Into the Amazon

The number eleven is associated with intuition, patience, honesty, sensitivity and spirituality. In most numerology systems it is a master number and the Light Bearer. Thus, on the eleventh day of our visit in the Republic of the Equator, we headed southeast toward an adventure in Puyo, the center of Ecuador’s Amazon.

On the scheduled morning departure we patiently waited at the University for our driver, Howard, to finalize details. The scheduled 12:00pm departure turned into 2:30pm. Howard Taikeff is a New Yorker who teaches sculpture at the University and volunteered to be our driver. A very sanguine fellow who considers himself an atheist and has a deep love of Ecuador and all things Judaic.


Greg rode shotgun with Howard while Eve and I sat in the back. The ride took about five hours along a variety of roads and highways. At times the route would dump us into a town with crowded cobble stone, maze-like streets. Once we found our way out of the little towns we were back on the exhaust fumed highway. This trip was a clear reminder that we were in a third world country far from the paved and organized streets of the City of Angels.

Eventually the landscape changed to rich, lush vegetation. Unfortunately since we had left Quito so late much of the beautiful scenery was shrouded in darkness. The road reminded me of Malibu Canyon but with different scenery. To our right the mountainside veered downward to what I later realized was a the Rio Pastaza.


As we drove in the darkness a series of surreal tunnels through the vegetative mountains presented themselves. The interior of the tunnels were very long and raw with chiseled walls that looked like Batman’s cave. Although dry outside the caves would drip with water requiring us to turn on the windshield wipers while inside the cave. At this point I had the distinctive feeling that we were entering the terrain of the Goddess. Elemental water and life force energy was very strong here. The air felt verdant and the temperature grew warmer.

We had been climbing in altitude and as we exited one of the tunnels fog engulfed us with no visibility. Howard wasn't quite sure how to work the lights or the windshield wipers. This became the first sign that we were indeed on a wild adventure.

The next sign was a huge pile of dirt in the middle of the road. What the heck? Mind you it was night time, no lights on the steep canyon road and thick fog. Howard commented that Ecuador was where all Republicans should come and experience pure deregulation.

When finally we arrived in the city of Puyo, Howard was not clear where our hotel was located thus began asking locals for directions. As was typical many different perspectives were provided. In the end we took a round about route pitted with potholes every two feet. Who needs massage when you can get juggled around in a car as if someone were shaking a can.

Finally we arrived at the end of the street with a gated bridge that crossed the River Pastaza, the third sign of adventure. The bridge looked like it was right out of Jurassic Park. Upon crossing the one way, suspension bridge we had arrived to the end of our journey on day eleven The Hotel Pigual.


The guest rooms were cabin-like structures that reminded me quite a bit Club Med in Moorea, Tahiti. The plant lined pathways, alive with the sounds of tropical animals and a the rich scent of vital vegetation led us to our home for the next two nights.


Next post, Ecuador Day 12, the Amazon jungle!!

Photographs ©Roxana Villa

Taste of Ecuador

Sunday afternoon we celebrated my birthday by inviting a few family members and friends over to our little house in the woods. To my delight Green Power Girl came by, what a treat, I just LOVE her! She didn't bring her Solar Scepter though. (Darn!)

We decided to do a "Taste of Ecuador" type meal and also showed our photos from the trip while sharing a few stories.

The menu consisted of Banana Chips, Pan de Yuca, Corn Empanadas and Ecuadorian Fruit Smoothies for the appetizers. A main course of Green Banana Empanadas with Tomato Tree Fruit Salsa, Locro Soup, Green Salad and Shrimp Salad. Mostly handmade.

For dessert Marilyn made a Chocolate Cake and a Plum Torte, Green Power Girl brought some delicious goodies from Wholefoods with Vanilla Ice Cream on the side. Lots of Chocolate because of Ecuador AND I am a chocoholic!

The Green Empanadas came out especially good, in fact they were probably the favorite food item of the day! We used this recipe although we modified it just a bit. I made a Tomato Tree Fruit Salsa to go with them. The Tree Tomato Fruit came from Venice, Green Power Girl and her friend brought them over. Since they were frozen I ran the plastic package under hot water to defrost them quickly. Then I followed this recipe, although again, I modified it. This time the modification came by adding some Mango and a little sugar.


For the Locro Soup I adjusted the original recipe I posted on this blog with tips from my Ecuadorian friend Maria. One of the special ingredients is Achitote, also called Annatto. We purchased the Achitote at our local Vallarte Supermarket. We were a bit disappointed that the market only featured mainly Mexican fruits and veggies.


These napkins started out as Mexican fabric that was given to us by Marilyn. Eve and I sewed about one inch from the edge and then carefully frayed them. They were perfect the the theme of the day.


We served Pan de Yuca as an appetizer. These are might good! We purchased the Yuca root flour at the Vallarta market. From what I read Yuca root also goes by the term Tapioca flour which is sold at regular markets. If you know if indeed Yuca root flour and Tapioca flour is the same thing please leave a comment here on the blog. I'd love to know if this is actual true. This was the only recipe I didn't modify.


The fruit smoothies were made from a variety of tropical fruit, some Ecuadorian but not all. We cut pineapple slices and put them on each class. Just like we were served in the restaurant of the Hotel Quito...well almost.


Between the main course and dessert we debuted a 25 minute slide show of all our photos from the recent Ecuador trip. During the slides we told a few stories and provided a bit of an educational aspect. To see some of the pictures from the show follow this link to the posts I've done so far here at this journal.

I forgot to mention, it was Reverend Ricki's birthday too. His name starts with "R" like me AND he was born the same year on the same day. Thus, we had a double R celebration.

After the birthday cake celebration I got out my newest botanical perfume creation. This is following a sequence from last year when I created Cimbalom, titled Birthday Balm initially.
The Birthday Balm perfume for this years christening is titled Page 47. It is a sweet, floral fragrance similar to Lyra, but a bit more fresh. The title Page 47 came when I asked "What shall we call this perfume?" Someone mentioned the name Chapter 47, which prompted Eve to chime in with "NO, it should be Page 47!!" We like that name for a variety of reasons. Those in the know will understand the layers of significance this title has. More on this perfume soon.


THANK YOU's
Thank you to My who contributed photos #2 through #5 . Thank you to Marilyn for the delicious cakes, Green Power Girl and her buddy for the Ecuadorian fruits from the Central American Market in Venice, Martha for the Corn Empanadas. Special thanks to the amazing helpers in the kitchen Peleg, My, Eve and Greg. Thanks to all the family and friends who came to the festivities and those who sent lovely birthday blessings. A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ricki as well as my other Leonine sisters in New York, Leah and Lucy.

Orchidarium

On the eighth day of our Ecuadorian adventure Eduardo took us over to the Botanical Gardens of Quito. This had been suggested to us by the Botany teacher at the University while we conversed on the subject of perfume and the Amazon.


The Jardin Botanico de Quito offers a stunning display of plants encompassing all the varied eco-systems of Ecuador as well as plants from other parts of the globe. A very informed and patient guide took us around the large 18,600 meter area including three greenhouses. The main attraction is the "orchidarium" of approximately 1,500 square meters. Ecuador contains more than 3,500 orchid species and is growing steadily. The highlight for me was seeing a very special vine, one of the most ancient members of the flowering family of orchid plants, Vanilla.

Pictured above is the Vanilla Orchid, below is a plant that, judging by the visual aspect, appears to be connected with film maker Tim Burton.

Here are some photos from the Medicinal Herb and Native Food Gardens.

Mint above and Artemisia below,

Amaranth, below

Tomato Tree Fruit, below

and the Lantern plant in the two photos below.

Although Roses are not native to America they grow extremely well in Ecuador
and have become one of the major commodities.

Middle Earth

Our journey to Middle Earth began early Friday morning by heading East across the US to Miami where we transferred to another plane heading South. We arrived to Quito in the evening, where the aromas were very similar to those of my homeland Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The host and guide of this magical mystery tour is, Eduardo Villacis, who was awaiting our arrival at the airport with his wife Maria. Eduardo invited Greg, referred on this blog as Maestro Gregorio, to give a week-long workshop at the University of San Francisco in Quito. The week-long workshop is Greg’s premiere of his class titled Artist as Brand.

Artist as Brand is a concept Greg has been developing for years facilitated by his own transformation as an artist and yearly visits to the Comic Convention (Comic Con) in San Diego, California. The workshop begins Monday evening with Greg showcasing his evolution as a creative spirit. The journey begins as an eldest brother of a family of six, much like the Brady Bunch, to where he has arrived now as an award winning illustrator and film production artist.

Quito, the capital city of Ecuador straddles the equator, placing it right at the middle of this planet earth we inhabit. The day and evening is equal in length and the weather remains constant year round. A small country, rich in history, along the Pacific coast which shares a border with Colombia and Peru. Although the primary residents are the exquisite faced Incas and indigenous tribes, a variety of people from all parts of the world now make this rich, fertile land their home.

The light of the Sun gently stirred me awake this morning as I arose to a glorious view of the verdant green, tropical mountains. I gasped at the site, for when we arrived at the hotel from the airport it was dark out and I had no idea of the spectacular scene that patiently awaited my gaze.

The central square of Quito is at 9,350 feet above sea level. The city is located at zero latitude. The word Ecuador translates to equator in Spanish. The name for the city comes from the pre-Columbian tribe, Quitu.

Our first day was spent organizing ourselves in the morning with a splendid tour of downtown in the afternoon with our extra ordinary guide, Eduardo. I must say that experiencing a country with someone like our host, who is very well educated in the history of Ecuador, is quite a treat.

Here are a few visuals of the afternoon excursion with some commentary.

In downtown Quito there is a church at just about every corner, each with beautiful architecture and masterful hand worked wood doors and statues in the interior.

This photo is a shot of the exterior of The Church of the Society of Jesus, aka The Company referring to the Jesuits. There were so many splendid aspects of this church both on exterior facade and within the interior. Upon first seeing the baroque church I immediately thought of Antoni Gaudi structures in Barcelona. I was particularly taken by how the use of the shell and leaf images adorning the Saint. The interior features glorious golf leaf covered engraved motifs, finely painted portraits of and intricate Moorish designs. This church is really glorious. it's breath taking to think of all the beauty that artists have created over time because of the Catholic church. The energetic blueprint of all the craftsman that imbued this church with their creative spirit is apparent to the naked eye as well as those who can "feel" energy.

Eduardo explained how there was a Guild for each of the hand crafts and each one is looked over by a specific saint. According to Catholic.org, Nicholas of Myra is the Patron Saint of Perfume. Since botanical perfume is tied into sustainability than Francis of Assisi, as the Patron Saint of ecology and merchants, is probably a better fit.

Eduardo and his wife Maria both worked on the restoration of a historic Hospital in the city center that is connected to a church via an arch. The hospital has been renovated into a Museum. We had the pleasure of a very in depth tour of the ancient structure.

The Hospital was constructed in Mediterranean style with two interior courtyards.

The first featured a fountain.

The second courtyard featured a a variety of plants.

Hospital tower view from one of the Courtyards.

As we exited the Museum to get some tea, we were greeted by another
glorious display of Quito’s sheltering sky above some of the colonial architecture.

More pictures and adventures are in store.
In the meantime, we are preparing our presentation
for Monday evenings opening of the workshop.

Images: The opening image was found via Google images thanks to Eve. The image of the Church of San Francisco was taken by Eve and all the other photos were taken by me.

Cotopaxi

On the tenth day of our visit in Ecuador our host Eduardo and his friend Daniel took us to the Hacienda St. Agustin just under the looming presences of the volcano Cotopaxi. We took so many photos on this day that I am going to publish this excursion in a few parts. Like many of our excursions in Ecuador the directions our drivers had were not the kind of directions we, as Americans with Mapquest, are use to. The trend was to ask a pedestrian or a service station attendant for help if the going got tough. (Which it usually did.) The trip to the hacienda was one such trip, complicated by the fact that everyone seemed to have rather vague and somewhat conflicting directions. We finally did arrive at the Hacienda, via a very bumpy road off the main highway. We all gleefully piled out of the car to crisp, fresh mountain air. I was immediately transported to my childhood trips snow skiing in the Andes. Indeed, here we were in the Andes, albeit a different area within the vast, continuous range that extends into seven countries within South America.

 

Rising 19,347 ft above sea level, Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. The volcano was featured in a painting by American Artist Federic Edwin Church. (Pictured below)

 

The Heart of the Andes, (above) painted by Church in 1859, currently hangs at the Tenth Street Studio of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Here is a paragraph from Wikipedia describing the unveiling of the painting:

"Church unveiled the painting to an astonished public in New York City in 1859. The painting's frame had drawn curtains fitted to it, creating the illusion of a view out a window. The audience sat on benches to view the piece and Church strategically darkened the room, but spotlighted the landscape painting. Church also brought plants from a past trip to South America to heighten the viewers' experience. The public were charged admission and provided with opera glasses to examine the painting's details. The work was an instant success. Church eventually sold it for $10,000, at that time the highest price ever paid for a work by a living American artist."

Regrettably, during our visit in the Quito region, Cotopaxi was veiled by clouds whenever we had our cameras ready to photograph the massive giant.

 

All photographs are ©Villa-Spalenka. Paintings by Federic Edwin Church are in the public domain.

Archaeological Estancia

Continuing with the showcase of our trip to Ecuador, we left off on the tenth day,
where we visited the Cotopaxi Hacienda San Agustin.
A Hacienda is a large estate for farming or ranching,
in Argentina we use the word Estancia for a similar type dwelling.

The St. Agustin Hacienda de Callo goes by the name Inca House, an Archaeological Estancia built on the site of a former Inca palace. Since the 1400's San Agustin was an Incan fortress, an Augustinian convent and the temporary home for the French Geodesic Mission.
The scientific results of the Geodesic Mission facilitated in determining
the shape of Planet Earth.

The Hacienda is a stunningly, gorgeous place, with quite a variety of wonder to gaze upon.

Blocks that were once part of the Incan palace

are visible and have been artfully incorporated into the new structure.
Three centuries of style are woven gracefully at St. Agustin, Inca
(Imperial style – 15th century,
Spanish Colonial (18th century) and Republican (19th century).

We wondered through the gate, into a beautiful courtyard where the main house is visible.
We were greeted by a handsome gentleman.
Eduardo informed him that we had arrived for lunch at the Hacienda.
While lunch was being prepared we explored.

Eve and I were completely enchanted at how beautiful everything was.
It all looked like a photo shoot from one of our Anthropology catalogs.
We deemed this are very favorite place so far in Ecuador and wished we could stay a few days.

Eventually we were escorted to wait inside an ochre colored sitting room with an Incan block wall along one side. The interior was really lovely and reminded me quite a bit of my uncles home in the Pampas. Eve, Daniel and I were completely enchanted and wondered about the room taking photos. In the meantime, Greg and Eduardo sat on the couch looking at books and discussing the history of the individuals who owned the Hacienda.

This Inca Palace or temple was built by the Incan Emperor Tupac-Yupanqui
or Huayna-Capac in the 15th century.
San Agustin de Callo constitutes the only lived in museum
of Inca Imperial and Spanish Colonial style.

A photo of one the owner of the Hacienda when she was young.


Eve and I felt that the Hacienda was the perfect place to do a photo shoot.

Perfectly carved volcanic stone walls of two of the Inca rooms

which have survived the centuries and now serve as chapel and dining room.

Part of the afternoon entertainment included a visit with Llamas, they liked carrots.

Eve

Daniel, Greg and Eduardo

Flower arrangements in an atelier.

The room looked perfect for preparing the raw materials needed for botanical perfumes!
I could clearly see myself growing organic plant matter which would be harvested and then
prepared in this room for intoxicating natural, botanical perfumes.

We shared lunch with, to my surprise a group from the Argentine consulate in Quito.
In the photo above before our fellow luncheon companions had not yet arrived.

Goodbye St. Agustin, until the next time, intending sooner than later!