Still in Quito

As Sarah left off, we had plans to go into the city with Jani, Ricardo's sister on Monday and to go up in the cable car. Well, we went into the city, but we didn't make it to the cable car until today. But let's start with Monday. Sarah and I accompanied Jani and her oldest cousin, whose name we still don't know, back into the old section of Quito. The goal: to see everything we missed. The outcome: mostly successful. We began at La Compañía de Jesus and believe me when I say that this was unbelievable. According to the guidebook, nearly seven tons of gold were used in decoration of the walls, ceiling and altars within the church. The whole church is glowing in when you walk in, it is incredible. They were also doing restoration work while tourists were inside and it was pretty cool to watch the artists/restorers do their work on the 17th century church.

We also made it into San Franciso, the church that was closed for restoration the last time we went by. It was closed for restoration for good reason, half of the paintings lining the columns were too faded and dark to make out what they were. It seemed like quite the space and I would be happy to go back once work is more complete.

The final church that we looked at was Santo Domingo. We were there while mass was going on and it was a little uncomfortable to be there while other people were worshipping. However, we were not the only ones doing it and we stayed completely out of the way. The church itself was very very nice, with wonderful wood carvings on the doors and ceiling. However, the most beautiful part was the Chapel of the Rosary, off to the side of the main altar. The space itself was primarily red and gold with incredible sculptures, carvings and paintings decorating the whole area. It was truly breathtaking for such a small space.

We tried to go to the City Museum (Museo de la Ciudad) only to find it closed for the day. So we went off in search of lunch and a bookstore. Lunch was uneventful and kind of boring and we found our bookstore in "Gringo Central," the backpackers area of Quito. This area is identical to any other backpacker's area anywhere in the world. That is to say that there are plenty of restaurants catering to those who may want a change from the local fare, bookstores with sections in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, and hostels galore. We got some good books, since we have pretty much finished everything that we brought with us, including the complete Harry Potter collection. I think that we will begin to keep a book list since most often than not, we will lose the physical evidence of a finished book as it is traded in for something new.

After the bookstore, we wandered a few blocks to a market that sold everything the tourist could ever want. For the most part, it was a smaller, more expensive version of the market in Otavalo, the city that we visited on Saturday. The cousin made some purchases but we got our fill on Saturday, especially since any purchase must be carried for the next five months. This limitation is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. We spend less yet we bring home fewer cool things.

After the market, we called it a day and took the bus back to Cumbaya and the house. The bus system is actually surprisingly easy. There is one bus route from our suburb of Cumbaya to Quito. It takes us to a big bus terminal where there are a few choices, but they are pretty clearly marked. The trolley and the Ecovia (a bus) both go North-South through Quito down different avenues and the guidebooks are good about putting the stops on the maps. And so, for yesterday and today, when we were on our own, we were able to take the bus with no problem.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we went into town by ourselves to check out parts of the new section of the city. After a lengthy stop at the airline office to try to change our flight from Lima to Cuzco (unsuccessful), and lunch at a pretty decent Indian place in Gringo Central, we took the bus down to one of the better museums I have ever been to. The Museo Nacional del Banco Central del Ecuador was absolutely incredible. It is part of this huge cultural complex placed between two of the biggest parks in Quito. This complex contains four museums and the theater that we went to for the concert our first week. Anyway, this museum begins on the ground floor with an archeological section (Sala de Arqueología) documenting all of the different cultures in prehispanic Ecuador. The ceramic collection is incredible, and the presentation is also incredibly professional and informative. Following this section is the Sala de Oro, containing a very impressive collection of prehispanic gold work. The intricacy of many of the gold jewelry is astounding. Additionally, the museum provides information on the tools and methods used for gold and metal work during the Incan period. From there we moved forward in time to colonial art. There was a very excellent collection of religious art, much of it from the churches in the old section of Quito. We skipped the Republican Art collection and went to the contemporary collection which was very impressive. Almost all of the artists displayed are/were Ecuadorian and there were a few that really stood out. One of Sarah's favorites was Jorge Velarde who did a multi-piece instillation of different emotions on the same face expressed with different areas of the face (eyes, nose, mouth) and thus was a collage of emotion. I liked one by Tomas Ochoa who did a piece showing the faces of Ecuador and a commentary on the state of the indigenous peoples of the country.

After the museum, we returned to the house and relaxed a little while before going over to Pancho's house. We all worked together and made a very nice dinner of bruschetta, caprese and pasta with red peppers, black olives and capers tossed in. It reminded me of being back at home, and it was very good. We hung out there for a while, talking and looking at some of Pancho's photos before heading back around 10:30.

Today was also pretty eventful. We once again took the bus into town and went to the Museo Guayasamín first. Apparently, the last Guaysamín museum we went to wasn't actually the official one. It was five blocks away and works in coordination with the official one, showing mostly the big murals that the artist did. The offical Museo Guayasamín is in his house. In addition to his work, there is a collection of prehispanic ceramics, very similar to those in yesterday's museum, but not as extensive of course. There are some very nice pieces and a wonderful collection of ceramic bowls that completely covers one of the walls. Then of course there is his section, showcasing paintings from the very beginning to the very end of his career. It is interesting to the progress that he made as an artist, not only in style but in message and scope. There is also a section of the portaits he did, including one of Fidel Castro. There are originals for sale here and if I had a thousand to cough up, I would gladly purchase one of his prints. Perhaps in twenty years...

After lunch, we finally made it to the cable car, which had been on the agenda every day since Monday. It was really awesome. We prepared and brought warm sweatshirts and hats with us today because it gets quite cold when you are 4100 meters high looking down on some of the clouds. The cable cars were small but numerous, holding 6 people apiece and arriving every few minutes. The line did not take long to get through and we were quickly on our way up the mountain. From the cable car, the city gradually expands in front of you and we were able to look down on the airplanes flying into Quito. The whole complex is quite touristy, with a theme park at the bottom (a little strange), and plenty of restaurants and gift shops. However, you are able to get away from it relatively easily by exploring the paths to different lookout points along the top of the mountain. Additionally, since there weren't many people there, it was quite peaceful up there looking out over the city. It was very cool when there was a hole in the clouds and a particular area of the city was illuminated, differentiating it from the rest of the city. Also, there are horses for rent if you feel like exploring more of the mountain. We thought about it, and for $3 per person it was pretty tempting, but it was already getting late and we decided that there would be other opportunities for horseback riding on our trip. However, we did get a few pictures of the Ecuadorian cowboys and the pack of dogs that was following them everywhere. After our little walk, we got coffee and hot chocolate and enjoyed the view for a while before heading back down and back home.

We have only two days left here in Ecuador and we aren't quite sure what we are going to do. We are going to see Inti-Illimani, a very political and very awesome Chilean folk music group, tomorrow night. We had the opportunity to see them last summer on Long Island with Sarah's parents and if this show is anything like the one last summer, we are going to have a blast. We also should have more photos on the way soon.

Earrings and Incas

It has been so nice to finally get to explore Quito a bit. As Eben wrote, the Basilica was absolutely amazing. However, he conveniently forgot to mention that actually reaching the Basilica on top of the hill and making it to the top of the clock tower was way more challenging than I ever expected. First, you must remember that Quito is a city on top of the Andes. Major roads around the city weave all over the mountainside, and even streets within the city tend not to lie flat. So of course, since the Basilica is on top of a hill, in order to reach it you must walk uphill. Very very uphill. I felt like I should have had hiking gear and emergency flares for the occasion. My legs hurt so badly, and I was panting by the time we reached it. We decided to climb the three levels of the Basilica so we could enjoy the views (which were, of course, phenomenal). After we reached the third level, however, we had to cross a rickety bridge and climb a ladder that was (I swear) made of a few metal bars and chicken wire. CHICKEN WIRE. To top it off, I had worn flip flops (who knew they made climbing chicken wire a slippery task?), so I was silently panicking as I slowly made my way to the top of a turret. That led us outside (cool!) where there was yet another chicken wire ladder that led you to an even higher turret. Given the strong feeling that I would fall and die, I stayed put. Eben climbed it, though, and he says it was beautiful. After backtracking down the first chicken wire ladder and bridge, we climbed a few more ladders (they just kept coming) to go up to the clock tower. You could peek out of the tower walls and look out at Quito, which was amazing. It reminded me of being at the top of the Due Torre in Bologna, where you can see miles upon miles of rooftops and hills. I was proud that we made it that far.

Something funny I've noticed is that there is a lot of graffiti in Ecuador. A lot of it is, of course, political, but I think that the most of the things we've seen are professions of love. The Basilica stairways were covered in ¨Maria, te amo para siempre!¨ and things like that. It's pretty cute. :)

So let's see... Ricardo left us to go back to Vassar. He took us to a poetry reading featuring himself and a couple of friends at a small bar nearby. It was really quite lovely. I kept thinking how cool it was that they could come together and read their poetry together. I don't think many American guys would be too keen on reading love poems to their buddies, but here it seems to be okay. Pancho had also put up prints of some photos he had taken while in Peru, so overall it was an evening of sharing art.

Ricardo was supposed to leave Friday night to fly back to New York, but the fog was so bad in Quito that all flights were canceled! He ended up leaving Saturday afternoon, and I believe he has finally arrived in Poughkeepsie after an overnight layover in Atlanta. No good! It's pretty sad to not have him here anymore since I feel like we didn't get to do enough together, but his family is taking good care of us. :)

We all drove out to Otavalo Saturday afternoon, which is about 2 hours from Quito. Otavalo is home to a huge market that pre-dates Inca times! The city is definitely famous for its market, but it's also interesting because the otavaleños (people from Otavalo) mostly are in traditional dress. This means that the men tend to keep their hair long wrapped in a ponytail, and the women wear beautiful long skirts and blouses. The colors on the women are very vivid, and I couldn't help but feel giddy when I saw their striking appearances. Apparently men also traditionally wear dark hats and ponchos, but I didn't really see that. It's very Andean Cowboy, which I absolutely love. Hopefully I'll see more later in our journeys. I tried to convince Eben to buy an Andean cowboy hat and poncho, but he wasn't going for it. Persistence is key. :) Anyway, the market stalls seemed to be neverending. It was so fun to walk around and browse. There were lots of beautifully colored ponchos and sweaters, sculptures from Bolivia, shrunken heads (scary), touristy t-shirts, and the most amazing array of jewelry. I practiced amazing self-control and bought only 6 pairs of earrings and a sweater! I could have wandered the market for hours, it was so fun.
Most of the people in Otavalo are indigenous, and I expect that the crafts are produced by them, so it felt good to know that the items we were seeing were authentic. It makes me even more excited to go to Perú and Bolivia, where I am certain we'll learn more about indigenous cultures. Ricardo has plans to learn Quechua (or Quichua, I can't remember), which is the traditional language of indigenous tribes, though Spanish is becoming more popular among younger generations. Once I get all of my Spanish back, I think it would be fun to learn Quechua. I wonder if I can use it in the United States?

So that's all of the big stuff we've done. Last night a lot of family came over to play cards, and Eben won twice. He won a bit of money but is now playing another round downstairs, so I suspect he might lose some of it today. Hopefully not. :) We only have a few more days in Quito, so our goals are to see a few more things in the Old City, go on over to the New City, and take a cable car with Ricardo's sister Jany up to the Panecillo. So much to do! Perú is quickly approaching!

Back in Quito

Since we returned from the beach Monday afternoon, we have been pretty busy and having a good time. Francisco (Pancho), Ricardo´s friend who goes to Columbia, is back in town from doing environmental biology research in Peru, so we have been hanging out with him quite a bit. On Monday night, after coming back from the beach, we ended up going over to Pancho´s house, which is awesome. The house is very open, with big windows here and there that make it seem like nothing is there, lots of exposed beams, lots of turns and little nooks here and there that defy any normal layout for the house. And it has a brick, woodburning bread/pizza oven outside.

That night was spent hanging out with the same crew that we have been doing most things with. We had pizza and it was surprisingly good. Apparently, everybody loves Dominos over here, it´s crazy. There is also Pizza Hut and Papa Johns, but we got the pizza from a local restaurant that gave it a somewhat Ecuadorean twist really just by having various types of corn as toppings on most of the pizzas.

On Tuesday, August 21st, Ricardo had a medical exam and a lunch to go to, so we were left at the house for most of the day until Pancho came to pick us up. He took us to his house and then we went for a little hike/walk on a path near his neighborhood. He is quite the photographer and was showing us a few tricks with shutter speed and whatnot. Anyway, the path overlooks this canyon that is quite beautiful and there are ranches with grazing cattle and horses, and a single house that looked like it cost a couple million to build.
Ecuador is also home to giant aloe plants, bigger than us, out of a video game giant. This picture is of a medium sized one:
After our walk with Pancho, Ricardo came over and we all went out to dinner at a place that served crepes. It was delicious. Speaking of delicious, although we did not eat Ecuadorian food the last two nights, the food here has been spectacular. A lot of it is corn based, and so we are having corn or potato pancakes with some cheese most mornings for breakfast. Those have been really good. Also, we have eaten quite a few humitas, made by Ricardo's dad's family in the south of Ecuador and brought up to Quito because they don't like the local humitas. There is a lot of rice although less beans than I expected. While we were at the sea, the seafood was fantastic, a lot of shrimp and some fish that I don't really know the name of. Either way, most of it was done in a green coconut sauce with some rice and plantains and was very good.

Wednesday was by far more eventful than Tuesday. We got an early start and headed out to see the equator. The measurement, made by some colonizers, is about 40 minutes outside of Quito and is quite touristy. Ricardo claims that while their Equator is about 200 meters from the real one, the Incas had it right long before. Given some of the evidence we saw in various displays near the monument, I think that I believe this too. Regardless, who wouldn't want a chance to be on both halves of the world at once?
At the Ecuator, you apparently weigh some 6 pounds less (when from the United States, it differs depending on home latitude) than back at home. I don't really know why...

From the Equator, we went back downtown to the soccer stadium to see a friendly between Ecuador and Bolivia. We bought our tickets for $5 around 2PM for a 6PM game. We were worried about it selling out, but we really had more time than we thought. To pass the time, we spent a few hours in a restaurant hanging out with the regular crew, drinking Pilsener of course. We entered the stadium around 4:45 and this place was great. There are no seats, just concrete benches all around and all of the concessions are roaming. The selection was unbelievable. We could get popcorn, empanadas, french fries, chicken, corn salad, beer, candy, nuts, pretty much anything that one would want without ever leaving our seats. The game was very evenly matched. Since it was only a friendly, not all of the regular starters were there. It was very fun being part of the general crowd, learning the song and the cheers. I have never seen a wave go so far at a match. One wave went around the stadium a little more than three times before stopping, it was great. There were also fireworks all over the place. At the end of the game, emotions ran quite high and there was almost a fight in front of the Ecuadorian net. Everyone from both teams, including the trainers and substitutes stormed the field, it looked like a baseball fight. That was during extra time and so the ref just called the game for safety's sake. Ecuador won the game 1-0, with a penalty kick for a goal in the 35th minute. After the game, a guy wrapped in the Ecuadorian flag jumped from the stands over the barbed wire fence and onto the field. Security did nothing, they allowed him to congratulate all of the players and then after hanging around for a little bit, they showed him how to get out with no manhandling or anything, it was amazing. As usual for this week, we went to Pancho's house after the game.

Today has been quite busy as well. We woke up early to get dropped off at the trolley station to go to the old section of Quito and do some touristy things. Ricardo had work to do, so we were on our own. We checked out some quite a few of the main attractions of old Quito. The area itself is gorgeous, with the Spanish colonial architecture and open plazas that remind me of the plazas in Rome. We went to the Cathedral first, one of the first (but not the first which was closed for renovation) churches in Quito. The church itself was gorgeous, with a carved wood ceiling and frescos coming down the pillars. It also housed the corpses of some former presidents and various important people from Quito's history. From there, we checked out the Museo de Cera, which shows quite a bit of Quito's history, but most importantly, the prison cells of the first independence revolutionaries of Ecuador. We then walked quite a few blocks uphill, the first time I have felt the thinner atmosphere, to a church called La Basilica. The gargoyles on the outside of the church are all animals from the Galapagos. Also, you can climb by way of both stairs and ladders all the way to the top of the clock towers and get amazing views of Quito.
After La Basilica, we ate some lunch and just walked around until Ricardo came and picked us up around 4:15. We are now preparing to go out to the local bar frequented by Ricardo and his friends because Panchos is showing some of his photos and Ricardo and Tobi (another friend) are giving poetry readings. Although it will be difficult for me to understand most of the poetry, I am pretty excited and will write more about it later.

Well, we are just back from our beach weekend. We stayed in a very tiny town by Esmeraldas, which is along the northern coast kind of by Colombia. The drive there took quite a few hours, but driving through the mountains was really gorgeous. The further out of the city we got, the more it seemed that everyone lived in a shack. That's probably a generalization, but it definitely seemed that way.

Exploring the beaches was lots of fun. Some areas were very rocky... not like there were a lot of pebbles, but rather giant boulders that had developed intricate caves and crevices from the waves. It was cool to climb up rock hills and see what the water had done to these massive stones. Eben took lots of pictures during our little expedition. I managed to slice open a chunk of my foot on what I maintain was a 100-ft-wide clam, but Eben says it was more likely a sharp rock. Other than that, good times.

So this is what I have learned over the weekend:
1. Being vegetarian in Ecuador means eating a lot of cheese and bananas. Sometimes rice. This is why life is better when you have a personal chef to make more interesting meals.
2. When driving, it is expected that you pass the car in front of you if it is driving too slow. Determining speed limits is essentially pointless since there appear to be no speed limit signs on the roads. Passing cars on narrow roads that wind around a mountain is indeed a dangerous act, but still encouraged, even if the car you are passing is a police truck. Nobody seems to mind.
3. Pilsener appears to be the only beer available in Ecuador.
4. If the Ecuadorians are using SPF 50 on the beach, and if you (the American who is indeed part Irish) are using SPF 30, this is probably a bad idea. Sadly, I did not learn this until after I got sunburned on the left side of my forehead. Yes, only the left side. It is beautiful.

I expect to have many more revelations over the coming weeks. :) I really want to start working with Ricardo's mom soon, but since she is not working this week, I have a feeling that it still won't be for a while. I guess it's nice to relax for now, but I want to feel useful! Soon enough, I suppose.

That's about it. The plans for the week include a formal visit to the Equator, exploring museums and churches in Quito, and speaking more español.

We are currently in the beautiful city that is Quito, Ecuador. We flew in Tuesday on a wonderfully uneventful flight. We are staying with my freshman year roommate, Ricardo Sanchez, and his family. They have been wonderful so far and we are having a great time. Ricardo has taken us out to see some of Cumbaya, the town in the valley just outisde of Quito that he lives in. We have also made some trips into the city to see some really cool things. On Wednesday, we went to one of the two Guayasamin museums. Guayasamin was a very leftist painter from Ecuador who is friends with Chavez and Castro, etc... Anyway, his paintings are incredible. Our favorite of his is ¨Lagrimas de Sangre,¨ a painting with a haunting face and tears of blood coming down the face. It is dedicated to Salvador Allende, Victor Jara and Pablo Neruda in 1973. Later that night we went to dinner for Ricardo´s father´s birthday. The restaurant was right across the street from the Presidential Palace. We got to walk around and see some of the old town, but we didn´t have too much time, so Ricardo promised us that we will come back next week. Later, we went to the greatest club I have ever been to. Everyone was in their early 20s and the music was almost all Latin American ska with a little US and European music thrown in. It was awesome.

On Thursday, we did not do too much during the day since it was pouring in downtown Quito and we didn´t have a car. I got my hair cut and then we went into Quito for a concert. It was three Cantautores or troubadours (I think that is the closest translation). Two of them, Fernando Delgadillo and Alejandro Filio, are from Mexico and quite famous. The third, Santiago Martinez, is from Quito but lives in Mexico now. All three were very beautiful singers and amazing guitar players. We were in the National Theater which held several hundred people and when they played a song that people knew, it seemed as though the whole theater was singing along. At the end of the concert, all of the cantautores came out and did what seemed like a 45 minute encore, taking turns playing more songs and playing some songs together. It was really cool even if a little long.

That brings us to today. We are about to leave the house to go to the beach in Esmeraldas, about a 4 or 5 hour drive away. And that´s it, I hope everything is well at home and we will update soon.

P.S. We know about the earthquake in Peru and we haven´t decided what plans if any we are going to change. But we are thinking that it might not be the greatest idea to still go to Lima. Cuzco, our next longterm destination was untouched, so we should be fine there.