Markets, Mountains and Magic...a trip to Otavalo

Last Saturday, we had a magical day first driving through the mountains to the market town of Otavalo.  It is a quaint town that becomes a bustling city on Saturdays when it supposedly becomes one of the largest markets in South America.  

On the way there, we saw lots of greenhouses that grew the long-stemmed roses that I have enjoyed for many birthdays and anniversaries.  New tidbit is that these type of flowers grow well here due to the sun at the Equator.  Many of them are exported but on the street, 24 can be bought for around $3.

We then stopped to view and stroll around Puerto Lago.  There is a resort with cottages, lamas, and a restaurant as well as water activities.  Paddle boats are available to rent...maybe next time.

At a pit stop, we were treated to biscotto which is a flaky pastry that is traditionally eaten with a mug of rich hot chocolate.  Delicious!!

We finally arrived at our shopping destination.  The market is in a square with lots of tents where everything from brightly colored blankets and scarves made from llama wool to Panama hats to wool rugs and much more were displayed.  We were extremely fortunate to have Marie, a local, to help us negotiate even though Ed held his own.  We left with less dinero but lots of gorgeous rugs and blankets to add some color to our new home.

The most amazing surprise and treat of our past two weeks awaited us at our next stop.  Our greeter was a stately peacock who stunned us with his many "eyes".

At La Mirage, we were treated like princes and princesses from our lavender-scented hot towel to the music box filled with our first course to a never-to-be-forgotten fish entree wrapped in bacon to Rae's favorite ice cream encased in a golden sugar edible basket.  UNBELIEVABLE!!

Fernando and his wife, Marie, made this day the perfect ending to our time together with our newbie team.  Fernando, the Transportation Director at Academia Cotopaxi, has been with us since the beginning when we all arrived downstairs at the Hotel Quito bleary eyed and confused.  He and Patricia, the Human Resources Director, have been our parents away from home to make sure we all had everything we needed and to give us emotional support to make it through the transition.  Muchas gracias para todo!

Imbabura Volcano filled us with inspiration for another day of exploring in the near future.

Hope you get out there and explore!!

TEAM MILLIS

A Day in Old Town Quito

We started our tour of Historic Old Town Quito, the first UNESCO Heritage Site at the President's Palace.

Then we strolled to the Basilica Catholic Cathedral.

Instead of Gargoyles, animals of the Galapagos are sculpted into the design.

Next we visited the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus.

The humble exterior outside of this building hides the exquisite gold that covers the inside.

Here's a sneak peak with the door.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures.

Reid, Rae and I hung out under one of the few remaining bells due to them being used for munitions.

Our group meandered through the streets to the San Francisco Zocolo which is basically a square surrounded by buildings but it always has a church at its center.

We strolled through the catacombs deep under the Iglesia de San Francisco.

After our brains were about to pop from all the gold and history, we ate lunch in a restaurant on Calle de la Ronda which has been recently restored.

We enjoyed a beautiful and delicious authentic Ecuadorian lunch with a juice made from moras's (blackberries), our favorite soup called locro de papa (potato, cheese and avocado), and an entree of either a steak or chicken in an orange sauce. 

We finished our tour admiring Quito under the arm of El Panecillo which is a statue created in 1976 of the Madonna for the city of Quito.

The views were spectacular.

We enjoyed another fantastic day in a very diverse city.  This weekend we are headed to Otavalo to shop at the largest market in South America...wish us bargaining luck.

Happy Adventuring,

TEAM MILLIS

Home Sweet Home

We have moved into our new home away from home.  It is a three bedroom, three bath apartment located in the Montessirin neighborhood of Quito.  Our apartment is on the top floor with some amazing views.  A perk is the quick access to the roof where we can see the sunset of Pichincha Volcano.  

Reid's room has the hands-down best views.  He falls asleep looking at the skyline of Quito.

Our living room is a bit sparse on the furniture.  We are thinking a ping pong table would be a good addition.

The kitchen...the washing machine beside the sink is a bit odd, but there is a lot more storage than our Salem house.  We have already had a few dance party cooking fests.

Here is a pic of our dining area.  Do you see all the fruit?

Reid's room with beautiful hardwood floors.

Reid and Rae's room both have wonderful built-in drawers and closets.

Ed's and my room has a walk in closet and master bath.  We just got the rug at  the Equator museum.

One interesting space is the maid's quarters with a mini bathroom which we are using for storage.

We are thrilled with the storage and layout.  Our hot water has been a bit of an issue (nonexistent) that we hope to have solved soon.  We are also adjusting to multiple, loud guard dogs who do their job "oh too well!!" especially late at night.  

Happy Sunday to everyone,

TEAM MILLIS

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14th on the 14th

Never to happen again, Reid turned 14 on the 14th surrounded by all our new friends.  We spent the day at the Equator taking pictures, going on a tour, eating Subway (his favorite) and dining on pizza (another favorite).  It was a wonderful day.

One of his favorite presents, besides the cool hat, was a Timbers jersey.  I'll post a picture later, probably at an Ecuadorian football game.

Happy Birthday sweetest boy.  We are so proud of you with all of your many talents and kind spirit.  May the next 14 bring you joy, love and peace.

Feel fee to post some b'day wishes in the comment box, on facebook at Jennifer Gibson-Millis or through email at jgibsonmillis@gmail.com.

Many smiles,

TEAM MILLIS

24 hour journey from 45 to 0 degrees

Our day began at 1:35 am when the plethora of alarms started ringing, chirping, cockadoodle dooing, and beeping.  I did not want to miss this WAKUP CALL!!  We grabbed our last bags and stumbled to the car.  

An hour and a half later, we arrived at PDX and proceeded to unload 14 bags...can you say overprepared?  

A mocha and a latte later and we were ready to stuff our bodies into our confined spaces.  

Four hours later, we emerged into the mugginess of Houston and felt super lucky to be leaving the airport behind to play for five hours at Casa Millis.  Pool time, tropical cocktails,m authentic Mexican food and time with two loved ones made the day even more special.

Five hours later and a very sore bottom later, we groggily walked into a looonnnnggg customs line.  R and R waited very patiently with bloodshot eyes.  As we left customs, our friendly and patient driver was ready and waiting to take us to the hotel where we quickly fell asleep.

It was a long day, but one that we had waited so anxiously to arrive for so long.  We are thrilled to be here a few degrees south of 0 and to explore our new surroundings.

Hope you follow your dreams,

TEAM MILLIS

Dragging our feet because...

Three more days and we are up, up and away to our new home up in the Andes.  As excited as we are to dive into all that Ecuador has to offer,we have been talking about what we will miss...

Our Home--we have been so fortunate to live in a house with plenty of space, lots of fruit trees and a wonderful proximity to everything.

The Mountains--we spend many days hiking, skiing, backpacking, playing in the Cascades.  Our new playground of mountains will be higher and possibly less impacted as some that we play on here in the Pacific Northwest.

The Beach--I often joke to my East coast friends that a summer can go by and I will never wear a bathing suit at the beach.  Hands down, the Oregon coast is the most rugged and beautiful.  We have some amazing memories and photos of time spent running, exploring and watching wacky dogs romp nonstop in the frigid waves.

The Fruit--mmmm the blueberries, peaches, apples, watermelon...ahh need I say more!  So blessed to have so much fruit from June till October.  I know, I know the plethora of fruit in a tropical region will probably be mind-boggling, but I do love Rae and my fruit pies.

The Music Program--Thank you Jon Harris-Clipinger for instilling the love of String instruments and providing me with my favorite part of the day...practice time.  It totally transforms our home into a calm, peaceful place.  Luckily our new school also has an orchestra program that we are anxious to learn more about.

SunSeed Trips--Ed's baby and his passion has brought so much to our life and from what others say to theirs as well.  It will continue, but in a different form.  More to be said about this later.

Our Pets--Luna and Cougar are happy pets in their new wonderful homes.  Agate will be staying where her old soul loves to be--home.  We will miss and think of them often.

Friends--where would we be without all the people who have touched and continue to make an impact in our lives?  As much as we will miss our daily walks, talks, expeditions, patio dinners, we will look forward to Skype talks, Facebook chats and hopefully some of you will make the trek south to PLAY!!

Traditions--Waldo Lake, Breitenbush, Portland Revels, Family Thanksgiving, End of Summer Party, Halloween at the Conliffe's and on and on, a community and traditions take time to build.  Wow now that I am reflecting, I can see that we have done just that.

Family--you instill love and confidence in our children, support for our daily lives and abundant fun and enjoyment throughout the year.  Our hearts ache knowing that we will not see you as often.  Please come visit soon!!

As much as we have griped about you Salem, you are more than a city. You have become our home and all that you encompass for us will be missed.  See you in two years!

And to all of you, follow those dreams and keep in touch!

TEAM MILLIS