Hot Tips for Ecuador: Quito pt. 2

The day before I leave for the Amazon I thought I should follow through on my promise and post the second installment in my now world renowned series “Hot Tips for Ecuador”. So, without further ado, here goes Quito: part 2.

1.) Danger, Volcanoes! Ecuador and Quito lie in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The whole country therefore is spotted with active volcanoes, ready to blow at any moment. In fact, right next to the resort town of Banos, a volcano called Tungurahua is erupting as I write this. Quito is shouldered by an active volcano, Pichincha, just about a mile outside the city. And if one of the big ones like Cotopaxi were to erupt, it could completely devastate Quito with a lahar, pyroclastic flow, or in the worst case, a sideways eruption like Mount Saint Helens. At the very least Quito would be buried in ash; since the 1980s ash has fallen twice in Quito from volcanic eruptions in other parts of the country. So these volcano warning signs are no joke, although they are pretty funny.

Volcanoes are no laughing matter, but the drawing on this sign definitely is.

2.) I'm huge in Ecuador! I've never considered myself tall. I'm 6'1”, by my standards, this is slightly above average in the States. In Ecuador however, I'm a giant. Ecuadorians, as a people, are very very short, I would say the men average 5'7” to 5'8” and the women even shorter. And this isn't just a generalization; in my two months here I honestly have yet to see a single local who is taller than me. When I'm on a crowded metro bus, I can see over everyone by a good four inches. This also means, however, that Ecuador was not built for the tall. I'm constantly having to duck or bow my head and several times I have smacked my head on the bars you hold onto in the bus. Just a few days ago I climbed on to a bus as it lurched forward, causing me to slam my head against the bar and fall flat on the floor, that one left me with a nice bump and some bloody hair. So if you're tall and planning a trip to Ecuador, enjoy the view, but watch you head.

3.) All I want is a hot shower. The house we're living in now does not have a properly functioning shower. The water pressure is deplorable, and the water is luke warm at best... freezing cold at worst. So we've come up with the very third world solution of filling buckets with hot water from the tap and pouring it over ourselves to “wash up”. I have also had the extraordinarily bad luck of not getting a good hot shower at any of the six different hostals I have stayed at so far. I can only hope things improve. The lesson here of course is even in a decently developed country even the basics can be left behind. 

Me washing my hair in the sink.

 4.) Save the neck for me! This is a quote from the classic family movie “Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase. And I can now say that I've eaten a chicken neck... and much, much more. In Ecuador it is beyond rude not to clear your plate. You finish your food, only take what you are going to eat, and eat what is given to you. This is a part of the culture that looks very poorly upon waste. For fruits this means juicing whatever is rotting, it also means not keeping very many fresh vegetables in the house. For meats this means using the whole animal, the Whole animal. Here are a few of the choice animal parts that I've eaten so far:

Chicken Neck- actually very good, a surprising amount of meat.

Pork Skin- Kind of fatty and chewy at the same time, not bad

Chicken Kidney- Kind of like eating a sponge, not my favorite

Liver- It's liver, not too exciting, it's good if you prepare it right

Chicken Feet- Pretty much just skin and tendons

Cow Stomach- Really, really chewy, with no taste, I'm not a fan

Of course this just scratches the surface. I have yet to try such classics as tripe (intestines), or brains, not to mention the many things I can't even identify. But whatever it is, if you are served food, you had better eat it, all of it.

A yummy cow head soup from Otavalo, teeth included.

Chimborazo

The final day of our grand mountain bike tour began with a one and a half hour drive to the refuge atop Chimborazo mountain. Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador, as well as the farthest point from the center of the earth, leading some people to call it the highest mountain in the world. Now we all know that when measured from sea level Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, however, due to the "Equatorial Bulge" or the fact that the earth is not a perfect sphere, if you measure from the center of the earth, Chimborazo is actually higher than Mt. Everest. And it certainly feels like it up there; the air is thin, cold, and dry. The wind whips around and repeatedly slaps you in the face, it's like being snapped with a towel or hammered by a bad hail storm. Unfortunately for us, all of that wind didn't blow away the clouds, and the peak of Chimborazo stayed hidden all day long, but the ride was still great.

Here's our group at the refuge, ready to go!

The bumpy road down.

We started downhill from the refuge for about 7km on a bumpy washboard type dirt road. From there you go another 10km on a paved road that flips up and down more than Romney's positions. But once that first part is over and done with the real fun starts. From this point you take the old road to Ambato, it's a 40km ride all downhill through one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. At times you will think you're riding through the English countryside, with picturesque farmlands spotted with grazing cows. Other times you're riding through the Amazon, with vines and plants bursting all around. And the whole time you're winding along next to the babbling Ambato river... it's really quite amazing, like something out of a movie. This was by far my favorite day of the trip, and I would recommend the whole trip to anyone just so you could experience this last 40km. So without further stalling, I'll get right to the pictures!

 This next picture is a game called "Equivolley" which is probably the 2nd most popular sport in Ecuador, only behind football (soccer). Equivolley is similar to volleyball, but it is played with three people on each side, and the net is much higher which does not allow for spiking, also they use a football (soccer ball) instead of a volleyball. This makes the game much more focused on long volleys and strategy/placement, rather than just who can hit the ball harder.

Equivolly looks fun, I want a net in our yard.

Quilotoa

Sometimes things are just so beautiful that you can't stop taking pictures, that was the case with Quilotoa. Quilotoa is a lake inside the crater of Volcano Quilotoa. Quilotoa erupted long ago leaving this giant crater, in which now resides a shimmering emerald green lake. Our hostal was about a 5 minute walk from the rim of the crater, so bright and early we set off for a little hike!

Quilotoa on the way down.

Quilotoa on the way up...wow.

From the rim we started to hike down to the shore... hike is a generous term, it was more like skiing. It was steep, sandy, and more of a slide than anything else. The water was stunning, not to mention the mountains surrounding us on all sides. Everything set aglow by the warm morning sun. On the hike back up to the rim (this really was a hike) that sun got a little too warm however. They offer mules that you can rent for the ride up... now I know why. It was not the hardest hike I've ever done, but certainly no walk in the park.

Marcy doing Triangle by the shore.

Marcy chose to ride a mule up, probably a good idea.

After our visit to the crater lake, we returned to our hostal and began on a nice long bike ride down along a canyon and through the high sierra farmlands. It was a really nice ride, not too hard, not too easy, and with amazing views everywhere you looked.

This is a canyon formed out of the sand and dust left after Quilotoa erupted.

Fried bread is a good idea after a long bike ride.

Cotopaxi

The first stop on our three day bike tour was the iconic Cotopaxi. Probably the best known volcano in Ecuador, Cotopaxi is the second highest peak in the country, but ubiquitous to Ecuadorian identity and history. We left early and arrived at the refuge swimming in clouds. The weather was a blessing and a curse; on the one hand you could not see any of the glacier, and the peak of Cotopaxi was completely covered by clouds. However that meant that there was very little wind, which is nice when you're freezing at 4600 meters (~15000 feet.)

The ride on this day began from the refuge, and went down the mountain into the national park. It was a very bumpy ride, lots of rocks and sand, but totally worth it. Cotopaxi National Park is beautiful, and going by bike is a great way to see it. Our guide took us away from all of the other tourists into a lesser visited area of the park. Here we peddled through 100 year old lahar's and got to experience the amazing landscape of the Andean Paramo. This was probably the toughest of all three days, just because of how technical the riding was. These bikes have shocks, but afterwards you will still have a soar butt and palms. Not to mention that riding a bike at such high altitude is no small feat. I imagine this is what it feels like for a smoker of 20 years to exercise.

I didn't take a ton of pictures, but here are a few of the highlights, of course you can see all of them on my Flickr.

Ready to go!

Paramo

This is a Lahar left from the last eruption of Cotopaxi.

Here's the hostal where we stayed the night.

Tour Guide Extraordinaire

This post is a bit dated, but I have been very busy playing tour guide. The day after we got back from Otavalo a new volunteer arrived to liven things up a little bit. Marcela is from the States but lives in Colombia and was here on vacation for only one week, so we had to make the most of it. This means that I got to use all of my knowledge of Quito and Ecuador to show her around the city and try to pack in as much as possible during her short vacation. It was actually very fun to pretend to be an expert (I'm not.) I think I may have a future career in the tourism business, of course I did get us lost almost every day, so maybe I should hire a map reader to be my business partner.

Here we are acting like touristy gringos in Mariscal.

Anyways, the week was a smashing success and I had a ton of fun hanging out with my new friend. It kicked off with what was advertised to me as "An Octoberfest Party." Toby's Spanish teacher invited him to this party thrown by one of her former students, a German woman now living in Quito. Toby brought Marcy and I along figuring everything would be fine at this huge Octoberfest bash. Turns out it was really just an intimate birthday party for this woman with her family and a couple of close friends. But they're Ecuadorians, so our imposition was excused and we were welcomed with open arms and full plates. This woman knew how to cook, it was probably the best food I have had so far in Ecuador. The party was great fun and turned out to be a great way to finish the weekend.

Our German birthday party group.

This was the buffet... amazing German food!

That same day we visited the "Capilla del Hombre" or Chapel of Man. It is a museum designed by and displaying the artwork of Guayasamin, probably the most famous Ecuadorian artist ever. It is a museum dedicated to the pain, suffering, and injustice endured by the indigenous and lower class in Ecuador. The museum was free on Sunday and offered a free guided tour. It was an extremely moving experience, not only is the art beautiful and emotional, but the entire museum and tour tells a story of injustices and suffering around the world, as well as the hope for a better tomorrow. Of course during our tour there had to be that one girl who is on her phone the whole time. How can you be focusing on a text message while the guide is talking about mutilated bodies and dictatorship in Spain? It's pretty much like talking on your cell phone at the Holocaust museum... pretty bad etiquette if you ask me.

Throughout the week Marcy and I traveled all over Quito. To the Old Town, Vista Hermosa, Mariscal, Artisan markets, Mitad del Mundo, and more. It was a really great time and I have so many memories from it to share, but this post is already starting to drag on, so I think I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

The rooftop terrace of Vista Hermosa.

These next two photos need an explanation. Ecuadorian desserts are deceptive... they all look delicious, like something out of an expensive cookbook. However they taste horrible. So far almost every dessert that I have tried here has been disgusting, the cake tastes like aluminum, the chocolate stuff is tasteless, and the cheesecake is basically just whipped butter with no flavor. As Marcy described it "It's like they saw a picture of something in a book and then just threw together whatever ingredients made something that looked like the picture."

Bad Ecuadorian desserts.

We covered up those desserts and ran for it.

This is a piece of public art in Quito, the police officers standing 10 meters away apparently didn't care that we climbed it.

Mitad del Mundo.

Marcy doing headstand on the Equator.

We have way to many bracelets.

Me deciding what to write in the "Pictojournal"

Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, and Chimborazo, oh my!

This past weekend, I went with Toby and Marcela to a three day biking tour of some of the most beautiful mountains in Ecuador. I will give a shameless plug here to our amazing tour company The Biking Dutchman. If you are ever in Ecuador, definitely sign up for one of their amazing mountain biking experiences. For our tour we started from Quito and went up to Cotopaxi on day 1, Quilotoa on day 2, and Chimborazo on day 3. From this itinerary you get to see the two highest peaks in Ecuador, and one of the most unique and beautiful crater lakes in the world. Of course the best part is that the whole thing is done on mountain bikes and in car. So you get to ride through the best and most scenic parts of Ecuador, while being driven to each destination. I'm going to do a separate post for each day, but it may take a bit to get everything uploaded so I just wanted to post this to let people know that I'm still alive. Also it's a great opportunity to whet your appetites with some of the amazing pictures I got. Stay tuned for the upcoming blogs!

Cotopaxi national park.

Me, Toby, and Marcy at Quilotoa.

A panorama of Quilotoa crater lake.

A canyon created by the eruption of Quilotoa many years ago.

From the old road from Chimborazo to Ambato.

Another from the old road to Ambato.

Our tour group!

The City of Needles and Threads

Otavalo is a city like no other, it blends old with new, Quechua with tourist, and beautiful handmade crafts with knock off designer jeans. The importance of Otavalo as a trading post dates back to pre-Incan times, and for hundreds of years it has held one of the most important open-air markets in South America. Every Saturday craftsmen and artisans from the surrounding Andes gather to display everything from jewelry to paintings to bootleg DVDs, and of course, the weaving. By far the most popular items in the market are the stunning cloth goods that come in every shape, size, and color. Alpaca or cotton; sweater or tablecloth; pencil case or hammock; if it is made out of thread and dye, you can find it in Otavalo. And they are beautiful, in fact the challenge here is not finding something you like, it's choosing which of the thousands of rainbow colored blankets you are going to buy.

The goods make it worth the trip, but I have to say that I found the market experience itself to be a bit much. On Saturdays the markets overflows from the Plaza del Ponchos into the surrounding streets and snakes its way through most of the small town. It is just massive, completely packed everywhere you look with cheap bead necklaces, knock off converse shoes, indigenous Quechua clothing, and some of the most random but fascinating crafts I've ever seen. The Plaza del Ponchos is a sea of colors and patterns, bursting with cloth of every type and salesmen hawking their goods. Every way is bustling with a mix of locals and tourists, all hunting for the best bargains. Everywhere you go salesmen and artisans are yelling at you in their best Spanglish and trying to draw you in with discounts and a dizzying display of brightly colored tapestries. If you're trying to induce a seizure, this would be a great place to go. Personally, I found it all a bit overwhelming. First of all, there are just so many stands with amazing works that you want to buy everything you see, but you know that there are probably 50 other stands with exactly the same stuff. How are you to make the right decision... Who has the best colors? The best patterns? The best price? Will this be unique? Will I use it? How will I bring it home?

It's really just too much for me to handle at one time, and it can be difficult to stop, because if you slow down you're likely to be swarmed by the vultures that pass for salesmen here. I really hate salesmen. When I'm shopping I just want to be left alone... just because I stop to look at something does not warrant you to start pulling everything out to show me, or asking me a million questions. If I like something I will buy it, if I want to see something or have a question, I will ask. I also feel a tremendous amount of guilt when I stop to look at things and get these artists hopes up only to walk away the next minute.

But despite all of the insanity of the surroundings, the market is definitely worth it. The finds are top-notch, unique, and beautiful. And the experience is one that is worth having, even if it's not all that enjoyable. It's very cool to see such a mix of cultures and classes all coming together in this big mixing pot of commerce. Plus we stayed with our friends Marco and Lucia, so lodging was free, we ate at their cevicheria, and after the market Marco took us to a beautiful lagoon outside of town. Doesn't get much better than that for a one day trip.

One of the streets in the Plaza de Ponchos.

Breakfast at the food market (yes there's a whole separate market just for food.)

In Ecuador, ceviche is more of a cold soup, and it's eaten with popcorn.

Me and Toby at Quicoche, the lagoon.

It was very cloudy and rainy during our trip, but that makes for a cool effect on the lake.

Those clouds really made this place seem like it was from a movie.

Hot Tips for Ecuador: Quito Part 1

Good morning/afternoon/night! There are a lot of miscillaneous things that I've learned from my time so far in Ecuador that I think are worth writing about, but don't necessarily warrent their own blog post. Hence the first installment of my soon to be epic series "Hot Tips for Ecuador." These are the kinds of tips that you can not find in any travel guide; things that I wish someone had told me before arriving, and/or random things that I find funny and want to share. So here goes nothing!

1.) Wear a lot of hair gel. This one is somewhat of a personal choice, but if you're trying to look like a local it's definitely the way to go. Quito is a pretty windy place, and I believe that is what motivates this early 2000s-esque obsession with hair gel. Most Quiteños wear their hair short to medium length, spiked up in a faux-hawk, and always well crusted with gobs of super-hold hair gel. If there's one thing this look accomplishes well (and I'm pretty sure there is only one thing) it is to keep that hairdo in place all day long, through wind, rain, or hurricane.

2.) Don't trust the buses. This one is important, you must always ask the bus drivers where they are going. Buses in Ecuador are not terribly organized. They all just have a sign in the window that is supposed to say where they are going. Though often times the signs are incorrect, or at the very least hard to decipher. I have several times climbed on a bus only to end up in some foreign neighborhood far from my desired destination. Don't get me wrong, there are many things about public transport in Ecuador that I love, in fact I would say that as far as efficiency, Ecuador beats out any major city in the States. You just have to be careful and ask the driver where he is going before climbing aboard. Most drivers are happy to help a confused gringo.

Ecuadorian buses are awesome, notice the transformers symbol in the upper left

3.) Don't climb the walls. People into Quito are very concerned about home-security. Every house is surrounded by an 8 to 10 foot stone wall barred by a metal gate. These old stone walls often look tempting to climb... don't be fooled. Every wall is topped by some combination of barbed wire, electric fence, or my personal favorite: broken glass. Yes Quiteños do recycle their old glass bottles, they are simply repurposed as home-invader deterrents.

An example of the broken glass defense

Ouch!

4.) Watch your step. Here is another important one. Sidewalks in Ecuador are often a disaster. In a lot of places it looks like they just let Jackson Pollock loose on the wet concrete. Potholes, huge steps, big cracks... it's a potential minefield. In my first week here I was tripping every 30 seconds. If you're not careful you will fall flat on your face. This is why when you're walking around the neighborhoods of Quito you HAVE to look at your feet. Always look down, seriously, because if you shift your attention to that passing car you will trip and embarrass yourself. Not to mention that the whole "pooper-scooper" idea never really caught on here, so that's just one more thing to watch out for. I repeat: always look down.

Well, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for part 2 of "Hot Tips for Ecuador: Quito"

Return to Pichincha: The Summit

Frequent readers of this blog may remember that I have been to Pichincha before. Last time it was quite a hike and it seemed that we had made it fairly close to the summit. We were wrong... so very wrong. Pichincha is one of those hikes where you always think "It's just over this next hill!" and it never is. In total the trek to the summit took us 3 hours and 15 minutes, and it was a bitch. The summit is at 4,698 meters (15,413 ft.), the altitude becomes a big factor. During our climb I was huffing and puffing more than Chris Christie climbing the capitol steps. It is also freezing cold with near tropical storm force winds, so that's not helping anyone.

The path to the top, this would be a great place to film Lord of the Rings, just saying.

To the summit!

The last 45 minutes is the real challenge. At that point it turns from an uphill path into crazy steep landslide. Where once there was hard packed dirt and grass, now there is only sand and broken rocks. To quote myself from the trip "Damn this is steep!" At this point it's about as steep or steeper than a double black diamond ski slope to give a reference. Once you tackle the land slide it changes from a hike into rock climbing. This is the point where most people choose to turn back... we didn't.

The landslide portion

No Tobias is not standing on a hill or anything. I was a few feet away from him, this is just how steep it is.

From here you must climb vertically up the rocky face of the summit. This was definitely the scariest part, given that you're rock climbing without a harness or ropes. But it was really really fun, and totally worth it. The summit of Pichincha is a great place to have a picnic, so that's just what we did. The views were amazing, we had a hawk walk only about 10 feet from us, and we met a really cool mountaineering couple up there that showed us an easier way down (basically sliding down the sandy part) and then gave us a ride home. Overall a pretty awesome day, and despite all my whining about how tough the hike was, it was completely worth it, and I would go back without question.

Starting the final ascent.

This is what you have to climb up to get to the summit.

This is what awaits you if you fall.

The view from the top

Mr. Hawk

Made it!

Proof!

Yes I do often picnic at 15,413 feet... I'm pretty cool, no big deal

And now I have to steal a card from Kamila whom I miss very much, and give you a preview of what I will be doing two weekends from now, biking down Cotopaxi!

We have a date, see you in two weeks Cotopaxi!