Today we will visit two lovely places, but first a little background:

Ecuador is not a rich country. Its top source of foreign capital is the export of crude oil. However number two is the income it derives from its expatriates who work in other countries and send money home to their families. According to our local guide, Julio, 4 to 5 million of the population of 14-15 million work outside the country. There are an estimated 700,000 Ecuadorian women working in Spain alone! Ecuador’s third highest source of income is from the magnificent roses grown there. Agriculture is an important industry and fruits and vegetables are exported as well as coffee and cacao.

Our guide, Julio, in the vest and the Panama hat

Julio here was introducing us to some new and exotic fruits.

Oh, and a piece of trivia: Panama hats are Ecuadorian!

In the year 2000, after years of economic crisis, Ecuador adopted the US dollar as its currency. Since then, prices have stabilized. Having the US dollar as currency makes it an attractive tourist destination for those familiar with the dollar! On a recent tour to Vietnam, I misplaced a decimal when converting to the local currency and almost gave our local guide $320 for items she purchased for us when I only owed her $32. She, thankfully, was honest and told me that I had better check my math! In Ecuador, I had no such problems.

Trivia: Remember that song we sang in the US– “Kumbaya”? I never quite knew what to make of it. It turns out that Kumbaya is the name of a town not far from Quito and the song was a song they sang, in a circle, to bring down much needed rain. The people would sing louder and louder again and again to bring the rain.

We made our way from the hacienda to Parque Cóndor Otavalo, a refuge for birds that have been injured and need special care. Often these birds are not equipped to survive on their own and spend their lives there. We saw a number of fine looking birds:

A barred hawk

A black hawk-eagle

and our old friend, the bald eagle

Later we drove to San Pablo Lake. It ‘s a beautiful area at the foot of the Imbabura volcano. The land is rich and the mountain is seen as the sacred protector of the area. We stayed at a beautiful resort with wooden buildings that contained large, lovely guest rooms each with its own fireplace.

Hosteria Puertolago

The inn

Another view

After taking our things to the room,we all went out on a boat for a look at the lake and its surroundings. As Israeli groups tend to do, we sang together a good deal of the time. There was lots of laughter and joking and lots and lots of smiles. As it got dark, we noticed that the lights in the homes surrounding the lake had been turned out. We wondered if there was a power failure. We were told that the lights are turned out for an hour or two each evening to save electricity.

What is particularly amazing about this place on earth is that being so near the equator, one is able to see both the constellations of the southern hemisphere and of the northern hemisphere. With the lights out, the view couldn’t have been more perfect– and if I had studied more astronomy, I am certain I would have been even more awestruck. Next time I will be sure to look for the Southern Cross.

When we returned to land, we were greeted by a delicious dinner, sent by our mashgiach in Quito, in the beautiful, elegant dining room with windows out to the lake.

After dinner and some time spent getting to know each other, we all went to our rooms. When we arrived at our door, a young woman was waiting to build us a fire. A lovely end to a perfect day!

Next time: You and me and thirty gazillion school children at a waterfall and a visit to another spot on the equator.