THE ACCIDENT

                            WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

   

     At the halfway mark of our time in the islands, 650 miles off the coast of Ecuador, we looked forward to a full and busy day. At dawn opening our cabin curtains I could see that we were anchored right off Pinnacle Rock at Bartholome Island.

     At 5:30 A.M. we loaded  the pangas to cruise slowly around the island shoreline looking for penguins. We were not disappointed and the mating pair was especially exciting. Although the girls had swum with penguins a couple days before that was a much different experience than seeing them early in the morning on the rocks where they blended in  with the lava rock. During the next hour we also saw marine iguanas, crabs, heron, pelicans, oyster catchers, sea lions and manta rays, before heading back to the Boat for a hearty breakfast.

     After getting prepared for a dry landing at a pier by the beach we were off again to climb up to Bartholome lighthouse. Our guide  told us it was 400 steps up, but did not mentioned there were many long planked pathways in between. It was not a strenuous climb, and once at the top the views were fantastic. I was especially cautious at the pinnicle as there was a lot of loose rock and it doesn’t take much to go sliding on that.

      Back to the boat we prepared for a wet landing at a coral-colored beach for swimming. We were walking on a narrow one-person wide sandy path through a mangrove thicket when I stepped on a sand covered rock. The sand shifted and in less than a blink of an eye I was on the ground turned around, It did not take an expert to know I had broken my leg---just didn’t know in three places,

    Then the unfortunate  experience began! Thankfully there was no blood, no compound fracture and I had not hit my head. The boat crew was summoned to the island with a backboard. I never realized how narrow those backboards are! I made it to the beach without falling off the board and without getting all scratched up from the brambles. The crew decided it would be easier to balance me and the board on the gunnel of the zodiac than to lift me down inside! It was a slow but  short putt putt back to the boat. It was a jostle and tug to get me aboard the boat and then up 6-7 steps to the main lounge/saloon.

     My older granddaughter asked for a first aid kit as she was looking for an ace bandage, She went to her cabin and retrieved her newly purchased Ecuadorian beach towel to use as a splint. After that I was comfortable and all was well---until I needed the restroom. There was no head in the lounge but I managed to have enough handholds to hop from the couch to the cabin door. Anyone familiar with boats knows that all hatchways have a 3-4-inch lip that must be stepped over. Thirty years ago it probably would not have been a problem for me to give one big hop and  I’d be over the threshold. But not at 84!With a little teamwork and a bit of a lift I made it out onto the deck where I then had the bulkhead on one side and a hand rail on the other to hobble to my cabin.To this day I’m  grateful  I requested the cabins I did as they avoided all ladders/steps. But I stayed in my cabin for the rest of the day where I could manage from the bunk to the head.

     It was safe to delay hauling anchor until the swim was over and all had had lunch. It was a 3 ½-4 hour cruise  to Santa Cruz to a doctor and hospital. An ambulance was waiting for me on the dock  at  Puerto Ayora to take me to a facility for X-rays. It was well after working hours but someone had convinced a really sweet Xray tech to stay open and wait for me. The facility was super clean, the equipment new and in no time my  X-rays were on the computer!

On to the hospital ER. 

Quito's Winged Virgin

                                                                    High on a Hill

El Panecillo Equatorial Monument

    The traffic as we approached old town was horrific. The cobbled streets are narrow. Vehicles of all sizes lined up from all the side streets to merge into the one lane of traffic, It was stop and go for a long time before we finally reached the road climbing up to the virgin. Street vendors were everywhere selling food to passing cars. It was a gorgeous clear day.  We parked at the summit so my daughter and her elder daughter could climbed to the top. We, with the kinky knees, enjoyed the panoramic views of the city on a clear sunny day.

     It is impossible to visit Quito and not see the high hill that separates south from downtown (central city). The 200 meter hill  of volcanic-origin has loess soil. The hill resembles a panecillo, a bread roll or a small piece of bread; thus the name.

    On top of the hill stands the 45-meter tall winged statue of the Virgin Mary standing on top of a globe. Made of 7000 pieces of aluminum she was erected in 1976. On top of a globe the virgin is stepping on a snake, which is a classic Madonna iconography. The 12 stars in her crown reference the bible.  She faces Old Town with one hand pointing to the town she protects. Less traditional are the wings. Locals claim she is the only Virgin in the world with wings like an angel.

     She was built in sections: first the base, the world, body, hands, head in two sections, and finally the wings. 

     Legend says that in  caica-time there was the Pot of the Roll, a circular kind of cistern  eight meters  deep that was used for  irrigation. Years later, during the Spanish

domination, the place served to collect rain water to  irrigate  the gardens of the Spanish mansion Bellavista; later the site was used as a defense for the colonial troops during the libertarian battle of Pichincha.     

      Shungoloma is the original Quichuan name, meaning "hill of the heart." How fitting that the Spanish claimed it for the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

      El Panecillo is Quito’s most popular lookout area, affording a 360-degree view over the city. On a clear morning one can see as far as Cotopaxi’s distinctive volcano.

Quito, Ecuador

                                                                  QUITO, ECUADOR

     I made my first visit to Ecuador in 1993. Then 23 years later I decided to take my granddaughters and their mother to experience the Galapagos Islands, but I wanted them to experience Colonial capitol Quito first. I hired a guide and driver for the Quito visit as I wanted to see as much of the city in a weekend as possible. The altitude of 9,350-feet slowed out pace a wee bit but not to any extreme.

    Quito’s historic center is one of the best preserved in the Americas. Most of the 8 active volcanos can be seen from most parts of the city. Spaniards constructed lovely colonial architecture over the charred remains of an   Inca city. But just north of Old Town towering concrete and glass structures show off modern business and tourists centers of the city. Quito’s unmistakable Old Town, covers over 790 acres and is hilly. The area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, Quito has taken great pride in restoring its colonial buildings and sprucing up its public spaces to ensure that both locals and visitors continue to breathe life into Old Town.  

     Our guide was great about rearranging our itinerary to avoid crowds. The Equatorial Monument is about 20 Kilometers out of the city. As we headed to lower altitudes in this short distance there was a remarkable change in climate and tropical plant life was flowering and healthy.

     Here I found some additions to the well-known area. Although one can still straddle   both hemispheres at the same time near the lovely museum these have taken a back seat to the new Mitad del Mundo, Middle of the World.  Although the equator runs through many cities in the world, Quito has become famous for it.   The equator was discovered and mapped in 1736 by a French geodesic expedition. This extraordinary feat at that time did end being off by about 250 meters. This site gave the girls an excellent overview of Ecuador and the views were spectacular. We all learned a lot and the girls had great fun  participating in many experiments as we visited the site. We were all fascinated by the story of  how a shrunken head is made! The girls protested the use of guinea pigs in ceremonies and the eating of them. They  were stymied how magnetism will not allow anyone to walk heel to toe at the equator; they tried hard to prove it wasn’t so. 

    After spending much of the morning here I asked our driver to stop at the tower monument so the girls could see where their uncle and I had spent some time years ago.

    Back in town at Independence Square  it was a surprise to walk into a lovely old mansion for a leisurely local lunch at Casa Gangotena. Our guide  joined us and was able to translate and describe the menu for us, as the coat-clad waiter didn’t speak English. Lunch included soup, entre, juice and desert. Somehow salad was also included but not listed on the menu..

     We started with a long divided dish of a half dozen salsas. Each was good and I was intrigued with the beet salsa. We all tried hard to not dribble salsa on the crisp white linen tablecloth.

    All but one of us ordered the pork. The boneless chop had been pounded very thin until it was the size of an open hand, It appeared to have  been grilled and the orange sauce was on the plate I took as a marinade. It was different but very good. A roasted bean about the size and shape of a lima bean is a poplar food item and they were on the plate with halved small quarter-sized roasted potatoes and a salad. Also on the plate was a white popcorn-like corn kernel which reminded us of hominy—very bland. The meal ended with a guava-like ice cream frozen desert,

    After a delicious lunch it was time to get out and walk for some exercise.

Seven churches surround or near the square give it its name. The Centro Historico hosts a diverse and rich colonial history with beautiful plazas, churches, museums and pedestrian walkways.  I am not going to dwell on the many large, beautiful plazas, nor on the many churches, We entered many, learned history about each and the notable effects of each were pointed out to us. If you are really interested in the differences of the churches  and squares just google Quito’s churches and you’ll find all the info you want. After threeish hours we were all churched and plazaed out. It was a very warm day and it was time for something to drink and some ice cream!.

    After some discussion and learning the market closed at 5PM---give or take---we asked the driver to drop us off there before it closed. I knew the market was only  a very  short walk from our hotel. As it turned out that was a good choice, as it turned out to be the only time we had to do any shopping.

    After staggering back to the hotel we  dropped our purchases and while resting discussed the day. Later at the hotel restaurant we indulged in some of the city’s famous soups. We all tried a different one and no one was disappointed.

   

A BIT ABOUT CORK

                                     CORK FROM THE TREE TO THE BOTTLE

      After reading about this trip in the New York Times a couple years ago I knew it was a trip for me. It didn't take  long for me to get to the computer to start some research which eventually led me to the Cork Alliance website and it's Executive Director,  Patrick Spencer, with whom I made contact and later watched his TED Talk.

    We visited 4 of Spain's 17 autonomous communities (states), and learned a lot of Spanish history along the way. Cork is harvested in June and July so there are ony four tours a year and because of the unique and small accomadations this company limits each group to only ten people. The first night we stayed in a 16th century palace, a couple of times in the forest, once close to the Portugal border and another time in an apartment on a large estate. In Andalusia we spent seeral days in a old hospital that had been converted to a hotel.

    This trip absolutely fulfilled my preference for getting out into the countryside and mingling with the people. Lunch in the forest with the workers was a delight both times.

     Seven million acres of cork forest stand in 7 countries that have oak cork trees: Spain, Portugal, France, Tunsia, Morocco, Italy, and Algeria; 91% of cork forests are family owned. Bark  is  harvested by hand every 9 years. It is the  only tree that bark can be removed from  and  conitue to live. With an axe, the experts detach the grey bark from the oaks. The trunks of the trees then turn orange, yellow or red.  No mechanical tools have been used in these forests for 2000 years. The workers are the highest paid agricultural workers in world.

      The industry is the  3^rd highest biodiversity industry in the world; 13,000 plants grow in the areas while animals, many endemic, live in the forests.

     Trees are protected in all 7 countries, and it is illegal to cut them down. The Industry, a 0% waste industry is  fully sustainable.  Each year 12 billion corks are made.    

   In spite of the misconception, the cork forests are in jeopardy because of under use not overuse .

    A fun little known factoid: the inside of the shuttle fuel tanks are lined with cork protecting the shuttle on re-entry as cork will not burn below 1000 degrees.