A Series of Unfortunate Events

So, Friday was the team´s first "free" day of the trip, and we each had great plans on how we'd like to spend it. Maddy took the opportunity to spend the day with family, visiting her cousin Petit's house during the day, visiting with her 93 year-old aunt, and then going to dinner and the symphony with another cousin, Lupe. Sherrilyn, meanwhile, relaxed at the hotel, checked out a local artisans' market, and enjoyed pizza at a small Italian restaurant nearby. Rachael, Marta and Heather decided to visit the Otavalo market and other small towns in that area. This is where their adventure beings. Gather around while they tell their tale...

On the 2 hour drive to Otavalo, we passed people setting up food stands alongside the rural highway; our driver explained that Nov 20/21 is the day for the Virgin of Quinche. Thousands of people make a pilgrimage from all around, walking for hours to go to the church's masses, which begin at 2 am and are repeated hourly throughout the night. "How quaint," we thought. (Hope you´re sensing the foreshadowing.)

We cruise through Otavalo, finding a few special treasures, and then follow up the market with lunch on Lago San Pablo , and a visit to a volcanic crater lake, Laguna de Cuicocha, up above 10,000 feet. After passing through Cotacachi, famous for its leather work, and San Antonio, known for woodworking, we start our journey home. When we are about an hour from Quito, traffic comes to a standstill. Apparently, the road is blocked in both directions to allow the people making their pilgrimages to walk to Quinche. No problem, says Edgar, our driver: there´s another road to Quito, we just have to backtrack a bit. An hour later (now about 7:30 pm and quite dark), we are happily cruising along the new highway when, you guessed it: brake lights ahead. Apparently, this highway too is completely closed down for the pilgrims. The policeman politely informs us that, in fact, all roads to Quito are blocked. Not to worry, though- we can get through as soon as they reopen... AT 4 A.M.!!!

By some miracle, Edgar is able to maneuver us out of the jam of buses, trucks, and cars, and we wind our way back to a place called Cayambe, which probably means "stretch of ten buildings sitting on 2-lane highway." Luckily, there happens to be a hotel there, the less-than-appropriately named "Gran Columbia International" or something like that painted on the concrete block wall out front. We are given the last 2 rooms; having no advance reservations means we are forced to pay the top rack rate of $13 per room. (Luckily Edgar is able to impose upon a long-lost brother of a sister-in-law; he said they were just a little surprised to see him!) There is no power in the town, though the liquor store across the street has a generator going and a nice crowd is gathering. So we are led by candlelight up several flights of stairs to the tiny rooms - they are unable to locate a key for one room, but use the master key to get us in. Since we don´t plan on going anywhere before 4 am anyway, there´s a chain on the door, and since we really have no other options, we nod and shut the door. Marta decides to go straight to bed (around 830) since there is nothing else to do. The room Rachael and Heather are in has twin beds that have extra-firm (read: rock-solid) cot mattresses with concrete pillows. The place is clean though and we had managed to pick up a bottle of Chilean wine while we were checking in downstairs so we decide to have a few copas and enjoy at least that. We receive a call on Marta´s cell phone and it´s our Rotary host for the next day, making sure we are okay. When we explain that we´ll be getting on the road before dawn to try to get back to Quito by 6:30 am, he says, "That´s great, so you´ll be here in time to leave for our 8:30 am day-long trip to a rural school!" Okay, maybe not his exact words, but we knew there would be no hall pass given for tomorrow's activity. So we brush our teeth with sugarless gum, wash our faces with antibacterial hand wipes, and lie down for a few hours rest.

Back on the road in the dark of morning, we pass a few devoted stragglers as we close in on Quinche. Church in sight, we're not sure whether to cross ourselves and be thankful for safe passage home- finally!- or dare this particular Virgin to try to slow us down again. To be on the safe side, we opt for the former. We arrive at our Hotel Sebastian and fall into the cloud-like beds for a blissful 20 full minutes of slumber.

After this brief recharge, we head to Nono, a pueblo high in the hills above Quito which was once a dying town with few resourses. School here ended at 8th grade, and many families were forced to leave to find work and education. Now the Rotary InterOceanan Group (with help from Swiss Rotary groups) has stepped in and built a high school and set up a cheese-making factory. They teach organic gardening, provide craft classes for the children, and have started a community band. They have provided hope for the people of this area, and we were amazed to see the way the town has been transformed. Community members generously provided us with a typical lunch of fried pork, corn on the cob, potatoes, habas (akin to lima beans), and delicious local cheese. A wonderful day, and despite our tiredness we were glad not to have missed getting to know this special place. On the drive back to Quito, Rachael and Heather delicately fell back asleep; please do not believe any tales of blackmail-worthy photos of Heather snoozing against the window, mouth agape. Tomorrow we head off to Ambato, where more adventures await...