What´s new in Baños

It is official...I am now a legal resident of Ecuador. Shortly after arriving in Baños I realized that if I traveled the world I would probably not find a better place to call home, at least for now, then where I was. The process of becoming a legal resident is extremely simple, but not easy...the frustrations caused by typical bureaucrats, who are the same the world over, made the process an adventure. After eight trips to Quito, I walked away yesterday with my visa, and a wealth of information about the process. I realized, after the second visit that I could have saved a lot of time if I had accepted the services of one of the many lawyers that hang around the visa office, but being the stubborn person that I have always been, I elected to tough it out and do it myself. I am glad I did....I got to know Quito better and I learned a lot about Ecuadorian culture.

After the Christmas and New Years celebrations, Baños has been calm for the last three weeks. The weather has been beautiful....mostly sunny days, a few rainy nights and although the calendar says it is summer, the temperature is about the same as the middle of winter or spring....a little less rain. Three Kings Day, the 6th of January is not a big celebration here in Ecuador as it is in other Latin countries. In Mexico, it is a day for gifts for the children and the special cake with the plastic doll that is baked inside. In Columbia it is a holiday with a lot of people in the streets spraying each other with colored substances, with the festivities continuing with music and booze until the early morning. But here in Baños....nothing, if you did not look at the calendar, you would miss it altogether.

Carnival, however, is just around the corner. It will start on the 2nd or 3rd of February and end at midnight on the 8th. There are many events planned for these days but as yet there is not a firm schedule. There is a custom in Ecuador of throwing water balloons at each other and dropping them from the roofs of buildings, on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Here in Baños the sport has been banned because the tourist do not know weather to get angry or join in. Although the custom is officially banned, according to my friends the young people still participate. When they run out of balloons they may use eggs or avocados or what whatever they can get their hands on. One friend said it is best to stay off the streets unless you want to get wet. I will see first hand in a couple of weeks, just what happens...maybe a raincoat will be in order. It is expected, during these days that the town will be full. If you plan to visit, a reservation might be in order.

Well now that I am a resident, I plan to keep busy on some projects that I have been considering. The first is the library. My first call for books, netted a few, and I thank the donors very much.. I realize that the cost of postage can be several times the book cost so this was not a very practical idea. I would also like to find a way to put a couple of computers in the library and connect them to the internet. It will be a great investment in the future of this community. More on this later. It is a fine line that I have to walk, so as not to offend, and yet make a difference. I have made friends with a number of Bañeros who have lived here all of their lives, some young and some old. I keep remembering the book...The Ugly American....where this physically ugly Peach Corp volunteer changed the lives of a small village in SE Asia by setting about to do his work with the materials at hand. In a short time the locals were asking him how he made the improvements and when he showed them, they copied his ideas. If he had tried to force his ideas on them he would have made a difference, but not without some resentments.

This is a great town to live in, with so much natural beauty that I would hate to see it change. Everything necessary to be happy is here. We have no super markets or shopping malls...but those places just make a person want more and if you don´t have the money to buy the latest gadgets you feel deprived. I have always felt that no mater what you have, it is human nature to want more and herein lies the beginning of discontent. The solution is to get rid of some of your wants and peace returns. And that is what I have found here...the people have a decent life style and for the most part are content. The retired people living on pensions are the group that needs help most. It is sad to see them lined up at the bank to get their monthly $30 payment. Even here it is just not enough.