PlentyofMiracles.com

We found a neighborhood restaurant, near our hotel called “Achote.” Achote is an Ecuadorian spice that is a favorite for cooks there. Apparently it doesn’t have much taste but adds nice color. The first time we went, the sister of the chef/owner, came out and helped us choose from the menu.

She and her husband live in Oregon part of the year. They come down to Ecuador to help out when the weather in Oregon is so bad. It was interesting to talk to her. She and her husband are in their 60′s and met when they were both working in Yellowstone Park. They have been married two years. After talking to us and learning we were in town for the IL event, she brought everyone out to meet us. Her sister, the chef; her sister’s husband, the manager; her nephew, the waiter; her husband, not sure what he does-tend bar or something.

My favorite dish was a rice dish flavored with chocolate and coffee. To make it you put coffee and chocolate into water, along with a little salt. Bring it to a boil and add the rice. It was a very interesting flavor and went well with the seafood I choose.

A good pot-luck dish that will generate many comments.

On our last night in Quito, we went to dinner with some Canadians we met at the conference. We went to a restaurant called Povoarti’s across the street from the Swiss Hotel, where the event held. We arrived around 6:15pm before the restaurant opened. They, graciously, let us sit and started us on the wine. We left 4 hours later at 10:30 after asking for the check two or three times.

We experienced, first hand, the wonderful Latin tradition of long, leisurely dinners. They didn’t rush us and really didn’t try to push more food and wine onto us.

Lovely food. Lovely company.

Just the highlights, please.

1. Along with having your portfolio diversified across asset classes, you need to be diversified across currencies. I’ll learn how to do that today.
2. 75% of the world’s investments are not available to people investing in the United States because the companies haven’t been vetted by the SEC.
3. You must budget for and invest in learning the language of the country you are moving to, right away. The ideal time is four hours a day, four days a week. It will cost around $3,000 per person. Your language tutor will also be a cultural tutor and you’ll spend time on the street learning the way of the culture.
4. The cost of a movie ticket in Ecuador is $2.99 for the latest Hollywood release.

We decided to follow the advice from Fromers and hire a driver and car to take us to Otavalo, a town with a “world famous market.” It was nice to go on a Tuesday as opposed to a Saturday when the crowds are thick and overwhelming. According to Angel, our driver, there is more product, on Saturdays, but not necessarily more variety. Just more of the same. I bought a Panama hat, made in Ecquador, which they all are. Owen bought some paintings. The artist and his wife were there. I guess we did well on the price.

During the “negotiations” A man, his granddaughter and his wife stood near us to watch the action. The man, who was about our age asked me how much they cost. I gave him a number but it was in USA slang without the hundred included and he didn’t understand. He asked about it again and I gave him a number that he would understand. He explained how the young girl’s father was his son and she, the granddaughter complemented  him on his English. Everyone had a good time.

I noticed that almost all the people in the stalls are women. Mostly they embroidered and crochted. I only saw one young woman knitting and it was a “knit every row scarf” in bright blue.

After that we went to lunch at a nature preserve for a volcano. We had a traditional Ecuadorian lunch of fried banana, cheese, avacado, hominy, roasted corn and unchewable fried pork pieces. After lunch the three of us went on a short walk up a very steep hill to look at the volcano crater lake on one side and the verdant valley on the other side. Elevation 11,500 feet. Hello, Leadville. Our guide gave us the names of the plants on the side of the trail.

The final stop was in a town called …..something. I’ll get it tomorrow. The town is known for leather goods and oh, my the streets smell of the stuff. The prices are unbelievable. They didn’t come down any in price, especially when we said we were going to pay with a credit card. Oh, well, the value was still there. Again, the people working the stores, cutting the skins and sewing the clothes were, women. The men are off doing something else, working in quarries, I guess. We were supporting women owned businesses.

The last woman owned business was the restaurant we went to tonight. Lucy is the chef, her sister Anna Marie lives with Ted in Oregon for 6 months a year and down here the rest of the time. Anna Marie have been married for four years and met when they were working in Yellow Stone Park four years ago. They are in their 60′s. Lucy’s son Phillippe was our waiter and Carlos (Charles) Lucy’s husband works there but doesn’t speak much English. Everyone came out to meet us. And the food, oh my the food. They are “tapas” in size, small and very unusual. I had coffee and chocolate rice with my vegetables and it was really good. There was mouthwash in the ladies. It was all so nice and classy. All 2 blocks from our hotel.

Angel told Owen that you could rent a 2 story house in Quito for $800…..wait for it….a year. Wow.

Plenty of Miracles is offering you the opportunity to deliver the miracle of a new pair of shoes to children in Africa, for the holidays.  For every pair of shoes purchased, Toms gives shoes to children in Third World countries. Many schools require children to wear shoes and until they have them, they can’t get the education they need to help lift them out of crushing poverty. Tom’s shoes makes shoes especially for giving to children, they are black canvas with closed toes.  Shoes protect children’s feet from cuts and parasites. Click the link and go to the site for the rest of the story.

Miracles are not just about what God or the Universe can do for us, they are also about what we can do for others. You know it makes you feel good to give others a gift of a miracle. Plus, how cute are those shoes? I love them.