Ecuadorian beauty

Somehow a week into my time here, I've already become accustomed to the hushed patter of raindrops on the broad leaves of the tropical trees and plants across from my house.  Despite this, I still find the musical rainfall on the metal roof overhanging my porch enchanting. Because it's rainy season here, there are almost always clouds in the sky.  The mists of low-lying clouds hang suspended over the foothills of the mountains as the rain begins to sprinkle.  The snow-capped mountain tops of the Andes to the west that I saw this morning are now completely covered by the blanket of clouds lying over and between me and them. 
 

  

I'm not very good at capturing this, but the mountain barely visible on the left third over the hospital of the first picture is one of several active volcanoes in the area (relatively).  We saw ashes rising from it the other day.  The mountains in the second picture have snow when it's clear.

Seeing the snow-capped mountain tops on a clear day, usually in the morning on my walk to the hospital to round on patients, is striking.  With the near-constant cloud cover, I miss the stars, but the clouds make for glorious sunsets, sunrises, and vistas.  I find myself wishing for a water tower or something to climb from which to have a higher view. 

There is also amazing natural beauty.  There are some flowers that look familiar, and many that are not.  They range from rose bushes to orchids to poinsettia bushes to the brightly colored bougainvillea I have enjoyed in other locations.

These beautiful flowers are some of several outside my door. Second, a close up of the flowers that grow outside my door.  The detail and colors amaze me.

 

These are some of my neighbor's rose bushes and beautiful periwinkle-colored flowers that grow outside my neighbor's house.

 

A bird-of-paradise (I think, at least) on a evening walk with some of the residents and interns.