The day after....

The day after Christmas...

We decided to take a jaunt into El Centro today and get in some walking steps. The bus was close to full but not completely but when we arrived in El Centro, it was definitely quieter than a normal Friday. We walked for a bit, stopped in the artisan mall where I negotiated the purchase of 30 small tagua turtles for my sister-in-law and her friend. They will be putting them on pendants.

Last year there was a beautiful display of nativity scenes using recycled materials. This year's display was a little different. When I took this photo I noticed to clock over the door of the shop behind the display. Thought you might get a giggle out of it.

More walking, you never know what you might see - like this green giant, and then we stopped in at Don Colon's for a cup of coffee. It's a great place for people watching as well as listening to my favorite flute players.

Around the corner we went, through the flower market where I picked up a large bouquet for $2. These are so pretty and last so long!

Headed to San Sebastian park to see if the Belgium brewery was open, it wasn't, so down the block to the bus stop and back home. Almost 7,000 steps for the day....life is good!

Merry Christmas to all our readers....

A fun outing!

Monday started with lots on our To Do list. Stu got up early and finished the chicken broth and I got to take photo of the chicken head. Yup, when you buy a whole chicken here you get head and feet. Have to admit, it makes delicious broth for me to use in soups. You can tell this guy was simmering all night in the crock pot. ;)

Then it was time to head to the bus that would take us to Popacuchu where Stu bought two more loaves of their delicious Christmas bread (which makes excellent French toast - will be our Christmas day breakfast treat). While he was doing that, I dropped off a load of things at Hearts of Gold for my friend to pick up and take to the CETAP-LUCY school.

That done we walked the mile and a half down to La Yunta for our outing for the day. We did this back in August and loved it. Today was no different, just a smaller group. We got to meet new friends and old, about a dozen folks in all. After some Pacari chocolate tasting and a glass of bubbly, we headed off to Juana Vintimilla Gardens where, once again, I took too many photos. Here are a few, you can see them all in our SmugMug album.

Most folks bought some plants, I opted out this time. My two succulent gardens I got in August are doing great. Our van driver loaded all the plants in the back and we headed off the the original La Yunta store and restaurant.

We all wandered around the shop and then settled in for a traditional Ecuadorian Christmas dinner. Yumm...sorry, forgot to take any photos, too busy eating! This was our menu:

• ROMPOPE (traditional Cuencano Christmas cocktail)
• TAMAL DE MAIZ with pork
• PERNIL WITH A SWEET TOMATO SAUCE
• Served with Christmasmas rice, creamy potatoes and red cabbage salad
• White and dark chocolate mousse

A delightful afternoon was had by all. We managed to snag a taxi home and in less than an hour, I was out for a 45 minute nap. Having fun is hard work!

Busy time of year!

I know we've been remiss in keeping the blog updated but it's been pretty hectic since our return 6 weeks ago. Now that we are both feeling better, there is so much to do and see as Christmas approaches. That means we are often out and about all day, enjoying the season.

During our exploratory trip in the spring of 2013, we spent a lot of time walking past Otorongo plaza where our favorite restaurant was located. Since then we seen music concerts, bicycle races, artisan craft shows and even the replica car for the future Tranvia. Now it's all decorated for Christmas. When I was there about 10 days ago, I got some shots of them delivering and setting up the plaza. Now it's up and at night it's lit up brightly.

A nice walk along the Tomebamba from Otorongo until we reached Parque de la Madre, our first destination. (Yes, we did climb those stairs but not for a bit...LOL!

We attended a Christmas Market at a local park (parque) and I did take a few photos there. I also bought a pretty handmade ornament for $2.50 that will eventually return to the states with us.

We watched the children playing in the park, including this little one obviously enjoying his ride on the zip-line.

From there we walked into El Centro, where we stopped at Cafe de Ñucallacta for coffee beans and these great little burlap gift bags. One for us and one for my brother in Florida for $2 each.

Then we took a leisurely walk, stopping at Don Colon's for a late lunch, although I had to have their French toast. We chatted with Don for a bit before walking to my favorite artisan shopping spot, only to find they were closed. You never know what you might see on the streets here...

Life is good!