Never a dull moment....

By Donna B. McNicol -
It was supposed to be a quiet day - take the bus into El Centro, visit some friends to see their new place and buy a handmade Christmas ornament, grab lunch (el almuerzo) at Don Colon and then walk to Rotary Market to see if we could pick up a couple of small shelves.

The sun was shining with a nice breeze, the bus came quickly and we settled in for what should have been a short bus ride. While at a traffic light just pas the Las Americas roundabout, I heard a siren. Looking out the window I saw a policeman on a motorcycle chasing a man - both weaving in and out/around the cars waiting at the light. They cross the street and both charge up the sidewalk beside the bus.

The locals are craning their necks for a view, we're now on the wrong side of the bus to see much. Siren blaring loudly, the culprit charges ONTO OUR BUS via the open rear door and heads to the front. Behind him is the policeman. They reach the front of the bus and the fight/struggle starts.

At this point we opt to get off the bus, not knowing what might happen next. A gunfight? Getting slugged by a stray fist? A few steps off the bus and backup arrives - police in cars and on motorcycles. We glance back, there are 5-6 officers holding the perpetrator (of what, we have no idea). I hadn't wanted to take a photo while on the bus but I quickly grabbed this photo.


Needless to say, the rest of the day was anti-climatic! We caught another bus down the road a bit, getting off in El Centro and finishing the walk to our friends' Kathy & Sara's new place. Well, not so new anymore, but the first time I'd seen it. Stu was there for his last furniture refinishing class which was before they truly moved in. After a tour (their terrace view is spectacular) and some great chit-chat, I picked out one of the ornaments that Kathy had been making. I love the patchwork look to it and it will be a great addition to our eventual cabin in the woods.


From there was walked to one of our favorite lunch spots, Don Colón's restaurant where we worked to find someone heading to the US in the next week or so, Don needed a letter mailed. That done, lunch consumed, coffee enjoyed and we headed out on a leisurely walk to Rotary Market where we easily found the little shelves we wanted.

Here are a couple other photos I snapped while walking El Centro...


So all in all an interesting day! How was yours?

P.S. Do we worry about crime? Check out this post: Crime in Ecuador

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