The Incredible Jumping Bean

Yesterday, Baby Girl jumped properly for the first time ever. Both feet, off the floor, at the same time!!!! She’s still a bit unsteady on the landing, but it’s so cool to see. After she did it the first time, and realized what she had done (and we clapped and cheered like fools), she’s been doing it constantly. So neat seeing these little accomplishments!

Family Travails...uh, Travels :)

My parents arrived in Ecuador on January 20 for their long-awaited visit. They missed my birthday by a day, but hey, better than by a month! We spent the night after their flight in Guayaquil, and then jumped on a bus to Riobamba the next morning.

We had hoped to ride the train down the Nariz del Diablo on Friday, but found out before we left that they were all sold out for the month. No matter, we headed to Riobamba anyway where I got to enjoy pizza and beer for my birthday (a nice change from the chicken/tuna and rice diet we have at home), and then got to visit with another woman from our department who is doing her research down here too.

The hotel we stayed at had colonial charm and probably colonial comfort as well. The pillows were lumpy and the beds were small, but otherwise things were basically clean. The elevation in Riobamba hit me hard (I guess after Cuenca I’m more susceptible, and my cold was hanging on in my lungs), I was dehydrated after the journey, and I think I was having an allergic reaction to the ash that Tungurahua was spewing. I woke up in the morning with a migraine, and spent the whole time sniffling and with watering eyes. I don’t think Riobamba made my return-to list, but maybe I should, just to see if all of that was a fluke.

Tungurahua spewing

We left Riobamba the next day and took a bus to Guaranda. Though BG and I were passed out for most of the ride I did get to see some views of Chimborazo, though the summit was covered in clouds.

Guaranda was small and charming, and I was feeling enough better that we I enjoyed the little walk around the town. Near our hotel were the Parque Bolivar and the cathedral, as well as some nicely refurbished colonial buildings. Our main reason for going to Guaranda was as a jumping-off point for a visit to Salinas de Guaranda – home to cheese, chocolate, and salami. Salinas was very charming, and we got to try all kinds of goodies (including some fabulous soy-flour cookies), and buy some for our continued travels. We also gave in and bought some fabulous sheep and alpalca wool sweaters (which we promptly sent home with my parents, and look forward to wearing in about 8 months time).

From Salinas we headed back to Guaranda and caught a bus going to Ambato, transfer point for our final destination of Baños. The road to Ambato goes over 12,000 feet in some points, and you could feel how thin the oxygen was. Since I have a tendency to fall asleep in any moving vehicle, I can’t say for sure, but I think I passed out from oxygen deprivation.

We switched buses in Ambato and made it to Baños around 7pm. The hotel we stayed in, La Casa Verde, was fantastic! It’s outside of downtown Baños (which was perfect for us-less noise), but still just a short taxi ride away from everything. It’s right along the river too, so there are stunning views. It’s run by an Aussie/NZ couple with a little boy just a month older than BG. They’ve set it up to be eco-friendly, and actually do more than lip service to the concept. The rooms are big, bright, and airy, and the water pressure in the showers is amazing. The breakfasts that they provide are huge, with fresh fruit, homemade yogurt, and fresh baked bread (made by the owners), among other things. I haven’t plugged a business like this on here before, but seriously, if you go to Baños, stay with these guy!

We spent a good portion of our time in Baños just chilling out in the hotel. After all our bus travels I think we needed it. We finally got geared up to go into the town around lunchtime on our first day. We ate at an amazing restaurant, the Swiss Bistro, where I had steak tenderloin in a mustard sauce. Sooooo yummy! We wandered around the town and did the tourist thing, bought some stuff, and then picked up a few pizzas to take back to the hotel for dinner. The Italian restaurant where we got them was run by a Guayaquileño, Fernando, who ended up in Baños via Miami. He was able to talk to my family in English, and he and I chatted in Spanish. He paid me one of the biggest compliments when he told me my Spanish was so good he thought I was a Latina, and said that my coastal accent felt like home to him. We commiserated over the odd, mushy Spanish that many people in the area spoke (incomprehensible to me at times). He and his wife fussed over BG and loved her hair. Fernando just about melted when BG gave him the usual goodbye peck on the cheek. Good luck to him and his wife as they attempt to expand their family!

Our second day in Baños we headed east out of town to the Manto de la Novia waterfall. We took a cable car across the river, which was quite exciting, and then hiked a little backed down to the river and crossed on a suspension bridge. BG rode in the kid carrier on Steve’s back, and was passed out for most of the hike, but woke up in time for our accent of the cliff via a second cable car.

The Manto and it's cable car.

Steve and I holding BG in the swaying cable car

We hopped on another bus and traveled a few more km to Rio Verde and the Pailon del Diablo. That was quite the experience! After a nice little hike on a well maintained trail we got up close and personal with the waterfall. The owners of the property had constructed viewing balconies that got you within about 100ft of the roiling water under the falls. Steve and I left BG with her Nana and Thor and followed a path that scrambled over rocks and through a cave to get right behind the waterfall. We got soaked, but it was very cool!

Dennis (Thor) at the Pailon

Mom (Nana) and BG bonding during our trip to the falls.

Unfortunately that was it for our time in Baños. We caught a bus the next morning heading (eventually) to Guayaquil. We got in to our hotel in time for dinner, and then spent a relaxing night in. The next morning saw us on yet another bus (I’ve lost count at this point, really) to get us out on the coast and show my parents where we live. My mom had some real issues that first night, adjusting to the heat and humidity. They’ll take mountains and snow over beach and sun any day. Because of that we didn’t do a whole heck of a lot, but I did get to show them my site on Thursday. It was great being able to share that with them, and show them what I do, and I think they got a kick out of it too.

On Friday I took Mom to a friend’s shop where she picked up a few handmade crafts, and then we headed into Montañita for lunch and too see them off to Guayaquil. We almost ran into trouble, as the direct bus was entirely sold out for the day, but when one came in at 3pm there were a few open seats, so they were on their way. They got home on Saturday, with relatively little excitement.

Saying goodbye was hard, but the visit was so much fun. BG got some good quality time with her grandparents, and I got to see Mom and Dennis. In some ways I hadn’t realized how much I missed them until they were here, but it reminded me how much I enjoy spending time with them. Hopefully, when all is said and done, we can end up a little closer to home, but who knows how many years away that is!

And....we're back!

Wow, I've neglected this blog for far too long! It's been quite a busy month and a half, filled with visits from the in-laws, rubbernecking with politicians, stomach viruses, and dissertation related paranoia.

We met Steve's parents when their flight arrived in Guayaquil on November 1. We came right back out to Dos Mangas to celebrate Dia de los Santos. I wish I had a photograph of the crowds in the bus station who were traveling for the holiday. It was an absolute madhouse, with people stacked back to back. I think I really impressed Dad/Gene by the way I was able to get us right up to the ticket counter.

We spent a lovely day on the 2nd walking through Dos Mangas and stopping at friends houses and getting food foisted upon us. To celebrate the day of the dead, families prepare tons of foods, particularly the favorites of those who have passed, and lay it all out on a table. Then, while the family goes off to visit the grave site, the dead come and "eat" their food. Then the family comes back and people start circulating from house to house, eating up all the goodies. We got to try a few new delicacies that day! We also wandered down to the futbol field (soccer, for most of you) and watched a pretty good game in which Dos Mangas tied 4-4 with the near-by town of Olon.

One of the tables, all laid out.

That was pretty much the end of our adventures while Steve's parents were visiting. Mom/Norma picked up a bug while they were in Miami and then passed it on to Dad and eventually Baby Girl and me (though I definitely got a mild version of it). Mom and Dad spent a lot of time resting and bonding with their granddaughter. It was so great to see how much she loves her Oma and Opa. We even got to celebrate her 2nd birthday together, albeit a few days early.

Yes, that's right folks, my Baby Girl is now 2 years old! I may have to start referring to her as Big Girl, but BG will still work. The tantrums have also started, but so has all the extra fun!

On the 14th, Dos Mangas inaugurated a new Interpretation Center for the tourists who come for the hikes to the waterfall, etc. I put together a little display about the archaeological project and they hung that up there too. The Center was sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, and the Minister of Tourism herself, Veronica Sion, came for the inauguration. She didn't know that there was any archaeology in the area, and was really excited about integrating it into the other tourism offerings. To the community's benefit she pledge her support for building a museum to house and display the artifacts once the excavations are over. It was really cool to meet her, get to talk a little bit, be mentioned in a speech by a big-wig, get interviewed a few times, and get lecture requests. We'll see what all comes with it, and I'm still looking for her speech on You Tube, but it was a really exciting day!

Me and Veronica Sion at the inauguration.

About a week after BG got over her illness (which required breathing treatments and antibiotics) she started vomiting, to the point where she'd even puke up sips of water. I also came down with perpetual nausea (I think I would have felt better if I'd just puked) and Steve had to deal with all kinds of digestive issues. Back to the doctor for more meds, and now everyone's better again, though BG is still puking on bus rides, which may mean she suffers from motion sickness (and let me tell you, a freaked out toddler puking on a bus is no fun at all, particularly when you can't get her to aim in the bag and she'd sitting on your lap).

Work at the site is drawing rapidly to a close, and I'm really not feeling confident about what I've been able to excavate. The much-desired house is still elusive, and I don't see us being able to find and excavation one completely in the next week. All I need is one (two would be better), just one, to be able to compare it to other sites! Instead of a house we've found two more burials this week. How many dead people are there?!?!!? I suppose I'll just keep plugging along, and hopefully it will all work out.

Things to look forward to: a Christmas visit by Steve's cousin Kathy and her husband David, and a trip to Cuenca for the Christmas Eve parade. And, mostly likely in time for my birthday, the long awaited visit by my parents!

And, I promise I'll update more frequently!

Two Weeks in Two Paragraphs or Less

Our visit back to the States was absolutely wonderful. We were so lucky to be able to get together with so many family and friends. First was my cousin Andrea’s wedding. She made for the most gorgeous bride, and her new husband Kyle is a great addition to the family. All of the cousins were together and we got some pretty nice pictures of everyone. Then, we were off to North Dakota to visit Steve’s grandmother. She had not yet met Baby Girl, and our visit ended up being kind of an early 95^th birthday present. Steve’s parents were in ND as well, so we had a really nice visit. We returned to Wisconsin to spend some more time with my parents, and had a great ladies’ day out at the Zoo with my mom and aunts. We breezed through our university town, visited with advisors and drank with friends, and scanned a whole heck of a lot of books so that we’d have PDFs with us in Ecuador. We got back to my parents on Thursday morning and then left for the airport 24 hours later – and we didn’t forget anything this time!

All the cousins together for the wedding.



Baby Girl and Nana at the zoo.







It was incredibly nice to be back, as much for the conveniences as for being around family. I’m really hoping that our extended travels will be fewer and far between, and that maybe we can find our way to get jobs and settle down close to family. I can do the independent adventuring spirit thing just fine, but when it comes down to it I’m happiest near my family.

Home Sweet Home!

Home at last, even if it is just for two weeks!

It's the little things, like being able to rinse your toothbrush in the water from the tap, or flush toilet paper instead of having to throw it in the bin. And having TV and fast internet.

My parents are having a blast playing with Baby Girl, and I'm enjoying just a short break from the toil of fieldwork.

And today my husband and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary with a low-key day and some quality ice cream.

Steve's lost 20 lbs since we went to Ecuador, and I've lost 10. We're going to try not to gain it all back while we're home and partaking of all the yummy yummyness that there is here.

Saturday my cousin Andrea gets married. Monday we fly to North Dakota to visit Steve's grandma. The following Monday we try to catch up with old friends and advisors at school. It's a break from the toil, but by no means a vacation.

I just hope that I'm still willing to return to Ecuador when it's time to head back. So tempting to return to the easy life....

Celebration Weekend

We went to Agua Blanca this past weekend, where I used to work, to celebrate the solstice, Steve´s Birthday, and Father´s Day. It was really nice being able to see old friends and also to introduce the family to the place where I spent so much time.

For the first time ever, the community arranged a huge solstice celebration this year on Saturday. They had a shaman come in who did a sweat lodge and ceremony the night before the solstice, with the idea of waking up an watching the sun rise up on the site at the building that aligns with the summer solstice. There was a guy there who does an outdoor/adventuring program who really seemed to be calling the shots in terms of staging the ceremony, and that was quite weird. The whole thing was very new agey and American Indian-esque, but people kept claiming that they were reviving practices that died out 500 years ago when the Spanish came. As an archaeologist, I was quite put out by that, and the fact that people were camping on top of the ruins. But the thing that bothered me the most was the fact that the community members seemed to be incidental to the whole thing.

The sweat tent where the ceremony took place, and the sacred precinct outside of it. Don Isidro is adding more hot stones (abuelos) to the sauna inside.

Your intrepid explorer, emerging from the tent after three rounds (I couldn´t take the super heated sulphur water any more) and being interviewed by one of the many camera crews that were swarming the ceremony.

On Sunday we did the tour of the site and I think Taylor and Steve were impressed. It was also good for me to see it and remind myself how different the materials at Dos Mangas are. After touring the site we relaxed in the laguna, and Steve and Baby Girl had a ton of fun splashing around. I think it was the highlight of his Father´s Day.

I promise to post pictures soon! Internet speeds can be prohibitively slow, and I don´t have my flash drive with me to add more, but I´m hoping to get a little more internet time this weekend.

Atlanta, GA

I just spent the last few days at the Society for American Archaeology's annual conference in Atlanta, GA. It was a great time visiting with old friends, meeting with new collegues, and listening to other people's cool research. It's definitely pumped me up even more for the field work, which is now just a little over a month away! It's coming so fast and there's still a lot to be done, like write the permit proposal, buy supplies, and put all of our worldly belongings in storage. I guess I better get cracking!

I've gotten some more great news in the last few days, and the best at this point is the fact that my youngest cousin, a college freshman, is going to come down with us for at least a few weeks and help out on the dig. I can't wait to introduce her (not to mention my husband and daughter) to the country that I've fallen in love with!