Rancho el Reflejo

Rancho el Reflejo in Nono, Ecuador

April 15, 2019

Nono???
We say "Si, Si!"

Nono is a town about an hour from Quito but seems a million miles away from the city.

We checked in at our Nono AirBnb at noon on Saturday.  Seriously, the ranch/home is probably the most fantastic place I have ever stayed at.  It's a bit unreal.  Our hostess, Lois, (self professed "people person") and her two dogs met us at the front gate of the property.  The place is set high up in the Andes mountains with neighbors near enough to see but slightly too distant to hear. 

Before even stepping foot inside the main house, we quickly noticed the variety of landscaping, succulents and garden full of fresh veggies and citrus.  Someone's thumb is muy verde! 

After making a few futile attempts to catch our breath in the high altitude, we made our way to tour the property.  The Wells' family had this paradise built about six years ago to their specifications and have no desire to change a thing.  A front porch welcomes visitors with more plants, a beautiful dining table that was handmade by a friend of theirs, a fireplace and seating.  I lied.  Lois did say she wished this area was a little bigger as they spend most of their time in this space.  Who wouldn't?

The main house is decorated (perfectly to my liking) with treasures from the family's travels.  There are artesnal baskets, blankets, pottery and art throughout.  Reflecting Lois' love for horses, the ranch theme continues in all parts of the property.  Even the banister in the stairwell is a yoke from oxen.  It's all about the details, and there are plenty of them.

One room in the main house sleeps six and has two restrooms.  

The next room is called the stable room.  It has a set of bunk beds.  

I can't even decide why I love it so much!  

An indoor/outdoor dining space is just.....ahhhhhhhh.....the best.

Finally, the last living space is a sweet cottage that has a bedroom, breakfast nook, kitchen, bathroom, living space with a sofa bed.  The interior brick throughout the home warm the space beautifully.

The perfect home

in the perfect setting.

www.ranchoelreflejo.com

Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi

March 16, 2019

Cotopaxi Volcano is Ecuador's tallest active volcano and is home to the second most visited national park in Ecuador.  (Which of course begs the answer that the first most visited park is the Galpagos Islands.)  When skies are clear, we can see the volcano from Quito on our way to work.  And it's imposing.  

Cotopaxi from a somewhat safe distance

Today, we visited Cotopaxi. (Which of course begs the question of "why would you intentionally visit an active volcano," and I suppose the age old answer from aged old people is, "because it's there.")  

On our way to the volcano, we stopped for breakfast and took the opportunity to do a close up photo shoot of cows and llamas.  They seemed to love the attention, at least until they realized I wasn't bringing them food.  Next time, bovine.

After our breakfast and the "animals on parade" photo shoot, we rode the unpaved road to the volcano.  We walked switchbacks up the mountain for an hour, stopping every ten (probably five) minutes or so to take pictures (read: catch our breath.)  When we first started, I thought there was no way I could do the climb to the refugio, which is code for restrooms and snacks, at 16,000 feet, but every time I looked up at the blinding snow, I was pulled a little closer.  The thought of restrooms and snacks was also quite the motivator.

Bill close to the refugio, wearing complimentary colors to the landscape.

Blue skies at Cotopaxi are not the norm in March (the rainy season.)  We were blessed!

The refugio was a little like a ski shop, serving hot cocoa, and a little not like a ski shop, serving corn.  People from all over the world climb this mountain (active volcano), bring their nation's flags and hang them on the walls.  Ecuadorians come as well and enjoy the day trip with their families.

On our way back down, the views did not stop.  And, thankfully, we also didn't stop as much as we did walking up!  I stayed with our guide, Maria, and practiced my Spanish with her.  She taught me all the off color words I shouldn't say, which is actually very helpful!

View on the way down

Wild horses at the park

Ecuador is the size of a medium state in the US, but we are able to get to so many different geographical landscapes within the day.  We left this morning just after 7:00 a.m. and were back in Quito by 7:00 p.m..  That's just one of the things that make this place special to us.

  

Packing for Quito

Bill and I will be moving to Quito in a little over two weeks.  We've had background checks, and immunizations, sold a car, and found renters for the house.  The dog has people to take care of him, subscriptions have been cancelled, and the maid comes just one more time.  Now all we need to do is get our whole lives packed to move in suitcases!  I get abnormally happy when putting luggage in the trunk of the car, but packing a year's worth of living in carry on bags is not going to cut it this time.   

We purchased two HDX 25 gallon totes for about $10 each, one Delsey suitcase at a garage sale for $10 along with Space Saver bags, and a rolling duffel bag for $39 at Ross.  These four containers weigh almost 200 pounds and will count as checked bags on the plane.  We will also have two rolling suitcases as carry on bags and two backpacks to fit under the seats.  

The tubs have all of our clothes in them, packed tightly in Space Saver bags.  The tubs are zip-tied closed and we have additional zip-ties in case TSA needs to look inside.  We were able to put miscellaneous items in the empty spaces of the tubs.  The large suitcase has all of our bedding and towels.  The duffel bag has two electric throws, as it will be 45 degrees Fahrenheit at night with no heater, a small blender, spices, shoes, toiletries, and an instapot that will be helpful for high altitude cooking.  Truly at this point, I'm not certain what exactly is in each one, but we'll find out in 17 days!

Short video of how the bedding suitcase was packed. 

   

To Begin With

For a long time, Bill has suggested we retire in Ecuador because he read that the cost of living is lower than in the states.  Not knowing Spanish or having anyone we know who lives south of Corpus Christi, my desire to move to South America was on low end of "not gonna happen."  What was I going to do?  Get holed up in a casita and eat toast all day?  Don't buy me a plane ticket just yet.

Then, one day in early February, I was in the Zombie State which is Facebook and came across a friend's post, stating that an English speaking school in Quito, Ecuador was looking for teachers.  On that whim, I found the school and the job post announcing positions in middle school math and elementary, both of which Bill and I are currently teaching.  At that time, I messaged one of the contacts that we were interested, but the likelihood of us actually movie was about 5%.  

Fast forward a few God given miracles, and you will find us shopping for large but lightweight luggage, researching cooking at an altitude of 9,000 feet, and putting dibs on a one bedroom apartment nestled in between the two volcanoes that define Quito, Ecuador.  We've explored our path to work on Google Maps, finding that the walk will take all of seven minutes.  Bill will teach 7th and 8th grade math, and I will teach fourth grade.  My future team teacher and I communicate almost daily.  We share a love of kids and karaoke, so we're pretty much a match made in "cielo."   

As I think of Ecuador now, the casita and toast are replaced by cloud forests, monkey orchids, and empanadas.  It's no simple task to be surprised at the age of 50, but God is doing a new thing.  And, yes, Bill can buy me that plane ticket now.   


Photo: Wikipedia Commons