Sombreros and Colibris

This past Sunday, we woke to a quiet hostel, now that many of our amigos have moved on to different locations in Ecuador. I had forgotten about the reality of quick friendships while traveling, which has reminded me of the importance of enjoying every moment, with the people we met and in the places we are. With this in mind and our tummies full of fresh eggs, bread and mangos, (every morning we go to the little shops around our hostel to collect these and other items) we set off for a day of wondering this city of white walls and red roofs. Our first stop was the Sombrero Museo and Panama hat store, which are actually Ecuadorian, that have been wrongly named. They are in fact called Montecristi hats/ toquilla-straw hats, and are part of one of the local aboriginal group's traditional costumes, which is still worn by many. We learned about the hat making process, tried on dozens of potential sun-protectors of all shapes and sizes, and then continued our tour to the museum´s rooftop terrace. To exit, we had to walk through their café, which was selling coffee from all over Ecuador!! Interestingly, this was one of the few places that we have been that sold brewed coffee and not instant coffee. Needless to say, we stayed for a cup of café con leche, one from the area and the other from the Galapagos – they were both delicious! But the best part of this cup of coffee (and for me, the whole day) was the beautiful colibris (hummingbirds) that graced us with their presents. The classic hummingbird feeders were expertly placed just outside the windows of the café and for at least an hour Phil and I and about seven hummingbirds happily sipped our brews. There were two varieties, one that our server called a fly (much prettier then a fly of course, but perhaps as common) and the other we identified as a Sparkling Violetear (here is a picture for those who can help us confirm this). The large size and beauty of this second colibri was enough to make us both watch in awe as it fluttered through the sky. Eventually we left, heading to the large indoor market, knowing that we will be back for cup of joe and a hummingbird show!!