The day started with us being fortunate enough to buy some fresh baked bread from our host. She was up at 2:00 am to fire up the outdoor stove which needs to warm up for about an hour. Then comes the task of forming the loaves and baking them in time to go to the market. She leaves on the 7:00 am bus to Ibarra to sell her basket of bread at the local market.
She uses only organic ingredients, I believe everything being purchased from local suppliers at the market. There are a few different flavours of bread, all of which are delicious. The list includes, corn, quinoa/pumpkin seed, blueberry/cinnamon and pumpkin/flax seed. We went home at the end of the day with our little bag of goodies which we have enjoyed through the week.
So then it was off to Condor’s house for breakfast which consisted of a apple muesli, fruit smoothie (banana and mixed berries), the homemade bread with homemade jam, a hard boiled egg and a delicious juice made from taxo fruit. Small portions of everything thank goodness, because that was a big breakfast for me. But we were making a big hike (about 5 hours) and it was necessary to have a proper meal before heading out.
We took one of the truck taxies to the bottom of the mountain which was about a 15-20 minute drive on the highway. The driver was an old fashioned gentleman type, always opening the door for me as I got in or out. It feels a bit strange to be treated in this courteous manner, something the modern woman gave up many years ago. But you know what, it feels kind of nice to be treated with respect and I wonder why women felt this was an insult to their femininity. I was uncomfortable because I am not used to this kind of treatment, but I saw it as someone who respected my femininity, and I appreciated the gesture. Ah well I never did get the femininity movement, because it’s all about balance no matter what the situation.
We started our walk up the mountain, with 3 dogs in tow. We had Chino the beautiful white dog who has a beautiful spirit, very calm and gentle. We had Max, who was the opposite of Chino, quite energetic, running 3 or 4 miles for every one that we walked. He was a bit jealous of Mali and attacked her a few times which was not good, but also he has a beautiful gentle side, which must be encouraged. Mali was afraid of him though and kept her distance. She had a great time exploring the new environment and I was so glad we brought her as this hike reminded us of the Cypress Hills once we got into the trees. The Hills are Mali’s all time favourite place to go. The only difference is that there are no squirrels to chase here. Actually there is not much for wildlife here which surprised us.
The climb was not nearly as dramatic as Imburura, but it was a climb I could handle with much more ease and it was less scary.
Chino and Max waiting patiently at the edge of the forest.
Once we entered I could smell home, not only the Hills, but B.C. where we lived in the mountains of Slocan. It was a wonderful felling to have the soft ground of wet needles and dirt under our feet and feel the breath of the trees that surrounded us. This was not something we expected and it was a really wonderful surprise.
A very enjoyable hike and a beautiful day, not too hot and not too cool. It was a very misty day easing in and out of our path as we climbed.
Someone had made a paper person on the ground where I have drawn a red circle on the picture. It was really cute, showing us the way just in case we felt lost. I had to be a tourist and take a picture…..
Mali and Chino were best buds, with Chino stepping in to protect Mali when we went for our walk around the village. But even Chino was scared when Max attacked Mali while we were watching her swim in the volcano lake. We wondered if Max was jealous of Mali because she was not afraid of the water and he was. Each time she came onto the shore with her prized stick he would jump at her. At first it seemed playful, but then he actually attacked her biting her on the back of her neck. This was not a good thing!!! We had to keep them seperated after that, not taking any chances. Undeterred, Mali just kept wanting to fetch her stick in the water, so we continued on keeping Max back until he eventually fell asleep in the warm sunshine with his master. Mali outdid all the country dogs, this house city dog who never stopped walking and playing until we got her on the bus headed for home. She has quite the adventurous spirit, gentle and strong, my beautiful Malaika!! 
This is the volcano and the lake that was Mali’s Source of pleasure. The girl does love to swim after a stick and will do it for hours and hours, until your arm falls off from throwing. Patrick brought his drone and got some footage of her in the lake, but I did not think my camera would be able to capture her well enough. We rested there for about an hour before heading back down, ready for lunch.
It was like walking into the edge of nowhere as we headed back and the mist descended down on us. This looks like we are standing on a cliff, but in fact it is just the hill we are on, no sharp drops here. But it looks like we are heading into a veil transporting us into another world. Kind of eerie, but beautiful at the same time.
We got back, had a small lunch then packed up to head home. It was getting late and we had to get the last bus from La Esperanza so had to hurry a bit. It was dark when we got home, and we settled in for a night of rain which started shortly after we arrived. Very good timing for us!!! It was a beautiful rain which continued off and on for the next few days and nights. The corn is growing much faster now and it will be a great crop if the weather stays on track. It’s like my perfect scenario, one I often asked for back home – with rain throughout the nights as we sleep and beautiful sunshine in the morning when we get up. Sometimes a sun shower, which is beautiful when youre out for a walk. It is a beautiful day here at Pakarinka and I am loving being here.
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