More of Andy's photos from Ecuador. The previous bunch focused on cities, but some of the best places in Ecuador are not in the city. I have been to Emily's in-laws' house in the country, or in "el campo" as they call it.
My son-in-law designed this house as a weekend retreat for his parents. It is quite charming and has a lawn and garden, things you don't see in the cities. More of el campo:
One of the houses above may be that of Emily's friend, Nubia. I know they visited her on the day these photos were taken. The last is quite unusual for Ecuador, where very few houses are built from wood. Most of the construction is masonry, of one kind or another, or concrete. The fact that the last house is made from wood and actually has rain gutters makes me suspicious that it is the home of one of the many American expats who have settled around Cuenca. It has become very popular for Gringos looking for an
inexpensive change of pace in retirement.
Andy's notation on this photo was "market" and though I don't know what kind of market, or where, it exhibits the kind of quirkiness that you see so often, and one of the things I really love about Ecuador.
These views from Ecuador are among my favorites and are burned into my memory. Emily, at one time, had a tiny apartment perched on a hillside in Quito with this amazing view of an area called Guapalo.
And the rooftops of Cuenca.
I made a small quilted piece this week. A memory.
Love the quirky market photo!
ReplyDeleteNot sure I could do the up and down walking those beautiful views would demand.
Sandy in the UK
In the view of Guapalo I find it interesting that the road looping in and out is built on the contours of the hills. In CA the hills would be reduced to make a straight road or bridges would support "flyovers" to make it straight. In other countries they don't control the environment as much as we do, which is one reason we find those places charming. Hope Andy is healing well.
ReplyDeleteDel, you are very right that the roads follow the contours of the mountains rather than tunnelling and straightening. It does preserve the environment, but makes for some pretty scary bus rides!
DeleteI hope Andy's healing is easy. When my sister & I were in Ecuador this past winter we met American ex-pats living there and learned about the quality of the medical and dental care and a fraction of the cost in the US.
ReplyDeleteI love the new work you are doing based on your photos of Ecuador. My sister & I spent a week in Cotacachi (about an hour north of Quito, near Otavalo) and a week in Cuenca. We were enchanted by the beauty of the Andes and loved both the cities and the small towns we visited. The Ecuadoreans we met were very gracious. We hope to go back next year. I posted some photos on a blog http://ecuadorvacation.wordpress.com/
I'm glad Andy is doing well with all this oral surgery. He must have been nervous about it. How wonderful his sister gets to show him around
ReplyDelete