Last year at this time Christina and I began our final checklist before heading to Portland, Oregon after living in Eugene for forty years. We sold or gave away or trashed everything we could not pack, four suitcases. Our grand plan was to fly Portland to Atlanta to Quito. That adventure was documented last year in Daily Kos. We have been here in Ecuador ever since.
As a follow up to a couple of gringos and a dog heading out of the country to escape tRUMPistan, we wanted to share...
Seven, maybe eleven amazing things about Cotacachi, Ecuador ...
- This Pueblo is as safe as any city we have ever lived in. No guns, assaults, or needles in the gutter. No porn shops or obvious prostitution. No paranoia. No MAGA hats. Journalists are respected. The local folk here are some of the kindest people we have ever met.
- Our dreaded landlord (as he calls himself) Michael, having lived here for over ten years, knows the history and geography of the entire region of Imbabura ( our province) including the location of every hacienda with elaborate dining rooms and great service. Menu to see is always mind blowing. Credit cards accepted.
- WiFi works every day 24/7/365. Fast. TuneIn radio app, for free, gets ESPN, Oregon IMG (Ducks sports) and all music from around the world. Even KRVM. We are in touch with the world in real time. Don’t get me started on Netflix. Now watching The Affair.
- Walking gets you most places. Cabs and buses do the rest.
- Indigenous villages surrounding this town number in the forties. They grow every possible fruit and vegetable. Pineapples are in greenhouses at 14000 feet. The market is open every day. Always fresh. Sunday it’s crowded and lively.
- This town has 10-12 thousand people. One thousand are gringos and businesses cater to them. Organic vegetables, meat and fish on Thursdays. Steve and Rebecca hosts movies at the Ami Teatro every Saturday at 2. Good ones, like Seventh Seal and Wonder Woman.
- Roche, our Doodle, never been happier. He is mostly off leash and enjoys meeting every one. Local kids call him Peluche, meaning Teddy or stuffed animal. Our vet, Dr. Ricky is from Cuba and available for full service six days a week. He also works with Amici Canis, caring for the street dogs, spaying and neutering and inoculating. Quito has some of the most modern medical services on the planet for humans. Many doctors educated in Cuba.
- On any given weekend we can travel to the Amazon jungle or the Choco rainforest, possibly the most diverse bio region in the world. The highest level of the Choco is the Intag Valley, about an hour or two bus ride from here. The Mashpi Lodge, in the middle of the region will only cost you $2500 a night. Not a misprint. Most other hostels run about $20 a night.
- Temperatures here range from 52 degrees to 75 degrees. Most days highs around 72. Flowers bloom constantly. Heating and air conditioning are unnecessary. Currently the temperature is 71, slight breeze, no humidity.
- Cotacachi mountain at 16,220 feet is higher than Mt. Whitney in California (14,505) Andean Condors sail above the cliffs. Down here at 8000 ft. we see swallows, hummingbirds, egrets, eagles, hawks, falcons, tanagers, grosbeaks, and the amazing southern mockingbird. Those are the ones we have identified. The bird book here in Ecuador is 750 pages thick and weighs a ton. Saw a redhead in flight the other day but good luck finding the name.
- Further information available upon arrival. Fly to Quito. Bus to Otavalo. Take the first left off the Pan America highway. We will meet you at the Cotacachi bus terminal.