Well...here we are. The much anticipated Ecuador posting complete with pictures.
For those of you unaware of what my business actually is...allow me to sum it up for you here. I work for a international development non-governmental organization. That basically means that we work in the most marginalized areas of the world with the poorest of the poor and receive no U.S. government funding. So it's my job as a major gifts fundraiser to go out there and find and solicit private/individual donors to support our cause. Not an easy task...but certainly challenging!
One of the "perks" of my job is that occasionally I will get to travel around the world to visit some of our program sites. We work in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia/Indonesia so you can imagine how "exotic" some of the places are I'll be visiting.
My first site visit was for twelve days to Ecuador...and yes, I did get all my shots before I left. As you might imagine, I'm quite attached to my liver. I like it alot and use it quite often. So I made sure to get all my hepatitis inoculations...as well as TB and malaria (even though the malaria wasn't an issue since we weren't in the lowlands).
All of our Ecuadorian program areas are in the Andes Mountains from about 9,000 to 15,000 ft in elevation. As you might have guessed "Ecuador" is spanish for "equator" so it goes that the Equator runs directly through Ecuador. They have two seasons there...dry and rainy. We arrived at the cusp of the rainy season so it was pleasant during the day and would invariably rain each afternoon. At the elevations that we were at the whole time it would be warm and sunny during the days (60's - 70's) and would plummet at night to the low 40's and upper 30's. Like most of California the temperatures are sustained by coastal breezes blowing over the mountains and through the valleys...so for the most part there is no need for central heat and air. As I found out...most places offer neither, and in the wee hours of the morning I don't care how thick the adobe is and how heavy the wool blankets are on your bed...you still need a little bit of man-made heat. **burrrrr** Luckily most of the inns we stayed in were very nice by any standard and had hot water for showers on those brisk mornings.
Now...on this trip it was my job to keep our 10 0r so donors who came along entertained and happy. They all ranged in age from about 24 to well-in-their-70s and differing political views from tree-hugging liberals to FAR right wing conservatives. As you might imagine with a group that diverse there are plenty of humorous and entertaining stories to share. I might try to share those in a future blog and change the names to protect the innocent...and my job.
Now dining in a developing country is interesting to say the least. Not long before I left I learned that a typical Ecuadorian delicacy is chuy, pronounced "koo-ee". Chuy as it turns out is Guinea Pig. And as my brother Travis asked before the trip..."Do you mean some sort of normal pig that comes from New Guinea? Or do you mean the type of guinea pigs that people here have as pets and run on little wheels?" Well Travis...it's the ones we consider pets here. And they do indeed run on wheels there too...the rotisserie roasting kind. HA!
The next question to emerge amongst family and friends after learning about the chuy was..."You're not going to eat it are you???" As a girl who grew up with two younger brothers doing gross-out competitions at dinner every night...I felt it was my duty to astound them (and everyone else) by indeed trying the chuy. Interestingly enough...it was very similar to chicken. The dark meat of chicken...in that it was dark, greasy, and a bit chewy...though not as gamey as you might imagine. Now you might be wondering..."So True? Did you get a picture of yourself to commemorate this fine dining experience?" The answer to that is "sadly no". Though I do have many pics of the little critters "pre-dinner".
Ecuador also produces a lot of potatoes, avocados, trout and chicken so that was the majority of most of our lunches and dinners there. The fruit was astounding...fresh pineapples, bananas, mangos, etc and usually came for breakfast covered in yogurt and homemade granola. Yumm.
During the trip we went from Quito to El Angel which is about an hour away from the Columbian border. We visited our program areas in the tiny villages surrounding El Angel and learned about pesticide poisoning and ways to increase productivity without having to use hazardous pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. We visited a Farmer Field School that was being put on by one of our partner organizations. I became instant friends with all the village children as I passed out blow-pop suckers to each one. They were so precious and you'll see a few of them in the pictures.
From the Farmer Field School we visited another farmer in a different village who has just begun working with us and implementing new practices like cover crops and green manures. His name was Benedicto and he was so proud to show his field and discuss all his "modern" practices he was trying. After visiting his land we were all invited back to his home where we were entertained by his spritely wife, Eba. As is customary in Ecuador...when you entertain guests you offer your best liquor. As we arrived to the cement block home, Benedicto disappeared and reappeared shortly with a single shot glass and an enormous bottle of what I later learned was sugarcane "rum". He then proceeded to walk around our whole circle, not once, not twice, but three times making sure everyone got a full shot of the liquid fire. Then the music began and we all got a lesson from Eba in "Bamba dancing". A cultural dance to the Afro-Ecuadorian population where you balance a bottle on your head whilst movin-to-the-music. A fun filled afternoon by all accounts (stumbling to the bus aside) and friends for life made.
We then moved on to Otavalo where we were to see the Chuy Farms (but had to skip due to rain). Otavalo is known world wide for it's indigenous market on Saturdays. In this open air market you will find everything from sweaters and hand-woven wall hangings to whole roasted pigs and bouquets of locally grown roses. The Andean people are well known for their woolen textiles. Luckily we had a chance to spend some time in this wonderful market...and I got to put my bi-lingual bargaining skills to the test! I was happy to learn that not only am I a terrific bargain shopper in english but apparently my well honed skills are just as good in broken spanish as well!
We then visited another partner organization back in Quito that is the equivalent of Planned Parenthood here. And amazing organization that work diligently with the indigenous population on family planning, sex ed, health, and a bevy of other things. The day we visited them we got to see one of their village clinics as well as attend an animal husbandry session. We were told that we'd be seeing castrations...luckily we saw cattle inoculations instead.
The village where the cattle inoculations was being held was one of those "beyond the end of the road" sort of spots. Our bus could only make it so far before we were on foot. Although the altitude was high I was amazed at how spry most of our group was. And even more surprised by how lithe the villagers and animals were. I never thought I'd see cows being lead down a rocky path that was no more than 24 inches wide...but I did. It was so interesting to see people leading their cows and bulls down from the hillside. The country was so beautiful and green that it almost seemed as though we were in scene from "Heidi" instead of in South America.
The colorful clothing of the villagers against the green of the landscape was just amazing and you'll see from the pictures exactly what I mean. The women wear the most beautiful and colorful clothes that they weave and sew themselves. It was amazing to see how in touch each person in that community was to one another. The children were there helping and watching and greatly intrigued by us. The older ones were baby-sitting the young ones while the men and women worked the cattle. The oldest women were in the homes preparing the community dinner/feast that was in our honor. A feast of potatoes, roasted corn, goat cheese...and of course...roasted chuy.
From there we took a bus-train (a diesel vehicle made to run on train tracks...because the actual train had been de-railed the prior day) around El Nostrile del Diablo (or Devils Nose) a windy excursion that takes you down the mountain literally forwards and then backwards. Half the travelers ride inside the bus-train whilst the others dangle vicariously from the roof. Quite an interesting site to see.
From there it was south to Canar where we met up with author Judy Blankenship and toured the Incan ruins at Ingapirca. Judy is a wonderfully adventurous woman who lives with her husband half the year in Canar and the other half in Portland. She is the author of a wonderful little book called "Canar: A year in the Highlands of Ecuador". It's a beautiful look at the Canari as an indigenous culture and a proud people. A recommended read for anyone interested in visiting Ecuador...or just interested in Ecuador.
While in Canar we visited a local organization that is working to improve their small community through our programs. They hosted us to a wonderful lunch, a cultural dance put on by the children, and a tour of their enterprises. Sadly...out of the 7 rolls of film I took...this was the roll that got ruined. I was devastated. The children were SO adorable and the people in their colorful dress and white derby hats made for some gorgeous shots.
From Canar it was south to Cuenca. Cuenca is the 3rd largest city in Ecuador with approx. 300,000 people. It is a beautiful, colonial city with gorgeous terra cotta tiled roofs, looming cathedrals, green squares, and cobblestone streets. Cuenca was our last stop before heading back to Quito. We visited a wonderful artist's pottery shop, the panama hat store, and several more markets. This was our "fun stop" after nearly two weeks of non-stop program visits. Out of all the villages and cities we visited...Cuenca was my favorite. It was metropolitan with an old world charm.
I was amazed at how safe I felt the whole time in Ecuador. I'm sure most of that could be attributed to our wonderful Ecuador staff, guides, and the large group I was with. And for a girl who speaks broken spanish (at best) it was easy to navigate. I would highly suggest Ecuador to anyone interested in adventure travel and/or history. It's a beautiful country steeped in history. On my next trip there I'll certainly want to see the Amazon rainforest and the Galapagos Islands as well. If you ever want to go and need a good Amazonian guide...I've got the man for you! Juan Carlos Garcia. He (with his matinee idol good looks) and his wife run their own travel business...primarily to the rainforest. An amazing guy with perfect english and unending knowledge of the people and wildlife of Ecuador.
Well that's the overview of the trip. I promise I'll add in my "character sketches" later for your amusement. Believe me...there were some interesting individuals...from the lady who insisted on making her own yogurt by sleeping with it each night...to the lady on the last night who said..."I'm just glad to be going home because I've just seen enough poor people to last me forever!"...well you get the picture.
I'm happy to be home and sleeping in my own warm bed where I can adjust my man-made heat to any level I desire. But I do miss the simplicity and beauty of Ecuador. It was certainly a blessing to visit there and to meet so many amazing people. Every time I travel abroad I learn more and more about generosity and the capacity of the human spirit.
Kisses!
~TLW
