A house on a mountain top

Traveling through Ecuador, I am always amazed by the houses perched high above roads and cities. For the most part, the portion of the country I’ve been in the last two weeks has been in the Andes. In both the towns and in the countryside, few mountain views come without having a dwelling or two in them.

I wonder just how life is, especially for the rural residents, living so high up. Many places seem to not even have trails to them, let alone a road for a car or truck. I wonder how (or if) they get clean water, electricity, internet, or sewage disposal. Do people actually hand carry jugs of clean water and groceries up those steep slopes? How did they get the building materials, appliances, and furniture up there in the first place? Obviously it is possible since such homes are so common.

There must be some wonderful advantages to living perched high on a mountain: the views, the quiet, the wildlife, the privacy, the sense of independence. But are they worth the cost?

I grew up in one of the flatter parts of rural Iowa. I’ve lived most of my life in southern Minnesota, also flat. A steep hill in both areas is a thrill. So mountains and being in them is still mysterious to me. Do the mountain-dwellers wonder how we low-landers survive the chaos and noise?

Comments

[Tim Stahmer]

One of the great pleasures of travel for me is being able to get a glimpse into how people live in other places. I'm completely aware that I'm only visiting, so what I'm seeing is just a snapshot of local life, not a full picture. But, like you, I'm curious about how and why people live and work in a particular area, what they do for enjoyment, and how it compares to life in other places I've been. Since I've spent my entire adult live in education, I especially like to get a look at local schools.

Thanks for the travel diary, Doug. Hope you make home safely.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Tim, 

I agree. One of my best travel experiences was attending my son's wedding in Vietnam where I got to stay with the bride's parents in their homes - one in Saigon and one in a village in the Delta. Also great hikes in northern Vietnam's Sapa Valley to see Mung Villages. Fun to get a peek into how the the other 90% live.

Doug