Thursday, January 25, 2018 - Visiting OtavaloToday was another beautiful sunny day. For breakfast, we had eggs cooked with potatoes and vegetables and made into sort of a cross between an omelet and a quiche. Shina didn't have school today, so she was home with the adults. She helped Rosa around the house, including wrangling the strong piglet Juanita.Sonam spent some time with Abuelita in her outdoor kitchen this morning, and as usual, he had her laughing. The two of them really do get along so well! They have a similar sense of humor and their friendship transcends language. While I was upstairs working and Craig and Sonam were chatting outside, Javier came running out of his room. He asked if we had felt the earthquake. None of us had noticed anything, but a check of the USGS web site confirms his observations. There had been a 4.5 magnitude earthquake less than 100 miles east of us. Sonam made roast peppers and onions to go along with lunch. The aroma was so strong that Rosa and Javier were coughing and sneezing as he prepared it in the kitchen. Lunch consisted of soup, steak, rice, cabbage, and beans. We had originally hoped that our friend Felipe would be able to come over tomorrow to take Sonam for a real trek. Sonam does a lot of hiking and trekking at home in Bhutan on the weekends, and we had thought that he would enjoy doing a trek here as well. Antonio would normally be able to take him, but back problems prevent him from being able to walk long distances. But given all that Felipe has been through this past week (his nephew being lost for three days on a river in a kayaking accident before being rescued), we felt guilty about asking him to come all the way here for a single day. When we discussed it with Sonam, Sonam said that he actually preferred not to go hiking tomorrow. It would be our last full day here, and he wanted to spend that time with the kids. He expressed that he could go hiking any time at home in Bhutan, but he knew he would miss the kids terribly. So it was decided. We told Felipe not to bother coming out, and he seemed a bit relieved as well. He said that the next time we come to Ecuador we should visit him, his wife Maria Jose, and their daughters at their hacienda. That sounded like a wonderful idea! This afternoon we decided to go to Otavalo to do some shopping. We knew there were several things that Rosa could use around the house, and we wanted to buy the kids some clothes. The girls love dresses, but it's winter at home and I wasn't able to find anything appropriate. So we would let them pick out their own. The public bus stops right in front of their house, so we got on and rode through the neighboring villages to Quiroga. Sonam never ceases to amaze us with the way that he has with people. He can befriend and disarm anyone. He makes people laugh, from those close to him to complete strangers of all ages. Today he exhibited this both in interactions with Abuelita as well as on the bus. He coaxed smiles and laughter out of teenagers who were on their way home from school in the city. They are usually too cool to interact with strangers. Elderly women on the bus loved him too. It is so heartwarming to see and we are so proud of our son! We transferred buses in Quiroga, and noticed a very nice new sign displaying the name of the town. When we got to Otavalo, we started off at to the Plaza de los Ponchos, where they sell local craft items. Rosa picked out a tablecloth and a piece of fabric that she will use to make curtains. We saw the school where Sisa takes English lessons every Saturday. She voluntarily gives up time on the weekends because she is so eager to learn English to be able to communicate with us better! We are so proud of her; she is such a smart, sweet girl, and such a hard worker. She always helps Rosa around the house with cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I have never met such a mature 9 year old we have ever met and we are so proud to have her as our Achi Wawa. We stopped into the most eclectic shop ever: featuring plastic shoes, religious statuettes, stuffed animals, balloons, and an S&M themed cooking apron complete with plastic bust (?). This can't help but bring to mind lyrics from King Crimson's "The Great Deceiver": "Cigarettes, ice cream figurines of the Virgin Mary." According to LyricInterpretations.com The line about "cigarettes, ice cream figurines of the Virgin Mary" was a rare lyric written by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. Those lines reflect Fripp's first impressions when he visited Vatican City. He had gone there hoping to see great religious art and to get a sense of Christian spirituality. He was disappointed to find that Vatican City was a rather small, dirty place filled with tourists, who were smoking, eating overpriced gelato at snack bars, and buying cheesy souvenirs shaped like Mary.We then walked to the indoor municipal market to buy clothes for the kids. The girls tried on various styles of dresses, and Yupanqui made sure to spin Shina around to make sure that the dress was flouncy enough. So cute! In the end, each girl got a dress and a sweater, and Yupanqui got a new pair of pants. An adolescent girl who was working with her mother at one of the market stalls was staring dreamily at Sonam. She and her mother tried to speak to him in Spanish, and Javier explained that Sonam doesn't speak Spanish. He acted as translator. The girl was very shy, but it was obvious that she had a crush on Sonam. It was also obvious that she didn't inherit her shyness from her mother, who came right out and asked where Sonam was from, what religion he practiced, and whether he could marry a Catholic girl. This, of course, embarrassed the girl terribly, but her mom needed to know! It turned out that the girl does know a bit of English, but was too shy to attempt to speak. Sonam was quite gracious with her and we got a photo of the two of them together. He made her feel special and it was a very heartwarming experience. After Antonio and Rosa picked up some produce at the municipal market, we walked back to the center of town. We went into a home goods store to buy a laundry tub to replace the one that they have which is leaking. The tub was a bit awkward to carry, but it had a handle on either side. Javier took one handle and Shina took the other, and the two of them carried it down the sidewalk together. So cute! As we walked through the center of town, we admired the elaborate graffiti street art as well as the stained glass street lights which depict important elements of indigenous culture. We stopped into Tia supermarket to pick up a couple of items, and then went to the bus station. An elderly Otavalan woman sat with me on the bus to Quiroga, and when we all disembarked, Sonam helped her down the stairs. Of course he elicited a huge smile from her. He is so amazing. We piled into a camioneta and headed back to the house. There were some leftover peppers from lunch, and Javier heated them up for us. The air was thick with peppers and we were all coughing, tearing up, and choking until we opened the window to air the place out. Much laughter ensued. It was debilitating and gave us an idea of how effective pepper spray must be as a weapon. I've never experienced anything like it! Tomorrow Javier will be going back to Quito, and we (and Sonam) will be heading home on Saturday. Since it would be our last evening all together, we had a bit of a celebration of sorts. The family presented us each with scarves, and formally told us how much they have enjoyed having all of us visit. Yupanqui, who had been cranky for most of the outing in Otavalo, was suddenly a different person (maybe the three teaspoons of sugar in his small cup of tea had something to do with it!) He kept disappearing into the other room and reappearing wearing a different colored scarf; sometimes multiples. Then he tied a shawl around his waist and started to dance through the kitchen in Inti Raymi / San Juanito style. Our faces hurt from laughing so hard! It was another great day. These two weeks have flown by. It will be hard to say goodbye on Saturday morning. Sonam and the kids have become very attached to one another. We always feel sad leaving the kids (who beg us to live here full time), and of course it will be hard to say farewell to our amazing son Sonam, who brings so much love and light into our lives. We are truly blessed, and we will see one another soon for sure! Otavalo |
 Sonam and Abuelita share a relationship that transcends language  Sisa, Shina, and Yupanqui pose with the brand new Quiroga sign  Craig and Sonam at the Plaza de los Ponchos  Most eclectic shop ever: featuring plastic shoes, religious statuettes, stuffed animals, balloons, and an S&M themed cooking apron complete with plastic bust (?)  Sisa in Otavalo  Otavalo street art  Achi Taita, Shina, Sonam, Sisa, Yupanqui, and Javier See all photos from January 25, 2018 |
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