Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Only in Ecuador
After picking up Hannah in Quito, we headed north to Otavalo, which has Ecuador´s biggest and best market. With only a brief walk by the market after getting off the bus, we knew we would no longer be able to resist the urge to buy souvenirs. We would have to make room in our tiny backpacks for at least one Alpaca sweater (an extremely practical purchase).
After perusing the market, we had a slice of blackberry pie at a pie shop (the first I have ever seen in Latin Amerca) while we watched the beginning of a futbol game on TV. Since futbol is to Ecuador as basically all other sports are to the US, we knew we would find a group of Ecuadorans watching the game somewhere in town. We quickly found them--a group of architecture students who had just attended a conference in Otavalo, cheering loudly at a bar. Since both the teams were from Quito, we asked the group of future architects what the difference was between the teams. They told us the jersey color...At least no one seemed too upset with the outcome of the game.
Our next stop was Ambato, where there was a reggaeton festival we had seen advertised across the country. Given our slight obsession with reggaeton (go here for an example of reggaeton), we knew we had to attend. Plus, we recently made some friends who are from Ambato, Oscar and Julio (we prefered the English translation of July).
Upon arriving in Ambato, we were picked up by Oscar, our voluntary tour guide, in a taxi and taken to a cheap, safe hostal--something which we would not have found without his help, because Ambato is definitely off of the traveler´s path and consequently is given merely sentences of descriptions in Lonely Planet. That night we were carted around by July and Oscar to buy concert tickets and get dinner at the centro comercial´s food court, which is exactly like any mall you would find in the suburban US. We also went to a reggae concert before which we received our first salsa lessons in the country. We are basically professionals now.
The highly-anticipated reggaeton concert turned out not to be the highlight of the weekend. We sat in the equator-strength sun for hours listening to amature performers before the main groups came on stage. Even after all that waiting we decided to leave the concert early to grab some pizza.¨Only in Ecuador,¨ said Oscar. A phrase we continued to use throughout the weekend and everyday after that.
We are now in Cuenca, one of the most beautiful cities in Ecuador. There are mercados and heladerias (ice cream shops) abound. Today we visited an incredible national park and tomorrow we are going to see some Incan ruins.
Pictures to come.
After perusing the market, we had a slice of blackberry pie at a pie shop (the first I have ever seen in Latin Amerca) while we watched the beginning of a futbol game on TV. Since futbol is to Ecuador as basically all other sports are to the US, we knew we would find a group of Ecuadorans watching the game somewhere in town. We quickly found them--a group of architecture students who had just attended a conference in Otavalo, cheering loudly at a bar. Since both the teams were from Quito, we asked the group of future architects what the difference was between the teams. They told us the jersey color...At least no one seemed too upset with the outcome of the game.
Our next stop was Ambato, where there was a reggaeton festival we had seen advertised across the country. Given our slight obsession with reggaeton (go here for an example of reggaeton), we knew we had to attend. Plus, we recently made some friends who are from Ambato, Oscar and Julio (we prefered the English translation of July).
Upon arriving in Ambato, we were picked up by Oscar, our voluntary tour guide, in a taxi and taken to a cheap, safe hostal--something which we would not have found without his help, because Ambato is definitely off of the traveler´s path and consequently is given merely sentences of descriptions in Lonely Planet. That night we were carted around by July and Oscar to buy concert tickets and get dinner at the centro comercial´s food court, which is exactly like any mall you would find in the suburban US. We also went to a reggae concert before which we received our first salsa lessons in the country. We are basically professionals now.
The highly-anticipated reggaeton concert turned out not to be the highlight of the weekend. We sat in the equator-strength sun for hours listening to amature performers before the main groups came on stage. Even after all that waiting we decided to leave the concert early to grab some pizza.¨Only in Ecuador,¨ said Oscar. A phrase we continued to use throughout the weekend and everyday after that.
We are now in Cuenca, one of the most beautiful cities in Ecuador. There are mercados and heladerias (ice cream shops) abound. Today we visited an incredible national park and tomorrow we are going to see some Incan ruins.
Pictures to come.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Realizing The Meaning of "En Chiva"
Well, the hike from village to village was a little less relaxing than anticipated but still amazing. We were on the bus to the first village when Katie, some Danish girls, and I got off early and decided to walk the rest of the way. Why? I´m not so sure, because as we were getting off the bus it began hailing and everyone on the bus were craning their necks, laughing at us poor poor gringas. It turned out to be a good hike, and we certainly needed the exercise. We were welcomed at the hostel with a massive, warm meal of quinoa soup, spaghetti, salad, and chocolate cake. That was the first time I had been full in a while.
The next day was a little more difficult, because we got lost a few times...We blame it on the directions and poor translations...Fortunately, there was a young girl working in the field (work that I could never imagine doing as it was essentially on the side of a steep steep cliff) who was nice enough to lead us to the correct path. Just like with the people on the bus, I´m sure she was laughing at us, not with us. Fortunately, my sense of humor has grown just as much as my desire of fresh leafy greens since arriving.
The third and final day of the hike involved climbing at least a couple of mountains. There were times when I thought I would not make it--the air was extremely thin and my legs were burning. But my guide did not seem to understand since he had lived in the area his entire life....With the help of Gingko pills we made it to Quilotoa Lake, our final destination.
Our next stop was Baños--an Ecuadoran tourist town named after its natural hot baths (an equivalent in the US may be Florida during spring break). Katie´s and my vision of these baths was certainly idealized. We decided to go at night. I mean, what could be better than relaxing in hot baths under the stars and meeting people our age? We should have known, because it was packed full of people, shoulder to shoulder. And these people were at least twice our age, mostly men, and wearing too tight of bottoms. Needless to say, our time at the hot baths was cut short. We would have to star gaze from our room.
While walking around Baños we kept seeing this advertisement for an after-dark trip up the mountain for a scenic view of the volcano "en chiva." We weren´t sure what "en chiva" was, but we assumed it was referring to a volcano exploding or something. I have never been more wrong in my life. "Chiva" was actually a party bus, a very popular activity in this small tourist town. So we headed up the mountain, reggaeton and salsa music blaring, in the back of a truck. When we got to the top we could see the lights of Baños but no sign of the volcano. We also were forced to sit and watch maybe the worst "magic" show of my life. In the end, I´m glad for the experience, but I won´t be upset if I´m never "en chiva" again. I still am looking for that exploding volcano...
Well, since my last post there have been two more pictures with the gringas. One was in a jewelry shop when a lady asked for our picture with her phone, although she had no real desire for any kind of conversation. The other was with a group of 15 15-year-olds. One boy asked Katie and me for a picture, and once we said yes, it seemed like boys were coming from every corner and alley of the street until there was a full classroom of them crowded around us. Let me know if you find a Facebook page full of us gringas and random Ecuadorans.
The next day was a little more difficult, because we got lost a few times...We blame it on the directions and poor translations...Fortunately, there was a young girl working in the field (work that I could never imagine doing as it was essentially on the side of a steep steep cliff) who was nice enough to lead us to the correct path. Just like with the people on the bus, I´m sure she was laughing at us, not with us. Fortunately, my sense of humor has grown just as much as my desire of fresh leafy greens since arriving.
The third and final day of the hike involved climbing at least a couple of mountains. There were times when I thought I would not make it--the air was extremely thin and my legs were burning. But my guide did not seem to understand since he had lived in the area his entire life....With the help of Gingko pills we made it to Quilotoa Lake, our final destination.
Our next stop was Baños--an Ecuadoran tourist town named after its natural hot baths (an equivalent in the US may be Florida during spring break). Katie´s and my vision of these baths was certainly idealized. We decided to go at night. I mean, what could be better than relaxing in hot baths under the stars and meeting people our age? We should have known, because it was packed full of people, shoulder to shoulder. And these people were at least twice our age, mostly men, and wearing too tight of bottoms. Needless to say, our time at the hot baths was cut short. We would have to star gaze from our room.
While walking around Baños we kept seeing this advertisement for an after-dark trip up the mountain for a scenic view of the volcano "en chiva." We weren´t sure what "en chiva" was, but we assumed it was referring to a volcano exploding or something. I have never been more wrong in my life. "Chiva" was actually a party bus, a very popular activity in this small tourist town. So we headed up the mountain, reggaeton and salsa music blaring, in the back of a truck. When we got to the top we could see the lights of Baños but no sign of the volcano. We also were forced to sit and watch maybe the worst "magic" show of my life. In the end, I´m glad for the experience, but I won´t be upset if I´m never "en chiva" again. I still am looking for that exploding volcano...
Well, since my last post there have been two more pictures with the gringas. One was in a jewelry shop when a lady asked for our picture with her phone, although she had no real desire for any kind of conversation. The other was with a group of 15 15-year-olds. One boy asked Katie and me for a picture, and once we said yes, it seemed like boys were coming from every corner and alley of the street until there was a full classroom of them crowded around us. Let me know if you find a Facebook page full of us gringas and random Ecuadorans.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Most Balanced Place to Be
These past few days Ecuador has been oh so good to me. Katie and I were welcomed to Quito with an international futbol game, Ecuador vs. Venezuela. We spent the game at a bar with locals cheering on the team and drinking the domestic beer (mostly water, in my opinion...). Fortunately, Ecuador won so we did not have to battle any riots on our way back to our hostel.
Touring Quito was full of old churches, interesting museums, and beautiful plazas. As we are two blonde gringas, Katie and I recieve much attention. We were not prepared, however, when a young mother ran up to us asking us to please take a picture with her baby. We barely had time to say yes before the mom shoved her baby into my arms and told us to smile. Man I wish I had a copy of that picture. I can only imagine what the child will be told years from now about her time with those gringas.
Yesterday we went to the equator. That's right. Latitude zero degrees. And strangely enough, I felt extremely balanced. At "La Mitad Del Mundo" there are actually two equators, one marking where explorers calculated zero degrees to be centuries ago and one marking the actually equator (they are a mere 300 meters apart!). At the actual equator, there was a museum where we learned about the indigenous tribes of the region and did things that can only be done at the equator. For example, there is no vortex to water as you pour it down a drain on the equator. Or balancing on the equator with your arms out is suprising difficult. I could feel myself being pulled to one hemisphere then the other. We also balanced an egg on a nail. Well, I attempted but could never quite get it. Maybe that is supposed to tell me something about my inner balance. Katie and Adam (a friend we made at the hostel who is a football journalist in London who knows Landon Donovan! Talk about cool jobs.) did balance the egg and their reward was a certificate stating that they were "Egg Masters." I have never been more jealous.
The people we have met have been wonderful. Last night we experienced Quito nightlife, and, granted my Saturday nights these past few years have been spent at the only bar in Oberlin, The Feve, I have never witnessed anything like the blocks of bars and clubs in Quito. We immediatly made friends with a Colombian girl who insisted we stay at her house when we pass through Colombia. Many others throughout the evening wanted us to know that if we needed anything, they were there for us. Anytime. I have started to collect the slips of paper with phone numbers. You know, just in case I need some extra salsa lessons.
We have only been in Ecuador a few days and have already done so much. Katie and I were talking during our (hot!) shower that this may be the most productive few months of our lives. Yet there is always more to see. Tomorrow we leave for a journey of hiking/bus riding around a loop in the Andes. We have been warned that the transportation will most likely be nonexistent on some stretches, but that makes it all the more appealing. We will go from village to village on what someone just told me today as the most beautiful walk in Ecuador.
Touring Quito was full of old churches, interesting museums, and beautiful plazas. As we are two blonde gringas, Katie and I recieve much attention. We were not prepared, however, when a young mother ran up to us asking us to please take a picture with her baby. We barely had time to say yes before the mom shoved her baby into my arms and told us to smile. Man I wish I had a copy of that picture. I can only imagine what the child will be told years from now about her time with those gringas.
Yesterday we went to the equator. That's right. Latitude zero degrees. And strangely enough, I felt extremely balanced. At "La Mitad Del Mundo" there are actually two equators, one marking where explorers calculated zero degrees to be centuries ago and one marking the actually equator (they are a mere 300 meters apart!). At the actual equator, there was a museum where we learned about the indigenous tribes of the region and did things that can only be done at the equator. For example, there is no vortex to water as you pour it down a drain on the equator. Or balancing on the equator with your arms out is suprising difficult. I could feel myself being pulled to one hemisphere then the other. We also balanced an egg on a nail. Well, I attempted but could never quite get it. Maybe that is supposed to tell me something about my inner balance. Katie and Adam (a friend we made at the hostel who is a football journalist in London who knows Landon Donovan! Talk about cool jobs.) did balance the egg and their reward was a certificate stating that they were "Egg Masters." I have never been more jealous.
The people we have met have been wonderful. Last night we experienced Quito nightlife, and, granted my Saturday nights these past few years have been spent at the only bar in Oberlin, The Feve, I have never witnessed anything like the blocks of bars and clubs in Quito. We immediatly made friends with a Colombian girl who insisted we stay at her house when we pass through Colombia. Many others throughout the evening wanted us to know that if we needed anything, they were there for us. Anytime. I have started to collect the slips of paper with phone numbers. You know, just in case I need some extra salsa lessons.
We have only been in Ecuador a few days and have already done so much. Katie and I were talking during our (hot!) shower that this may be the most productive few months of our lives. Yet there is always more to see. Tomorrow we leave for a journey of hiking/bus riding around a loop in the Andes. We have been warned that the transportation will most likely be nonexistent on some stretches, but that makes it all the more appealing. We will go from village to village on what someone just told me today as the most beautiful walk in Ecuador.
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