Friday 12 October 2012

What a difference a year makes..............
Last year ( and probably for quite a few years before that) Doug's birthday present usually had something to do with golf.
I know he misses golf, but I think he is adjusting and finding other things to do. We have found out that there is a driving range here, as well as the Cuenca Tennis and Golf Club, so he will be looking forward to bringing his clubs here when we go back to visit Canada next summer.
For his birthday this year, we went on a tour to a Village outside of Cuenca called Tarqui.
It was very interesting and we enjoyed the day immensely.
The trip involved a hike up a steep hillside into an area that has been considered sacred by the locals for centuries. There are many medicinal plants that grow naturally in this area and the land there is considered to belong to all the peoples of the country.
When we got to the top of the hill we came to a place where a natural clearing circle was surrounded by plants and tress. As we were climbing, the weather was misty and cool and we were wondering if we were going to get rained on.
When we were at the sacred place, our guide led us thu a ritual where he ask the earth Mother to forgive us for trespassing. Just as he finished the prayer chant, the clouds parted and the Sun came out. I guess we were forgiven, as the rest of the day was beautiful.

After we hiked thu the area for a while, including a short walk along the original Inca trail, we returned to the clearing for a traditional meal. The meal was layed out on a long table cloth that was spread out on the ground and we all sat around the cloth and shared the meal. After our long hike, we were famished and the meal was awesone!
 Arriving at the welome center.



                           Our host and guide, Alfonzo
                                 On the way up.............
  We were served a traditional breakfast of Mote and eggs....yummy!

 
In the jungle..




 This is part of the original Inca Trail. It is still used by people on a pilgrimage.
 
  A Canari woman preparing our meal.

 The meal was prepared by our host family.

 


After our hike, the family sang traditional songs and told us about the myths and history of the peoples of the area.

 All the family members got in on the show!

This is about half way down from where we climbed.
 
Life is good in Ecuador!

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