where did November go?

November passed in a blur of activity. There were 2 major events that made the month go by in a flash. My sister Alison arrived on the 1st, for the month, and it was her first visit down here, so there was lots to show her - places to go and people to see! We travelled, went on 2 separate trips, both to the mountains. First we went south to Cuenca for a day, and then on to Vilcabamba, close to the border of Peru. It's a beautiful place, seems to have the ideal climate - warm and sunny during the day, and cold at night, so you can pull up the blankets (not something you do here in Guayaquil!) and have a good night's sleep. We stayed at a place outside of the little town a bit, partway up the mountain, and the views all around us.........oh my! We had hammocks outside our room, with views of rolling hills leading to mountains, and happy hours were spent there with books. And the dining area was a covered over area, but open, with views that I don't think you could ever get tired of. We arrived at night, went there for dinner, we could see lights off in the distance but had no idea what was out there. Until the next morning when we arrived for breakfast - we just couldn't believe it. So we spent 3 days there, did a walk, tried a bike ride on awful gearless 400 lb. bikes - not altogether successful! And had a relaxing restful time. And took one or two pictures between us!

Our other trip was to Banos, where I've been a few times now, but always enjoy, and I like taking others there too. We had a much more successful bike ride, 22 km through the mountains, one very scary section through a pitch dark tunnel, but the rest of it is fine. You get to stop off and take a cable car across the river to a waterfall, and of course we were in the Andes, so there was no shortage of splendid views along the way!

We spent 2 days there, then headed north to Otavalo, which is the area around which most of the Ecuadorian handicrafts come from. Saturdays is the big market day, and the main square in town, as well as many of the surrounding streets are taken up with hundreds of stalls with the indigenous people selling their crafts. Of course, you are expected to bargain, you never just pay the first price they ask, and I discovered a talent in my sister that I didn't know she had - she drives a hard bargain!! So we went home with a rather fuller suitcase than we had arrived with!

So we had some great times, it was good to be away from all that goes on here for a little while, but I have to say that it was nice to get off a bus for the last time. Some day I may write a book all about the joys of bus travel in Ecuador!

Then the other big event of the month was Narcisa's long awaited open heart surgery. It did indeed finally happen, that's what kept us busy between travels, and I'm delighted to report that she came through it well, and is now at home recovering and doing really well. There were so many concerns around this operation, a big one, and being done at a hospital which doesn't exactly have a marvellous reputation. But God is bigger than all that, and I had to keep reminding myself that she was safely in God's hands throughout. It was an anxious time that we spent waiting while she was in the OR, but I had a picture in my mind of God holding her in His hands while the doctors operated. And I knew she was safe there, no matter what happened.

Of course, any time spent at that hospital, making arrangements, paying for services, or even just trying to visit the patient, is always an adventure. That may be my other book - all about the joys of Luis Vernaza Hospital!! I mean, just getting inside the place is incredibly difficult. You have security guards whose primary purpose seems to be to keep you out. I think it's probably easier to get into Buckingham Palace, or the White House, than into this public hospital. Always a series of questions - "what's your business, where are you going, what to do, who's the patient, No you can't go in. Okay then let me look in your bag" - you can't take in any food or drink, or cameras, it seems. Alison had a little camera in her purse one day, and they weren't going to let her in with it - it's just not allowed. Well we weren't about to leave it with them, so we just pressed on! I mean - really!! And then you get your bag inspected again when you're leaving. And all of that is just at the gate. Don't even get me started on all the rest!

A surprise at this hospital, a lovely parklike square inside, some of the wards open onto it. (the photo is a little crooked, I was in a hurry with my apparently illegal camera!)

So Alison got a good look at a side of life most tourists don't ever get to see. The medical sytem, and Bastion too, of course. We had lots of visits with friends there, and she got to meet people who had just been names to her for so long. And we got well fed, as usual. I've decided that I don't really need a kitchen in my house, all I have to do is walk by houses around Bastion and I get invited in and fed. I could have had 2 suppers in a row on Saturday, I had to decline the second one, I simply couldn't manage it. Why do they want to feed me - is it because I look thin and malnourished? Definitely not, they are just so kind and generous and willing to share what they have. These are my friends.