Ecuador Adventures with Jim and Rachel

Yesterday I was on my way to the Coopera and I saw Mark and Connie out in front of their building and had to swing over to say hi.  Mark was on my 'must contact' list while Rachel was away.  We had promised each other a bike ride in the Cajas together.  Scarlet has now carried two strangers while Rachel was away and Scarlet is doing just fine! Mark hadn't been on a bike for at least three years since an accident on one of those narrow two wheeled cousins spit him out in pieces.  Mountain bikes are made for the rugged and biking around Cuenca is rugged.  You need a mountain bike here, period.  I'm not sure, but I think Mark is now a convert to the sturdy wide grip of a Mongoose.  Our starting point was going to be Palermo but we decided to do a little cheating.  We hailed a bus #1 that looked kind of empty heading west and asked the driver if we could take our bicicletas on his bus.  No problema!  This bus took us all the way to Sayausi where we said muchas gracias and knew that we had a leg up on the climb up the Cajas. 

We really didn't get too far as we ran into rain that put a damper on our enthusiasm.  It is still a treat for this farm boy to get out of the city though, so it's all good.  

Speaking of farm boy, I just had to have a look at these ladies and their pig.

They were having such a good time and when I came over to ask if I could take their picture with their cerdo, it just got more fun.  I really wonder how they can even roast their pet porkers here.  You know in the states pigs don't have near the people connection that they do here.  When I came over to offer to help I actually thought we were taking seniora cerdo some place where she was to become tocino.  I found out they were just taking her for a walk and I really wasn't needed.

But I felt grounded again knowing that cerdos (hogs) are pretty much the same north and south of the equator.  They are stubborn but kind of fun.