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Vilcabamba Glimpse #05

Fiesta at the Hacienda

Today, May 1, is a major holiday in Ecuador in honor of the workers.

There was no work today at Hacienda San Joaquin. Instead there was a fiesta (what we would call a party).

It was a great day. A beautiful day in many respects.

The workers showed up at 7:30 A.M. They were taken to the Hacienda in the truck we rent to take them to and from work every day.

They got there early because they do the work for the party. They very much enjoy doing this. They start with a live pig which soon is no longer a live pig. Then they butcher the pig (see photo). They cook the pig over a couple of open fires (see photo). That goes on for hours.

At 10:30 there is a coffee break at which time besides coffee they enjoy the skin of the pig with a couple other Ecuadorian food specialties. While the workers are preparing the pig, a number of other people are preparing soup, vegetables (like yucca), salad, plantains/bananas, and the like.

Early this morning, the workers also constructed a volleyball court (see photos). As an aside, Ecuadorians are remarkably resourceful people. They find the solution. Never ever do they complain. They just get it done. Building the volleyball court this morning is a good example. In their construction techniques, there are countless examples. These people are really good-natured.

Volleyball went on all morning as well as after lunch, which was served around 1:30 P.M. (see photo). When I mentioned in an earlier "Glimpse" that volleyball is very big here, I should have added that the game is different here. It's 3 against 3, not 6 against 6 like in the U.S. The net is much higher and the ball is much heavier.

The day ended around 4 P.M. when the workers were driven back to their homes. Everyone (including me) had a great day.

Let me add that at lunch, I said a few words to the group (at least 60 people) in my terrible Spanish/English mix (with my assistant, Victoria, translating) about how grateful I was to the workers and how much I enjoyed knowing them. One of the senior workers, a "maestro", then spoke on behalf of the workers. He spoke about how much people enjoyed working at the Hacienda and how grateful they were for the work.

There is also another photo that I included. It's the view from Lot 9. Truly an extraordinary jaw-dropping million-dollar view. Fourteen of the 26 smaller Lots have variations of this view, some better (hard to believe) some now quite this extraordinary but terrific just the same.

If you have questions, I am always happy to answer them.

The photos:

Best, Joe

Joe Simonetta
Owner/Architect
Hacienda San Joaquin
Vilcabamba, Ecuador


P.S. International Living named Ecuador "The Best Place in the World to Retire" http://www.haciendasanjoaquin.com/best_in_the_world.html