How old are you? Would you carry wood like this? I wonder if we consider how fortunate we are that we have the means to afford transport. This scene is a picture of poverty, hardship and desperation to make a few cents. I wish you could have seen how difficult it was for these two aged people to carry those burdens on their backs! It appeared that the aged gentleman was blind, and was following his “guide” – but still working. “Count your blessings; name them one by one, and you will see what the Lord has done! How often do we do that?
I see your hair is standing straight up on your head! You must have gone to Ibarra by bus. Hey, wait a minute. There is a classic example of how the Quichua women carry their goods – on their backs. Let’s take a look at the most common forms of transport here in Cotacachi.
Segundo has appeared again. “!Hola, mi hermano!” He makes my day! This is a multipurpose form of transport. It is commonly used to transport people and the goods that they have bought, and which are too heavy to carry. Anything transportable goes into this “vehicle”. In one of the comments on my blog, a guy, who calls himself elderly was complaining that he was weary waiting for me to proceed with the tour. I’ll think I will stick him in here. He even suggested a Golf Cart. Well, this is just perfect for him.
The main market day here is on a Sunday, and these transport owners are kept extremely busy. They work really hard. Many times their loads are heavy, and then still someone sitting in the “cart”. Peddling uphill is no easy task.
Trucks for transporting people are very common here. Perhaps 20 people at a time. Many of the indigenous people live up in the mountains. Week-ends are really busy when people are visiting relatives in the surrounding towns and villages.
These transportation trucks are situated right at the bus terminal. They are in great demand, and very handy, especially when you do not have your own transport. I make use of them constantly with building material – bricks, cement, plumbing supplies, wood – just anything.
Taxis (cabs) are always around during the day. A ride from the center of town to my Casa Amarija, with purchases costs $1. A few more items in the car – maybe $1,50, and if you, as a gringo, look a bit “green”, the price shoots up. How do the taxi drivers assess if you are wealthy? How much rent do you pay? When that utterance comes out of their mouths, you know that they are going to “take you for a ride”.
How much care we take of babies and children when transporting them in a car! Baby sitter, seat belts and sometimes even Mom sits at the back to protect her precious infant. Well, over here they are “circus-trained” from an early age. Here you can see how this father transports his son. Many are even younger. None of them fear that they will fall. Daddy is one of the safest places. It’s fun! The faster you go the more exciting it gets.
Others are more privileged. The little girl is seated at the back. Dad wears a safety helmet. Children won’t fall. They trust “Papa”. That reminds me, shortly after arriving in Ecuador, I tried to be brave and asked a little girl where her Papa was, little knowing that I placed the accent in the wrong place, and called him a “potato”. She was absolutely dumbstruck. It only registered a little later on when I realized what I had said, and I packed up laughing. My advice – if you cannot speak Spanish – mime, point, draw – anything. One thing that you will find is that these very special people will try anything for you to understand – and then it gets worse. One question – “are you a Papa or a potato?”
There is only one of it’s kind in Cotacachi. It is unique. It is called a “Gas Station”. The “P” stands for “Petrol” and the “S” stand for “Service”. So between “pedal power” and “petrol power” Cotacachi is a town on the move. Guess what is up next.
Thought for your Tour:
When your “peddling power” is low, cling onto this promise: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
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