Prologue The week leading up to Easter is a very interesting time to visit Latin America. The blend of colonially-introduced Catholic traditions with an indigenous flair makes for some over-the-top festivities during Semana Santa (Holy Week). We spent Easter in Guatemala in 2004, and really enjoyed the spectacle. We decided to spend this Easter with our compadres in Ecuador, to see how they celebrate the season in Kichwa/Otavaleño traditions.

Welcomed at the airport by Yupanqui, Aida, Rosa, Sisa, and Antonio See all photos from this day

Saturday 3/31/2012 - Arrival We woke up at 4:45 a.m., showered, and made coffee. We were on the road shortly after 6:30. We got to the airport at 7 o'clock and went to American Airlines at Terminal B. We tried to check in via a kiosk, but it printed out an error message that said it was unable to process our request and that we should see a ticket agent. An employee told us that our 9:00 flight to Miami had been canceled. There was no way that they could get us to Miami in time for our 2 p.m. connection to Quito. The agent worked all possible angles and we ended up taking a United flight to Houston, which would then get us to Quito 4 hours late. She reserved the seats for us, but since it was a different airline, we needed to check in at United which was in Terminal A. It was now 7:50 a.m. and the United flight was at 8:50, so we rushed outside and across the street to Terminal A. There was no line at the United check-in counter, and we were given boarding passes for two seats together. We went through the security body scanners (there simply wasn't enough time for civil disobedience) and got to the gate. There was a Wendy's nearby, and Craig got us bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits. We can never tell when we are going to get food on flights or not, so we try to make sure to eat something beforehand, even if we have to settle for fast food. The biggest problem with this rebooking was that we would now be 4 hours late arriving in Quito. Antonio and the family were planning to pick us up at the airport, a three hour drive from their home. We didn't want them to have to wait around there for four extra hours with the kids. Luckily, I was able to call him and catch him before he left the house to tell him about our delay. I kept it simple, as often I use body language and visual cues to augment my Spanish. "Vuelo esta tarde. Llegamos en Quito a las nueve de la noche." "The flight is late. We arrive in Quito at 9 o'clock at night." He understood. We boarded the flight and it was an uneventful ride. The United flight had ample legroom and was quite comfortable. There were seatback TV's, but it cost $7.99 to watch TV on a flight over 2 hours. Forget that. We slept. We landed in Houston at 11:25 a.m. (20 minutes earlier than scheduled). We walked to our gate and passed a Bass Pro Shops which had taxidermied bears and wolves on display. Welcome to Texas! Then we came across a restaurant called Tepanade Mediterranean Grill. I took a photo of both to show Craig's brother Steve when we returned, as we had inside jokes about Bass Pro Shops and the word "tepenade". There was a food court but we didn't see anything appetizing. We saw someone carrying a Wendy's bag and I took it as a mission to find the Wendy's. We don't usually eat fast food, but when trabeling it can be the most convenient thing. I asked an employee who directed me to a different food court, and I bought us each a bacon double cheeseburger and we shared a large fry. The flight took off on time at 4:05 p.m. They served dinner: a chicken wrap and salad. It figures, since we had just eaten burgers. Craig wasn't feeling too well and wasn't really able to eat again so soon. This happens to him sometimes when he wakes up very early and is overtired. It was an uncomfortable flight for him and we hoped that it would soon pass. We landed in Quito at 9:30 p.m. We went straight through immigration and customs. We had needed to check a bag of presents for the kids, and our bag was one of the first few off the plane. By 9:50, we exited the secure area of the airport and saw the family waiting for us. Rosa, Aida, and Sisa were all dressed in traditional Otavalan Kichwa dress. Sisa came right over to us. She handed Craig a bottle of water (since they know that we need to keep hydrated) and gave us both big hugs and kisses. Aida was holding Yupanqui, who was now a year and a half old and had grown quite a bit. He cried when I gave him a kiss, but he got over it quickly. We exited the airport and found our driver in his small van; the same man who had driven us last year. Antonio sat in the front seat. Craig and I were in the middle. Rosa, Aida, and the kids were in the back. Sisa kept smiling, giggling, and grabbing our hands. Yupanqui kept saying "Hola!" in his cute little voice and reaching his little hand out to Craig but pulling it away if Craig tried to touch him. Sisa would cover her eyes. "Donde esta Sisa?" I would ask. "Aqui!" She would giggle. Peek-a-boo en espanol. Soon, everyone except the driver and Antonio were asleep. We arrived at their house in the village of Morochos at 12:30 a.m. Antonio took us straight to our room in the guest house. It was the same room we had stayed in previously. Since our last stay, they had added some new fixtures in the bathroom (industrial toilet paper roll, paper towel dispenser, and soap dispenser). We quickly did just enough unpacking so that we could have what we needed overnight. We went to bed at 1 a.m.