Though the travel to Ecuador was an adventure in itself, it was a pretty boring adventure compared to arriving in this South American country. The best part of Travel Day was meeting “Papa” Ron Cropper in the airport. He is a high-energy dynamo of laughter and joy, talking with everyone around him. We have a lot in common with him, as he just turned 65 and is also spending a month in Ecuador to see if he might like to retire here one day. We will meet up with him again later in our journey.
We landed in the southern hemisphere in Quito, the capital city. It was 2 am, so we saw nothing of the countryside from the plane or the ground.
Our friend sent her favorite driver to pick us up and drive us to her town of Cotacachi. Non-Ecuadorians don’t often drive their own cars, as the driving methods of Ecuadorians are pretty wild and unrestrained. That left us able to watch the landscape outside the car windows as Patricio drives us for an hour and a half. He is a friendly man who gave us a good tour guide performance on the way. He pointed out when we crossed back over the equator into the northern hemisphere, and pointed out various volcanoes and rose farms and mountains and valleys and rivers. The landscape reminds me of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and southern California all rolled together. Much is unique to Ecuador though.
The last leg of the long drive took us past the gigantic volcanic peak called Imbabura. He is considered the father volcano, married to Cotacachi, which is a nearby even-more-gigantic volcanic peak considered to be the mother volcano. Interesting the cultures who live on the slopes of massive volcano consider them to be alive. As we drove for 20 minutes around the bottom of Imbabura, I was powerfully affected by his presence. Inexplicably, I found myself with tears running down my face every time I looked at it. Something beyond the surface was emanating from that volcano. That evening, as we rested in our friend’s yard, I stared at Cotacachi, the mother. Again, I was deeply affected emotionally just by looking at her. All night I felt the presence of Cotacachi in my sleep, and whenever I rose to the surface of wakefulness. I could feel myself being “fed” somehow, by the mountain. I have no context for really understanding what this phenomenon is, but the effect of this kind of volcano is profound.
There are two primary cultures co-existing here: the indigenous Quechua Indians, and the descendants of the Spanish conquistadors. Then there is the fast-growing expat community of people from various countries who want to live in this temperate, low-cost region. The expats tend to live in communities separate from the locals so that they can have the luxuries they are used to, but some do like to mix in with the rest of the (much poorer) community.
My impression of the people so far is that most are friendly, welcoming, full of laughter, and close-knit with their families and neighbors.
The town of Cotacachi is smaller than the cities. Its a nice mid-sized town with interesting architecture and few building codes. An interesting note is that people don’t have to pay tax on a building they are constructing until its finished. Therefore a lot of people leave some portion of their building visibly unfinished, so they can live there without paying property tax. See photo of one example.
Yesterday I sat in a broad avocado tree, staring up at the forming avocados and listening to the birds. Then I sat in a swing and watched clouds swirl around the peak of the volcano. The whole atmosphere here is so peaceful I feel my muscles gradually rippling into relaxation. From the moment we woke up the first morning, Gary and I both felt the distinct lack of buzzing energy that we feel in the U.S. We compare it to how Christmas morning always feels in our neighborhoods… quiet, still, restful. You can tell nobody is out doing much on Christmas morning. It’s the same way here. Some kind of buzzing frenetic energy is missing.
Our first day and a half has been spent drinking local coca tea to prevent altitude sickness (we are at 8,500’ in altitude) and relaxing. More active adventures are coming soon.
Bonnie Willow says:
My relationship with these volcanoes continues to deepen during our time here. They are extraordinary and very communicative. Also, there is so little of the energetic and electromagnetic interference here that it’s easier to feel the life of the Nature. I never gave much thought to South America before, but now I’m amazed at the unexpectedly wonderful aspects I’m discovering.
Bonnie Willow says:
Thanks, Tina! It’s taking me awhile to get the comments figured out, so please pardon the delay in replying. I appreciate yoru positive feedback.
Neil Boyd says:
I can sense from the Personality Energy of the Volcano that has been captured by and is contained in the photograph of the volcano, that it is indeed Alive. It is very nurturing and caring and responsible for the sustenance of the many Lives in its purview, as far as it can see.
All mountains and rocks can see, by absorbing SubQuantum aether into their substance. They also have vast memories, due to the vast quantities of SQ information they have absorbed from their environment, which extends vastly far beyond their physical location. Some say that the purview of large mountains extends into the stars.
The SQ carries and conveys experiential information, sensory information, personality information, emotional information, intentions information, memory information, and thoughts. Information from several different Realms, such as the realm inhabited by the Elven Beings and Gnomes, which is co-localized to that same terrain, and information from many different dimensions, realities, and universes, which co-inhabit the same volume as the terrain captured in the photograph.
It is because of the Caring and Nurturing Personality of the volcanoes there that you are moved to tears when you look at them. Because those volcanoes understand Human Beings and had made peace with them being there, because the people there tend to build their lives on Harmonious and harmless activities. So those volcanoes accept and support the people there, as well as all the other kinds of Life.
Life in that part of the world is a glimpse of Paradise. In the future, perhaps it will be a similar way, everywhere else, the way it is meant to be. You are experiencing some of the edges of Divinity, around there.
Tina Erwin says:
Ah Bonnie, you are an excellent writer! You are making Ecuador come alive to me. It is so different from Colombia, where I once lived in Medelin. I love your descriptions. I understand the lack of Buzzing. Very much appreciate your beautiful descriptions. Thank you so much for sharing.