Parental Units. Closing. Part 4.

On June 14, a Monday, we said our good byes to Maura and Maria at the airport about 4:30 am. We knew Maura was in good company with Maria. Maria stayed with Maura until her bus ride came. The bus would have her back in Tena in time to get back to work.
Tena is in the Oriente of Ecuador. It is in the Amazon region. It is at the mercy of the weather, especially during the rainy season, but it is not primitive. As Carlos, one of the Tena citizens pointed out to me, the people of Ecuador are well educated. We met several who earned college and graduate degrees. Clearly not all attend college, but neither do they in the US or Europe. Nonetheless all were warm and welcoming to us. These are good people.
The artisans own a talent comparable to what we have seen in many countries. The textiles woven in Otavalo match the works of the weavers of Belgium and Holland. The wood carvings we saw in San Antonio were exceptional.
In locals where Maura did not run into a friend nor know someone, we found the people friendly. While not all speak English, many know some. In our travels we met Ecuadorians returning from the US to visit family and friends. We would travel to Ecuador again, but with a far better handle of the Spanish language.
Speaking of language, the indigenous people of Ecuador have retained their original language of Kichwa. We saw this in Otavalo when Maria pointed out to us that she could easily understand the Spanish but not the Kichwa. Maria also noted as did a museum guide, that the people of Otavalo adhere to the rule of hard work, truth telling or no stealing, and no harming others.
The trip to see Maura allowed us to meet many of her friends and acquaintances. Not only is the land beautiful, but the people are also.
We are back home now.

Thanks for writing Dad! Hopefully those that read this enjoyed a different perspective than my own. It was great to have visitors and have the opportunity to travel with them!