El Meson de las Flores figures prominently into life in Cotacachi for all the foreigners that come through in addition to those that come and don't leave. As the only hotel (aka "hostel") in town with wireless internet plus delicious menu and friendly staff, it's hard to stay away once you discover it. Known as THE spot for the gringos, local artists exhibit their wares there during hotel sponsored "ferias", musicians stage concerts and/or casually entertain during lunch, and traditional dancers (as well as some very non-traditional gringo dancers!) fill the courtyard on some nights when the hotel is full. I think my social life there was about 110 times more active than it is at home. I was exhausted much of the time but had o soo much fun!The large picture of the beautiful 7 yr old at right is of Pacha Lucia whose Quechua family, including her little brother on her back, would come into town to the ferias at the hotel. I honestly think the gringos gave her more money in tips for being cute than her parents made selling their wares (can't blame them!) As an aside, "Pacha" means "earth" in Quechua, and many names begin with it; thus translated it becomes Lucia of the Earth.
Pictured here are some of the dancers and musicians that performed at El Meson. The boys at right are part of the Cooperativo which you will read about below.
As a result of a yahoo group (which I heartily recommend joining in advance of a plan to visit ANY foreign country), I met a Canadian woman who introduced me to a Cooperative that makes leather and crochet goods for export. (She is one of their main clients.) There is some overlap in the cooperative members that do leather and crochet and the boys that play in the band, but they are generally all in the 15-30 age group and all are male. I was invited to hear their band play one night in their very small work space, and no one was as surprised as I was to learn that I was the only invited guest to their little in-house concert. Fortunately I persuaded a friend I had made who was staying at the hotel to go with me, but unfortunately (or perhaps not!) I didn't get pictures that night because, despite the space limitations, we had an Andean Conga line (I think I just made that up that term!) circling around their tiny living room.
Pictured here with the flute is Raul (above), Manuel at left and Freddy below. Raul and his brother Faust were the oldest and the unofficial leaders of the group. Their many members wandered in and out during the day, stopping to do a little crochet or leather work when they had some time.
I commissioned Faust and his brother Raul, whose very humble little home served as HQ for the Cooperativo, to make some guitar straps for me with the hope of finding them a market back in Texas. So far, sad to say, no luck on that count as the economy is so bad that nobody is buying right now. (Anybody need a handmade leather and crochet work-of-art guitar strap?)
I happened to be in Cotacachi when International Living's Dan Prescher and Suzan Haskins came up for a few days at the tail end of one of their large conferences in Quito. It was a treat to meet them anyway, but the REAL plus for this old musician was discovering that Dan is a musician and has a repertoire big as Texas. He played and sang to a packed Meson house one evening (yours truly had the pleasure of singing a couple as well) and blew us all away with his talent and the variety of his songs, everything from John Prine to John Denver. (The photo here was taken by a fantastic photographer named Dennis Goff; more on Dennis and his beautiful wife Nicki in the links at the end.)
Plenty of gringos (defined loosely as foreigners who speak English) are living in Cotacachi, some renting, some having bought land and built some really nice homes. Many of them live there on a part-time basis though some have bought homes and rent them out during the times they are not in residence. Near my little apartment was a gated community called San Miguel and another one nearby developed by an Ecuadorian woman-architect and builder. Near the outskirts was yet another nice one, plus at least 2 large condo developments under construction with no paucity of buyers in the wings. It goes without saying that the ex-pats love to get together, so there is ample opportunity for those who don't speak Spanish to socialize to the heart's content.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the shopkeepers with whom I became acquainted. Too numerous to mention them all, but Eva who sells jewelry and leather jackets stands out (pictured here), and I will always consider her a great friend. She would emerge from behind her counter whenever I passed by to give me the traditional peck on the cheek and ask me how I was doing.
Great restaurants do not abound in Cotacachi (it's too small!), but besides the great food at El Meson de las Flores, there are 2-3 that are outstanding. Susanna (at left) makes the best pizza in the world (and I mean ANYWHERE I've been!) Her small restaurant called Flavours and Colours (yes, it's in English) is a work of art. Having been designed, built and decorated (down to the art on the walls) by her talented student-son who comes home on the weekends from the university, Susannah's 8 tables are always full!
Anita and her husband Hector and two adorable girls (pictured here with an equally adorable cousin) own D'Anita's, another favorite of locals as well as tourists. During my sicko episode, Anita made me a huge pot of tea (special recipe she said) and insisted I take the whole fancy teapot back to the hotel with me. Not a worry in the world that she might not get it back. I think everyone in town agrees that she is an angel from Heaven. Her restaurant is also small and also always full!
So many more I wish I had gotten pictures of: Gido the cashmere and leather seamster, Juan Carlos the aloe vera vendor, Gladys and Juan, the lovely couple that I would see regularly on the street who invited me to their house for tea, Jota, the 20-something who runs one of the many internet shops. And I must not forget Sandra who sold me a handmade Cotacachi guitar. Thankfully I did get a good photo of Sandra, pictured here (on the left) with one of her friends at an outdoor concert.
And speaking of concerts and outdoor gatherings, whew, there was something every weekend! Cotacachi's indigenous mayor is big on street parties, and at least twice during my stay there were large concerts in front of the mayoral complex. Sandra's husband was one of the conductors this concert day (and is also a musician of the highest order!). 
As I mentioned earlier, these kids, indigenous and Ecuadorian alike, have access to quality music education from an early age. I'm not sure we can say that any longer in the U.S. since so many music programs have been cut from our public schools.
The high schoolers performed with another band and an area orchestra on this day, and all three groups were first class.
It happened that Ecuador's Election Day was coming up (very shortly after I left), so campaigns were in full swing. Despite a horrific downpour one day, the mayoral candidates h
eld rallies on the main square that drew hundreds of spectators. With lots of music, speeches, laughter, and plenty of attention from the electorate, it seemed much more of a party than a campaign event. Unlike in the U.S., the population takes great interest in elections here, and voter turnout is very high.All in all, never a dull moment.
