Well it looks like I had the 'flu (swine??) while trying to climb Chimborazo -  a cold, cough, sore throat, weakness/tiredness, and then a chest infection.  It's taken a couple of weeks to get my strength back but I'm feeling a lot better now.  It can be so frustrating.  it took most of my energy just to teach the daily yoga class.

Anyway on to more current subjects.  Like the lovely staff here.   A great bunch of people with ready smiles and a cheerful "Esta bien?" almost evrey time you meet. I love the way they all work in harmony with each other.  Mario who endlessly cleans the many san-blown windows also helps (unasked) produce meals, washes dishes, and helps out with just about anything.  Frey, who is about 45, is the carpenter.  A small man with big muscles which he is proud to show off.  He is up at 5am and makes thefresh squeezed juice -pineapple, melon, papaya - and then starts washing dishes.  He spends most of his time building new doors and beds, or shaping the local stone into rectangular building bricks. Fran is the plumber, electrician, handyman who installed the electric shower in my room -from which I got electric shocks till he earthed it.  Then there's the gardener Marco (he was the security man before, reading his Bible at the front gate)