TheExpatJournals.com

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Been a little busy here folks. Went away to Quito (again) for a week and went up to Cotacachi and Otavalo for the weekend. Had no time to do anything but work and sleep in Quito, but had a wonderfully relaxing weekend in Cotacachi…I even left my computer in Quito so I wouldn’t be tempted. Must get some photos so you can see for yourself. Cotacachi, about 2 hours north of Quito, sits right in the center of two huge extinct volcanoes, Cotacachi and Imbabura. Pretty amazing views when the clouds let you have a peak. (more…)

All my life, I have longed to live where I have both views of mountains and sea. That dream has finally come true. Yesterday, I walked across Calle Segundo and right into that wide open view of Paitilla. It seemed like a different world merely two blocks away. The view of the city evokes such a different internal energy than the view facing Amador where the mountains of Veracruz, the Bridge of the Americas and the greenery of the Canal banks dominate where there isn’t sea. Fortunately, none of the green is close enough to cause a mildew plague, yet is close enough to create a lovely, peaceful view. Now that’s my kind of green. I have come to associate greenery with intolerable humidity and mildew, nice to visit, lovely to look at, but I don’t want to live in it. (more…)

I lived in the city for a decade, but after a crippling divorce two years ago, I moved away from the only place that ever felt like home. I refused to go back for a visit because I knew I wouldn’t want to leave and feared I might not. And I needed the time away. I finally did go back on September 5th after moving my son to school in Boston.

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