Experiencing Ecuador through Our Grandchildren's Eyes
Enjoy a “Guest post” by Aila’s parents, Saeed and Bhoomija Malik!
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On October 1st we headed to Ecuador (Spanish for Equator) for a rendezvous with our globetrotting grandchildren— and of course their parents too. We hadn’t seen our “once-a-week overnighters” for a seeming eternity of 10 weeks. That is a long time to go without being manipulated, blackmailed with threats of not coming over the following week, and of course the always effective, “lets-start-again, and don’t-tell-my-parents” bribe of a long and tight hug. We were off to Quito to see the world through our grandchildren’s eyes— nevermind the yellow ribbons we secretly hoped to see.
Momentary visual exploration as we hiked up to the Refuge on Cotopaxi.
Quito is a package of contradictions, or if you prefer, a balance of the native and the foreign. An equatorial city which defies the torridness of the equator by claiming its right to forge its own climate through its sheer height (9,350 feet). A genuinely hospitable and welcoming people proud of their native ancestry and proud too of their ornate mega churches. The conquistadores are both forgiven and embraced, forgotten and venerated. They are proud of their native culture and they transact— officially— in US dollars. They are busy chasing the wares of modern produce (Coke or Chichas, corn or steaks, or all of them if you come from the North), but they are proud and conscientious conservators of the Galapagos.
But we were here to see the world from our grandchildren’s eyes. How refreshing and satisfying that truly is— in any venue or setting— is a matter for another dedicated writeup. There is a deep joy— almost spiritual— in belonging to their team and to be led (and therefore often dared) by them. In Quito it would mean trekking up volcanoes, riding old cranky horses (thankfully not controlling the reins), landing and feeding butterflies on your fingertips, and of course zip-lining over the forest canopy. Only grandchildren can convince you, as they did, that all this was a must do and was very doable, “Come on Nana, Nani, you can do it.” They were right, as they very often are.
Zip-lining in Mindo, Ecuador at our grandchildren’s request!
You cannot leave Ecuador without straddling a drawn-for-tourists line of the Equator by a private enterprise. You could watch water draining clockwise or anticlockwise, depending on which side of the equatorial line the drain was located, or balance an egg on a nail-head right on the line. A diploma was on offer if you had the perseverance to succeed at the latter. This meant believing the guide, and more importantly, believing in yourself and of course coveting the diploma.
Our granddaughter, Kenza has it all and she proved it.
The symmetry experiments aside, the moon in Quito, on the night we landed, was a perfectly divided, lower half of its amplified self. A perfect display of symmetry, authenticating our landing on the tract that apportions the hemispheres, affording the closest and best vantage point to the moon. That was a mystical experience. Unfortunately, or providentially, the iPhone camera failed to capture the half-moon!
After a week in Quito and its environs, we parted ways, separately heading to the Galapagos. We took the safe 100-passenger cruise-liner to go between the islands. They preferred the smaller and nimbler 15-passenger boat. We opted for comfort while they sought adventure. From Galapagos, we headed back to the known comforts of home while they were to head further south to see and feel more of the world.
Evolutionary adaptation to nature and the environment, as opposed to defensive evolution against predators, is the very visible characterization of Galapagos. A bird laying an egg in your plain view, and an iguana in no hurry to clear the tourists’ path were a reminder of what the world can be, versus what it has become.
I know of man who characterizes himself as a “nationalist.” It would do him and the world much good if he visited the Galapagos and did some quiet pondering. If your bucket list does not include the Galapagos, empty it, add Galapagos, be done and start the list again. Go for the 15-passenger boat before you consider it too late. If not, the slow-moving iguanas and wise-old turtles (still not known how old they can be) will motivate you.
-Bhoomija and Saeed Malik (Better known as and more naturally responsive to “Nani” and “Nana”)
89 Likes, 6 Comments - Franklin Street Globetrotters (@franklin_street_globetrotters) on Instagram: "This is a family picture on one of the domes of Iglesia de La Compañía de Jesus, since we couldn't..."
P.S. The grandchildren were cuddly as ever. Our fear that they would grow out of sitting in the lap or tune out of Nana’s too-good -to-be-true stories, were unfounded. They wanted to hear more stories and were less apt to say that they were “invented.” They dozed off soon after the stories finished, dreaming the dreams that only they can dream. It is their world to see and shape and ours to conserve and pass on.
54 Likes, 0 Comments - Franklin Street Globetrotters (@franklin_street_globetrotters) on Instagram: "Today Nani/Nana (maternal grandparents) left after a week of adventuring with us. We are so amazed..."
