llamasbailando: January 2014

I will start this blog with a favourite photo. This is Jesus and two of his brothers simply enjoying time together hanging out in the garden. Marco to the left (he lives in Germany) and Renee to the right.

Enjoying brotherly company

The Family home is situated overlooking a town called San Antonio de Ibarra. I will share some lovely photos taken in the town centre. This town is well known for it's artists who work in making sculptures from wood.

San Antonio de Ibarra

Sculpture in wood

Spotto Jesus

Church in San Antonio

nice photo!!

Street of San Antonio

Rest time!!

The house itself is on a large block of land...with the backdrop being the majestic idle Volcano Imbaburra. I enjoyed just being there and taking photos around the place!! Just for fun!!!

View of Imbaburra from the house.

Imbaburra

View from the family home.

Family home shots!!

...and again!!

Artistic roof shot.

Mama Maria with her doggy companions.

Mama Maria collecting herbs for the guinea pigs.

a lizard

Guards of the kitchen!!

Bread oven and cooling racks.

Yum...home made tortillas. My favourite breaky!!

Family time.

One day there was a fire in the river valley below (probably deliberately lit by some bored kids!!). It was creeping up towards the family property...so Jesus and Elvia and Diego became fire-fighters!!! A family of many talents!!!

Fire in the river valley.

Fire fighters to the rescue!!

...and again.

Every Wednesday and Saturday there is an animal market just up the road from the house. Here people come to buy and sell their animals. No..not just cats and dogs...but pigs, and sheep and cows and horses...and sometimes even Llamas!! So...of course we had to take Linda to experience this typical local market. And yes...many great photo opportunities!!! There is even a "viewing platform" where people can check out the animals from above...and for us to take photos. Enjoy one or two of my photos (or maybe a few more ha ha ha!!)

Want to buy a cow?

Market view.

More cows for sale.

Or these handsome ones?

Another shot!!

Family photo!!

"Which do you want?"

"Take this one"

"Pay up!!"

Rear shot!!

doing business.

bit of a fight.

cute...

Smile for the camera.

Ice cream time.

Yummy!!

Friends chatting.

Market shot

Cows on the move.

Market with Imbaburra.

Travelling Ecuadorian style!!.

Ready to go.

Market view.

More cows!!

Cute pig!!

The pigs for sale!!

...and more

...and more!!

cute!!

more cute..

even cuter!!

oink oink.

Pink as a pig!!

Nice view!!

Pigs for sale.

Stay!!

Let me out!!

Chatting.

more pigs for sale.

and more...

Selling her pig.

spotty pig.

pigs tail!!

oink.

artistic shot!!

Indigenous lady.

pigs and sheep and horses for sale.

another artistic shot.

want to buy a horse as well?

people shots.

and another.

cute kid.

I had also come to this market the Saturday after we arrived. Marco had wanted to buy Mama Maria a couple of little pigs. She chose her pigs, and bargained her price...then time to try to get the pigs to walk home. They didn't want to come with us...unless we carried them!! Marco and Gerti's son Maru named them Fritz and Philipe!! Poor Fritz and Philipe must have known their destiny (being fattened ready for fritada!!)...hence their hesitation to come willingly!!

Market shot.

Mama Maria with her pigs.

Gerti trying to coax Fritz.

Come on...

Trying to coax with food!!.

"I don't want to go...!"

ok...so you want to be carried!!

reluctant to go home!!

Maru and Fritz.

Happily walking now.

Homeward bound.

Marco and his pig!!

In their new home!!.

Unfortunately, after our animal market visit...time for Linda to head off from her "home" here. Off to discover more of the beauties that Ecuador has to offer.
The next day was the day for eating Cuy (Guinea Pig!!). These are not like the Guinea Pigs we know and love as pets. They are huge!! And they are a typical food here in Ecuador. Jesus has been dreaming about this meal for ages!!
Mama Maria breeds cuy...so had some ready and fattened for eating!! Unfortunately it is someones job to kill and de-hair the poor things. My job...to take photos of course!!

poor cuy.

Peeling the cuy!!.

Elvia and Conchi.

Gaby.

Happy family.

Poor peeled cuy.

...marinating.

The cuy can be fried, baked in the over or grilled over coals. Jesus wanted the latter..."eres aninado" (you are snobby) said Mama Maria...as this takes more time!! So...off Mama Maria and I went to town to buy the coals at the market. We found a man selling "carbon fino" (good quality coal!!) he said. OK...so good quality coal for snobby Jesus!!!
Time to head back home and prepare our feast. The cuy had been marinating in oil, garlic, rosemary and parsley...ready for the grill. Mama Maria had bought me a fish...so that was wrapped in foil and on the grill as well.

preparing the fire.

cooking the cuy

Fish ready to cook.

nearly ready!!

A feast for for a king!! Cuy, fish, potatoes, corn (the corn here is REALLY yummy!!!), broccoli, salad..and of course, aji!!

Feast fit for a king...mmmm!!

artistic shot...

Jesus in absolute heaven!!

Enjoying with family.

The next day we were planning on going to Banos...but Jesus wasn't particularly motivated. Manana, manana...tomorrow, tomorrow!! He is just happy finding jobs to do around the house and hanging out with family.

Hard at work

seat nearly complete.

Trying out his handy work...with a Pilsener of course!!

Pilsener...the national beer!!!

Meanwhile i was enjoying taking photos of all the pretty flowers and birds around the garden here. I will share some of them with you!! All of these flowers, and more, are in the garden around the property here.

pretty flower!!

another..

a tree berry.

spaghetti melon

again..

fig.

home grown avocados.

more flowers.

and more..

There is also a lot of beautiful birds that come and visit here. There is one tree that we called the "bird tree"..as there is a red bird and a beautiful yellow bird called the "Willichuri" that always come to this tree. They were all visiting today...it even looked like a pair of Willichuri's were building a nest..as they were coming and going from the upper branches.

Pretty Willichuri

again..

our red friend!!

and again..

tweet tweet..

tweet..

There is other tress and flowers around the garden that the hummingbirds like to visit. They are so quick it is hard to get photos. But...i have managed to get some nice shots...some in flight, and some resting on branches. As i am sharing bird photos with you..i will share some of my hummingbird shots!! Enjoy...

hummingbird.

eating nectar.

That afternoon the family sat around and we watched a movie called "La Alfombra Roja" (The Red Carpet). A couple of years ago, the kids organised a show for Mama Maria to celebrate Mother's Day..as they were all together in the family home. It was a contest for The Family Moreta Queen!! There was 5 candidates...5 of the grandkids (Alfonsina, Suri, Nahomy, Erika and Yesennia). Another, Joscelyne was the compare and 3 of Jesus' sisters were the judges!! They all performed...dancing, modelling traditional clothes and answering questions. It was amazing!! Apparently the kids had it all planned and bought all the costumes etc with them!! The kids were always doing things like this...organising shows and performances. They are a really close and tight knit family...it's really lovely.
That night, Marco and Gerti and family returned form their trip to the beach. So...we all sat around the fire enjoying family company. We put on some Karaoke...it was very funny. Jesus got 99 several times singing like an idiot. Elvia and i only got 89 trying to sing properly!! "Machina Metirosa" (lying machine) we cried!!

Karaoke with the family!!

I went to bed at 12.30..Jesus at 4.30.!! As i said...he and Marco are just enjoying being here with their family.
The next day...more poor cuys were killed and prepared for Marco and family. This time they were cooked in the oven. Jesus still maintains his cuy cooked over "good quality coal" tasted better!!

more cuy for lunch!!

this time in the oven..

peeling potatoes.

lunch with family.

the kids enjoying.

Elvia being...Elvia!!

One of my other favourite foods here is "tostaditos"...this is toasted corn kernals...they are coked in a large pan over an open fire. They go crunchy and are really yummy!! They are eaten as an accomapaniment to all sorts of meals over here...or just on their own!!! It is always fun to sit around with the family at Mama Maria's outside cooking area preparing food!!

corn ready for toasting...yum!!

Our niece Evelyn, Jesus and Mama Maria .

preparing the fire.

Corn and cuy intestines...

Jesus in heaven!!

So..when I say we enjoy sitting around and hanging out as a family...it crosses all generations. Here are a couple of cute photos of our god-daughter Danae helping out around the place..while we are cooking!!

Our god-daughter working!!

Danae...how cute is she!!

After lunch, I went to the nearby town to go to the internet. On the way back i bumped in to Marco and Gerti on the bus...so we walked up to the house together. The only reason i mention this is because of a funny little story. The family home is set overlooking a little town called San Antonio...it's about a 5 minute walk. On the road that leads to the house there is an old man called Don Cruz who sits in the doorway of his house...a run down little room it actually is!! I remember him from our last visit here, and he remembers me. As I am always going to and from the internet...i always stop to say "hola" and have a chat!! It means a lot to him that i take the time to chat with him!! As Marco and Gerti and i walked past, he called out "hola senora Karen". Marco and Gerti were laughing at me and my "boyfriend" in San Antonio. Jesus decided that is why I was always going to the internet!!
Again that evening we sat around the fire enjoying a vino and family company..no karaoke tonight!!
I will finish this blog off with some photos taken in Otavalo on the Sunday. Jesus and I went their just to go for a wander. We saw lots of people in the plaza and realized that their was a wedding. Yep...lots of photo opportunities!! We hung around the plaza to take photos...the paparazzi!! Most people had crates of beer and palettes of eggs. Apparently this is the traditional gift to give here. After the bride and groom and family posed for photos on the steps of the cathedral..all the guests piled in to 2 awaiting buses. Jesus and i considered jumping aboard and gate-crashing the party. These parties can go on until the next day!!
But we didn't...sense got the better of us!!
Enjoy these Otavaleno wedding shots.