December 19 2014

Twin Sites: Texas Annie Ecuador vs Cotacachi Confidential ???

chenry 2014, December

So what is up with Texas Annie Ecuador & Cotacachi Confidential????

Last year, when I started my blog my original intent was for family and friends back in the USA to share in our Ecuadorian adventures. Wow, what a learning curve I had in creating my first ever blog. I ended up taking a photography class in order to add quality pictures to the site. Now, I have even expanded my knowledge to add a slideshow and even music to my blog. I just love the sideshow and music combination! To be honest, I think I enjoy creating the blog more than my readers have in reading about what we are up to. Never did I think that I would expand my writing by creating the Cotacachi Confidential website!

Now, I have a conflict between the two sites as far as duplicating the same articles. So, I have decided to first stop posting our travel pictures on my personal Facebook. However, I have created a Facebook page for Cotacachi Confidential so please “like” the postings. I have also created a Cotacachi Confidential Pinterest site that I hope you will enjoy. Texas Annie Ecuador will be more of a personal journal of what we are doing versus Cotacachi Confidential which will offer more in-depth articles about the places we visit, great dining, and travel with a focus on luxury and the finest things we have discovered in Ecuador as a whole and not just Cotacachi. I know that a lot of folks come to Ecuador with the mindset and intent of living only on Social Security income, which you can actually accomplish. But just how many $3.00 meals can one enjoy? Plus, most of these types of meals are indeed delicious but pretty much the same and loaded with carbs and sugary juices. We did not come to live in Ecuador to live on the “cheap” but to have fun exploring the best that Ecuador has to offer. So that is the focus of Cotacachi Confidential which will soon be expanded to the other worlds of Ecuador.

Season of Angels: just look around

Last year, this was the title of my December blog. I am still amazed at the celebrations that the Ecuadorian culture embraces. Last night while I was preparing Christmas goodies I could see out our kitchen window the bright colors of fireworks cascading in the sky. The fireworks will continue until the grand finale at the beginning of the New Year. So who needs to wait until the 4^th of July for the showering beauty of lights exploring in the evening sky?

Recently, while we were exploring Cuenca we hired a private guide and were traveling the countryside when we encounter a Christmas parade in a small town. Of course, the parade was going down a one-way street the wrong way. There must have been at least 50 children riding on horseback in Christmas costumes. Each horse was loaded with all sorts of baskets of fruits, and vegetables and I even saw a pig head in one of the baskets as part of the celebration.

Even cars where in the parade. — Included cars decorated.

I remarked to Bill “oh I love Ecuador”. You never know when you will stumble upon a celebration. I never go anywhere without my camera and take pictures of everything! So, we learned from our guide that the parade had started at the church and was continuing on to a destination I was not sure where they were headed but I could imagine a party! I love the little girls dressed in white dresses with little angel wings and the boys dressed as Joseph or wise kings. It appeared that the whole town was involved in the parade. We could not have planned to be present for this parade which made it even more fun.

Cotacachi Confidential Upcoming Ticklers

If you are interested in more information about our recent adventures please watch for upcoming articles in Cotacachi Confidential. We recently, returned from our first trip to Cuenca, which is known for colonial architecture complete with cobbled streets, lush gardens, great shopping, a variety of fine restaurants, and one of the largest ex-pat community in Ecuador.

We made a visit to the Eduardo Vega Pottery Workshop & Art Gallery.

Then a trip to the fabulous Piedra De Agua Thermal Spa of hot spring water of volcanic origin.

Ever had a massage in an atmosphere like this?

We stayed at the luxury Mansion Alcazar Hotel that was so relaxing and reminded me of La Mirage.

That evening we attended a special Christmas concert at the hotel.

Later the next day we traveled two hours to explore Ingapirca which means in the kichwa language “wall of the Inca”. This site is one of the best-preserved pre-Hispanic archeologic sites in the country. We were fortunate to have a wonderful guide that spoke English and also was a history buff. Well, more about that in upcoming articles in Cotacachi Confidential.