DAY 1 ADVENTURE IN MACARA

On Monday April 25th, at 9:00 am, we (Chella, her family and I) headed to the local van service to get our ride to Loja. We were told that the bus drivers were having a rally and were blocking private van companies. Chella & I would have to take a bus. 

Arturo, Chella's son, was quick on the phone to call the bus station and find out when the next bus would be leaving... 10:00; another quick call to our driver in Loja and Arturo arranged for another driver to be waiting for us, as it would take longer on the bus to arrive in Loja. 

The bus was in great condition, the ride was nice and uneventful, except for the gagging children behind us as we zipped our way through the windy roads of the Andes. The ride only took 4 hours, and we were both grateful to get off the packed bus. 

We ate a quick lunch, found our next driver and we were off by 3:00 for Macara. Our driver was very friendly and Chella drilled him for information on land prices and availability. Her family is looking for farm land, and in this country anyone is fair game for possible leads. The ride over the Andes was nice and calm..

Baby Sugar Cane

 

We did have some issues with animals and fog.

 

Bull in the road

FOG in the Andes, I kept my eyes closed most of the time

 We arrived in Macara about 6:30. We stopped at the school that was going to be dedicated to Chella's father on Friday. Chella's brother Lisandro was there speaking to the local folks. Afterwards we drove on down to Chella's family home in Macara. We were met by Chella's mother, Teresa, she has been widowed for about 18 years. Teresa is almost 90.

Teresa and Chella

 After all of the introductions and dinner the family started to discuss the upcoming celebration and all the details for the dinner for over 100 people. My poor brain was fried at this point.. Oh, did I mention no one speaks English? So yes, I bailed and went to bed.

Here are some photos I took of the family home in Macara. This house is over 100 years old. I was told that the family owned almost the whole block, and over the years they sold it off or other family now lived in it.

My bed

Chella's bed in the opposite corner

Hallway looking towards the front door.

Open air dining room

Chella's sister Marta in the kitchen

Back yard, plant area and laundry room

Suicide shower head. I opted for cold showers.

The family were very gracious while I visited, and always tried to make me feel included. I was fed wonderful food, and included in everything! I was an odd site, trooping along with them, towering overhead of the women, me with my camera and Spanish/English dictionary.

I have a lot more pictures and stories, so I have decided to do this in segments. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed the adventure!