Wednesday, January 24, 2018 - A boat ride on Lake CuicochaWe woke up to blues skies and sunshine and could tell immediately that it was going to be a lovely day. Mama Cotacachi showed her beautiful peak fully for the first time during our visit. And then...the much-anticipated arrival of the gas truck occurred! The water heater had been running on fumes, and we were able to exchange that nearly empty cylinder with a full one. Could this day get any better? There was much to be thankful for.Abuelita washed her laundry in the outdoor sink while sunbeams filtered through the smoke from the fire in her outdoor kitchen. We had my favorite breakfast this morning: fresh crepes filled with raspberry jam. It was so delicious. We also had yogurt, juice, and coffee. I went up to my office to work, while Sonam helped Rosa with the cooking. Lunch consisted of soup, mote (hominy), a baked plantain, llapingachos (little cheese and mashed potato patties), and a salad made of radishes and tomatoes. Sonam had prepared a pepper, onion, and cheese dish which was as aesthetically gorgeous as it was delicious. Since I didn't have any meetings this afternoon, we decided to take advantage of the lovely weather this afternoon by taking a boat ride on nearby Lago Cuicocha. Sonam had hiked there a week ago, but the weather hadn't been nearly this nice. Cuicocha is a crater lake which was formed by a volcanic eruption over 3000 years ago. This is a sacred lake for the Kichwa people. Cuicocha's name translates to "Guinea Pig Lake." The lake contains two small islands, one of which resembles a guinea pig. That island is said to be the namesake of the lake. There is another theory that the name is a corruption of the Kichwa word "Kuychikucha" or "rainbow lake." There were no rainbows to be had today, which was fine with us because it meant no rain! We have experienced this boat ride with the family twice before: once with Aracely and Vanesa in 2016, and once with Paulina and Eddy in 2017. It is a fun excursion, especially when the weather is cooperative. Antonio wasn't able to join us as he had an obligation in Otavalo, but he hired a pickup truck which took us to the lake and back. Sonam, Craig, and I rode in the back with Sisa and Yupanqui. Rosa and Shina rode inside. Shina has undergone multiple surgeries to correct problems with her eyes, and because of that her eyes are sensitive to dust. Although riding outside is commonplace in these parts, it is best for her to ride inside the vehicle where she is not exposed to as much dust from the dirt roads. It was a short and pleasant ride to the lake. As we entered, we had to sign in with our names and passport numbers. When Sonam had come last week, Antonio had written his nationality in the register as Vietnamese. Sonam had tried in vain to explain that he is actually Bhutanese, but Antonio didn't understand. Sonam found this quite funny, and we shared many laughs about it. Today I told him that I was going to set the record straight by signing him in as Bhutanese! Once we had signed in, our driver parked outside the visitor's center. I went inside and purchased boat tickets for 5 adults and 3 children. There was a large crowd of people waiting for boat rides. Two boats were currently on the water, and we were awaiting their return. Rosa and the kids watched a pair of ducks swimming near a patch of reeds. I tried to convince Sonam to come with me to the souvenir stalls while we waited, but he wasn't interested in buying anything. He is rather a minimalist in terms of possessions, but we had hoped that he would want to bring something back to his family. Not having luck with him, I wandered over there myself. I fell in love with a fancy blue felt hat with a a ribbon and a flower on the front. When I was told it was only $6.50, I couldn't resist and purchased it. I returned to the dock area. One of the boats was approaching. The staff announced that everyone from the large tour bus would get priority on this boat, and everyone else would need to wait for the second boat. They loaded up the first boat and started their tour. We didn't have to wait long for our boat to arrive. It was much less crowded than the first boat. Since we were much lighter, we were soon able to overtake them even though they had a decent head start. We sped across the lake, taking in the gorgeous views. The captain cut the motor as we approached one of the small islands, and we coasted into the reeds. He gave a short lecture in Spanish about the history and wildlife of the lake. Javier translated some of the salient points for us. We could see the jagged volcanic rock of the islands, which had mostly already been overtaken by green vegetation. The kids enjoyed looking down into the water, observing the ducks and other birds with excitement. After our brief stop, he fired up the motor again and we circled the island. We then passed through the narrow channel between the two islands. The reeds created the illusion that there wasn't actually a passage there. It made it seem like a thrill ride and we enjoyed it quite a bit. There were white birds in the reeds which camouflaged themselves well among the seeds of the marsh grasses. We then headed back to the dock. After we disembarked, we were each given a complimentary glass of canelazo (a hot cinnamon drink) with or without alcohol (Craig, Javier, and I were happy to accept the alcohol!) As we walked back to the camioneta, all of the vendors were wrapping up their wares. Their tablecloths transformed into large sacks, which they knotted and then deposited in the visitor's center overnight. It was a good thing that I hadn't waited until after the boat ride to buy my hat; it would have been too late. We climbed into the camioneta. Two Kichwa women around Rosa's age were heading in the same direction, so we offered them a ride. Sonam's charm won them over immediately, and we all smiled all the way home. For dinner, we had soup, chicken in gravy, rice, red cabbage, and peas. And Sonam prepared another delicious pepper dish. The kids didn't want to say goodnight, and they kept attacking Sonam with more hugs in order to prolong bedtime. When he finally extricated himself, the three of us walked back to our rooms. We stopped to look at the night sky. The clear weather gave us our first good view of the stars. Craig gave Sonam an astronomy lesson, and we were reminded of our first trip to Bhutan in 2007. We had camped next to a school hostel in Genekha. Some friendly students had come to visit our camp, and we had stargazed together. Craig had taught them about the Milky Way. In the grand scheme of the universe, Earth really is so small. Bhutan, Ecuador, the United States...the chance encounters which led us to meet Sonam and to meet the family here...to forge relationships which are so special to us...just awesome. Lago Cuicocha |
 Sonam, Steph, and Craig at Lake Cuicocha  Boat ride on Lake Cuicocha  Islands on Lake Cuicocha  Rosa and Javier  Yupanqui  Sonam wipes the splashed lake water from Yupanqui's face See all photos from January 24, 2018 |
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