I can't believe its almost christmas 2010. And i can't believe either that its almost 2011!
I've been in Ecuador almost 3 months.
This month we've made a small trip to Mompiche, which is on the north-west coast of the country. We have some friends living there at the moment and we were lucky enough to go and stay with them in their little cottage in front of the beach. Mompiche is a small town where not to much is going on but surf and fishing. Its not very touristic as there are only a few restaurants and hostels and it has a very laid back vibe to it. We also went to visit the small mini island of Portete, wich is basically south-west of Mompiche. The island is split from land by the river that goes into the ocean. When its high tide, you can take a small little boat that takes you to the other side, and when its low tide you can almost cross by yourself.
Portete is nothing but a small mini island with some palm trees on it. But its cool and it has nice surf.
Maybe one day David will have his surfschool there. :-)
Back in Quito our appartment is now really cosy. We have our couch and it looks really nice. We could still add some things, like a lounge table or some shelves, but for now we have everything we need to live comfortably and the rest will come later.
I'm teaching yoga 2 a week in a place calls Namaste Yoga. I really enjoy teaching again after not having been teaching while I was in India and graduating. I only have one hour to give the class, so i'm teaching a led class based on the primary astange series. Ideally I would like to teach Mysore style, because I think this is the best way of learning a yoga practice, but I also enjoy this class. There are some more options for teaching but nothing concrete for now.
I've also been looking for a job the last few weeks, as I feel confident with my spanish and I really want to start doing something. (not to mention it helps to earn money ;-)
It's not going to smoothly and I've only been to a few interviews. But I'm positive and as now its holidays here in Ecuador, there's not too much chance of finding anything before the new year.
But new year new chances! So from Jan i'll just make a fresh start and look around for something.
David's friend Roger, from Colombia, was here for business and he came to stay at our house. Our first 'loge'! It was very nice to go around Quito with him and have him here.
Also, our friends from Mompiche, Jota and Olimpia, came to Quito. Jotas mum and grandma came to visit them from Colombia. We took all of them to Mindo for one night. We did a really nice BBQ (first time I put an egg on the BBQ!) and the next day we went to do canopy! How to explain? Massive cables going from one side of a valley to the other and your sliding on it! And we did 10 of these cables. Really really really cool!!!!
For christmas we will be going to Mindo and celebrate with David's parents, brother, sister, and 2 uncles and his grandma and nephew visiting from Colombia.
After christmas we will head towards the coast where we will pass by ayampe, to meet up with some friends, and then go to Salinas to celebrate new year's eve.
I just want to wish everybody a happy christmas. Enjoy this time with your friends or your family and be happy. Also a happy new year. Dont make impossible new years resolutions. Instead just be here and now and ride the wave as it comes.
I miss you all very very much!
Lots of love
cml.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
beautifull country!
About two weeks ago there were some national holidays here in Ecuador. We took advantage of this by hitting the road!
We filled up the car with:
- our new tent!
- two small camping chairs
- some blankets
- some pillows
- cooking gear (i took almost the whole kitchen ;-)
- clothes
- and all the stuff you usally need when you go on a roadtrip.
We drove along an amazing road that has just been constructed, between quito and santo domingo and onwards, towards Manta.
From Manta we took a road all along the coast. Really amazing views all the way.
From beautiful bright green valleys to kalahari type hills with crazy looking trees to small villages busy with daily activities of selling, buying, begging, cooking, driving etc.
Between Manta and Montanita the landscape changes in intervals (this is crazy!) from humid exotic kind of jungle to dry, dry, dry desert dusty views. And i'm talking about 15 minutes of jungle then 15 minutes of desert. Weird! But true, and amazing to see!
Because of the holidays, Montanita was crowded. Its a popular place to go drinking and partying during the holidays. Well, thank god we had bought ou little tent the week before and we found a camping just outside of town, where we could stay for 1,50 dollars each per night. Instead of paying 15 dollars each to stay in town with loud music all night long! good deal!
The camping was perfect! we had such a nice spot with a tree giving us shade, a hammock and away from all the other tents that were crowded together in a kind of square. (yeah, it sounds weird, but we had kind of the deluxe spot! ;-) And close to the bathrooms. The camping even had a fully furnished kitchen that people could use! really cool! unfortunately the weather wasn't great. it was cloudy and rainy at night.
but that didn't stop us from surfing! (well, one day was really too cold for me, but the other days i promise i went into the water!)
On one of our surf outings, we passed through a small town called La Entrada. We passed by a shop where there was a crazy line of people and we wondered why would there be so many cars and so many people in a small town like this?
The next day, we heard from a friend, that we should go and try the dulces (sweets) of la Entrada! So after our surf session the next day we stopped at Dulces de la Entrada, a small shop selling different kinds of cakes and pies, and we realized why its so popular. They make the most amazing cakes and pies! We had a cake of three milks and guyava cheese cake. yummy!!!! definitely a place to remember. i'm looking forward to our next trip to montanita! (for the surf also of course ;-)
So the next time I go to eat some dulces after my surf session I will have my own board. Excuse me, I mean my own Balse board. We are making baords with a shaper called Moreno. He's making a fish for david and a 7'4 board for me. We gave him some design ideas and he's going to make the boards for us this month! i'm so excited! Back in Quito, the boards will have a special place on the wall in our living room of course!
After a few days in Montanita we packed up our stuff and drove towards Guyaquil. A cool city I would like to see more of! We only went for the day and the next day we drove back, towards Mindo. This time we took a road more inland. And all I can honestly say is... Wow! Beautiful beautiful landscapes all along the road. I love seeing where the food and other things I have at home actually come from. I mean being able to see banana plantations, yuca plantations, palm plantations, cacao plantations, rubbertree plantations, corn plantations and banana plantations. Did I meantion banana plantations? ;-)
We spent two days in Mindo, doing our usual planting of seeds and little seedlings. Cooking good food. Relaxing. Yoga. Relaxing. Planting. Sleeping. Eating. Yep, its a hard life. ;-)
But! Now we are back in Quito and we have taken some action!
We've done some more decorating in our little apartment! Jeeeh! Plants! Plants! We got some really nice plants and made curtains ourselves. They came out pretty good if I may say so myself.
David's uncle has offered us an amazing table and some chairs, that we cleaned and painted! Its really starting to feel like a nice and cosy little home. End of this week we'll get a really cool wooden couch we are getting made. Then our living room will be almost perfect!
Well. More updates on my Playing house will follow.
That's it for now. I'm going to make some yogi tea to digest the ayurvedicly responsible spinach and quinoa dinner I cooked for myself tonight.
Om Shanti and lots of love!
We filled up the car with:
- our new tent!
- two small camping chairs
- some blankets
- some pillows
- cooking gear (i took almost the whole kitchen ;-)
- clothes
- and all the stuff you usally need when you go on a roadtrip.
We drove along an amazing road that has just been constructed, between quito and santo domingo and onwards, towards Manta.
From Manta we took a road all along the coast. Really amazing views all the way.
From beautiful bright green valleys to kalahari type hills with crazy looking trees to small villages busy with daily activities of selling, buying, begging, cooking, driving etc.
Between Manta and Montanita the landscape changes in intervals (this is crazy!) from humid exotic kind of jungle to dry, dry, dry desert dusty views. And i'm talking about 15 minutes of jungle then 15 minutes of desert. Weird! But true, and amazing to see!
Because of the holidays, Montanita was crowded. Its a popular place to go drinking and partying during the holidays. Well, thank god we had bought ou little tent the week before and we found a camping just outside of town, where we could stay for 1,50 dollars each per night. Instead of paying 15 dollars each to stay in town with loud music all night long! good deal!
The camping was perfect! we had such a nice spot with a tree giving us shade, a hammock and away from all the other tents that were crowded together in a kind of square. (yeah, it sounds weird, but we had kind of the deluxe spot! ;-) And close to the bathrooms. The camping even had a fully furnished kitchen that people could use! really cool! unfortunately the weather wasn't great. it was cloudy and rainy at night.
but that didn't stop us from surfing! (well, one day was really too cold for me, but the other days i promise i went into the water!)
On one of our surf outings, we passed through a small town called La Entrada. We passed by a shop where there was a crazy line of people and we wondered why would there be so many cars and so many people in a small town like this?
The next day, we heard from a friend, that we should go and try the dulces (sweets) of la Entrada! So after our surf session the next day we stopped at Dulces de la Entrada, a small shop selling different kinds of cakes and pies, and we realized why its so popular. They make the most amazing cakes and pies! We had a cake of three milks and guyava cheese cake. yummy!!!! definitely a place to remember. i'm looking forward to our next trip to montanita! (for the surf also of course ;-)
So the next time I go to eat some dulces after my surf session I will have my own board. Excuse me, I mean my own Balse board. We are making baords with a shaper called Moreno. He's making a fish for david and a 7'4 board for me. We gave him some design ideas and he's going to make the boards for us this month! i'm so excited! Back in Quito, the boards will have a special place on the wall in our living room of course!
After a few days in Montanita we packed up our stuff and drove towards Guyaquil. A cool city I would like to see more of! We only went for the day and the next day we drove back, towards Mindo. This time we took a road more inland. And all I can honestly say is... Wow! Beautiful beautiful landscapes all along the road. I love seeing where the food and other things I have at home actually come from. I mean being able to see banana plantations, yuca plantations, palm plantations, cacao plantations, rubbertree plantations, corn plantations and banana plantations. Did I meantion banana plantations? ;-)
We spent two days in Mindo, doing our usual planting of seeds and little seedlings. Cooking good food. Relaxing. Yoga. Relaxing. Planting. Sleeping. Eating. Yep, its a hard life. ;-)
But! Now we are back in Quito and we have taken some action!
We've done some more decorating in our little apartment! Jeeeh! Plants! Plants! We got some really nice plants and made curtains ourselves. They came out pretty good if I may say so myself.
David's uncle has offered us an amazing table and some chairs, that we cleaned and painted! Its really starting to feel like a nice and cosy little home. End of this week we'll get a really cool wooden couch we are getting made. Then our living room will be almost perfect!
Well. More updates on my Playing house will follow.
That's it for now. I'm going to make some yogi tea to digest the ayurvedicly responsible spinach and quinoa dinner I cooked for myself tonight.
Om Shanti and lots of love!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Ayurveda
Last week a girl I met at a dinner told me about some ayurvedic cooking classes going on in Tumbaco, which is just outside of Quito.
Of course I contacted the person who teaches immedately! The first week of the course had already passed, but I could still join if I wanted.
Today was my first ayurvedic cooking class! I'm so excited! It was very nice. The lady teaching is very nice and she knows her stuff! ;-)
She gave us some theory and discussed about the previous week, and then we went into the kitchen!
She showed us how to make a love soup with brocoli and zambo (which is a veggie from here i still have to try!). She also made 2 kinds of little 'tortillas'. One made from couscous mixed with a fritata of onions, peppers and tomatos. The other one made with some kind of rice, tapioca, and a fritata made from onion garlic and ginger. To accompany the tortillas she showed us how to make a mango chutney. Very similar to my south african chutney! yum!
And here is the recipy for Yogi Tea!
1litre of water
2 cloves
6 cardamom pods
1 piece of cinamon
3 pepper corns
(i put 1 star anis for fun)
and fresh ginger cut into little pieces.
>> put all into water and boil for approx 10 mins. strain and enjoy!
its also nice with milk!
Yep so i'm happy with my ayurveda cooking classes! This will also help me practice my spanish and meet more people.
Now i'm gonna go and try to make the brocoli soup myself!
Om Shanti
Of course I contacted the person who teaches immedately! The first week of the course had already passed, but I could still join if I wanted.
Today was my first ayurvedic cooking class! I'm so excited! It was very nice. The lady teaching is very nice and she knows her stuff! ;-)
She gave us some theory and discussed about the previous week, and then we went into the kitchen!
She showed us how to make a love soup with brocoli and zambo (which is a veggie from here i still have to try!). She also made 2 kinds of little 'tortillas'. One made from couscous mixed with a fritata of onions, peppers and tomatos. The other one made with some kind of rice, tapioca, and a fritata made from onion garlic and ginger. To accompany the tortillas she showed us how to make a mango chutney. Very similar to my south african chutney! yum!
And here is the recipy for Yogi Tea!
1litre of water
2 cloves
6 cardamom pods
1 piece of cinamon
3 pepper corns
(i put 1 star anis for fun)
and fresh ginger cut into little pieces.
>> put all into water and boil for approx 10 mins. strain and enjoy!
its also nice with milk!
Yep so i'm happy with my ayurveda cooking classes! This will also help me practice my spanish and meet more people.
Now i'm gonna go and try to make the brocoli soup myself!
Om Shanti
Thursday, October 21, 2010
i love food
yep, so why do i like going around spending my time in different countries.
there are many reasons, but i think one of the main ones is that i simply love food.
i love discovering new tastes and trying to make them myself!
a few new tastes:
mote (a kind of white giant mais kernel, u eat it boiled)
verde (a big green banana that they fry and eat here as a side dish)
patacones (little fried cookies made from unripe banana) >> not this is not the same as verde
humita (grinded mais which is then made into some kind of batter and steamed. delicious!)
aji (a fresh hot sauce. made with onions, chilies, dill ... everyone has their own recipy.)
arepa (a thick kind of tortilla. made from mais. eaten mostly for breakfast with cheese and butter.)
locro (a potato and cheese soup served with a piece of avocado. very good)
empanadas! (empanada de verde, empanada de yuca, empanada de viento) >> i always take empanadas filled with cheese of course.
yuca (= casave)
i've also been playing with recipies while i'm at home.
i've made a killer banana bread. (today i'm trying the same, but added coconut and cinamon).
i've made ghee today! finally! i love it.
i tried to make some quinoa the other day, but it got kinda burned. hmmm.
i also made some south african chutney from some berries i bought, but they were a bit sour. the chutney came out amazingly good if i may say so myself. david het gese dit proe net soos mrs. balls chutney!
and finally, i made some pizza dough and made a massive pizza for me and David 2 days ago! i love pizza!
David and me have also found a cute little indian restaurants. we are now regular clients. :-)
there are different places to shop for food.
huge supermarkets like megamaxi. but these are quite expensive.
little neighbourhood shops that also sell basically everything.
or markets.
David came home yesterday with a big big (u know, like those massive weaved potato bags) bag filled with veggies, that he bought for .....11 dollars!
thats crazy!
but we have found some adresses for organic veggies, as almost all veggies sold here whether from the market or in the supermarket have been treated with pesticides.
We still have to wait 1-2 months for our own crops to grow, so in the mean time we want to support the organic markets. But we haven't been there yet, since they are only open on thursday - saturday, and we've usually been in Mindo those days.
Did you know...ecuadorian cocao is the best in the world. yes, its true.
and in Mindo there is a little place where they make cacao themselves, as well as chocolate, and other cacao products. And...the best brownie ever! They don't use chocolate to make it, but the paste that is squeezed from the cacao beans before cacao powder is made. Its sooooooo good!
I do miss all my indian ingredients. I have not been able to find them here. Thank goodness I cound cardamom, turmeric and koriander. But I have not found curry leaves or any of the dhal grains i usally use. :-(
neither do they have garam masala. that means i will have to make it myself.
furthermore, why do i like '3rd world' countries with regard to food...
everywhere you can find places to eat. not like fancy cafes or restaurants, but little roadside stops where fresh local food is cooked every day. good, nutricious, fresh and very very cheap. like 1 dollar for a whole plate of food!
well, i'm gonna go back to filtering my ghee and checking my banana bread in the oven.
peace & love.
there are many reasons, but i think one of the main ones is that i simply love food.
i love discovering new tastes and trying to make them myself!
a few new tastes:
mote (a kind of white giant mais kernel, u eat it boiled)
verde (a big green banana that they fry and eat here as a side dish)
patacones (little fried cookies made from unripe banana) >> not this is not the same as verde
humita (grinded mais which is then made into some kind of batter and steamed. delicious!)
aji (a fresh hot sauce. made with onions, chilies, dill ... everyone has their own recipy.)
arepa (a thick kind of tortilla. made from mais. eaten mostly for breakfast with cheese and butter.)
locro (a potato and cheese soup served with a piece of avocado. very good)
empanadas! (empanada de verde, empanada de yuca, empanada de viento) >> i always take empanadas filled with cheese of course.
yuca (= casave)
i've also been playing with recipies while i'm at home.
i've made a killer banana bread. (today i'm trying the same, but added coconut and cinamon).
i've made ghee today! finally! i love it.
i tried to make some quinoa the other day, but it got kinda burned. hmmm.
i also made some south african chutney from some berries i bought, but they were a bit sour. the chutney came out amazingly good if i may say so myself. david het gese dit proe net soos mrs. balls chutney!
and finally, i made some pizza dough and made a massive pizza for me and David 2 days ago! i love pizza!
David and me have also found a cute little indian restaurants. we are now regular clients. :-)
there are different places to shop for food.
huge supermarkets like megamaxi. but these are quite expensive.
little neighbourhood shops that also sell basically everything.
or markets.
David came home yesterday with a big big (u know, like those massive weaved potato bags) bag filled with veggies, that he bought for .....11 dollars!
thats crazy!
but we have found some adresses for organic veggies, as almost all veggies sold here whether from the market or in the supermarket have been treated with pesticides.
We still have to wait 1-2 months for our own crops to grow, so in the mean time we want to support the organic markets. But we haven't been there yet, since they are only open on thursday - saturday, and we've usually been in Mindo those days.
Did you know...ecuadorian cocao is the best in the world. yes, its true.
and in Mindo there is a little place where they make cacao themselves, as well as chocolate, and other cacao products. And...the best brownie ever! They don't use chocolate to make it, but the paste that is squeezed from the cacao beans before cacao powder is made. Its sooooooo good!
I do miss all my indian ingredients. I have not been able to find them here. Thank goodness I cound cardamom, turmeric and koriander. But I have not found curry leaves or any of the dhal grains i usally use. :-(
neither do they have garam masala. that means i will have to make it myself.
furthermore, why do i like '3rd world' countries with regard to food...
everywhere you can find places to eat. not like fancy cafes or restaurants, but little roadside stops where fresh local food is cooked every day. good, nutricious, fresh and very very cheap. like 1 dollar for a whole plate of food!
well, i'm gonna go back to filtering my ghee and checking my banana bread in the oven.
peace & love.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Week 1 Ecuador
Its been 1 week since i've arrived at the airport in Quito, where David was waiting to take me to our new little house.
We havent spent much time in Quito.
The next day after i arrived we went to Mindo, which is where David's parents have a beautifull farmhouse and this is also where the hotel is being developed.
Mindo is such a cute little town. During the week its quiet and all the villagers are hanging around on the streets and doing all their daily things. In the weekends there are quite some tourists and the people that were hanging around outsite during the week are busy in their shops/restaurants/tourist info offices.
I reaaaaally like Mindo. Its a small village in a valley with beautifull jungle and rivers, birds, cows and insects.
People are really friendly and everyting is so easygoing.
During our days in Mindo David is also doing his things for the hotel. Its looking really good. Furniture is being made now and we are planting seeds and little plants into the beds next to the hotel.
Hopefully in one or two months we will have our own veggies!
Back in Quito. We have an cute little appartment in a neighbourhood called El Condado. The appartment in small, but just what we need. A big living room with kitchen attached and a small corner for washing machine. 2 bathrooms and 2 rooms.
Its still quite empty. We have a couch and a beanbag to sit. The kitchen is better. We already have most basic stuff to be able to cook. We bought a blender for fresh juices and some pots & pans.
Quito in comparison to Mindo is big, busy and has a dry climate. The city is very different from a standard european city. it has shopping malls in almost every neighbourhoud. It does have a historical centre, but this is a small part of the whole city. I haven't seen much Quito yet. Only where we went to buy some stuff. I've seen a part of the historical centre at night, and tasted a famous ecuadorian drink called canelazo. Its like a warm drink with cinamon taste to it. Its very good. Its very warming for cold nights.
Of course i'm not able to understand everyone yet, but my spanish is quite ok. i understand almost everyting people say. the big step for me is to start talking. i'm still not very confident and feel like i should learn more vocab and practice more grammar. but being here for just one week, i'm understanding more than i expected, so i should be happy and be patient.
I finally found a yoga mat after a few days so I have been able to start practicing. Yesterday I practiced in Mindo, outsite in the nature. amazing.
So now i'm finding my rythm and finding my projects and things to do. The main thing is to practice my spanish so that i can communicate with people and start organizing some things for myself.
Well, thats it for now.
pics will follow soon.
peace & love
We havent spent much time in Quito.
The next day after i arrived we went to Mindo, which is where David's parents have a beautifull farmhouse and this is also where the hotel is being developed.
Mindo is such a cute little town. During the week its quiet and all the villagers are hanging around on the streets and doing all their daily things. In the weekends there are quite some tourists and the people that were hanging around outsite during the week are busy in their shops/restaurants/tourist info offices.
I reaaaaally like Mindo. Its a small village in a valley with beautifull jungle and rivers, birds, cows and insects.
People are really friendly and everyting is so easygoing.
During our days in Mindo David is also doing his things for the hotel. Its looking really good. Furniture is being made now and we are planting seeds and little plants into the beds next to the hotel.
Hopefully in one or two months we will have our own veggies!
Back in Quito. We have an cute little appartment in a neighbourhood called El Condado. The appartment in small, but just what we need. A big living room with kitchen attached and a small corner for washing machine. 2 bathrooms and 2 rooms.
Its still quite empty. We have a couch and a beanbag to sit. The kitchen is better. We already have most basic stuff to be able to cook. We bought a blender for fresh juices and some pots & pans.
Quito in comparison to Mindo is big, busy and has a dry climate. The city is very different from a standard european city. it has shopping malls in almost every neighbourhoud. It does have a historical centre, but this is a small part of the whole city. I haven't seen much Quito yet. Only where we went to buy some stuff. I've seen a part of the historical centre at night, and tasted a famous ecuadorian drink called canelazo. Its like a warm drink with cinamon taste to it. Its very good. Its very warming for cold nights.
Of course i'm not able to understand everyone yet, but my spanish is quite ok. i understand almost everyting people say. the big step for me is to start talking. i'm still not very confident and feel like i should learn more vocab and practice more grammar. but being here for just one week, i'm understanding more than i expected, so i should be happy and be patient.
I finally found a yoga mat after a few days so I have been able to start practicing. Yesterday I practiced in Mindo, outsite in the nature. amazing.
So now i'm finding my rythm and finding my projects and things to do. The main thing is to practice my spanish so that i can communicate with people and start organizing some things for myself.
Well, thats it for now.
pics will follow soon.
peace & love
Monday, September 27, 2010
Last days in Holland...
Last days in the Netherlands.
weird.
i've said goodbey to almost everybody. this last week i'll be with my family.
i'm curious, excited, nervous, happy and sad.
but i'm ready for my new adventure.
weird.
i've said goodbey to almost everybody. this last week i'll be with my family.
i'm curious, excited, nervous, happy and sad.
but i'm ready for my new adventure.
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