Hello everyone! We hope that this letter finds you all happy heathy and enjoying your lives. We miss everyone of you so much. We are making new friends here, but we really do miss our great friends back home. That is one of the hardest things about becoming an expat, is leaving behind the people you love. We will be so excited to see friends when we come back to Texas on October 31, through November 8 for the birth of our grandchild Ethan.
October was a trying month. First, delays on the Casita but now we are within a day or 2 of completion. Then my torn Retina and emergency surgery and 7 days in a hotel in Cuenca. This set us back about 3K. We must return to Cuenca in November for new glasses and then a second surgery in April to remove the silicone oil from my eye. This is another $1,500.00 but is still 10% of what it would cost in the states.
We had a visitor from the states, a friend and former shooting student who decided to take a gap year and travel South America. He stayed with us about three days and is now in Peru. We hope that he will return soon and stay a little longer. It sounds like he is having the time of his life. Good luck Rick!
We had a small accident a couple of weeks ago leaving Loja. We were forced into a concrete ditch that was about three feet deep. We were lucky no damage to either of us, just ruined a brand-new tire and about $800.00 worth of repairs to the undercarriage of our car. Police came, but no tickets or trouble thanks to our good friend and Architect Milton Mena who came to our aid and translated so we stayed out of trouble.
I wanted to share information about the people of Ecuador. In the big cities, there is much Spanish blood because Ecuador was conquered by Spain several times throughout history. An Ecuadorian friend of ours tells us how his Grandfather was a slave to the Spaniards. There are 14 indigenous tribes in Ecuador most of Incan decent. I want to focus this week on the People of Saraguro. Saraguro is a small town just North of Loja about an hour. We travel through this town on our trips to the city of Cuenca. It is a beautiful town high in the Andean mountain range with incredible green landscapes. We have found these to be some of the hardest working people in Ecuador. Many are farmers, but many choose to work in construction in the city. In fact, my friend Milton hires as many as he can in his construction business as he knows them to be hard-working and honest.
The people of Saraguro tend to stand out, because of their dress. The women usually wear the traditional long black skirts and white shirt with a black round hat. The men wear black pants the end about mid-calf, white shirts and black hats. Both men and women wear their jet-black hair in a long ponytail. Some of the younger people tend to stray from this traditional garb. I asked my good friend Pablo why they dressed this way and I was given the following explanation:
Many years ago, Ecuador, Bolivia and several other countries were all one country which was ruled by an Incan King. This King was adored by the people. When Spaniards invaded, the King was captured and killed. Each of the villages were assigned the task of hiding the Kings gold from the Spaniards, so 1,000 men were given 100 pounds each of gold and told to go and hide it and tell no one. At least one of these men completed the task as some of that gold is hidden here in Vilcabamba and one bar was found years ago. However, each of these 100 men were killed upon the completion of the task. So, the people of Saraguro are still in mourning for their King and the men who were lost and that is why they wear black.
They are lovely people, with beautiful complexions. Their faces are gentle and full of character. To really experience these folks, you can visit their farmers market which is held on Sunday. Prices have risen at their market with the influx of tourists. Kind of a double-edged sword. The beauty of the surrounding country-side matches the indigenous people. It is majestic with several species of Eucalyptus trees, Fique trees and many others. Lot’s of waterfalls in this area. When traveling through this area, one gains a sense of long-standing traditions coupled with an absolute awe of the surrounding nature. I feel a sense of inner peace as I drive through this village. Backpackers should put this area on their bucket list.
Catholicism is the primary religion in all of Ecuador. These people are very devoted to the Virgin Mary, and even carry a small statue of her in the long sojourn to Loja each year. Thousands of people make this trek as a display of their love and devotion. They pray to the Virgin for miracles and healing. Evangelical Christians are devoted to Jesus Christ in the same way. We understand that the real miracle was that God chose Mary as a vessel for the birth of the Son of God. The real miracle for us was Christ’s willingness to allow Himself to be crucified for absolution of our sins. We would say “The final Sacrifice” or “The prefect sacrifice”. I think that Evangelical Christians could take note of this devotion and examine their own lives.
Until next time,
Dios Los Bendiga!
October 2018
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