Clint is a PCV from my Omnibus (get with the lingo) who lives in Paute which is about 2 hours from Baños. He stayed in the extra bedroom so he could come along on the day’s adventure.
Edgar drove the family truck with Clint and I piled in on the same bench seating next to him which made for a cramped hour ride. Isabel and her sister road in the back of the truck (she insisted) and we picked up a few people along the way who needed a ride to the campo. And finally we arrived in Yanasacha. http://www.yanasachaweb.com/index_archivos/Page801.htm
Before we decided what we were to do, we ate a nice big breakfast of eggs, grilled cheese, toast with jam, yogurt (fresh from their cows!) and coffee. Once we were all fat and happy we came to a conclusion to ride horses to the lake and spend the day trout fishing. Perfect!
We went through a very brief instruction on how to ride a horse because all of us had ridden before. We then were all handed a horse and got on. However we mounted the horse from its right side and I always remembered getting on from the other side so it felt funny to me.
(My horse)
We rode up a very rocky road that the horses could not wait to get off of. Whenever they spotted a nice little patch of grass or dirt to walk on they would veer towards it to take a break from slipping and sliding on large lose rocks. I felt bad for mine since he had trouble getting traction on the rocks and so I just let him do whatever he wanted. He knew where we were going and I did not (equestrian autopilot). So I let him steer and I just checked out the great views and smelled the fresh air.
It is moments like this (engage hippie Peace Corps. mode) that make me wonder why people spend so much time hating and killing each other over trivial crap. As I was riding the horse letting him go its course while I just looked at the scenery I realized something. This is a metaphor for life in its most simplistic form. You can spend all this time and effort trying to control every little thing and miss all the great things around you. Just let it be and enjoy the ride.
This message has been said by many people, but it is nice to really realize it every once and awhile for yourself.
The four horsemen and their guide arrived at their destination and two of the horsemen were a little disappointed with the size of the lake. But that feeling did not last for long.
The fish were jumping out of the lake! I could see tons of ripples from the fish eating bugs and we all got really excited! Our guide started to ready our rods and lures and all I could think about was this one rule I learned about fishing when I was a boy.
“Now remember kids, what is the first rule of fishing?” Uncle Frank would always say.
“Don’t hook uncle Frank.” We would all shout back in unison.
The rods were ready and we were off to the races! Clint, Edgar and I made a bet that whoever caught the largest fish would win a free drink from the others. I was just hoping to catch a fish I could eat, but it is always nice to drink on someone else’s dollar.
After only a few minutes and several cast, bam! Fish on! It was a battle for the ages that only last about 15 seconds, top. Turned out to be the biggest fish of the day! I caught two, as did Clint but Edgar caught eight!
After many hours of sipping warm cannelasa (not sure on how it is spelled but it contains sugar cane alcohol and is served warm) and fishing we called it a day and headed back to the lodge to feast on barbequed meat and some of our freshly caught trout.
We ate our big feast of a lunch and we all agreed that it was in our best interest to utilize the hammocks for a good half hour nap.
For the ride back, Clint and I sat in the back of the pickup sipping some more cannelasa celebrating a good haul of fish and a good day.
Now, not every day of my PC life is spent fishing, riding horses and sipping drinks in the mountains. I do actually “work.”
This is fantastic. I love it, especially your 'rules of fishing'. Your horse is so cute, what was his name?
ReplyDeleteRight, I know you say you work. I just rather read about your play most of the time. Yet your work there is certainly interesting to us, as you have so many barriers to overcome that we do not encounter in our lives. Beautiful countryside you landed in......
ReplyDeleteDear World Traveler Tristan...........
ReplyDeleteYou realize of course that if any of the Gringos here wanted to go trout fishing in Ecuador, it would cost us a fortune. For you, it is almost free and you could apparently walk on the fish to travel from one side of the pond to the other.
When I plan a trip like that to a totally unfamiliar area, I like to get recommendations for a rodent-free hotel and a couple of nice restaurants....not too much to ask really.By the time I Google, Yahoo and Bing I have visited numerous web sites where the locals and travelers alike describe and rank the amenities of the locale where I will be spending my time for for a few days. I expect the experience to give me that warm, fuzzy communitarian feeling. Hikers do this on the Appalachian Trail where they leave pointers and tips tacked to signposts for those who follow.
Instead, I usually find pages of friendly advice, and/or dire warnings posted by characters who have adopted a wide variety of user-names to keep me guessing. How do I know that the nice quaint little local hotel where I thought about staying has bed bugs unless I check the mattress.....when someone tells me that the Osso buco in that special little four star restaurant is to die for....they generally follow that up with the comment " The food poisoning lasted for three days."
So, I marvel at your range contacts,your
adventuresome spirit, your John Wayne the cowboy approach to life,your cast iron stomach, and your ability to find food, drink and entertainment in places that are totally foreign at this point to any and all who might try to find something similar on the internet.
On the other hand, with the Hotel Hershey a hop, skip and a jump up the road....it's easier than riding a horse, and I bet they even serve trout from time to time.
Make every day count....they are passing in a hurry...El amor y las oraciones...Nanny and Grandpa
Tristan,
ReplyDeleteWonderful weekend - You would never have caught anywhere near that many fish on Green Lake. Great pictures.
All the best,
Richard
HAHAHA dont hook uncle Frank!
ReplyDelete