The Perfect Jungle Spot - Laguna Azul or Blue Lagoon

One of the most beautiful places I’ve been to is Laguna Azul or Blue Lagoon.

It is a magical spot of unspoiled nature in the jungle where you can feel that you really have entered in the Amazon.

The grounds are filled with rainforest plants and their colorful flowers and countless butterflies teem in the air.

Laguna Azul or Blue Lagoon is a small tourist complex in Talag.

The Kichwa Community of Talag is part of Pano parish.

The complex itself is about an hour and half from Tena by car.

The roads to get there are really bad and there is no bus route that reaches Laguna Azul.

You either have to rent a taxi, which are really cheap in Ecuador, have a car of your own or walk.

The complex is owned and maintained by local Kichwa people.

It’s communal and ecological and the money is used for the benefit of the whole community.

The cost for adults is only $2 and for children $1.

There are two rivers in Laguna Azul.

One of them is the powerful Anzu with strong and dangerous current.

The other, which has given its name to the complex, is a smaller river with a much slower current.

The place is very rustic and typical for the zone.

The complex offers a restaurant with different kinds of foods and beer.

There are small cabins that the guests can use without any cost.

Laguna Azul has different spots for bathing.

For the daredevils there is a swimming hole with a stone wall and ropes hanging over it.

If you wish to jump to the water from high up and fight the current before the two rivers unite.

Perfect spot for my son who enjoyed swinging around and bobbing in the current with a tube.

For smaller or less brave bathers Laguna Azul offers its Blue Lagoon.

A small lagoon formed by the river and hidden behind the jungle vegetation.

A perfect spot to enjoy the crystalline waters and the beauty of the surrounding nature.

This is my favorite spot and the most amazing place I have been able to visit.

Do you have a favorite place for swimming?

What is the most beautiful place you have visited?

Arroz Relleno - Or Ecuadorian Chicken Risotto

One of my son’s favorite foods is Arroz Relleno or Ecuadorian Chicken Risoto.

It’s a very delicious dish and he especially enjoys it together with a side of fried ripe plantainbananas.

This is a simple dish to prepare but at the same time it is a dish that is sure to fill up those stomachs.

And to give some happy smiles too.

You can either make the not so hot version or if you enjoy your food hot, just add more chili pepper to the mix!

Don’t forget the side of fried ripe plantain bananas.

Their sweetness is an incredible contrast to the hotness of the risotto.

Ingredients:

(Serves for four people)

1 pound of chicken meat in strips

2 carrots

2 medium onions

2 medium tomatoes

½ cup of sweet peas

2 green bell peppers (or chili pepper to add hotness)

2 tablespoons of oil

2 table spoons of tomato sauce

1 small kettle of cooked rice

Preparation:

1. Wash the chicken meat with cool water; remove the veins and impurities, cut into strips

2. Grate carrots, chop the tomatoes and cut the peppers into strips.

3. Parboil chicken strips in oil, simmered together with onions, tomatoes, carrots, green pepper and peas.

4. Add 2 cups boiling water to rehash and tomato sauce.

5. Keep filling in the fire until the water has dried.

6. Use a fork to mix the filling with cooked rice.

7. Serve with a portion of fried ripe plantain bananas.

ENJOY!

The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Visiting Star

The sound of the giant snail’s shell echoed in the cave.

The warriors open their eyes, slowly waking up from the magical slumber Iluku had put on them.

It was time, they felt their hearts racing.

The special chicha Iluku had prepared was ready and well fermented.

They just needed to carry it to the cave entrance.

So that Iluku could give it for the jaguar men to drink during their feast.

In silence, each of the warriors grabbed his spear and lifted his vat of chicha.

In an organized progression they exited the cave and started the long walk towards their destiny.

The moonless night felt oppressive, the queen shuddered from the weight of the star filled sky.

Somewhere her son whined and moved around in his deep sleep.

Sleep that she had cursed him with, sleep that he would never be aroused from.

The night sky gleamed and the stars winked around her.

- Oh, you darlings, she sighed, always trying to give me hope.

Her magic sang with her enchanted bird’s voice and cuddled against her neck.

- How can there ever be hope when I know that I will never be together with my son or my husband again, the queen sobbed and embraced her magic.

High up in the sky Lusiru winked again.

- Brave brother, she smiled, you never gave up hoping but kept fighting until your brother and the human race was safe. But who will save my husband or my son?

The light of the star grew stronger and stronger, until it filled the night sky.

The queen had to hide her face and cover her eyes with her hair.

Finally the light dimmed and she could see the form of a man in front of her.

His straight, long, black hair was loose around his face and his coppery skin glowed with fire from inside him.

He was only clothed with a jaguar skin on his lean hips.

- Lusiru, the queen shrieked.

- Lusiru, she then repeated with a more composed voice, what are you doing here? And where is your brother, Kuyllur?

- Our job seems to be unfinished, the man’s handsome face smiled briefly, it seems that we didn’t quite kill all the jaguar men but they are still here to plague the humans and make your life impossible.

- What do you mean; the queen asked glancing around her nervously.

There was no one to be seen and a visitor, especially a visiting star and a hero, demanded to be treated properly.

- It seems that the jaguar men are behind your husband’s disappearance, Luciru, the night’s star, explained, they have him and his men hidden in their cave. And your son was leading his warriors to save them when he was turned into a monster by Iluku’s magic.

- Why would Iluku do something like that, she felt the tears flow down her face.

- She didn’t mean harm to your son, the star answered, she is trying to help him with our father, Killa, but they also needed to defeat the vulture men. And they are a dangerous foe.

- Why did my son get mixed into something like this, the queen’s voice trembled, he is just a boy!

- It is a long time since he was a boy, Lusiru corrected her gently, and he was trying to find a way to help his people and free his father. Now it is up to us to find a way to free him from the curse you put upon him.

To be continued....

This is the twenty fourth part of the story.

To read the first part of the story, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 1  

To read the second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 2 

To read the third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 3. 

To read the fourth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 4. 

To read the fifth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 5.

To read the fourteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 14

To read the sixth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 6

To read the seventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 7

 To read the eight part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 8

To read the ninth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 9

To read the tenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 10

To read the eleventh part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 11

To read the twelth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 12

To read the thirteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 13

To read the fifteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 15

To read the sixteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 16

To read the seventeenth part, go to the The Queen With The Frozen Heart 17

To read the eighteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 18

To read the nineteenth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 19

To read the twentieth part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart 20

To read the twenty first part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - The Night Of The Black Moon

To read the twenty second part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - To The Enchanted Night

If you wish to read the twenty third part, go to The Queen With The Frozen Heart - At The Mouth Of The Cave

DIY Halloween Costume Ideas

There is no Halloween in Ecuador.

The celebration is actually illegal in schools due to a presidential decree.

The idea behind it is that Halloween is not original for Ecuador and the schools should celebrate the autochthonous holidays instead.

BUTTERFLY GIRLS

What Ecuador does celebrate, is November 1^st of Day of the Deceased.

Similar to the Mexican Day of the Dead but not quite the same.

Here the festivity is more about visiting your family member’s graves and celebrating their lives.

JUST IN CASE IT IS NOT CLEAR, THIS IS COSTUME OF A HOUSE FLY.

ANOTHER FLY

Most of the Ecuadorians spend the day in the graveyard, talking, eating, drinking, laughing, dancing and playing football by the graves.

The deceased family members are informed about everything that has been going on in the lives of the living family.

Who has a new boyfriend, who got married, who got a baby, every scandal, happy occasion and rumor is visited and passed on.

A BEE WITH HER FAVORITE FLOWER

TWO ANTS

The most traditional ones place part of the food and drink on the grave, for the loved ones to enjoy.

But not having Halloween celebrations is no reason for Ecuadorian’s to not dress up in a costume and have fun.

There are various days when the children have a good reason for a costume.

THE FLINTSTONES

And if there is no reason, that’s a good reason too.

Here are some DIY costumes from my years of special education here in Ecuador.

All the costumes were made together with the special education teachers and teacher’s aids.