April 30, 2011 Peguche Falls

Breakfast, Again, at The Land of the Sun

Up and out for breakfast by 7:30 a.m. It helps that Cotacachi doesn't do Daylight Savings time, so it felt like 8:30. Breakfast was a yummy fruit salad with all fresh fruit – watermelon, papaya, and pineapple. The fresh juice of the day was a combination of tree tomato and blackberry. Tree tomatoes are a fruit -- something that reminded me a little bit of a pear.

Fresh fruit salad and tree tomato and blackberry juice

Lunch

Our group, I think, did the workshop in the morning and then we had lunch, but I'm not actually sure about the order of that anymore. I guess it really doesn't matter though. The next thing in my notebook is info about lunch – did I tell you that the food in Ecuador was yummy? Lunch was started with a serving of corn with cheese on top followed by a delicious potato and cheese soup with slices of avocado, a cheese empanada (I couldn't have that because of the wheat, but I was told it was delicious). Carne Colorado, a specialty there (beef with red spices – I know not what spices they actually were) and ice cream for dessert. It was vanilla ice cream, we think, but it was brown – I guess because of the vanilla beans. It was served with cookies, but I removed those (again because of the wheat) and ate the yummy fresh ice cream.

Corn in Ecuador had very big kernals! Here, served with cheese on top

Delicious potato soup served with avocado

Carne Colorado served with salad and fried potatoes and a piece of plantain

Our Entertainment at Lunch

There was a guitar and flute player there – he played both – at the same time -- at the hotel to entertain us and then a small band. They were performing and selling their CDs there. It was fun!

Guitarist who also played a mouth flute in the hotel courtyard

A small band that played at the hotel - the musicians were all quite good

One thing about Ecuador – things move at a slower pace there. The Land of the Sun Inn was a little more "American" style in that the food was served quicker and drinks were served quicker, but anywhere else we went in Ecuador, the drinks were served later in the meal and the service was slow. Now part of that is that most things are made fresh and that takes a little longer. The other thing was that I was in a group of 10 or 12 people most of the time, which also takes a little longer. They served food as it was ready, so you couldn't really wait for everyone to be served. None of this is a problem if you know what to expect, so if you go to Ecuador, just know that things move at a slower pace and don't be in a big hurry. Get to know the people there – they are wonderful!

Peguche Falls

Our group visited Peguche Falls. We were told that in June or July, the Indigenous people have a ceremony where they shower in the falls to cleanse the body and their aura. I was told that we were going to "hike" to the falls. Well, that's not quite right. There was actually a very nice stone path that led to the falls. It wasn't steep and it was quite an easy and pleasant walk. There were animals – cows even along the way and beautiful trees and it was just a very, very pleasant experience. I was expecting a hike, I got a lovely walk down a picturesque stone path. The falls were beautiful and there were people there offering food to either gods or Pachamama, I guess, but they were doing it with a Shamana at the falls. I didn't understand the ceremony, but I did understand that it was something that was sacred to them and that had deep meaning.

Peguche Falls

Ceremony at Peguche Falls

The Village of Peguche

We went to the Village of Peguche, which is a village of weavers. We went to El Condor and to the shop of Jose Cotacachi. I even had my picture taken with the designer of the tapestry I bought!

The weavers are amazing. They don't use patterns and they create the loveliest work. I bought several tapestries and I'm trying to find the perfect place to hang them now.

Woman using a back strap loom

The Shamana

Next, we visited a Shamana. A shamana is simply a female shaman She talked to us for a while (I didn't understand much) about plants that are used for food and medicine. She let us smell different plants and told us things about how different plants were used for different things – she talked about detoxing the liver and that sort of thing. She talked about how figs can help with monthly problems for ladies and how cilantro seeds can help with labor and childbirth. The Shamana treats many illnesses for those who live in Peguche and they don't need a pharmacy – their pharmacy consists of the plants.

We were asked to stand in a circle and hold out our hands. The Shamana then touched our hands with the leaves of a plant and then she took some liquid from a Coke bottle (it had alcohol in it, so it wasn't completely unsanitary – sort of) and spit it on our hands. It was some sort of blessing if I understood it correctly. Two of our group got the "full" treatment and rubbed a candle on themselves which the Shamana then "read" to determine the amount of negative energy each of them had. Then a ceremony was performed with plants and liquid (spitting again – in a fine spray – it really was a skill) and fire and it was incredibly interesting. There was loud music played during this.

Note the fine spray -- that takes some real talent!

At one point the Shamana lit a cigarette and we all kind of looked at each other and thought "couldn't she wait?" but what was really happening it that it was part of the ceremony. Tobacco is a plant and it is used for purification in the ceremony.

Afterwards, the Shamana prayed to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and to the volcanoes, mountains, rivers and more and to Jesus and the Virgin Mary, I think. We were all asked to dance around in a circle to loud music to bond and to wake up Mother Earth and help her. She evoked the energy of the volcanoes and waterfalls and plants and rivers and mountains.

The Shamans and Shamanas are taken very, very seriously in Ecuador and they are well respected. When the Spanish came into Ecuador, the Indigenous people were forced to accept Catholicism, but they also kept some of their cultural practices as well. Hence the Shamana praying to the Virgin Mary as well as to the mountains, volcanoes and rivers.

It is interesting that about a year or so ago there was a law passed giving rights to Pachamama or Mother Earth because of damage in the Amazon region because of oil drilling or oil work there. Now a citizen can bring a lawsuit on behalf of Mother Earth. The people have a high respect for the land and for their culture and customs.

It is also interesting to note that the Shamana that we saw was an engineer, but went back to school and became a Shamana