Tungurahua, coughed but no cause for alarm.

For the past two weeks "Mama Tungurahua" has been showing a few signs of life and around three AM on the 24th had a significant explosion that threw out s little ash and pulverised rock. As usual Baños continues to be fine and the athorities say there is no cause for alarm.

The communities on the other side of the mountain received some fall-out but there was no danger to the population. The ash is always a hazzard but for now no one is alarmed.

I will keep you advised.

More Books Arrived On Saturday....Hand Delivered.

I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely young 61 year old women from Wisconsin in Salasaca yesterday afternoon. She had stumbled onto this blog a few weeks ago and since she was coming this way she brought along a beautiful selection of childrens books for the school. When the kids come to class on Monday they will be very pleased. Thank you very much Sandy Kinne form Wisconson, USA.

More Designs From Salasaca

I had a visit from my weaver friends from Salasaca. They brought over some of their latest designs and we are going to market them at a fair price for both the customer and the creator.

The following are the works of Lorenzo Masaquiza who is a native of Salasaca.

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGE_sghvQnmEAknArkET9OfiVYWvadGQkPdJSk_Vd_KAE3a9tPMJV1dHiacGJFeXMLZzzNhCKp4Gpv1Ffcmf-QwEaUcalQeSz_F3OzsEkcIa4vR425fh81TcLfIbmwGkjRmd_Q/s1600-h/DSCN5448.jpg">No. 1..Galapagos, dipicting the various creatures from land, sea and air that you will find in the most popular tourist destination in Ecuador. It is 24" x 54", hand made from 100% sheeps wool and takes three days to complete. Cost: $40.00.


No. 2..The name of this tapestry is Tansante Corpus Cristi. The size is 24" x 54" y is hand made from 100 % sheeps wool and take three days to make. The cost is $40.00.

Called the Garden of the Campo Ecuador this popular piece is 54" x 39" and takes about 1 1/2 days to complete. 100% sheeps wool and the cost is $35.00.

These beautiful pieces are available to you direct from the artist. We haven't got the shipping charges worked out yet but if you are interested leave a comment and tell us where you are and how many pieces you would like and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Where Else Could You Live For $200 Per Month

In the past, I have posted about my adventures at Margarita Ville, later, we changed the name to HOSTERIA ECOAVENTURA. Lorenzo, my partner, at the time and I lived and worked in that paradise until he got the urge to mone on and explore a little more of South America so I carried on alone. It was

a great place to live with acres and acres of open spaces in the heart of the beautiful Pastaza Vally. Well, not exactly open spaces, as it was covered with all types of vegetation.
Photo by J. Walker
There are three rivers that either border the property or pass through it. A true "Nature Lovers" delight. There was also enough work to keep you busy and healthy form daylight to dark.

When I took over the spa in Ambato it occupied most of my time for about six months, and when a friend wanted to take over my personal paradise, I let it go. Two days ago my friend came by and asked if I wanted to take a ride to San Francisco and since it had been six months since I had visited the place I was delighted to take the ride.

On the way, he told me that it had been a month since he had been there because his business in Ambato was taking all of his time. The next question was "why don't you take the place back?". I would love to do this but I do now want to do it alone. If there is anyone out there in never-never-land who would like a change and perhaps the adventure of a lifetime, why not come down and take a look. Think about it.
Margajita River

Photo by J. Walker

Two New Ecuadorian Stamps Commemorate Tungurahua.

Although the stamps came out several months ago they are just now available everyday. If there are any stamp collectors reading this or anyone who would just like one for a reminder of your trip here, I would be happy to send them to you. The face value is $1.00 each plus shipping and handling which brings the total to $4.00 for the two. Any profit that is made will go to the English School. So buy, buy, buy.

To order just push the button below.

Thanks.

Cause For Concern?

The following is an excerpt from a piece that was published by Alek Boyd at VCrisis. If you change a few names and dates you would believe the story was about Ecuador in 2007 and our new President Correa. Should we not be worried?

"Referenda processes and the National Constituent Assembly: With a fresh mandate and riding the popularity wave Chavez proposed a novel concept; that of referenda. At the time the body of laws was built upon the constitution of 1961, which, needs be stressed, did not contain any provision, article or mandate allowing the use of such supra constitutional mechanism nor did it exist any legislation to that effect. But that did not stop Chavez. Ever the gifted communicator he convinced the people that under the circumstances he could not rule: his line of reasoning could be summarized as “the State and its institutions must be re-found. Originary power resides in the people, as such I propose a referendum so that the people can vote on whether or not to convene a National Constituent Assembly that will rewrite the constitution and lay the foundations of a new State.” The actual question presented on referendum to voters on 25 April 1999 was “¿Convoca usted una Asamblea Nacional Constituyente con el propósito de transformar el Estado y crear un nuevo ordenamiento jurídico que permita el funcionamiento efectivo de una Democracia Social y Participativa?”

Neither him, nor the people, were bothered by the fact that convening a National Constituent Assembly was unconstitutional; with polls indicating 80% support he did not give a second thought about alienated parties. 3,630,666 votes, or 33% of registered voters, signed the blank check and approved the experiment of transforming the State, creating a new judicial order that would allow an effective functioning of a participative and social democracy. Selection of members of the Constituent Assembly followed and cronies of Chavez managed to get 124 out of the 131 seats."

You decide.

Medical Care In Ecuador....Great if you can afford it.

It was a beautiful day here in Ambato and as I was walking through the Montalvo Park I noticed so many people who walked with a limp, that I am sure has been with them since childhood. Many of their problems, I am also sure, could have been corrected if detected early. And early detection, especially with the poor, is out of the question.

Outside of my visit to the dentist, I have not had to visit a doctor since I have been in Ecuador, however I have talked with enough people who have, to know that it is expensive for the average worker. Fifteen or $20.00 per visit may not seem like a lot, but to someone who takes home less than $200 per month it is tough. The visit is always followed with a trip to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled, so there goes another $5 to $10 bucks or more. But what if your kids are sick and you don't have a job which means you don't have any money. No money, no service.

When I first heard stories of people being denied service for an emergency because they had no money to pay, I did not believe it. I decided to take a poll and the result was the same. No money, no service. Today I asked one of my employees here at the spa who lives in Salasaca. This is the conversation:

Me: When a person in your family gets sick and needs to go to the doctor, where do you take them?
Carolina: To a doctor in Ambato.
Me: Why Ambato....Aren't there any doctors in Salasaca?
Carolina: No.
Me: If you have no money will they treat you?
Carolina: No. Our families are large and they know that if we have no money we need to first go to all the relatives and borrow the money.
Me: What if it is an emergency with your child and you have no money?
Carolina: You still need to have the money or there is no service.
Me: What happens if you can not get the money quick enough?
Carolina: Sometimes the child dies.

I have basically had this same conversation with at least a half-dozen people, in different levels of society and the story is always the same.

So what is the solution? I believe that in a free, democratic society, every man, women and child should have the right to medical care. It is a tragedy that people sometimes die because they are denied service.

In Salasaca, a clinic is needed. If I was a retired doctor I would take on this project. But I am not. Maybe someone who reads this blog is. This could be a great opportunity for retired doctors and nurses who wanted to keep on working even when they didn't need the money.

More on this subject later.