lorax

Mickie, if they're short and gold with thick bumpy skins, they're Orinocos. This being the case, given where you are in the valley, they don't need a whole lot of care. A bit of mulch and water will up the size of your bunches, but if you're a single person you might actually want to keep the bunches small so that you can eat them all before they go off....

However, if you're finding them untasty it's likely because they're not fully ripe for eating out of hand yet. Orinocos have to be almost black before they're palatable as a dessert banana, so you might find these to be tastier if you make patacones or otherwise cook them in some way.

It might be worth your while to find out if Daniel's or Ivan's houses up the mountain are available for rent - they're a great deal cheaper than El Atillo, that's for certain, and they're independant houses rather than apartments. For Ivan's house, ask at the internet cafe off the square that's across from the souvenir shop, just above the cafe. Ivan's brother, whose name I forget, works there, and he'll know. For Daniel's house, I think you'd likely have to ask Peter or Dieter up at Izhcayluma.

Send me a PM about visas, I can likely help you out there. If you're retired there's a special class of residency that requires less deposit in the central bank.

Happy birthday!