First of all, I am having trouble with the website. I have not been able to download any photos for over two weeks. I have contacted the website, so hopefully I will have some resolution soon.
The last week in Chile flew by. Dan flew into Santiago on Saturday, February 27th. It was great to see him and we are enjoying spending a few weeks together. We both attended Spanish classes last week. Dan had that “deer-in-the-headlights” look more than once. I can relate!! I’ve had that same look too many times to count!
During our week together in Chile, we toured the graffiti in Valparaiso. Valparaiso is right next to Viña and is quite a unique city. Dogs lying on the sidewalks not paying much attention as people walk by and legal and illegal graffiti on buildings. Our guide, Manuel, knew the graffiti artists for most of the paintings. One of the most moving paintings was of a homeless man and his son sleeping on the street. There were numerous others we also saw. Graffiti is an art if it is done with thought and a message. Most of the paintings had no words, but the pictures spoke a thousand words.
The night before we left Viña, we had an “asada” (BBQ) at the guesthouse where I stayed. We had such a wonderful time. Dan grilled and we all sat around and visited until almost midnight.
Goodbyes are never easy. Even though I was in Viña del Mar for only four weeks, I met so many wonderful people from different parts of the world. Francisca, my hostess at the guesthouse, and I were visiting the night before we left Viña, we both agreed that people come from different cultures, languages, beliefs, but at the core many of us share many similarities. During my conversations on this journey, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to people’s perspective of their country and how they view other countries. The strengths and the areas of concern. It’s been refreshing hearing from “the people” and not the media. Many expressed concern for their countries.
On to Ecuador!! Dan and I flew out of Santiago, Chile on March 4th. After three connections, long layovers, and a four and a half our bus trip from Cuenca, we finally arrived at Loja, for the first part of our stay in Ecuador. We were traveling for almost 24 hours. The bed, as hard as a rock, was welcomed by us both that night!!
Monday morning we rode a bus to a resort called Madre Tierra, which is about 45 minutes south of Loja, near Vilcabamba. We both had a massage and then sat and talked to the owners for quite a long time. They are actually from Spokane, Washington. Not only was the visit nice, but the scenery was absolutely spectacular. Hopefully I can get some of the photos to upload.
We took a van back to Cuenca on Tuesday and we will be here until Saturday morning. I have to say that the Andes mountains are absolutely breathtaking! They are so green and they never end. We are staying in a beautiful, inexpensive condo. The owners are from Colorado and they live right above us. We had a great visit with them today after we arrived. I visited Cuenca two year ago. Many of you may be familiar with it. It is a beautiful colonial city in the southern highlands of Ecuador. I am having plenty of opportunities to use my Spanish. It is much easier to communicate in Ecuador than it was in Chile as the people don’t speak as fast.
Hasta Luego!!
