More spring cleaning photos to share with yall while the internet is working fast-ish...
Here is a non-doctored picture I took from my rooftop of an upsidedown rainbow. Unbelievable. Rivals the white rainbows I saw in New Zealand five years ago...

One of my recent projects was the construction of a topographical map of the cantón showing the location of the roads, cities, parrishes, and of course the natural attractions of the area like waterfalls, ruins, mountains, etc. I got this finished and hung on the wall of the tourism office a day before the Ecuadorian Minister of Tourism honored us with her presence. Here are a couple of municipal workers trying to identify where they are on the map.

Here I am with my wonderful counterparts and the Minister herself, in the middle with the bright blue on. I´m wearing campo boots because we just emerged from a visit to La Mina Turística El Sexmo, the tourist mine operated in Zaruma by the biggest industrial mining company here, Bira.

Christmas Eve at my counterpart´s house. She invited the Chuffmate and I to share dinner with her and her family, some of whom came in from Quito to visit. We brought a homemade cake and mashed potatoes, and the family stuffed us with turkey, rice, and salad... Then we were forced to bring home sacks of candy (Not entirely against our will or course...) Christmas day, the 25th, we went on a beautiful hike on the ridge above the city.

And we went again the next day, seeing THIS piece of work. Very lively. Likes to hiss at people. There were tons of them up there in the mountain forests... wonder what the scientific name for them is.