Mercadillo, Ecuador and the Restaurante Carmita

Fish in Carmita's kitchen. Delicious dinner!! Above is Carmita receiving thanks from Rosemary and Cascade. She cooked A LOT of food for A LOT of us that day, and from her small space and with her humble kitchen supplies! She worked very hard and the food was all fresh, cooked in local style and the type of delicious that only a Granny can dish up!

The family below lived across the street from Carmita's and for some reason took an extreme liking to Fish. They  had us come over and meet their whole family, and then gave Fish the poster he's proudly holding in the top photo. It's a memento from their church, which they were very proud of, especially of the crucifix image they had inside the church. That image is what is on the poster. Neon Bible! And by the number of clocks on that bell tower, clearly they are as timely as they are friendly in this village!

Rocio introduces us to Carmita, who is known throughout the Loja region for her specialty of dried beef. She cooked an amazing feast for our whole group and fed us all family style from her perfect and humble kitchen. She was a treat as well! Sweet Granny! (Thank you Ellen and Heath Hilary for some of these photos!)

I apologize. The order of these photos got all fouled up, and I could not fix this. I've tried to explain the photos and the short story of this town in a way that makes some sense, despite my dadgum editing errors. 

 Scenery on our drive from Alamor to Mercadillo.

 Before we got to Mercadillo we stopped for a hike to some mud baths. The hike, while much longer than Rocio had thought, led through some beautiful lush and vivid green landscape! The farming that is done up on steep ridges and mountains always amazes me! Look at that handsome man below!!

Southern Ecuador rainforest

 El Patrino tree.

 Petrified wood in the rivers and in the ground.

Celebrity herbalists Rosemary and Rocio can't escape their adoring paparazzi!

Herbalists under the gun!

The next morning we flew from Quito to Santa Rosa de Machalia in the South of Ecuador. On our way out of the airport, our bus was stopped and we were all asked to line-up and open up our bags for inspection. These guys had never encountered a group of about 20 traveling herbalists before and began going through our bags, first with looks of confusion that soon gave way to smiles and apologies. We ALL had bags filled with various tinctures, dried herbs and funny looking little bottles of essential oils... what you'd expect to find in an herbalists travel bag. This encounter ended with the army guys laughing with us, helping us back on our bus and receiving a short lesson from Rocio on the uses of essential oils!

Cactus Club~ La Carolina Park Botanical Gardens

La Carolina Park Botanical Garden~ Quito

Robert relaxing.

I don't remember what it smelled like. I guess.... fruit punch?!?

(Thanks to Heath Hilary for this shot.)

Meeting in the Convent Gardens- Las Gardenias, Quito

A view of NW Quito from the front of the convent.

In the gardens.

Opening circle in the gazebo.

On the bus to the Botanical Gardens! First stop on our journey!

The backside of the convent, as seen from the gardens.

Convent Las Gardenias ~Quito, Ecuador

The Convent Las Gardenias in Quito was the meeting place for the beginning of our Plant Lovers Journey to Ecuador. Here we joined our group of fellow travelers, including my very beloved teachers and leaders of our trip, Rosemary Gladstar, Cascade Anderson Gellar and Rocio Alarcon, the same three women who I first traveled to Ecuador with in 1999. That trip was also my first independent international travel, and began what has unfurled as a lifetime of travel and adventure to many parts of the world, so far. They were joined on this trip by a fourth deep and wise woman, Kathleen Maeir  and by Robert Chartier, Rosemary's partner, whose steady and present energy is essential to group momentum in many ways! Fish was with me, both in '99 and now! We felt this trip was symbolic for us in many ways, most obvious being the full circle aspect, of completing a cycle of life by returning to where the adventures all started 13 years before. I was giddy with anticipation to get this party started! The convent was large, silent and.... well... immaculate. The rooms were stark and bare and the beds were... small... and VERY far apart. We could tell we were gonna have to redecorate for the evening. As a reminder that we were now in Ecuador, where plant spirits still dwell in the daily world with modern people, we kept running into San Pedro cactus everywhere we turned.

Our room at the convent. No funny business here!!

We found San Pedro hanging out in the stairwell!

The chapel.

 Our entertainment for the evening. Rocio's niece and professional dancer performed a few numbers for us in the basement of the convent. (Thank you Heath Hilary for these photos!)

Quito Streets

The view from our bedroom window in La Mariscal district of Quito. We rented a room in a lovely Ecuadorian woman's apartment and were able to come and go from it as if it were our own for the 6 weeks we were in Ecuador! We loved Pilar and we also loved the feeling of having a home while we were there! Behind the clouds to the left of the huge Banco building, lies on of the many volcanos that encircle this giant of a city.

For real! Some of the best advice I could give on visiting Quito is this.... find yourself a good cevicheria and go... like, everyday! Ceviche is somewhat of a national dish in Ecuador, and Ecuadorian ceviche is my absolute favorite version! This ceviche de camerones I'm enjoying is, perhaps, my favorite meal of all time! Fish ordered a mixed seafood casserole which was like nothing either of us had ever had before, cooked in some kind of thick and creamy peanutty flavored sauce. Ceviche in Ecuador is typically served with popcorn, fried plantain chips and roasted corn kernels, all heavily salted, and meant to be added to the ceviche at will! Wash it all down with a glass (or pitcher) of freshly pressed lime juice and there you have bliss!!

A perfect mocha. Quitena style!

In the last few hours before we were to head to the Convent to meet up with our group, we headed out for some lunch and a quick stroll around our neighborhood, La Mariscal. It's an upscale neighborhood with many restaurants and coffee shops that you won't find anywhere else in Ecuador. The guidebooks led me to believe this was a touristy area, but I hung here quite a bit and found it frequented MUCH more by wealthy Quiteno youth than foreign travelers. And the odd backpacker I saw stroll through looked quite out of place amongst the well dressed and very fashion forward throngs of Quiteno youngsters. Anyway, after our mocha stop, we hopped in a cab and headed out with great excitement to meet up with our group, and begin our 2 week journey into the heart of this culture.

Just-a waitin for a bus.~ Papallacta village, Ecuador 2/12

Got a pickup truck to drive us down the mountain and out to the highway where we could flag down the next bus headed to Quito. We were told the next bus could be here in 2-5 hours, depending on many variables! We were excited beyond belief to board a Quito bound bus with just 2 seats left in under an hours wait!! Travelers luck was on our side this day! We just as easily could have been standing in this very spot for a LONG time!

Hosteria La Pampa de Papallacta~ Ecuador 2/12C

Checking out and arranging our pickup ride to the bus station, doing a little browsing in the gift shop on the side.

A freshly cleaned pool just waiting to be filled with the volcanically heated mineral water!

Hosteria La Pampa de Papallacta ~ Ecuador 2/12Ou

Our room. With private soaking tub.

Another inside pool, directly underneath our room.

Taking time to stop and smell the Andean roses.

Coming down the trail back to our cozy fire-lit room! ~ Papallacta, Ecuador 2/12

At the top of the ridge enclosing Papallacta valley lay this world of swirling mists... and cows. ~ Ecuador 2/12