Life on the Farm

Tigua

Booking the Posada de Tigua was a hugh headache. My Spanish teacher had to call to make the reservations because there is no Internet. Then she helped organize a bank transfer because credit cards aren't accepted. Then I had to call from the bus station so someone could pick us up from the bus stop. The bus from Latacunga took us up to the heights of the mountains. I was worried about where to get off but it was no problem and a truck was waiting. The farm was charmingly rustic with modern conveniences like heat and hot water. At 4 pm all the animals came home from the fields. There were llamas, alpacas, cows, geese, sheep, and donkeys.--all trotting, waddling, strolling, running from the fields into the barns and paddocks. One little calf thought I was his mother and sucked my fingers looking for milk. There were a newborn lamb, puppies, and baby llamas. I had been waiting all my life for the opportunity to milk a cow and I finally did it! Not very well but I filled a third of a cup with milk. Our fellow travelers were a family from Netherlands with college- aged children and a family from Puerto Rico with little kids. We had a nice evening with delicious food and great conversation. I was worried that my expectations would be too high for this place but it has been everything I could have hoped for.

La posada de Tigua

Laundry day 

Baby Llama

Los tres amigos (geese)

Sheep at the farm

sunrise on the farm

Farm dogs

View from the farm

Mona's new career as milkmaid

Farm kids in cow barn

Off to Quilotoa this morning. We had homemade yogurt for breakfast. The Puerto Rican family was going to the same place so we decided to go together. We planned to take a bus to a nearby town and then get a van to the volcano lake. As we were waiting for a bus an old pickup with a covered roof stopped and said he would take all six of us directly to the volcano for $2 each so we jumped in. He stopped for several indigenous woman on the way so we all squeezed in. e felt like locals! The truck bumped and rattled its way to Quilotoa where the famous crater like was.

Truck ride with passengers

How can I describe the lake? We climbed up a small incline and suddenly there it was--and immense crater. The color is stunning and constantly change all different shades of green and blue. I could have stared at it for hours but the fierce wind forced us to take cover. We began the trek down to the lake. The path was dusty and under construction in places but the view was stupendous. At the bottom are people with horses to rent for the ride up and we decided to take advantage of that. The poor horse (or actually mule) that I was on had a tough job. Mona's mule had it easy with her 80 pounds. Wonderful experience (for us not the mules).

On our way home we stopped at an indigenous art gallery and bought some small paintings. Then it was "home" to the farm for good company and a delightful meal.

Mona rides

Our friends from Puerto Rico

Horses at the bottom of the crater