The Okura Baileys come to La Josefina

Our first visitors, the Okura Baileys, were with us in Ecuador for two weeks, and during week one, we had a blast showing them La Josefina and the surrounding area. It felt strangely normal to have our dear COVID family pod-mates sitting at our dining room table -- albeit it at a slightly different latitude -- sipping fresh juice and munching homemade muffins. My children were over-the-moon to be reunited with their buddy Evan, and every time I turned around, Brynna was in either Pat or Stacia's lap. We found a body of water to submerge ourselves in during four of the six days; we ate a lot of delicious tropical fruit, and Pat even made it up the hill to see the town water system (which we knew he'd love). Stacia wins the award for best attitude, despite being totally covered in itchy bug bites early in the week.

Highlights of our week:

On Monday, we took them to wander through Lucia's finca to sample fresh cacao, suck on sugar cane, and meander through happy cow pastures, tasting local fruits from trees and stopping to play at the creek's edge. Lucia got to show off her machete skills, and Pat got to ask lots of questions.

On Tuesday, we went to La Maná to eat encebollado, a local fish and onion soup, which is served with fresh limes, toasted corn and plantain chips, and to hit up one of the small city's many water parks. Our favorite park, The Somagg Parqueacuático, boasts a lazy river and lots of crazy water slides with -- as Dillon points out-- nowhere near the supervision or safety standards of US water parks, making it a tad bit dangerous and lots of fun.

On Wednesday, we strolled along our favorite bird watching walk to a beloved swimming hole, where we saw plenty of birds and played happily in the refreshing water of the Quindigua River.

On Thursday, we visited the feria (market day) in Pucayacu and then took a hike with Pat and Evan to the beautiful and not-often visited Guadual Waterfall in the Illinizas Reserve (which I have written about before), ending the day in yet another swimming hole in Pucayacu.

On Friday, we trekked to Paul's favorite local place to visit, 7 Cascadas, and we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. The water, as always, was pristine, and Paul and the boys enjoyed countless trips down the natural water slide.

On Saturday, their last day in La Josefina, 22 of us piled into the back of Washo's camioneta to head to a cousins' molienda (sugar cane farm and grinding site) and spent the drizzly day eating plantains boiled in fresh cane juice and watching the marvelous and arduous process of turning sugar cane into candy. What I love about going to the molienda with Ecuadorians is how much they all love being there. It really is an experience like no other.

Finally, on Sunday, we took the long bus ride back up the Andes to Quito to segue into the second week of their visit.

I asked Jonah to interview Pat, Stacia, and Evan about their favorite parts of La Josefina, and the audio recordings are priceless. I'll let them speak for themselves.

What was your favorite part of your visit to La Josefina?

P: "That's really easy for me. My favorite part, after we got hugs and kisses from you, was meeting Lucia and then all the things she took us to. Like, we got to go to the finca and the molienda. And just going there was good, but going there with somebody that knows about it and knows you was the best part."

S: "My favorite part was to see you guys after three months of not seeing you and seeing where you live. And, I think my other favorite part was the cancha (the multipurpose court in the center of town). I just love the cancha because the whole community comes together there at night, and you see everyone there in the evening. I also loved meeting Lucia and her family. And I loved Mirian's chocolate bread. That was amazing too."

E: "Playing basketball in the cancha at the school."

What is something that surprised you about La Josefina (or Ecuador in general)?

P: "It was easier to get around than I thought it would be-- the roads were pretty good -- but that's kind of boring. I think I was surprised by how comfortable life could be, even in a small little village: good water to drink, good food to eat, good people to be with."

S: "It surprised me that I could pay for everything in US dollars and that I could plug into everything with US plugs, and I didn't have to bring any special currency or adapters. I was also surprised about how easy it is to travel around. If you want to go in any direction, you could just jump into a pickup truck and buses go everywhere."

E: "Um, it's so wet and there are so many plants and forests and stuff. I didn't think there was so much forests and wildlife. The anaconda was pretty cool too (but that wasn't in La Josefina)."

What was the best thing you've eaten in Ecuador?

P: "That one is hard because there was lots of food I really like to eat, but I think the best thing I ate was the perfect piña. I also liked your mom's fresh muffins every morning, all the food was really good, but the most special was definitely the tropical fruit and all the fruit juice."

S: "Do I have to choose one? I have two things that I know are my favorites. My first place is the snacks Lucia gave us for the bus with pork and plantain chips (this is called fritada). That was literally my favorite thing I have eaten in Ecuador. My second place is encebollado, the fish soup we ate in La Maná with mariscos (seafood). Can I add a third? The plantains that they cooked in the miel (panela syrup) at the molienda. Those were delicious."

E: "The soup. The first and second soups. The second was a lot better than the first, but they were both delicious."

What's one thing you think people should know about La Josefina?

P: "It's a very kind place. There was a lot of kindness. People smiled at me, everyone, at the big white guy."

S: "The people are so fun and very welcoming, and the country is so beautiful in La Josefina. It's the perfect elevation, the perfect temperature, there are posas (swimming holes) all over the place, and waterfalls within easy driving distance. It's the perfect combination of people and environment, and I think people would really love La Josefina if they found out about it. It's a great mix of nature and people all in a small town. Good environment, good people, good climate"

E: "Their plantains are so good. Our plantains aren't so good. If Californians came to Ecuador, they would say, 'What are these delicious looking things?' They are so good!"

Hands down, the best part of the week (for me) was simply being together. It felt so good to chat with Pat about the mundane, hear my kids giggle with Evan, and share a sliver of this experience with friends we love. It was also amazing to feast upon the mac 'n cheese, Lay's potato chips, corn tortillas, raisin bread, GG granola, peanut butter and Earl Gray tea that they schlepped here, along with kind gifts like new shoes, coloring books, embroidery thread, stickers, and more. We are blessed.

Week two, which I will write about separately, involved a quick stopover in Quito to attend an evening soccer game (Católica vs. Emelec), ride the TelefériQo (a gondola that takes you up the slope of the Pichincha Volcano to 13,285 feet), and catch a flight to our Amazon jungle adventure.

More to come!

The Solonso Bridge swimming hole

Somagg Water Park

Hiking to Guadual Waterfall

Solonso River Bridge posa

Heading to the molienda (can you find Pat?)

Someone has to be in Pat's arms!

Pat at Guadual Waterfall

Dillon and Evan, going down the slide together

Somagg Water Park

Off to 7 Cascadas

washing dishes at the molienda

Pat + Paul

Limón Lay's Potato Chips, all the way from the EEUU

7 Cascadas

Hitting the streets of La Maná

Belated b-day celebration for Dillon and Evan

Somagg Water Park

La Josefina kids + us

Riverside at 7 Cascadas

Hiking with friends, nothing better

Pat and his cacao (or is it a football?)

Somagg Water Park

Precarious river crossings, of course

On the road

Cacao in the finca

Making melcocha at the molienda

Swimming under the waterfall at Guadual

Somagg Water Park