Pallatanga-aah

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Saturday morning promised a sunny weekend, set to unfold at the country ranch of District Governor Luis Villacres and his wife, Rosalia. Our team was joined by Secretary to the Governor Rafael Quintero and his wife Sara, along with GSE coordinator Hugo Klopfstein and his wife Susie. One could not ask for more generous hosts or better company for two days of rest and relaxation.

The hacienda consists of many patios, garden areas, and rooms to sleep at least 25 guests. We watched the sunset and chatted on the front porch before enjoying a fondue dinner made with cheese purchased fresh at a local stand earlier in the day.

Sunday morning, Rachael, Maddy and Heather walked to town to experience the weekly market. Hundreds of villagers travel hours to Pallatanga from surrounding mountain towns to buy fruits, meat, shoes, miracle homemade cures for headaches and foot fungus- everything a local family might need. We squeezed through the crowds, winding past huge freshly-slaughtered pigs (next to men swinging squealing piglets destined for a similar eventual fate) and bicycle carts with hundreds of recently-caught fish, eyes bulging with the rising heat. Fruits of every kind imaginable were spread out on blankets and makeshift stalls: babaco, uvillas, pitahaya, maracuya, naranjilla, taxo, grenadilla, and obitos. For a mere quarter, we purchased a 2-foot-long green bean pod. The vendor split it open for us, and inside were a dozen or so furry seeds, each the size of a skipping stone: we ate the sweet, cottony pulp and inexpertly spit out the seeds just like the locals.

A man walked by with a heavy sheepskin still dripping red along the edges; old women with black hats and bright skirts smiled near-toothless grins as we admired their wares. Children chewed contentedly on bits of fresh pork skin purchased from a snack cart, alongside a woman with long black braids scooping homemade ice cream from a burlap sack. This is no grocery store back in the United States! The market is alive with color, sound and smells; it is an experience to provide contrast and depth to shopping days at home, and one we'll not soon forget.