We have been on our Galapagos part of the trip for the last four days and completely without internet.  So today begins catch up time on the blog.  

 Friday, Feb. 19,  we had a relaxing breakfast in our Cotacachi house and then headed for San Pablo lake and a view of the mountains surrounding the lake.  It was a cold, windy morning, so we decided against a pontoon ride , took a few photos, and left for San Antonio Ibarra, a town renowned for its wood carvers.   The quality of work is exquisite, and their special carvings are sent around the world.  

As Ecuador is a predominately Catholic country,  the greatest percentage of carvings are religious in nature.  ( I could not resist including a carving of a chubby crucifix.  It is done in the style of a Columbian craftsman, whose work encompasses a multitude of religious statues...and everyone is more than a bit chubby.   The fun part of visiting the town was meeting the artisans.  Mary Lu  purchased the bargain of the day,  a framed grouping of three wood carvings. (There has to be a way to get it on an AA homeward bound plane.)  Two brothers work together in wood, and paint, and one very large wood/fabric mask that I would have loved to bring home. However works or art three feet tall, simply do not fit in a suitcase and the cost of the mask, plus UPS (or whatever it is called in Ecuador) was simply tooo prohibitive. 

While in Ibarra, we heard a procession moving through the streets, it was a funeral.  The coffin was hand carried through the streets with the mourners surrounding it as they walked to the grave site.  It was a very moving experience, so much so, that none of us could take photos.  It would be too invasive, and so we watched in silence as did everyone in the streets. 

An elderly lady (probably the same age as us) stood in the streets welcoming and hugging all who passed.  (What a lovely idea.  Wonder what would happen if I tried it on the streets of DC?)  We spent an hour or two looking at carvings.  I missed the photo op of the day, when we visited a wood carver, who does baroque carvings. His work is known worldwide and he was working on a HUGE picutre frame being sent to France that will cost the purchasers $10,000.  Since I wasn't buying, I didn't want to take photos.  

We left Ibarra to travel to a restaurant Charito's sister recommended.  La Estralita, is at the top of a very high mountain.  It is accessible via a cobblestone road that was put in place over 100 years ago for foot and animal traffic.  The road weaves back and forth, as it is to steep for a road.   It has now become a two way road up the mountain,  (It is also used by students training as running or for gym class - not sure which -- but there they were.)   Two thirds of the way up, it turns to a dirt road....and when the busses passed us, we were holding our breaths. and wondering if there really was a restaurant somewhere up there.   (http://www.laestelitahosteria.com)   

There was!  High in the Andes (but not a high as we thought 2.5 miles about the city, we discovered a first class restaurant and hotel.  The view was magnificent - professional cameras are needed to do it justice - and the rustic buildings and settings most restful.  We enjoyed great food (but saved room for ice cream in Cotacachi)  and were given a tour of the hotel rooms, once again including the Presidential suite..  Mary Lu and Rose can be seen standing next to the fireplace in a two level room.

 

The trip down the mountain was less breath taking and seem much quicker than the trip up the mountain.  On return to Cotacachi, we headed for the ice cream (helado) store.  Ice cream in Ecudor more of a sherbet - fresh fruit and sugar (about half the sugar used in U.S. ice cream and milk only in leche (milk) helado)  blended together and frozen then hand whipped!  I confess to eating four scoops (but had had a light lunch - was looking forward to the helado.)  Wanted to taste the Ecuadorian fruit flavors that are not available elsewhere. 

Fortified with food and ice cream, we hit the leather stores in Cotacachi!   Dozens and dozens of leather stores line the streets. The delight is nothing there (except for a few "tourist trinket - non-leather things") was made in China or India The leather goods really were made right there in Cotachachi.  Before entering one shop, an ancient woman stopped us to tell us about her sore feet.)    Rose and I both bought a poncho made by Alexandra.   She was working on another one when we entered the store and showed us the tool she uses to punch holes for the wool /leather ponchos and how she crochets the pieces together.  Several purse purchases concluded the day.  We were spent - in both energy and dollars - exhausted might be a better word.

Charito decided to take us to La Mirage for a relaxing dinner.  La Mirage is so perfect for the name!   (http://www.mirage.com.ec) This has to be a one of a kind restaurant/spa/hotel!  Entering the restaurant, it feels like a fantasy world from a Victorian era!.  From the antique rugs and elephant monkey lamps, to the floor length tables, candles, roses, and crystal chandeliers, complete with a live gold fish in a crystal bowl on the table.   (A note card told us his name was Jerry and would we please not feed him.  I hope the crystal bowl is only his dinner time habitat.  Learned years ago (the hard way) that crystal bowls kill gold fish -- they leach lead!)  We ordered dinner and then had beautiful wooden boxes placed in front of us.  We opened them to discover they were music boxes and inside was a small caprese salad!   Before dinner was over we unanimously agreed to return there for lunch on Saturday...our last day of the first leg of our journey.