A week ago Thursday, the earth let go on the mountains releasing rocks, uprooting trees and causing many landslides in the valley here, as well as on the highway. Until I received the above photo from David, I had no idea what had happened such a short distance from where I live.
Friday morning I received another message from my friend Charles, concerned about the road conditions, wondering if he would be able to make it through to Apuela. He lives about 5 miles further down the road, and there was no point in him making the attempt if the road was still closed. You have to understand, when I say 5 miles, this is not a typical 5 mile drive you may have back home. The roads here are rough, climbing first up, then down some very steep roads in places. It probably takes him about half an hour to make the trip with his quad. So to save him guessing, I decided to take a walk down the road, to verify the conditions. It was pretty amazing to see the water running down the road like a new tributary of the river just outside the gate to the hostel.
The first rather small slide I came upon…. 
The second slide…. on the down side of the road 
The roads a terrible mess….. 
Looking up the mountain…. 
I could not get past this point because I sank up to my ankles in mud no matter which way I turned. I felt I had enough information for Charles – it would be difficult to get through on his quad….. 
The roadside brush disappeared beneath the mud and rocks, exposing the home not far from here.
There was a home just before I reached the second slide, now visible, it’s natural fence of trees and bushes washed away. I stood there for a moment in gratitude for them, because their home seemed untouched, but of course without basements, often the water comes under closed doors. I contemplated the situation as I walked back to my little cabin, suddenly aware of my own good fortune. The mountain did not release the earth in the section where I live, as it well could have. Having seen the force of the river behind my home, and hearing the movement of rather large rocks through the night , it is not hard to imagine the possibility of such destruction in my own yard.
There was more damage further down the road, much worse slides, with large boulders creating new avenues on the mountain. Saturday morning, two days after the slides had occurred, I made my way to Apuela on the back road, as I normally go, to catch the bus. This road can be pretty rough after all the rains, but I have never seen it in this condition. If you can remember back in the summer, I told you about the big machines clearing the land on this steep mountain slope. At the time I was not sure what the reason for the clearing of the land in this area could be for, nervous about the cause and effect of doing so. In fact they had built a canal on the side of the mountain, it’s unique structure something I was able to see the progression of over the months on my various trips to town.
There are cement slats placed vertically alternating the positions to slow the water flow as rock would do I suppose…. 
The bend just before you see the canal – this walk keeps me in shape….. 
The upside of the construction 
You get a pretty good idea of how steep the slope is here
As I made my way up the mountain road, I was very surprised to see so much damage, on the downside of the canal. Just before the canal many plants had let go and were laying on the road.
All the vegetation removed in this area – it was once covered in trees and plants….. 
The rocks here are new, as is the waterfall.. this bend in the road is just before the canal 
Looking up the mountain…. 
The earth coming down the mountain, across the road, stopping a short way down the mountain slope here 
This slide is on the opposite side of the river where I live. It was surprisingly close to my home…. 
You can see the corner of the canal, these plants had slid down the slope to where they rest now…..
So the mountain gave way on both sides of my home, which does make one think about the fragility of life in general. When you see one tree left standing in the middle of a huge rock slide you cannot help but contemplate the amazing aspects of life where one life is spared, when the one next to it is not. Whether it is a tree, an animal or person, we can see in such situations, that our best efforts cannot control everything despite what we may think. What happens around us or right beside us is in the hands of the universe…..
Standing on the streets of Apuela as I waited for David and the bus, I could easily see the landslides which caused so much damage on the main road to Apuela. As David and I made our way down the road as we returned home that evening, we were able to now see the consequences of what I saw from town that morning – the details of the damage unseen from such a distance. I was amazed to see the results from the paths of the slides, as the rocks came down the mountain. Recognizing these are small, by comparison of what could indeed still happen if the rains were to continue.
The highway into Otavalo was quite a mess in areas, with whole uprooted trees, as well as mud and gravel on the road in places. At times most of the lane was covered, leaving barely enough room for one vehicle to get through. I am grateful for my newfound strength in handling my fear of this road, which enables me to continue to make the journey during this season which would normally be overwhelming for me. The potholes formed from so much moisture, heavy traffic and of course the rocks and trees landing on the pavement have made the journey pretty rough and quite interesting. In one spot I saw a tree standing perfectly upright in it’s newly formed pile of dirt, which was in our lane, as though it had been growing there all along – fascinating to see.
We have had some relief from the constant rain, the sun slowly drying the muddy roads, but the season is months away from being finished, the opportunity for more damage yet to come.
The purpose for David’s and my journey that day will be posted another time. We are working on a lovely idea with two other families which I hope will be interesting to you all. Enjoy your day today, no matter what the weather is like, no matter how many problems you may have or troubles clouding your mind. It takes only seconds, or maybe minutes to lose what’s really important in life, something which often gets lost in busyness of our days, especially during this holiday season. Let the worries go, having a few minutes instead to be grateful for all that is right in your world. As I walk the roads of late, the reality of what can happen has been a pretty obvious hint for me to focus on how fortunate I am despite what I also know to be wrong in my life. The beauty is greater…..