A quick update - more to come
I've been working closely with an advisor in FONAG, the organization I'm working with in Ecuador. We've agreed that it's best to approach the communities through the community leaders first, so that they may disseminate information to the community members, so that they may expect us for group interviews, etc.
I've also had the opportunity to go on several trips to choose my three community study sites. I've decided to make things simpler and will be working with three communities in two watersheds important for FONAG that are southeast of the city. Through the interviews I want to capture a bit of diversity in geographical location - that is proximity to the city. So, I've proposed to work in:
Chaupi - the furthest from the city. It's located almost directly south of Quito. The primary livelihoods are agriculture and cattle ranching, though the center is relatively well built-up. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the town from the FONAG office in the west-center of Quito. We were able to establish good connections here with the local community junta (governing group) and a man who works closely on water-related issues (as well as with the junta) and is very disposed to work with us.
Barrio Santa Rosa in Cutuglahua - the closest to the city. It's neighborhoods were consolidated within the last twenty years. Its population's livelihoods are students, some professionals, commerce with some subsistence agriculture (in the backyards). It takes about 45 minutes to arrive here from the FONAG office. We've been able to contact the President of the Junta de Agua (governing group for water managment) in this neighborhood.
San Fernando - a rural community just south of larger urban areas in the Los Chillos Valley which is southeast of Quito. In this area the people are dedicated to agriculture, cattle ranching, in addition there are those who work in Quito since public transportation to Quito is very reliable. It takes about 1hr. to arrive here from the FONAG office. We've talked with the President of this community who has invited us to return for the monthly community meeting on July 5th. He's also expressed that he is very willing to help us by encouraging the community members to participate in the interviews.
The gradient that these three areas represent in terms of geographic distance from the city and livelihoods is what I was hoping for. Also, their population sizes are relatively similar - around 1,000 each. For the interviews, I'll be working with households (rather than individuals), thus hope to be able to cover a decent percentage of the population in each community. The commonality I see between them is their location in the same sector southeast of Quito.
For the interviews with officials of relevant organizations in Quito (e.g., Department of Public works, Department of Planning, etc.), I've decided to wait until I'm further along in working with the communities. I believe this will allow me to develop more insightful and probing questions, based on what I will be learning from the communities.
Overall, research progress is going well. I've gathered a good amount of digital data, but continue working on acquiring that information I still lack. And of course, I've already run into the "we can't give you this info without your organization submitting official requests and signing a million different contracts for it." For the most part though, everyone has been wonderful in helping me out.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Feria del Ambiente, Quito
Some photos from the first ever Feria del Ambiente in Quito June 14-17. FONAG (the organization with which I work, Fondo para la Protección del Agua) staffed a stand among other organizations throughout Quito and Ecuador that work on environmental issues.Wonderfully, throughout Ecuador there are many organizations that concentrate on everything from air quality, trash collection, environmental education to reforestation, indigenous communities and university environmental studies. Unfortunately, not many work together to synchronize their efforts – they continue having their own isolated niches, whether thematically or geographically.
*****************
Picture 1: A view from the second floor of the Feria (Centro de Exposiciones en Parque La Carolina). The blue truck with the balloons on the hood is FONAG's mobile education center - replete with posters, a giant puzzle, and other environmental education materials.
Picture 2: Some of the FONAG team. From left to right: Mattias (from France, working with FONAG and IRD on agricultural themes in Tabacundo, northeast of Quito), Veronica (local university student doing her thesis on hydrologic modeling in Cuenca de Río Pita), Galito (messenger/supporting manager for FONAG), Nicólas (half Ecuadorian-American, doing a brief internship on reforestation), Jaqueline (my in-country advisor), me! In front of us is a model of the Cuenca de Guayllabamba - the major river that passes through the Metropolitan District of Quito.
A dónde se fueron las frutas y verduras?
Arroz, papas, fritada, pescado y carne – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yummy! For the first few days or so.
Ecuador is a country with one of the greatest variety of climates. Like other tropical Latin American countries it grows citruses and other fruits needing warm humid climates. But in the Andes, it also produces grapes, apples, tomate de arból, and other colder weather fruits and vegetables.
So why does Quiteño cuisine only give minimal space in its platos for such wonderful and delicious variety? You’ve got me.
Seeking them out on a daily basis is not that hard – the local supermarket, convenient store or indigenous vendor on the corner is stocked full of them, and they are wonderfully inexpensive.
I will say that the one redeeming quality are the jugos naturales and batidos (milkshakes) of any and every fruit available in this country. Evidently, quiteños prefer to take in their essential vitamins and minerals via straw.
Ecuador is a country with one of the greatest variety of climates. Like other tropical Latin American countries it grows citruses and other fruits needing warm humid climates. But in the Andes, it also produces grapes, apples, tomate de arból, and other colder weather fruits and vegetables.
So why does Quiteño cuisine only give minimal space in its platos for such wonderful and delicious variety? You’ve got me.
Seeking them out on a daily basis is not that hard – the local supermarket, convenient store or indigenous vendor on the corner is stocked full of them, and they are wonderfully inexpensive.
I will say that the one redeeming quality are the jugos naturales and batidos (milkshakes) of any and every fruit available in this country. Evidently, quiteños prefer to take in their essential vitamins and minerals via straw.
La Dueña del Primer Piso
Did you know? Baking powder = polvo de hornear and Baking soda = bicarbonato.
While the first can be found in many grocery stores, the second is much harder to come by here. That is, until I found out that Ecuadorians just don’t use it in their cooking.
I was on a mission. A banana bread mission – to thank my hosts for their hospitality – and it called for bicarbonato. That’s how I met the dueña de la tienda en el primer piso del edificio donde vivo con Bárbara y Santi.
She sells just about anything and everything in her small corner store. From rice to candy, shampoo products to plastic cups and cigarettes, every item has its own little nook and cranny, small aisleways are about 2 feet wide and the lighting a bit dim. I had come looking for toothpaste and left 1 ½ hours later with bicarbonato and having had the pleasure of a good conversation with her and her two sons (standing in front of the cash register with my groceries in tow).
While the serranos are not necessarily as outgoing as their costeño counterparts, I’m finding that given the opportunity, they’ll talk to you for hours...especially if they find you have something interesting to say and can make them laugh. (Being able to laugh at and make fun of yourself is a quality most Quiteños respond well to. No perfectionists, please).
While the first can be found in many grocery stores, the second is much harder to come by here. That is, until I found out that Ecuadorians just don’t use it in their cooking.
I was on a mission. A banana bread mission – to thank my hosts for their hospitality – and it called for bicarbonato. That’s how I met the dueña de la tienda en el primer piso del edificio donde vivo con Bárbara y Santi.
She sells just about anything and everything in her small corner store. From rice to candy, shampoo products to plastic cups and cigarettes, every item has its own little nook and cranny, small aisleways are about 2 feet wide and the lighting a bit dim. I had come looking for toothpaste and left 1 ½ hours later with bicarbonato and having had the pleasure of a good conversation with her and her two sons (standing in front of the cash register with my groceries in tow).
While the serranos are not necessarily as outgoing as their costeño counterparts, I’m finding that given the opportunity, they’ll talk to you for hours...especially if they find you have something interesting to say and can make them laugh. (Being able to laugh at and make fun of yourself is a quality most Quiteños respond well to. No perfectionists, please).
El Cafetón Cubano
On the corner of Veintimilla and Río Amazonas just inside la Mariscal, I highly recommend this unassuming café.
It’s a nice taste of costeño of a different variety – not because of the food, rather because of the dueños and those who frequent it – Cubans living in Quito.
Conversations touch on Cuba, fiestas, bailes, comida and much more. It’s a nice escape from this ciudad serrana – which at times can feel a bit could-shoulderish.
For example, the other day I received an abbreviated history of Cuban independence movements – a conversation that meandered from being able to tell Cubans apart from other Latin Americans in a café (apparently they use a ton of sugar, all of which ends up in the bottom of the cup – and according to the dueño, leads to ‘ability’ problems for Cuban men over 45...warning for all you male sugar-lovers) to how to properly use a machete as both a tool and a weapon (whoa!). The conversation made complete with the wrist-flicking-finger-snapping motion from them both.
(Cuban anecdote – rationed meat in Cuba allows only so much per person per month, and to get it, you have to stand in line. Often arriving at 5am to be one of the first, hard or unusual times/practices may characterize this island. But standing in this line vas a morir de risa, porque la gente se reúne para hacer estas filas y empieza a hacer bromas y reír de las peculiaridades del país y de sus mismos. Imagínate! Haciendo cola para obtener carne o pollo o cualquier cosa para comer por el mes y disfrutando del buen humor de los cubanos todo el tiempo! Esta manera de deshogarse de los cubanos es uno de sus valores. Como me dijo el dueño del café – los psicólogos morirían de hambre en Cuba).
Like I said before, don’t have any plans and talk with them about anything and everything. They’re up for it.
So far it’s the best coffee in town for me – coffee and good company and relatively free of tourists (go figure, it’s not listed in the Lonely Planet guidebook).
Una troza de advice – don’t trust the LP. The maps are handy, but as far as restaurants, hotels, etc...be adventurous and discover the non-LP Ecuador. It’s a much more interesting experience.
It’s a nice taste of costeño of a different variety – not because of the food, rather because of the dueños and those who frequent it – Cubans living in Quito.
Conversations touch on Cuba, fiestas, bailes, comida and much more. It’s a nice escape from this ciudad serrana – which at times can feel a bit could-shoulderish.
For example, the other day I received an abbreviated history of Cuban independence movements – a conversation that meandered from being able to tell Cubans apart from other Latin Americans in a café (apparently they use a ton of sugar, all of which ends up in the bottom of the cup – and according to the dueño, leads to ‘ability’ problems for Cuban men over 45...warning for all you male sugar-lovers) to how to properly use a machete as both a tool and a weapon (whoa!). The conversation made complete with the wrist-flicking-finger-snapping motion from them both.
(Cuban anecdote – rationed meat in Cuba allows only so much per person per month, and to get it, you have to stand in line. Often arriving at 5am to be one of the first, hard or unusual times/practices may characterize this island. But standing in this line vas a morir de risa, porque la gente se reúne para hacer estas filas y empieza a hacer bromas y reír de las peculiaridades del país y de sus mismos. Imagínate! Haciendo cola para obtener carne o pollo o cualquier cosa para comer por el mes y disfrutando del buen humor de los cubanos todo el tiempo! Esta manera de deshogarse de los cubanos es uno de sus valores. Como me dijo el dueño del café – los psicólogos morirían de hambre en Cuba).
Like I said before, don’t have any plans and talk with them about anything and everything. They’re up for it.
So far it’s the best coffee in town for me – coffee and good company and relatively free of tourists (go figure, it’s not listed in the Lonely Planet guidebook).
Una troza de advice – don’t trust the LP. The maps are handy, but as far as restaurants, hotels, etc...be adventurous and discover the non-LP Ecuador. It’s a much more interesting experience.
How to make friends in Quito
Answer: Don’t have any plans, wander around, talk to the locals.
I find that the most interesting people I’ve met so far (e.g., the family from Esmeraldas, university students, working professionals in the city) have been through random conversations at local cafes, on long bus rides, in the Centro Histórico and in other odd spots throughout the city.
I find that the most interesting people I’ve met so far (e.g., the family from Esmeraldas, university students, working professionals in the city) have been through random conversations at local cafes, on long bus rides, in the Centro Histórico and in other odd spots throughout the city.
TeleferiQo - The city from above
A huge investment from the city that is barely able to suppor
t itself (that is, come out in the positive each year), it’s an incredible ride. It starts at the base of Volcán Pichincha west of the city. The cable car climbs the 2.5km route rapidly to reach 4100 meters at the top of Cruz Loma (the valley of Quito is at 2800m).
The view is incredible from the car, though the tiny space between my eyes begins to ache as the pressure decre
ases with increasing altitude. As we climb, the city takes shape – I can see the valley in which Quito lies along with adjacent valleys to the east, slowly succumbing to the pressures of urbanization and associated land conversion.
Out beyond la mancha urbana de Quito (literally “the urban stain”) agricultural fields hang onto steep hillsides. Then again, from several points within the city, at ground-valley level, I can see distant agricultural fields along the slopes of surrounding hills...and the houses that are slowly creeping up them.
t itself (that is, come out in the positive each year), it’s an incredible ride. It starts at the base of Volcán Pichincha west of the city. The cable car climbs the 2.5km route rapidly to reach 4100 meters at the top of Cruz Loma (the valley of Quito is at 2800m).The view is incredible from the car, though the tiny space between my eyes begins to ache as the pressure decre
ases with increasing altitude. As we climb, the city takes shape – I can see the valley in which Quito lies along with adjacent valleys to the east, slowly succumbing to the pressures of urbanization and associated land conversion.Out beyond la mancha urbana de Quito (literally “the urban stain”) agricultural fields hang onto steep hillsides. Then again, from several points within the city, at ground-valley level, I can see distant agricultural fields along the slopes of surrounding hills...and the houses that are slowly creeping up them.
*****************
Picture 1: View of Quito from inside the TeleferiQo cable car. Barely visible are the father and daughter who accompanied us (Bárbara, Santi and I) up on the 2.5km ride.
Picture 2: Me at the top of Cruz Loma. Hacía tanto frío y viento!! Y que cansancio de caminar a esta altitud con solamente 5 minutos para acostumbrarme.
Transporte Público
MetroBus, EcoVía, buses, taxis, etc. El transporte público dentro de la ciudad de Quito está en todas partes. Las rutas fijas del MetroBus y la EcoVía cruzan la ciudad del norte al sur con conexiones a buses alimentadores que vienen de aun más al norte o más al sur de la ciudad. He conocido a gente que trabaja en el centro que necesitan una hora o más para llegar desde su hogar a su trabajo, cada día.
Todavía no he usado un taxi sola, y creo que no voy a usarlo así. Las rutas de los buses solo ahora estoy cachando y probando sus viajes dentro de la ciudad – con consejos de amigos y colegas.
De casa a trabajo, el viaje tarda 30-45 minutos en MetroBus. Disfruto de estos dos viajes cada día. Por la mayoría, soy la única gringa en el bus…y definitivamente, estoy casi segura que estoy la única gringa en el barrio donde vivo en Cotocollao. Los viajes, este barrio, la rutina de ir y venir del trabajo casi cada día - siento más cómoda que estar en el centro de la ciudad con sus atractivos y empresas que atraen a los turistas que ya son características inseparables de la Mariscal.
En esta manera, soy quiteña.
Y además, la tenacidad de los quiteños de luchar por su espacio en los buses públicos en las horas cuando están llenísimos de gente! Oi! De los niños a los ancianos que todavía tienen la energía de exigir su espacio o asiento. They have my respect.
Todavía no he usado un taxi sola, y creo que no voy a usarlo así. Las rutas de los buses solo ahora estoy cachando y probando sus viajes dentro de la ciudad – con consejos de amigos y colegas.
De casa a trabajo, el viaje tarda 30-45 minutos en MetroBus. Disfruto de estos dos viajes cada día. Por la mayoría, soy la única gringa en el bus…y definitivamente, estoy casi segura que estoy la única gringa en el barrio donde vivo en Cotocollao. Los viajes, este barrio, la rutina de ir y venir del trabajo casi cada día - siento más cómoda que estar en el centro de la ciudad con sus atractivos y empresas que atraen a los turistas que ya son características inseparables de la Mariscal.
En esta manera, soy quiteña.
Y además, la tenacidad de los quiteños de luchar por su espacio en los buses públicos en las horas cuando están llenísimos de gente! Oi! De los niños a los ancianos que todavía tienen la energía de exigir su espacio o asiento. They have my respect.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Recorrido al Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, 7 junio 2007
Subimos el coche del EMAAP-Q (Empresa Metropolitana de Alcantarillado y Agua Potable – Quito) en la oficina de FONAG.
Driving out through the south of the city the buildings become smaller, less well kept and spread further apart. One can almost image this landscape as once being agricultural fields or pasture. Now succumbing to conversion, it’s the dispersion-infill process of urbanization at work. In another 10-15 years, this area of the city (known for housing lower income classes) will most likely look much like its northern sections – solid stretches of buildings housing everything from offices, homes to small stores.
..........
That’s one thing I love about this city. Whatever I need, it’s within walking distance. A short stroll down Ave. Mariana de Jésus from the FONAG office towards the center of the city – I stop by a small grocer and pick up my bread and fruit for the next day. Signs for Porta telephone cabins dot the building roofs – a call to home is only a quick step away. Quick hot lunches from small cookeries advertising everything from arroz con fritada to ceviche (all fresh) – and I’m set for my next meal. No need to worry about stocking up on food for the next week. If I need something, I just step outside the door and I can find it within a couple of blocks.
..........
The roads become bumpier, wearing away from pavement to cobbled stone to simple packed-down dirt. Once we’re free from the grip of city traffic, we pick up speed heading south, jolting over every bump along the way (forget about seatbelts in the back seat...not only do Ecuadorians not use them, they don’t exist – well, they do...but they’re tucked so far down beneath the seat cushions, it’s futile exercise to attempt to extract them). Pastures and agricultural fields begin to dominate the landscape and soon I forget that only 20 minutes ago we had merged from the second largest city in the country.
We’re headed toward the microcuenca of Río Pita (to the SE of the city). Its waters are born in the folds of Volcán Cotopaxi. To get there, we head down on the west side of Pasochoa, around to the south of it and on toward the entrance of the Parque Nacional.
With me are Galito, Don Julito y Veronica (a fifth-year university student studying to determine and model the hydrologic process in this region).
Further south, the clouds begin to envelope us. Julito pulls out his barometer and asks us how high up we think we are. I venture a guess – 3800m. Almost, almost. At 3750m, Gallito wins the contests.
We’re in the Estepa vegetative region where everything is a short shrub covered in water droplets from the low-hanging clouds. The wind has picked up as well. Except for the isolated pinus radiata stands that dot the landscape / we turn back for the view of what we had just traversed – I can’t see any hint of a city. The pinus radiata are certainly not native to this region. And as Don Julito explains (a local forestry expert with a great sense of humor), they were planted without great foresight / for their profit-making capacity – quick-growers, a harvest in 30 years would bring good money. But they are not managed wisely, if they are managed at all. Stocked too densely, the pines use up much more water than native vegetation – a precious resource that not everyone here has adequate access to (potable that is).
We move up on into the páramo where the estepa dominates along with isolated cattle ranches (in a National Park?) The sun is till obscured by the clouds and it becomes harder for me to move my fingers as I fiddle with my GPS unit, camera and notebook.
Only the lower portion of snow-covered Cotopaxi is visible as the clouds ebb in and out.
We investigate an area of the páramo managed by FONAG dedicated to native species reforestation/restoration. Individuals are planted within a large expanse of pajonal – to protect them from the fierce winds (especially in July and August) when they are seedlings. This are reminds me of the grasslands in CA, the pajonal resembling bunchgrass.
We snack on wild blueberries. This is the coldest portion of our trip. “Tienes frío niña Brenna?” asks don Julito. “Sí,” I reply. “Pero, no para llorar?” “No, no” – not that much. I should have brought an extra sweater with me, but I can still bear the cold and wind for a little while.
We search out the area where Río Pita is born – a small ditch
of slowly moving water among a field of rolling estepa and rocks.
Wild horses in Cotopaxi.
En route back to Quito, we turn to my needs for the trip – to search for a suitable small town to begin interviews regarding changes in land cover, community composition and urbanization in general.
We follow the only dirt road back North.
“We’ll stop in Loreto, and you can talk with some people there” suggests Don Julito.
We continue driving through pastures and agricultural fields with casitas interspersed without – laundry out drying on clotheslines in the backyards.
We stop to ask a local passing on a motorcycle – face worn and wrinkled, gathering warmth from a jacket and heavy poncho – where the village of Loreto is. He points to where we’ve just come from. “Really?” questions Don Julito. Six to seven dispersed casitas we passed – that was it. We move on, looking for a more settled area.
We gain entrance into a watershed protection area managed by EMAAP-Q.
Down a cobbled road, we pick up tow hitchhikers. The woman is dressed traditionally in a white blouse and a long dark-blue, heavy wrap-around skirt – an indigenous couple looking to get to Selva Alegra, much further north.
We pass a white-washed hacienda, through overhanging native forest cover, to where three little girls dressed in several layers are running along the cobbled road pushing a bicycle that is too big for any of them to ride.
They step to the side as we pass and I wave to each of them from the inside of the truck’s cab. They grin – though I’m not sure whether it’s at me or the though of continuing to run along with their bicycle. I look back through the rear window and watch them running clumsily after the truck for a few tens of meters.
El pueblo “La Moca,” to the NE of Pasochoa – we’ve made almost a complete circle around it to get here.
This pueblito is composed of handful of houses situated closer together than those in Loreto, made of cement brick with the characteristic drying laundry out back.
I get out to grab a quick GPS point and a picture. Meanwhile a local gentleman in a cowboy hat stops to chat with the others in the truck.
“Ingeniera linda?” he asked when I return to the vehicle. “No, estudiante sencillamente,” I tell him. He shakes my hand with both of his, “bienvenida y te deseo buen salud.” “Gracias,” I thank him.
We chat for a bit longer about the area, the conversation lulls, but I pick up attention again when Don Julito asks “Y por qué se casa?” “Para dormir bien caliente” the gentleman responds with a smirk and laugh.
It certainly wouldn’t hurt at these cold heights, I think to myself.
***************
Picture 1: Galito, Veronica and I standing in the area of PN Cotopaxi where Río Pita is born. Freeeezing!
Picture 2: The Pajonal - reminds me of the bunchgrass in southern California. The sun played hide-and-seek with the clouds the entire afternoon...what a difference it makes temperature-wise!
Picture 3: Wild horses in PN Cotopaxi.
Picture 4: View of the surrounding countryside from pueblito "La Moca."
Driving out through the south of the city the buildings become smaller, less well kept and spread further apart. One can almost image this landscape as once being agricultural fields or pasture. Now succumbing to conversion, it’s the dispersion-infill process of urbanization at work. In another 10-15 years, this area of the city (known for housing lower income classes) will most likely look much like its northern sections – solid stretches of buildings housing everything from offices, homes to small stores.
..........
That’s one thing I love about this city. Whatever I need, it’s within walking distance. A short stroll down Ave. Mariana de Jésus from the FONAG office towards the center of the city – I stop by a small grocer and pick up my bread and fruit for the next day. Signs for Porta telephone cabins dot the building roofs – a call to home is only a quick step away. Quick hot lunches from small cookeries advertising everything from arroz con fritada to ceviche (all fresh) – and I’m set for my next meal. No need to worry about stocking up on food for the next week. If I need something, I just step outside the door and I can find it within a couple of blocks.
..........
The roads become bumpier, wearing away from pavement to cobbled stone to simple packed-down dirt. Once we’re free from the grip of city traffic, we pick up speed heading south, jolting over every bump along the way (forget about seatbelts in the back seat...not only do Ecuadorians not use them, they don’t exist – well, they do...but they’re tucked so far down beneath the seat cushions, it’s futile exercise to attempt to extract them). Pastures and agricultural fields begin to dominate the landscape and soon I forget that only 20 minutes ago we had merged from the second largest city in the country.
We’re headed toward the microcuenca of Río Pita (to the SE of the city). Its waters are born in the folds of Volcán Cotopaxi. To get there, we head down on the west side of Pasochoa, around to the south of it and on toward the entrance of the Parque Nacional.
With me are Galito, Don Julito y Veronica (a fifth-year university student studying to determine and model the hydrologic process in this region).Further south, the clouds begin to envelope us. Julito pulls out his barometer and asks us how high up we think we are. I venture a guess – 3800m. Almost, almost. At 3750m, Gallito wins the contests.
We’re in the Estepa vegetative region where everything is a short shrub covered in water droplets from the low-hanging clouds. The wind has picked up as well. Except for the isolated pinus radiata stands that dot the landscape / we turn back for the view of what we had just traversed – I can’t see any hint of a city. The pinus radiata are certainly not native to this region. And as Don Julito explains (a local forestry expert with a great sense of humor), they were planted without great foresight / for their profit-making capacity – quick-growers, a harvest in 30 years would bring good money. But they are not managed wisely, if they are managed at all. Stocked too densely, the pines use up much more water than native vegetation – a precious resource that not everyone here has adequate access to (potable that is).
We move up on into the páramo where the estepa dominates along with isolated cattle ranches (in a National Park?) The sun is till obscured by the clouds and it becomes harder for me to move my fingers as I fiddle with my GPS unit, camera and notebook.
Only the lower portion of snow-covered Cotopaxi is visible as the clouds ebb in and out.
We investigate an area of the páramo managed by FONAG dedicated to native species reforestation/restoration. Individuals are planted within a large expanse of pajonal – to protect them from the fierce winds (especially in July and August) when they are seedlings. This are reminds me of the grasslands in CA, the pajonal resembling bunchgrass.We snack on wild blueberries. This is the coldest portion of our trip. “Tienes frío niña Brenna?” asks don Julito. “Sí,” I reply. “Pero, no para llorar?” “No, no” – not that much. I should have brought an extra sweater with me, but I can still bear the cold and wind for a little while.
We search out the area where Río Pita is born – a small ditch
of slowly moving water among a field of rolling estepa and rocks.Wild horses in Cotopaxi.
En route back to Quito, we turn to my needs for the trip – to search for a suitable small town to begin interviews regarding changes in land cover, community composition and urbanization in general.
We follow the only dirt road back North.
“We’ll stop in Loreto, and you can talk with some people there” suggests Don Julito.
We continue driving through pastures and agricultural fields with casitas interspersed without – laundry out drying on clotheslines in the backyards.
We stop to ask a local passing on a motorcycle – face worn and wrinkled, gathering warmth from a jacket and heavy poncho – where the village of Loreto is. He points to where we’ve just come from. “Really?” questions Don Julito. Six to seven dispersed casitas we passed – that was it. We move on, looking for a more settled area.
We gain entrance into a watershed protection area managed by EMAAP-Q.
Down a cobbled road, we pick up tow hitchhikers. The woman is dressed traditionally in a white blouse and a long dark-blue, heavy wrap-around skirt – an indigenous couple looking to get to Selva Alegra, much further north.
We pass a white-washed hacienda, through overhanging native forest cover, to where three little girls dressed in several layers are running along the cobbled road pushing a bicycle that is too big for any of them to ride.
They step to the side as we pass and I wave to each of them from the inside of the truck’s cab. They grin – though I’m not sure whether it’s at me or the though of continuing to run along with their bicycle. I look back through the rear window and watch them running clumsily after the truck for a few tens of meters.
El pueblo “La Moca,” to the NE of Pasochoa – we’ve made almost a complete circle around it to get here.
This pueblito is composed of handful of houses situated closer together than those in Loreto, made of cement brick with the characteristic drying laundry out back.I get out to grab a quick GPS point and a picture. Meanwhile a local gentleman in a cowboy hat stops to chat with the others in the truck.
“Ingeniera linda?” he asked when I return to the vehicle. “No, estudiante sencillamente,” I tell him. He shakes my hand with both of his, “bienvenida y te deseo buen salud.” “Gracias,” I thank him.
We chat for a bit longer about the area, the conversation lulls, but I pick up attention again when Don Julito asks “Y por qué se casa?” “Para dormir bien caliente” the gentleman responds with a smirk and laugh.
It certainly wouldn’t hurt at these cold heights, I think to myself.
***************
Picture 1: Galito, Veronica and I standing in the area of PN Cotopaxi where Río Pita is born. Freeeezing!
Picture 2: The Pajonal - reminds me of the bunchgrass in southern California. The sun played hide-and-seek with the clouds the entire afternoon...what a difference it makes temperature-wise!
Picture 3: Wild horses in PN Cotopaxi.
Picture 4: View of the surrounding countryside from pueblito "La Moca."
A quick flick of the hand
If there’s anything more characteristic of Ecuadorians, it has to be that quick flick-of-the-hand motion. It often accompanies an astonished facial expression and even the under-the-breath-quick-explication “chuuuuta!” You know, when you’re talking about that one situation when you find yourself in a fix but find a miraculous and amusing way out of it. Better explained, it’s that reaction that expresses “too hot too handle” astonishment, followed by a smirk. Anyway you want to describe it, it’s everywhere here. With grace and ease, the one flick of the hand produces a snapping noise that captures the entire expression of surprise.
But of course, what do I try to do but imitate it. After a few pathetic first attempts, I was ever so lovingly corrected by Bárbara who demonstrated the proper form:
1. Hold your index through pinky fingers out next to each other with the pad of your thumb resting against the pads of your index and middle finger or your middle finger and your ring finger. (You know, like if you were going to make a hand-animal shadows, this particular one being the duck).
2. Keep your fingers loose...no tension, please.
3. Snap your wrist back and forth, letting your thumb hit your other fingers to make the snapping noise.
And that’s all there is to it! Of course, this is no guarantee that you’ll be able to do it well. With any luck, you’ll suffer through the first few pathetic attempts like I did and then manage some sort of snapping noise. With time, and most likely a sore wrist, you’ll achieve something close to Ecuadorian efficiency with this maneuver. If you find yourself still having trouble even after this, find your closest friendly Ecuadorian. I’m sure they’d be happy to show you light.
Unlike Chileans, I have yet to see anyone point out a direction (as in “the store is over there” ::point::) with their lips. Though, I remain on the lookout.
But of course, what do I try to do but imitate it. After a few pathetic first attempts, I was ever so lovingly corrected by Bárbara who demonstrated the proper form:
1. Hold your index through pinky fingers out next to each other with the pad of your thumb resting against the pads of your index and middle finger or your middle finger and your ring finger. (You know, like if you were going to make a hand-animal shadows, this particular one being the duck).
2. Keep your fingers loose...no tension, please.
3. Snap your wrist back and forth, letting your thumb hit your other fingers to make the snapping noise.
And that’s all there is to it! Of course, this is no guarantee that you’ll be able to do it well. With any luck, you’ll suffer through the first few pathetic attempts like I did and then manage some sort of snapping noise. With time, and most likely a sore wrist, you’ll achieve something close to Ecuadorian efficiency with this maneuver. If you find yourself still having trouble even after this, find your closest friendly Ecuadorian. I’m sure they’d be happy to show you light.
Unlike Chileans, I have yet to see anyone point out a direction (as in “the store is over there” ::point::) with their lips. Though, I remain on the lookout.
Public Official Sighting!
To my great surprise, when casually walking around the Merc
ado de Otavalo several weekends ago, we ran into the US Ambassador to Ecuador, Linda Jewell. A woman of about 40-50 years, relatively petit and with short reddish hair, she was bargaining amiably at a stall, fingering a piece of jewelry. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/51029.htm)
Of course, I never would have known who she was if Bárbara and Santiago hadn’t pointed her out to me. Apparently, a good number of Ecuadorians know who the US Ambassador is, in addition to knowing exactly where the US Embassy is located in Quito (on the corner of Jorge Washington and Ave. 12 de Octubre across from la Universidad Católica).
Question: What are the three largest Ecuadorian cities by population?
Answer: Guayaquil, Quito and New York.
ado de Otavalo several weekends ago, we ran into the US Ambassador to Ecuador, Linda Jewell. A woman of about 40-50 years, relatively petit and with short reddish hair, she was bargaining amiably at a stall, fingering a piece of jewelry. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/51029.htm)Of course, I never would have known who she was if Bárbara and Santiago hadn’t pointed her out to me. Apparently, a good number of Ecuadorians know who the US Ambassador is, in addition to knowing exactly where the US Embassy is located in Quito (on the corner of Jorge Washington and Ave. 12 de Octubre across from la Universidad Católica).
Question: What are the three largest Ecuadorian cities by population?
Answer: Guayaquil, Quito and New York.
************
Picture: Mercado de Otavalo.
A Quick Quichua Lesson
The indigenous presence in Quito is a strong one. Throughout Ecuador, indigenous groups are some of the best organized in all of South America. I’ve heard tell that they’ve served as models for other indigenous groups in other Latin American countries as those groups struggle to negotiate with their provincial and national governments for better representation and equal access to resources.
Given that the indigenous influence is so strong in this region (the sierra that is), it comes as no surprise that Quichua words have been absorbed into the local language in Quito. So, here’s a quick review of some Quichua words that are used on a regular basis no matter whether one is indigenous or not:
Ñaña, Ñaño – sister, brother
Guagua – refers to a child (male or female). Often used to say that someone is really young or
seems really young. Ex: “Oh, that club...it’s full of guaguas” = only young kids go there, that is 16-20 yr olds.
Chuchaki - hangover
Joo-chas – not really sure how this one is spelled, so I present my phonetic interpretation of the word. Means “naked.” Don’t ask me where I picked this one up, I don’t exactly
remember.
Shusho, Shusha - dummy
And some slang or alternative Spanish words that are thrown around a lot here and you won’t necessarily find in the dictionary.
Chevere – “cool!”
Bacán – “cool!”
Chompa - jacket
Saco – sweater or light jacket
Buenázo, Tenázo, Anything-ázo - "really great," "really harsh/hard," the -ázo adds on an extra umph to whatever word you prefer.
Man - the english word exactly. It's been incorporated into everyday speech and is used to refer to "that guy/girl." As in "ese man/esa man."
Chuta and Pucha – both mean “shoot!” or “damn!” in an exclamatory sense. Though, be very
careful here. These two words come from mixing and matching syllables of two original words– that is, take the first syllable from each word and place it with the second syllable of the other and you get some very bad words that I wouldn’t recommend saying in public.
Be sure to check back on this entry every once and a while. I hope to update it with more jargon.
(p.s. – Cuando fuimos al Mercado de Otavalo, un gran porcentaje de los vendedores son mujeres indígenas quienes, antes de decir un precio a un comprador, se hablen en quichua para arreglar un precio fijo para todas. Es una manera de defenderse, para que todas ofrezcan el mismo precio.)
Given that the indigenous influence is so strong in this region (the sierra that is), it comes as no surprise that Quichua words have been absorbed into the local language in Quito. So, here’s a quick review of some Quichua words that are used on a regular basis no matter whether one is indigenous or not:
Ñaña, Ñaño – sister, brother
Guagua – refers to a child (male or female). Often used to say that someone is really young or
seems really young. Ex: “Oh, that club...it’s full of guaguas” = only young kids go there, that is 16-20 yr olds.
Chuchaki - hangover
Joo-chas – not really sure how this one is spelled, so I present my phonetic interpretation of the word. Means “naked.” Don’t ask me where I picked this one up, I don’t exactly
remember.
Shusho, Shusha - dummy
And some slang or alternative Spanish words that are thrown around a lot here and you won’t necessarily find in the dictionary.
Chevere – “cool!”
Bacán – “cool!”
Chompa - jacket
Saco – sweater or light jacket
Buenázo, Tenázo, Anything-ázo - "really great," "really harsh/hard," the -ázo adds on an extra umph to whatever word you prefer.
Man - the english word exactly. It's been incorporated into everyday speech and is used to refer to "that guy/girl." As in "ese man/esa man."
Chuta and Pucha – both mean “shoot!” or “damn!” in an exclamatory sense. Though, be very
careful here. These two words come from mixing and matching syllables of two original words– that is, take the first syllable from each word and place it with the second syllable of the other and you get some very bad words that I wouldn’t recommend saying in public.
Be sure to check back on this entry every once and a while. I hope to update it with more jargon.
(p.s. – Cuando fuimos al Mercado de Otavalo, un gran porcentaje de los vendedores son mujeres indígenas quienes, antes de decir un precio a un comprador, se hablen en quichua para arreglar un precio fijo para todas. Es una manera de defenderse, para que todas ofrezcan el mismo precio.)
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Trabajo de Madera y después, Vengan a bailar!
Known for its talleres de madera (woodworking shops), beautiful wooden sculptures originate in the small town of San Antonio de Ibarra. All hand carved, large furniture sets, large figures of Christ to small figurines with all levels of detail can be found in this small suburb of Ibarra only 4 hours from the border with Colombia. La Virgen de Quito – pictured taming a serpent – and Don Quixote with Sancho Panza seem to be common themes.
Walking into one of the talleres, a single man was leaning over a workbench with a finely shaped piece of wood in his hand – a cherub. The entire workshop was covered in woodchips and smelled of cedro (cedar). Lying on the floor immediately in front of the door and atop all of those woodchips was a life size carving of Christ on the cross (minus the arms, which would be added later). This particular figure was headed to Europe, the man informed us. Not yet finished, crude shavings and scratches still characterized the form of Christ. I leaned down to pick up the carving tools - a curved piece of metal with a wooden handle and a large mallet – and barely was able to do so, they were much heavier than I had expected. “To help keep better control of the strokes,” the woodworker said. Almost every other shop in this small town sells products of these talleres. With a nice sillón (couch) costing approximately $250-$300, it was hard for me to believe that these pieces were bought up by many of the locals. No, no, it was explained to me, in fact, many pieces are for export, as was the Christ figure (a commissioned piece).
………..
The weekend of May 25, the entire town was celebrating the 146th anniversary of the founding of the town. At evening, one of the main streets converted itself into the processional avenue, graced with a grandstand upon which were seated the Alcalde of Ibarra (Mayor of Ibarra), among other diputados (elected officials). The procession of dance groups (both professional and school groups) and town bands passed by for three consecutive hours. Each represented different barrios, ciudadelas, y otros lugares within Ibarra – all come to salute San Antonio during its festivities.
The professional groups were well practiced and dressed in traditional outfits – long flowing skirts, bright scarves, black hats for the men and even chaps – dancing around each other, in front of the diputados, dipping, rising and stepping in time with the music – smiles on their faces. Algunos grupos pasaron botellas de agua ardiente, otros nos sirvieron chicha de maíz y algunas mujeres llevaron platos de papas y cuy, while the reinas candidatas (candidate queens of San Antonio) tossed flowers from their floats, dressed in gowns and sporting tiaras and sashes.
The music, the dancing, the convival atmosphere – at one point the diputados came down from their stage to joint the dancers – made me want to jump in there with them, to move my feet, wave my arms and dip in time with the music as well.
Walking into one of the talleres, a single man was leaning over a workbench with a finely shaped piece of wood in his hand – a cherub. The entire workshop was covered in woodchips and smelled of cedro (cedar). Lying on the floor immediately in front of the door and atop all of those woodchips was a life size carving of Christ on the cross (minus the arms, which would be added later). This particular figure was headed to Europe, the man informed us. Not yet finished, crude shavings and scratches still characterized the form of Christ. I leaned down to pick up the carving tools - a curved piece of metal with a wooden handle and a large mallet – and barely was able to do so, they were much heavier than I had expected. “To help keep better control of the strokes,” the woodworker said. Almost every other shop in this small town sells products of these talleres. With a nice sillón (couch) costing approximately $250-$300, it was hard for me to believe that these pieces were bought up by many of the locals. No, no, it was explained to me, in fact, many pieces are for export, as was the Christ figure (a commissioned piece).
………..
The weekend of May 25, the entire town was celebrating the 146th anniversary of the founding of the town. At evening, one of the main streets converted itself into the processional avenue, graced with a grandstand upon which were seated the Alcalde of Ibarra (Mayor of Ibarra), among other diputados (elected officials). The procession of dance groups (both professional and school groups) and town bands passed by for three consecutive hours. Each represented different barrios, ciudadelas, y otros lugares within Ibarra – all come to salute San Antonio during its festivities.
The professional groups were well practiced and dressed in traditional outfits – long flowing skirts, bright scarves, black hats for the men and even chaps – dancing around each other, in front of the diputados, dipping, rising and stepping in time with the music – smiles on their faces. Algunos grupos pasaron botellas de agua ardiente, otros nos sirvieron chicha de maíz y algunas mujeres llevaron platos de papas y cuy, while the reinas candidatas (candidate queens of San Antonio) tossed flowers from their floats, dressed in gowns and sporting tiaras and sashes.
The music, the dancing, the convival atmosphere – at one point the diputados came down from their stage to joint the dancers – made me want to jump in there with them, to move my feet, wave my arms and dip in time with the music as well.
05.06.2007
Después de tantos días sufriendo los nubes y aguaceros en Quito y en Esmeraldas…ya viene el sol!
Siento como puedo bailar y cantar de nuevo. Un ritmo que me anima para hacer exactamente eso….
“Ya viene el sol” por Ozomatli
http://www.amazon.com/Street-Signs-Ozomatli/dp/B00025EU0E/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/105-8917486-6697219?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1181152542&sr=1-3
Después de tantos días sufriendo los nubes y aguaceros en Quito y en Esmeraldas…ya viene el sol!
Siento como puedo bailar y cantar de nuevo. Un ritmo que me anima para hacer exactamente eso….
“Ya viene el sol” por Ozomatli
http://www.amazon.com/Street-Signs-Ozomatli/dp/B00025EU0E/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/105-8917486-6697219?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1181152542&sr=1-3
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Bienvenida a la Costa
I had been told that the difference between the highlands and the coast in Ecuador was like night and day. I wasn’t able to appreciate the depth of that analogy at the time. I understand better now.
I had made it a point to get to the coast within the first couple of weeks of being in the country. The idea of relaxing on the sand, taking in the sun and the humid air with no obligations but to find a place to stay and the occasional meal...heaven. A period of relaxation before beginning real work, I convinced myself.
I left last Thursday afternoon from Quito. A 6-hr bus ride up into the mountains in the east, past the páramos, descending through montane humid forests down to the humid forests of the coast...and I would find myself in Atacames, 2800 m. later.
The descent itself was worth the daytime trip. Clouds hugged and flirted in and out between steep hillsides lush in vegetation. Clustered houses in small valleys composed isolated communities that this sierra-costa highway connected. For the first couple of hours the route was almost entirely switchbacks – the bus easing down the mountain sides, back and forth. It soon straightened out, however, and we picked up speed. Though, the clouds that had hovered over Quito for the past week seemed to be following us.
As the evening began to darken, obscuring the views from the bus window, I turned to conversation with the man sitting next to me, Julio César, on his way to visit family in Esmeraldas for the weekend. And that’s where my mini-costaventura began.
Not having any plans but to enjoy the sun and the beach, I accepted his invitation to spend the weekend with his family in Esmeraldas.
....
Esmeraldas is a small to medium-size city on the northern coast of Ecuador. Its 100,000 inhabitants spread out in neighborhoods along the coast and up into the folds of the small hills nearby. The majority of the people here have strong African descendency. The story goes that three Spanish frigates laden with slaves on their way to the port of Guayaquil fell victim to a fierce storm. All three ships wrecked and those Africans who were able, swam to shore. The area where they landed was so similar to their native lands that they stayed and settled down.
....
Though the cloudiness and the rain never really gave way the entire weekend, and even though I never realized my vision of soaking up the sun at the beach in Atacames, I passed the weekend much better that I could have imagined.
The family with which I passed those few days lives at the foot of the hills in Esmeraldas. A neighborhood by the name of La Boca del Lobo (“The Mouth of the Wolf”), earlier this century it was notoriously the sketchy part of town where shady happenings characterized daily life. Since then, from what I could see, it had converted itself into quite a homey and comfortable place.
Children were everywhere, of all colors and ages. They ran about in groups from house to house, to the center of town, the markets and back carrying with them pinchos (“meat skewers”) and other sweets. It wasn’t hard to hear their squeals and shouts from the back of the house. In fact, it wasn’t hard at all to hear everything else that was going on in the surrounding houses and neighborhood.
The houses are tucked in snuggly next to each other, often sharing walls and roofs. Because of the humidity and heat, windows that can shut are left open, in addition to open doors (for passing breezes and to encourage neighbors to drop by for un ratito (“short period of time”)). Often there aren’t even windows, simply large open spaces in the cement wall over which decorative steel bars are draped to keep out the unwanted.
Two of my favorite moments each day were morning and evening. The activity of the neighbors, their children running about inside the houses would wake me. A serenade of music would waft in at the same time – salsa, merengue, bachata, marimba, some reggaeton – playing softly, coming from some unidentifiable house in the neighborhood. And in the evenings, I would go to sleep to the same sounds of music and people – comforting signs of an active and cohesive neighborhood.
Not to mention looking forward to sleeping in a tank top and shorts with a simple bed sheet, not the two comforters I use to fend off the cold nights in Quito.
....
In addition to the vegetation, one of those night and day differences between la costa and la sierra is the people itself. Los costeños en Esmeraldas are full of life. Well, those in Quito are as well, but the costeños show it and share it so well. They are easily disposed to joking and loud laughter that it’s hard for anyone to resist wanting to join them.
I was welcomed into Julio Cesár’s family as a close friend - hugs and kisses upon meeting his aunts, his parents and later his
brother, sister-in-law and their two little girls.
I was incorporated into every activity that weekend, from going to the beach in Súa (south of Esmeraldas), paying friendly visits to friends and neighbors, to attending a relative’s quinceañera (15th birthday – a big deal in Latin America). They referred to me as their "amigita".
The most enthusiastic welcome I received from the two chiquillas (“little girls”) of the house – constant kisses and hugs. And such energy!! Darya Alejandra (4 yrs) and Maria Liliana (2 yrs) constantly were tumbling around the house, the younger following the elder. While I noticed that Lili’s favorite word seemed to be mío (“mine”), I was also told by Alejandra that Lili speaks English – since no one in the house can understand her when she speaks. I became the tía or ñaña for the weekend.
Otras observaciones:
-A large oil refinery in Esmeraldas prepares the petroleo for export. It arrives from the Oriente on the other side of the Andes mountains via an oleoducto (“pipeline”) that has seemed to always suffer illegal expropriations – a little bit here and a little bit there always seems to be tapped from the oleoducto, though not accounted for. Thus, the petroleo that arrives in Esmeraldas is routinely less than what is officially accounted for. It is the place of work for Julio’s father.
-I was told that in recent years many people in Esmeraldas have come down with illnesses and in some cases cancer, though no one knows why. And no one has yet to perform an investigation to determine the cause. And the role of the state? At least the Ministerio de Salud?
-Comida tan riiiica!! Another difference between la sierra and la costa – la comida. Rice is a staple throughout the whole country, but the costeños really know how to do it well. Often mixed with carne asada (beef), camarones (shrimp) or fritada (pork), it’s served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
One plate in particular, Bandera, refers to the Ecuadorian flag, which possesses three horizontal stripes of different colors – yellow, blue and red. While the food does not come in all of these colors, it is presented in three rows on the plate: camarones, rice, and guatita (cow gut) in a yellow sauce. Tasty!!
Also: coco y manjar (small balls of coconut and manjar, which is similar to dulce de leche), sweet plantains, jugos naturales todo el tiempo (limonada, naranjilla, sandia...)
Garua → Llovizna → Lluvia → Aguacero → Aguacerón = words to describe the rain, from low to high intensity.
-Despite the llovizna (which the family consistently referred to as aguacero, no matter the strength of the rain), Súa was plenty full of those who had come to swim in the warm waters.
-Salsotecas on the beach in Esmeraldas. We went dancing the first night we were all together (Thursday), along with the two chiquillas, helping them to do turns along with the beat of the music.
-The entire weekend in skirts and tank tops! Un calor suave que quise abrazarlo bien fuerte, con aspiraciones de llevarlo conmigo al regreso a la sierra.
I couldn't have asked for anything better for my weekend en la costa. Ya tengo ganas de regresar lo más pronto posible!
******
Picture 1: View of Esmeraldas from the back terrace of the house in La Boca del Lobo.
Picture 2: La Familia en Esmeraldas - Me, Julio Cesar, el papa, Alejandra, la mama, Carlos (hermano), Mari (sister-in-law).
Picture 3: Alejandra y Yo, snacking on bollos de leche.
Picture 4: La Lili smiling for the photo.
Picture 5: La Marimba statue near the entrance of town. A dance special to the region, it originates with the afro-ecuadorian community.
I had made it a point to get to the coast within the first couple of weeks of being in the country. The idea of relaxing on the sand, taking in the sun and the humid air with no obligations but to find a place to stay and the occasional meal...heaven. A period of relaxation before beginning real work, I convinced myself.
I left last Thursday afternoon from Quito. A 6-hr bus ride up into the mountains in the east, past the páramos, descending through montane humid forests down to the humid forests of the coast...and I would find myself in Atacames, 2800 m. later.
The descent itself was worth the daytime trip. Clouds hugged and flirted in and out between steep hillsides lush in vegetation. Clustered houses in small valleys composed isolated communities that this sierra-costa highway connected. For the first couple of hours the route was almost entirely switchbacks – the bus easing down the mountain sides, back and forth. It soon straightened out, however, and we picked up speed. Though, the clouds that had hovered over Quito for the past week seemed to be following us.
As the evening began to darken, obscuring the views from the bus window, I turned to conversation with the man sitting next to me, Julio César, on his way to visit family in Esmeraldas for the weekend. And that’s where my mini-costaventura began.
Not having any plans but to enjoy the sun and the beach, I accepted his invitation to spend the weekend with his family in Esmeraldas.
....
Esmeraldas is a small to medium-size city on the northern coast of Ecuador. Its 100,000 inhabitants spread out in neighborhoods along the coast and up into the folds of the small hills nearby. The majority of the people here have strong African descendency. The story goes that three Spanish frigates laden with slaves on their way to the port of Guayaquil fell victim to a fierce storm. All three ships wrecked and those Africans who were able, swam to shore. The area where they landed was so similar to their native lands that they stayed and settled down.
....
Though the cloudiness and the rain never really gave way the entire weekend, and even though I never realized my vision of soaking up the sun at the beach in Atacames, I passed the weekend much better that I could have imagined.
The family with which I passed those few days lives at the foot of the hills in Esmeraldas. A neighborhood by the name of La Boca del Lobo (“The Mouth of the Wolf”), earlier this century it was notoriously the sketchy part of town where shady happenings characterized daily life. Since then, from what I could see, it had converted itself into quite a homey and comfortable place.Children were everywhere, of all colors and ages. They ran about in groups from house to house, to the center of town, the markets and back carrying with them pinchos (“meat skewers”) and other sweets. It wasn’t hard to hear their squeals and shouts from the back of the house. In fact, it wasn’t hard at all to hear everything else that was going on in the surrounding houses and neighborhood.
The houses are tucked in snuggly next to each other, often sharing walls and roofs. Because of the humidity and heat, windows that can shut are left open, in addition to open doors (for passing breezes and to encourage neighbors to drop by for un ratito (“short period of time”)). Often there aren’t even windows, simply large open spaces in the cement wall over which decorative steel bars are draped to keep out the unwanted.
Two of my favorite moments each day were morning and evening. The activity of the neighbors, their children running about inside the houses would wake me. A serenade of music would waft in at the same time – salsa, merengue, bachata, marimba, some reggaeton – playing softly, coming from some unidentifiable house in the neighborhood. And in the evenings, I would go to sleep to the same sounds of music and people – comforting signs of an active and cohesive neighborhood.
Not to mention looking forward to sleeping in a tank top and shorts with a simple bed sheet, not the two comforters I use to fend off the cold nights in Quito.
....
In addition to the vegetation, one of those night and day differences between la costa and la sierra is the people itself. Los costeños en Esmeraldas are full of life. Well, those in Quito are as well, but the costeños show it and share it so well. They are easily disposed to joking and loud laughter that it’s hard for anyone to resist wanting to join them.
I was welcomed into Julio Cesár’s family as a close friend - hugs and kisses upon meeting his aunts, his parents and later his
brother, sister-in-law and their two little girls.I was incorporated into every activity that weekend, from going to the beach in Súa (south of Esmeraldas), paying friendly visits to friends and neighbors, to attending a relative’s quinceañera (15th birthday – a big deal in Latin America). They referred to me as their "amigita".
The most enthusiastic welcome I received from the two chiquillas (“little girls”) of the house – constant kisses and hugs. And such energy!! Darya Alejandra (4 yrs) and Maria Liliana (2 yrs) constantly were tumbling around the house, the younger following the elder. While I noticed that Lili’s favorite word seemed to be mío (“mine”), I was also told by Alejandra that Lili speaks English – since no one in the house can understand her when she speaks. I became the tía or ñaña for the weekend.Otras observaciones:
-A large oil refinery in Esmeraldas prepares the petroleo for export. It arrives from the Oriente on the other side of the Andes mountains via an oleoducto (“pipeline”) that has seemed to always suffer illegal expropriations – a little bit here and a little bit there always seems to be tapped from the oleoducto, though not accounted for. Thus, the petroleo that arrives in Esmeraldas is routinely less than what is officially accounted for. It is the place of work for Julio’s father.
-I was told that in recent years many people in Esmeraldas have come down with illnesses and in some cases cancer, though no one knows why. And no one has yet to perform an investigation to determine the cause. And the role of the state? At least the Ministerio de Salud?
-Comida tan riiiica!! Another difference between la sierra and la costa – la comida. Rice is a staple throughout the whole country, but the costeños really know how to do it well. Often mixed with carne asada (beef), camarones (shrimp) or fritada (pork), it’s served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
One plate in particular, Bandera, refers to the Ecuadorian flag, which possesses three horizontal stripes of different colors – yellow, blue and red. While the food does not come in all of these colors, it is presented in three rows on the plate: camarones, rice, and guatita (cow gut) in a yellow sauce. Tasty!!
Also: coco y manjar (small balls of coconut and manjar, which is similar to dulce de leche), sweet plantains, jugos naturales todo el tiempo (limonada, naranjilla, sandia...)
Garua → Llovizna → Lluvia → Aguacero → Aguacerón = words to describe the rain, from low to high intensity.
-Despite the llovizna (which the family consistently referred to as aguacero, no matter the strength of the rain), Súa was plenty full of those who had come to swim in the warm waters.
-Salsotecas on the beach in Esmeraldas. We went dancing the first night we were all together (Thursday), along with the two chiquillas, helping them to do turns along with the beat of the music.
-The entire weekend in skirts and tank tops! Un calor suave que quise abrazarlo bien fuerte, con aspiraciones de llevarlo conmigo al regreso a la sierra.
I couldn't have asked for anything better for my weekend en la costa. Ya tengo ganas de regresar lo más pronto posible!
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Picture 1: View of Esmeraldas from the back terrace of the house in La Boca del Lobo.
Picture 2: La Familia en Esmeraldas - Me, Julio Cesar, el papa, Alejandra, la mama, Carlos (hermano), Mari (sister-in-law).
Picture 3: Alejandra y Yo, snacking on bollos de leche.
Picture 4: La Lili smiling for the photo.
Picture 5: La Marimba statue near the entrance of town. A dance special to the region, it originates with the afro-ecuadorian community.
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