Time flies when you are having fun. We got picked up at the hotel in Quito by a big van filled with one great family. Patty & Rumi picked us up with their three children Sammy, Yarina and Malki. We drove through an amazing scenery landscape to their home near Otavalo. On the way stopped and picked up some nice flowers and some homemade ice cream on a stick. The place we were going to call home for the next three weeks was exactly what we needed after our self-inflicted stressful life in Holland. We were staying in between maybe three (in)active volcanos with an amazing scenery. The weather was steady around 20 degrees. Great weather to take a walk.
All the respect goes to Patty who was providing us with breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day if we wished for. The farm had cows, chicken, cava, pigs, cats and – of course – dogs of all sorts, shapes and characters.
We love animals a lot. In Holland, we have two cats and Tanja’s wish is to have a dog soon. We live on the third floor in the center of Amsterdam. A dog is not really an option.We just loved being around many animals and eating pure food Patty provided us with. Most meals were simple but very delicious. The food seems more pure unprocessed here and hence the great taste.
The farm had also a fruit and vegetable garden and hammocks. Our favorite place between 9 and 12 were the hammocks as the sun was blazing on them. At night it cools down quite a bit and sunset is always at around 6 pm and sunrise is at 6 am. We quickly adapted to a new sleeping schedule. We were sleeping most days way before 8pm. We slept usually until 7:30 am. This means effectively that we were getting at least 10,5 hours sleep.
Our bodies needed it. Keep in mind that in Holland we are lucky to get 7 hours sleep. The cold nights also made it much easier to get under the blankets quickly. There is no central heating in their house, so the only option is three blankets and sleep quickly. The family life also added to the relaxing atmosphere. The family is just one big piece factor for us. Of course, there were frictions but really minor and usual stuff you get when kids grow up to be adults. We have all the respects for the family for being so close and supporting each other.
The Activities we did were just breathtaking. Totally different from Quito. We ended up in rural Ecuador, to be exact in Turuku. The farm was situated at a foot of a volcano and next to a picturesque church. We visited a few times Otavalo which is a short taxi drive away or walked towards downtown Cotacachi. We also went hiking one day a the local volcano crater filled with water and had family Sunday trip with the whole family an hour drive to a different volcano crater lake.
Another highlight was going to the thermal waters an hour drive away. We spend a few hours swimming in sulfur straight from the inside of the earth.