Travelling North

¡Hola! We´re feeling travel weary! We´ve

completed some very long bus rides in the last few days. We´re now in Loja, Ecuador, having a rest for a couple of days.

BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! The hostel we´re staying in has a HOT shower!! I wanted to stay in it all day!

The first two photos shown are typical scenes of the outskirts of the cities. Note there is no grass - instead, dry, dusty ground.

Most people live very simply in these adobe brick houses - the small houses often have chickens scratching in the yard. I´m never ceased to be amazed how people emerge from these houses looking so clean and well groomed. I don´t know how they do it!

The children always looked very neat and tidy in their school uniforms - hair neatly cut or tied back, schoolbags on their backs.

Once again, we spent an hour wandering around a very large fruit, vegetable and hardware market. Not only did I love looking at and smelling the produce, I loved watching the people work and connect with each other. They are a happy people - always laughing, talking, and working together. The children worked with their parents - carrying, sorting, pushing carts laden with produce. My sister and I stood out like a beacon- blue-eyed, fair and tall. The local people were so welcoming. They would wave to us, call out ´welcome´, and would shake our hands. Children would follow us - wanting to practice the little english they knew.
All the people dress tidily and are clean. Jarki and I feel so sloppy in comparison. We saw people selling pots and pans, cobblers with their lasts mending shoes, bakers selling their freshly made treats, street vendors selling nuts and sweets, barbers setting up their stands. Our favourite stall was a fresh juice stall where we could choose what juice we wanted (papaya, apple, pineapple, vegetable and fruit mix! Delicious!!!!)- It was freshly made/squeezed as we waited.

As we travelled north to Ecudor the terrain and temperature changed markedly. The land became more green and mountainous. The temperature rose and the atmoshere is a lot more humid - we´re in the tropics. For the first time we saw rice fields.

Got to go now and buy chocolate!!

Missing you all!!