Up-Date...The Road To Baños From Pelileo Is Now Open....but there could be delays.

Since Friday the 22nd of June, the road to Baños from Pelileo has been closed to all but the most hardy. Last Friday, after days of heavy rain over much of three provinces, Tungurahua among them, there was a massive landslide a short distance outside of Baños, making the road impassable.
The workers have been working desperately to carve a new road around the area. Several of my friends have crossed the area on foot. This was not an easy trek but to my knowledge none have been lost to the canyon below.

The Governor of Tungurahua announced that the road would be open for traffic this weekend but the people in charge of the construction work said that the task is very complicated and he could not give a completion date, but he was sure that it would not be this weekend.
There is another option. I just got an e-mail form my friend Lorenzo who stayed a couple of days in Salasaca and then returned to Quito. He told me he was now in Baños. He left Quito at 8 AM on a bus to Tena. After a six hour trip on a very rough road. he caught another bus to Baños via Puyo....another four hours. So it can be done, if you have the time and the desire to make the trip.

I Was Thrilled, I Was Proud And I Am Happy

Yesterday, as I walked the 3KM's to the Katitawa School, which is located in the hills above Salasaca, I was a little preoccupied because I did not know really what to expect for the day. We had an event scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM and when I left the school the afternoon before, nothing was ready. This event had been scheduled for the 21st of June, which in the old Inca calendar, is the Day of the Sun, and still has some significance today. We had been disappointed when we were told that because of the conflicting schedules of the dignitaries from Salasaca and Pelileo we would have to celebrate the day on the 28th. As it turned out it rained almost all day the 21st but was sunny all day on the 28th which for this area is extremely rare. For the rest of the story please click here to open the Katitawa School page.

Emergency Room Visit....Not a bad experience.

Sorry for the month long hiatus. I have many excuses but none of them worthy of any merit so "sorry", will have to do.

Yesterday morning I had another first hand experience with the medical procedures here in Ecuador. I was awakened at 6:30 by a phone call from a friend who had been in an automobile accident and wanted me to accompany her to the Emergency Room at the Hospital Provincial Docente Ambato.

Once there I realized why, when going to the hospital, you need a companion. The service was good, however it is a pay as you go process. The first charge was the consultation, which was $1.00. I needed to go to the cashier and pay the $1.00 and return with the receipt. After the examination they determined that the cut on the head should be sutured. I was given a list of necessary items and went to the hospital pharmacy and bought the items for mini surgery ($6.00). After that they needed an x-ray. Back to the cashier to pay the $4.00. When the medical staff was pretty sure that everything was intact we were free to go.

From what I saw, the place was clean, orderly and very affordable.