:

The Housewarming Party, Part III

And so the party time arrived and so did the guests.  It was wonderful and absolutely perfect.

There were new friends as well as "old" ones (it's really hard to have old friends when I haven't even been here a year, yet).  By the way, I'm the one in yellow.

The Housewarming Party, Part II

It's Saturday morning and I'm getting ready for the party with those little things that still need to be done, like finishing up cleaning the bedroom.  I still have a lot of stuff that needs places to store it.  Well, as Scarlet would say, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

In the meantime, my friend, Marcia, came over with some of the food she made for the party.  She brought Oscar and Wilde with her.

They went to live with Marcia two days ago.  They're miniature poodle puppies.  Oscar's on the right and Wilde is on the left.

The Housewarming Party, Part I, the Preparations

One thing I've learned about myself is that if I wait until I'm really ready to do something, it could take forever.  Thus, when friends said they were going back to the States in mid-February and really wanted me to have my housewarming before they left, I said, "Sure, that's over a month away--no problem."

What was I thinking?  Well, one of the things I was thinking was that I needed to have a date in mind or it wouldn't happen.

Hacienda San Isidro

I was fortunate enough to be able to have dinner at Hacienda San Isidro a few nights ago and I simply have to share the experience with you.  It was amazing!

The hacienda is at the foot of Cotacachi Volcano and is higher in elevation than Cotacachi.  The higher we drove, the more we climbed into the clouds.  I love the way the light fog blankets everything just a bit and softens all the edges.

If I had been a clear evening we would be looking at the mountain in this photo.

Expat Attitudes

I generally try to portray those things I experience here in Cotacachi and in my travels, limited as they may be.  Sometimes I talk about the realities of life that some find negative, especially when I am giving people the information I think might be helpful if they're attempting to make the decision as to whether or not they should move here.

Today I'd like to suggest you read a blog post by Lee Dubs that was on the Cuenca High Life blog last year.  It's entitled, "The Ugly American revisited: arrogance plus ignorance is a recipe for trouble as more N. American's move to Ecuador."  This is totally different than anything I've ever written but I think Lee says something that many of us recognize as a growing truth here and it's something I hope you'll read with the understanding that there are very few of us who are like that down here.  If you read this and feel that you can strongly relate to the people Lee is talking about, you might want to do a little more research before you consider making Ecuador your home.

For the rest of us, it's an interesting and, I feel, insightful article that speaks to so much more than the problems facing some expats here.