Thursday April 5, 2012 - Peguche Falls

We woke up at 7:15 a.m. and went to breakfast at 8:30. We had crepes filled with jelly, croissants, anise tea, and juice. We thought Antonio said that we would be going to Otavalo after lunch to cook fanesca.

After breakfast I swept out the kitchen. Rosa cut open a sambo for the seeds. She asked us to pick corn kernels off of two cobs. Then she, Antonio, and Aida peeled the corn kernels. Phew! A near miss. She asked us to shuck the beans from the green pods and peel them, and then to peel some easier beans in water. We assumed that all of these ingredients would be taken to Otavalo for some kind of special preparation.

After that, we took corn dough and rolled it into small balls which Rosa and Aida fried on the stove.

Then it was time for lunch. We had soup for lunch which Antonio told us a coouple of bites in was actually the fanesca. We hadn't even known it! They served it with (optional) canned sardines and fried plantains. The soup contained the 12 grains as well as slices of hot dog (we assume this is not traditional, as we had read that fanesca is usually served during the prohibition of meat of Lent). We ate some of the little corn doughnuts by themselves and put others into the fanesca to soak up the goodness. It was all delicious.

Rosa put together a big pot of fanesca to take next door to her sister's family. Then Antonio said to get ready to go to Otavalo. Well, it wasn't to cook fanesca, that's for sure. We didn't ask questions; we were up for a surprise. As we got ready, we heard thunder in the distance. We all got into a pick-up truck bound for Quiroga. The roads were bad with lots of washouts.

When we got there, the cobblestone streets were flooded. We huddled in a bakery doorway until the bus showed up and then we ran down the block through the water to board the bus. We took the bus to Otavalo for a quarter each.

When we got there, Antonio flagged down another pickup truck and we got in the back. Craig saw a sign for Peguche waterfall and wondered if that was what we would be doing. After a short ride we pulled into the parking lot of Peguche Falls. We never know what is going on! We had a good laugh.

We all got out of the truck and walked past some vendors' stalls. Craig and I got Gatorades since we hadn't brought water with us. A young man had a table set up with a honeycomb in between plexiglass with bees. He gave each of us a little wooden coffee stirrer with a dollop of honey on the end. It was delicious. But we weren't planning on checking a bag on the way home (baggage claim at Miami really slows you down) and we have had jelly confiscated at the Quito airport before. But at $3 a jar, we couldn't resist offering to buy a jar for the family, and Rosa happily agreed.

Here on the grounds of a former obraje (colonial weaving factory) there was an amazing waterfall. Antonio told us that it was about an hour's walk to see the falls. It was raining as we walked down a cobblestone path. We passed a camping area that had adorable little pyramid shaped camping huts made from corrugated metal with thatch over it. Antonio pointed out the eucalyptus trees which were very tall and a century old. There was a wooden bridge in front of the falls, and I took some pictures though my lens kept getting water droplets on it. Between the rain and the mist from the waterfall, it was quite wet.

After crossing the bridge, we headed up an earthen staircase to the right of the falls. It led to a cave which featured a small dark tunnel which dated back to Inca times. Antonio headed through first, followed by Craig and then myself. I had to crouch down and shuffle along. It was pitch black and I started to get claustrophobic, wondering if I would be able to turn around to get out. I backed up, but Craig said to come just a little further and I would see the literal light at the end of the tunnel. I did so, and we popped out at a little outcropping which gave us a unique perspective looking at the falls.

We took some photos. A little birdie was climbing up the falls and it was quite impressive. Soon Rosa and Sisa popped out. Sisa could walk upright in the tunnel, and Rosa could stand hunched over. We went back through the tunnel and gave the rest of the family a chance to enjoy it. Antonio took Yupanqui through.

We were actually quite fortunate that it was raining today, or we never would have had the opportunity to explore and enjoy the cave area without other tourists. We walked back down the staircase and continued on the short loop trail. Aida was absolutely soaked, and Craig let her use his chamois shirt as a coat. It was huge on her; you could have fit at least two of her in there, and the sleeves were about 6 inches too long.

We passed a small museum, but didn't stop. We came to a cable bridge which swayed as we all crossed it. We had to avoid the broken floorboards. Yupanqui was thirsty and kept looking at Craig's Gatorade. Craig let him sip from it. After every sip he would say "ma", Kichwa for "more." True to her namesake as always, Sisa picked flowers on the trail.

When we got back to the start of the hike and headed toward the parking lot, we saw a restored Inca sun house. It was round and made of stone, and had stone patterns on the ground. We went inside and Antonio, Sisa, and Yupanqui stood in the middle.

Antonio talked to a taxi driver in the parking lot and called a cab for us. Aida went to the little tienda and bought a single diaper and changed Yupanqui. The cab showed up and Rosa and Yupanqui sat in the front. Antonio, Craig, Aida, Sisa, and I all crammed in the back. Sisa refused to sit on my lap and ended up sitting on Antonio's. Aida sat completely on Antonio, backwards. It was a tight ride to the Otavalo bus station. Yupanqui was now asleep, and using Craig's chamois shirt as a blanket.

We walked around near the bus station and Antonio bought some eggs. We got onto a bus, and it turned out that the bus was only stopping in Quiroga and Morochos, not Cotacachi as well. This meant that pretty much the whole bus was filled with Morochos residents. They smiled when Craig and I got on and said that was our destination. We got seats on the bus and waited about half an hour for departure.

People came on the bus selling ice cream and food. There was one teenager who brought a bunch of woven bracelets. He put two on every seat, let people look at them, and then collected either the bracelets or the money for them, if people decided to buy them. We didn't have patience for this ploy, and I refused to take them from the get-go. He seemed annoyed at this. In fact, so annoyed that when he collected the bracelets, he got distracted by us and forgot to collect them from Aida in the seat next to us. She ended up with 2 free bracelets that she took apart and remade in a style of her choosing with the thread.

Two older guys in front of us, one of whom was wearing somewhat of a military pith helmet, acted as gatekeepers. As each person got onto the bus, they turned them away if they weren't going to Morochos. A ride to Quiroga from here usually costs 25 cents per passenger. It cost an extra dime to go to Morochos. When we got to Quiroga, the conductor kicked a drunk man off the bus. He apparenty hadn't paid the extra dime. The guy made a scene and everyone pretty much just laughed at him. Once he was off the conductor said something along the lines of "You pay for Quiroga, you get off at Quiroga." All that for want of a dime!

Sisa fell asleep on the bus. We got home at around 6:30 p.m. For dinner, we had more fanesca, this time with tuna and fried plantains. This was a meal in and of itself, but there was more - a fried egg, salad, and potatoes. Yupanqui was awake to eat, but Sisa never woke up. Then we went back to the room and went to bed.
Yupanqui and his Wheel Pal

Yupanqui and his Wheel Pal

Loro

Loro

Rosa and Aida finish preparing the fanesca

Rosa and Aida finish preparing the fanesca

Rosa and Aida make doughnuts

Rosa and Aida make doughnuts

Peguche Falls

Peguche Falls

Rosa and Sisa in the narrow caves

Rosa and Sisa in the narrow caves

On the bridge

On the bridge

Inca sun house

Inca sun house

Aida and Yupanqui eating fanesca

Aida and Yupanqui eating fanesca

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