November 12, 2007

Go figure, I post a comment about the Mariscal Sucre airport and a few days later an airplane goes off the runway while attempting to land. Luckily nobody was hurt. The airport was completely closed for the weekend. The reason for the accident is yet unknown.

In other news, I spent the weekend with my grandmother in Guayllabamba, a town just north of Quito and a bit lower in altitude. There she has a small finca, or plot of land that she farms up in the hills above the city. While she has a house in Carapungo, it seems that she now spends more time in Guayllabamba than in Carapungo. She tells me it’s because she has no one to watch her property, which is certainly a concern, but I think it has more to do with the peace and tranquility of the surrounding environment (in contrast to Quito). The fertile soil, fresh air, beautiful landscape, and slower pace of living make the hills surrounding Guayllabamba a great attraction for Quiteños and foreigners seeking to escape the hectic pace and chaos of the city. For those of you from Minnesota, going to Guayllabamba for the weekend would be the equivalent of “going to the lake” or “going up north.”

While not especially large, my grandmother makes good use of the land. Among the various fruits and vegetables she grows are: avocados, oranges, lemons, limes, a type of tomato that grows on trees, potatoes, sweet potato, bananas, and even sugar cane. The avocados take the prize, however. The four or so avocado trees she has produce more than enough avocados for a couple of families. I love avocados, but one can only eat so many in a day.

The house itself is quite modest, consisting of a combined kitchen and common area and a small bedroom attached to the side. It’s quite pleasant, more like a cottage really, but I suppose the idea really isn’t to stay indoors in such a place. For my grandmother, it’s an ideal place I suppose, and I don’t blame her for wanting to stay there. As it turns out, my dad’s cousin Alfredo recently bought a home in the neighborhood. It looks as though the family may end up retiring in Guayllabamba.