Thanksgiving in Baños with Minikel

                                                

In 2002, when I started medical school and met my friend, Michelle, we bonded instantly over a mutual adoration of Ecuador. During almost the exact time I had been living in Ecuador as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Michelle was studying abroad at Catholic University in Quito. Our experiences were worlds apart -- she was in the city at an academic institution, honing her Spanish literacy and summiting mountain peaks; I was in the campo learning to speak Spanish by immersion as well as how to milk cows and harvest yuca. Yet, we both fell in love with the beauty, nature, cultures, and people of Ecuador. Our shared love of Ecuador nurtured the early stages of our friendship.

In the ensuing years, Michelle, and I traveled on three continents together: five weeks in Vietnam in 2004 during medical school, four weeks in Namibia in 2009 during residency, then back to South America -- Colombia in 2013 -- with our families. Much to Paul's chagrin, I still call our Vietnam adventures "the best trip I have ever taken." But it had been awhile, and I was super excited to have the chance to be abroad with her again, this time in our beloved Ecuador.

Michelle is also a family doctor; she lives with her husband, Brian, and their two kids Owen (8) and Carmen (10.5) in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She is the first person I call when I have a tough medical case and need help thinking clearly. She is brilliant. Michelle and I last saw one another at a medical conference in February 2019, about a month before COVID shut the world shut down. I distinctly remember how naively we were discussing the potential impact of the impending coronavirus that weekend. I hadn't seen her kiddos since the week Brynna was born, when Michelle kindly helped me go into labor. Needless to say, she is an important person to me.

Michelle was able to combine her trip to see us with a visit with her Ecuadorian host family, whom she hadn't seen in twenty years. I was excited to have her come back to Ecuador after so long and to spend Thanksgiving with her and her kids in Baños -- especially since she packed cranberry sauce, a gravy packet, and a can of pumpkin, not to mention a whole big bag of goodies and treats for us in an oversized duffle nicknamed Clifford. So thoughtful! As an aside, my kids are still very much enjoying the craft supplies and Halloween candies that were packed in Clifford.

As for Baños, it was a place in Ecuador I had always wanted to visit. When I was in Peace Corps, Volcano Tunguragua, which looms over the town, had been very active -- there was a major eruption in October 1999 -- and we were strictly forbidden by the US State Department to visit due to concern for imminent eruption requiring evacuation. While many of my fellow PCVs disregarded the order, I was too much of a rule follower at the time to disobey. Now the volcano is more quiescent, and it felt like an ideal region to explore with our two families.

Baños is definitely touristy -- it is known as the adventure tourism capital of Ecuador, and there are lots of gringos wandering the cobblestone streets. But after spending a really awesome week there with Michelle and her family, I can see that there are plenty of reasons it is so popular. It is super chill, has a comfortable temperate climate, gorgeous surrounding nature, and healing thermal waters. We visited the thermal baths more than twice, biked the 13 km Ruta de las Cascadas from Baños to Río Verde (see my waterfall post), hiked down from the gardens and swings Casa del Árbol, had a great day at the zoo, played family games, and managed to put together a delicious and pretty traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.

I am deeply grateful for twenty years of friendship with Michelle, and it felt particularly special to have our children develop their own relationships while sharing Ecuador with them. The house we rented was perfect for an endless game of hide and seek; Michelle's kids got wrapped up in our World Cup fever; we got to teach them how to chupar mangoes and oranges, and they taught us how to play Bag of Nouns; Paul figured us how to get us all rental bikes that worked; Michelle got to cross a suspension bridge; Carmen was the best apple pie-making assistant I've had in years, and we all loved hanging out together at the thermal baths. I particularly enjoyed the one-on-one date that Paul granted Michelle and me one evening at the baths.

There is really nothing like being with an old friend. Even better is being with an old friend in a beautiful setting that holds special meaning for both of us. I only wish our time together had been longer.