Lisa gets robbed again
I got my wallet stolen on the bus ride from hell. We were on an overnight bus from Puerto Lopez to Quito. For part of the bus ride I was sitting in the aisle seat and I’m guessing someone took it from my purse while I was enjoying a good gravol induced sleep. I only got 65$ taken along with my Canadian ID card, health insurance card and my Ecuadorian residency card. It sucks but I’m guessing that whoever took my money needed it more than me.
Puerto Lopez
Other than that the beach was a great time. Since it’s the rainy reason in Ecuador there wasn’t a lot of sun but it was still beautiful. Puerto Lopez is this tiny little fishing town with great waves and a beautiful beach. We ate some great seafood, had some lovely pina coladas, and basically relaxed all weekend on the beach. The hostel we stayed at was lovely; it was right on the beach and was surrounded by beautiful flowers and butterflies. There was a little Brazilian restaurant in the hostel and they served organic coffee and chocolate. The owners also had a huge dog named Scooby; he was some sort of Dalmatian and other giant dog mix.
Valle de los Manduriacos (Loofas)
Last Monday and Tuesday I visited the Valle de los Manduriacos, where the loofah cooperative is. It is an incredibly beautiful community and I am very excited to start working there in December. The area is sub tropic so it is full of lush green plants and beautiful flowers. There are lots of bugs, mosquitoes, and cockroaches too. I will be working on various projects within the cooperative such as administrative things- taking inventory, and organizing and shipping orders. I will also be sorting and packaging organic grains- corn, beans, soy nuts and lentils. The community also makes organic liquor from cane sugar and fruits, and once the new roof is put on the building I will be making some rum. (I know it’s like a dream come true!) And of course I will be making a few loofahs. It was very exciting to see all of the new loofah designs that they have created. There are now loofah penguins, loofah carrots, loofah turtles, and loofah lobsters.
When I am working there I will be renting my own little wood cabin, nothing too fancy- bunk beds with mosquito netting, with a simple bathroom and kitchen. Although I will have my very own hammock and little balcony so I can relax and watch the roosters and pigs. There is also a little store that sells everything from ketchup to propane, and a small restaurant that serves simple meals like fried fish or fried chicken, rice, beans and juice for 2$.
Tuesday Afternoon
So for lunch today my host grandmother prepared this Ecuadorian speciality, apparently it is really popular in Guayaquil and on the coast. I should also explain that I was a vegetarian for 10 years and just starting eating meat again in August in preparation for my trip to Ecuador. So as I take my first bite, I’m thinking gee this meat is rubbery and chewy and kind of tastes weird. It was cow intestines. It took a while for me to get this out of them, at first it was just carne de res, then carne de vaca, then estomago. At first I had thought it might have been lamb, but I had forgotten the word for lamb so I just started making lamb noises, which didn’t turn out well. Luckily they weren’t offended that I didn’t like it, it was kind of like the ceviche incident all over again. Ceviche is raw seafood marinated in garlic sauce. So that’s my little take on meat in Ecuador. The chicken is delicious, as is the seafood when it is cooked and your on the coast of the country.
I am on way to pick up season one and two of LOST from this nice man that owns a bootleg dvd store. I cannot possibly explain my happiness over this! Its kind of strange the things I am missing…. my bicycle….joel plaskett cd’s…..breakfast at the pyramid café…..and LOST!!!!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Loofahs will have to wait
Hola Amigos!
Well there have been some changes... this morning there was road blocks between Sangolqui and Quito, angry taxi drivers. The cops showed up and brought out the tear gas. My profesor was trying to drive to our school and she ended up getting stuck in the middle of it. She was going to drive us to the Intag region and the Loofah cooperative so looks like thats not going to happen till tuesday.... I´m in Quito now and I´m going to go to Otavalo tomorow. Hope things are great with everyone. Cheers!
Well there have been some changes... this morning there was road blocks between Sangolqui and Quito, angry taxi drivers. The cops showed up and brought out the tear gas. My profesor was trying to drive to our school and she ended up getting stuck in the middle of it. She was going to drive us to the Intag region and the Loofah cooperative so looks like thats not going to happen till tuesday.... I´m in Quito now and I´m going to go to Otavalo tomorow. Hope things are great with everyone. Cheers!
Loofahs and other things
LOOFAHS!!!!!
I am leaving tomorrow to visit the Intag region of Ecuador, it’s probably about a 2 hour drive from Quito and there are several work placements available there. On Monday I will travel another hour or so by pick up truck or donkey to the Valle de los Manduriacos where the loofah cooperative is. I am looking forward to finally meeting the women who make the loofahs. The loofah cooperative is a possible work placement for me, and I am very excited to check it out. Back in Canada, Savon Poppulaire is interested in our loofahs, and if everything goes well I should be shipping out their order by the end of next week. This is really exciting because Savon Poppulaire has many stores in Quebec, Ontario and some on the east coast. Although this shipment will only be sold in one or two stores, it’s still a great stepping stone.
Transformers are Taking Over My Life
Yes, I have seen the Transformers movie 8 times in Spanish. My host brother Alex, who is three loves this movie and insists on watching it 3 times a week. In fact we just finished watching it; or rather Alex fell asleep so I turned it off. He also recently got a new toy, a yellow transformer I don’t know what its called but it has several buttons and when you push them they makes all kinds of noise. This new toy eats with us as well; luckily it sits next to me at the table. I don’t mind it, although I did like it better two weeks ago when Spiderman was cool because then I got to wear my Superman costume when we played super heroes.
Benny el Perrito
Benny the dog has had two baths this week. He is a white mix of some sort (kind of resembles Cookie, only white and about 5 pounds bigger) and he insists on digging holes in the backyard daily. He actually likes the sweater that I got him, and he wears it all the time. We also tried to take him for a walk the other day because Alex wanted to show people Benny’s new sweater. When we opened the gate Benny just stood their terrified. He has never been outside of the gate, although he does spend a good 2 hours a day barking at the other dogs in the street. Personally I think he is scared of the street dogs and likes to be safe hiding behind the gate. So my host mother bought a leash for Benny (it’s very rare for dogs to have leashes in Ecuador) and we are going to try to go for a walk again tomorrow.
Field Trips are F-U-N!!!!!!!!!!!
This past Sunday we went on a field trip. It was very exciting, 12 students crowded into a tiny van and we went to visit an Indigenous Quechua community where our Quechua Professor is from. It was very beautiful, and we learned all about the plants that grow naturally here in Ecuador that can be used as herbal medicines. There’s this giant plant that has spikes on it, and it kind of resembles an aloe vera plant and you can drink the juice from it and eat its heart and it’s full of protein and gives you lots of energy. It tasted kind of like water and sugar with a hint of onion and a tangy after taste.
We also visited this “Casa del Cultura” that is trying to preserve the Quechua culture. The house is a community centre and it hosts weekly Quechua classes. It also has an amazing organic garden and a green house and all of the meals that are made there come entirely from their garden. We had a very delicious meal consisting of potato, quinoa, and onion soup, a tomato, lettuce and thyme salad, and a desert made from comates. There are four people who live in the house and they built it without the help of any real construction workers (and used only recycled wood) they use carbon and sea salt to brush their teeth, and they eat out of handmade clay bowls with hand carved wooden spoons. It might sound a little strange but it was really nice. They are trying to go back to their roots and live off the land, growing their own food, eating traditional meals and avoiding capitalist society. It was the closest thing I have seen to a functioning commune, and it is surrounded by the Andes. Very inspiring.
I am leaving tomorrow to visit the Intag region of Ecuador, it’s probably about a 2 hour drive from Quito and there are several work placements available there. On Monday I will travel another hour or so by pick up truck or donkey to the Valle de los Manduriacos where the loofah cooperative is. I am looking forward to finally meeting the women who make the loofahs. The loofah cooperative is a possible work placement for me, and I am very excited to check it out. Back in Canada, Savon Poppulaire is interested in our loofahs, and if everything goes well I should be shipping out their order by the end of next week. This is really exciting because Savon Poppulaire has many stores in Quebec, Ontario and some on the east coast. Although this shipment will only be sold in one or two stores, it’s still a great stepping stone.
Transformers are Taking Over My Life
Yes, I have seen the Transformers movie 8 times in Spanish. My host brother Alex, who is three loves this movie and insists on watching it 3 times a week. In fact we just finished watching it; or rather Alex fell asleep so I turned it off. He also recently got a new toy, a yellow transformer I don’t know what its called but it has several buttons and when you push them they makes all kinds of noise. This new toy eats with us as well; luckily it sits next to me at the table. I don’t mind it, although I did like it better two weeks ago when Spiderman was cool because then I got to wear my Superman costume when we played super heroes.
Benny el Perrito
Benny the dog has had two baths this week. He is a white mix of some sort (kind of resembles Cookie, only white and about 5 pounds bigger) and he insists on digging holes in the backyard daily. He actually likes the sweater that I got him, and he wears it all the time. We also tried to take him for a walk the other day because Alex wanted to show people Benny’s new sweater. When we opened the gate Benny just stood their terrified. He has never been outside of the gate, although he does spend a good 2 hours a day barking at the other dogs in the street. Personally I think he is scared of the street dogs and likes to be safe hiding behind the gate. So my host mother bought a leash for Benny (it’s very rare for dogs to have leashes in Ecuador) and we are going to try to go for a walk again tomorrow.
Field Trips are F-U-N!!!!!!!!!!!
This past Sunday we went on a field trip. It was very exciting, 12 students crowded into a tiny van and we went to visit an Indigenous Quechua community where our Quechua Professor is from. It was very beautiful, and we learned all about the plants that grow naturally here in Ecuador that can be used as herbal medicines. There’s this giant plant that has spikes on it, and it kind of resembles an aloe vera plant and you can drink the juice from it and eat its heart and it’s full of protein and gives you lots of energy. It tasted kind of like water and sugar with a hint of onion and a tangy after taste.
We also visited this “Casa del Cultura” that is trying to preserve the Quechua culture. The house is a community centre and it hosts weekly Quechua classes. It also has an amazing organic garden and a green house and all of the meals that are made there come entirely from their garden. We had a very delicious meal consisting of potato, quinoa, and onion soup, a tomato, lettuce and thyme salad, and a desert made from comates. There are four people who live in the house and they built it without the help of any real construction workers (and used only recycled wood) they use carbon and sea salt to brush their teeth, and they eat out of handmade clay bowls with hand carved wooden spoons. It might sound a little strange but it was really nice. They are trying to go back to their roots and live off the land, growing their own food, eating traditional meals and avoiding capitalist society. It was the closest thing I have seen to a functioning commune, and it is surrounded by the Andes. Very inspiring.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Hello All! Here is a blog that I wrote on September 28th, which would have been....Friday. So when you read it please imagine that it is Friday since I don´t want to go back and change things to past tense....
The Rainforest
One of my professors gave an amazing lecture about the ecology of the Ecuadorian Amazon. In a few weeks I will be visiting the area for the first time in my life. I had avoided going there the last two years because I really dislike snakes. Still I am very excited and looking forward to the adventure.
My professor explained that the climate in the Ecuadorian Amazon is very different and complex compared to the climates of the other areas of the Amazon that exist within Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Long story short, because the Ecuadorian Amazon is so close to the Andes, when it rains the water from the Andes run down into the Valleys in the Amazon. Because of the area’s close proximity to the Andes the soil is more fragile and less fertile than in other areas of the Amazon in South America. In most Rainforests it takes on average around 20 to 30 years for the soil and land to regenerate after it has been clear cut. In the Ecuadorian Amazon it takes 65 years. Ecuador’s Rainforest is disappearing due to logging at the second greatest rate in the world. (Philippines’ Rainforest holds the top spot.)
My Professor also showed us a slide show (using old school slides, and a projector), and it was interesting to see the negative effects that the logging, oil, and mining industries have had on the Ecuadorian Amazon. It’s something that I haven’t focused a lot on before. The slide show affected me much more than the previous lectures. It really is quite sad. When you realizing how many diverse plants and animals live within the Amazon region, it seems crazy that it is just being destroyed for lumber, oil and gold.
Things get even more confusing when you factor in that the mining, timber, and oil companies have brought a lot of jobs to the region. People who work in these industries make on average 30% more than what they would make working at other more traditional jobs in the region. So to steal the words of George Michael from Arrested Development, it really is a tricky grey area. I think a lot of times it is easier for us to pass judgment on what is happening because we are not necessarily in the middle of it. I hate the fact that the Rainforest is being destroyed for capitalist gain, but at the same time I don’t want all of the families living in the region to loose their jobs. I’m not an expert by any means, but I think we need to try and find a more permanent solution to the problem.
On a lighter note, here is a conversation between my Professor and I regarding Anacondas:
Prof: “If you are next to one it will not be a problem. If you go swimming in the river and it is hungry, then it will eat you.”
Me: So first it wraps around you and it suffocates you, and then it opens up its mouth and sucks you in and then swallows you?”
Prof: “Yes, that is the idea.”
Prohibition Weekend
The election for Ecuador’s Assembly (Congress) is on Sunday, September 30th. Over the last few weeks there have been all kinds of parades, rallies, and people dressed in bright colors standing in the middle of the street telling you what political party to support. It sure has been an interesting sight. Alvaro Noboa (the banana tycoon and richest man in Ecuador) is running for party #7. The party of the President Rafeal Correa is #35. In total there is something like over 1000 candidates. And in Ecuador it is a legal obligation to vote. You won’t get thrown in jail if you don’t vote but you won’t be able to get a passport, renew your driver’s license or residency card, or even pay your power bill without getting in trouble and paying some hefty fines. Needless to say this Sunday is going to be quite chaotic in Ecuador.
Oh, another little fun tidbit of information, from noon on Friday to 12am on Sunday there is no consumption of alcoholic beverages in the country. That’s right it’s a dry weekend. All of the stores that sell alcohol which is every corner store, ice cream parlor, internet café, hardware store and grocery store in the country, is not allowed to sell any alcoholic beverages. All of the bars are closed, and if anyone is seen drinking or drunk in public the police will arrest you. The fine is only 40 cents, although you must spend 48 hours in jail. It kind of makes sense though (the prohibition on drinking, not Ecuadorian jail) because the government doesn’t want any crazy riots, or for political candidates to bribe voters with beer or rum.
The Rainforest
One of my professors gave an amazing lecture about the ecology of the Ecuadorian Amazon. In a few weeks I will be visiting the area for the first time in my life. I had avoided going there the last two years because I really dislike snakes. Still I am very excited and looking forward to the adventure.
My professor explained that the climate in the Ecuadorian Amazon is very different and complex compared to the climates of the other areas of the Amazon that exist within Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Long story short, because the Ecuadorian Amazon is so close to the Andes, when it rains the water from the Andes run down into the Valleys in the Amazon. Because of the area’s close proximity to the Andes the soil is more fragile and less fertile than in other areas of the Amazon in South America. In most Rainforests it takes on average around 20 to 30 years for the soil and land to regenerate after it has been clear cut. In the Ecuadorian Amazon it takes 65 years. Ecuador’s Rainforest is disappearing due to logging at the second greatest rate in the world. (Philippines’ Rainforest holds the top spot.)
My Professor also showed us a slide show (using old school slides, and a projector), and it was interesting to see the negative effects that the logging, oil, and mining industries have had on the Ecuadorian Amazon. It’s something that I haven’t focused a lot on before. The slide show affected me much more than the previous lectures. It really is quite sad. When you realizing how many diverse plants and animals live within the Amazon region, it seems crazy that it is just being destroyed for lumber, oil and gold.
Things get even more confusing when you factor in that the mining, timber, and oil companies have brought a lot of jobs to the region. People who work in these industries make on average 30% more than what they would make working at other more traditional jobs in the region. So to steal the words of George Michael from Arrested Development, it really is a tricky grey area. I think a lot of times it is easier for us to pass judgment on what is happening because we are not necessarily in the middle of it. I hate the fact that the Rainforest is being destroyed for capitalist gain, but at the same time I don’t want all of the families living in the region to loose their jobs. I’m not an expert by any means, but I think we need to try and find a more permanent solution to the problem.
On a lighter note, here is a conversation between my Professor and I regarding Anacondas:
Prof: “If you are next to one it will not be a problem. If you go swimming in the river and it is hungry, then it will eat you.”
Me: So first it wraps around you and it suffocates you, and then it opens up its mouth and sucks you in and then swallows you?”
Prof: “Yes, that is the idea.”
Prohibition Weekend
The election for Ecuador’s Assembly (Congress) is on Sunday, September 30th. Over the last few weeks there have been all kinds of parades, rallies, and people dressed in bright colors standing in the middle of the street telling you what political party to support. It sure has been an interesting sight. Alvaro Noboa (the banana tycoon and richest man in Ecuador) is running for party #7. The party of the President Rafeal Correa is #35. In total there is something like over 1000 candidates. And in Ecuador it is a legal obligation to vote. You won’t get thrown in jail if you don’t vote but you won’t be able to get a passport, renew your driver’s license or residency card, or even pay your power bill without getting in trouble and paying some hefty fines. Needless to say this Sunday is going to be quite chaotic in Ecuador.
Oh, another little fun tidbit of information, from noon on Friday to 12am on Sunday there is no consumption of alcoholic beverages in the country. That’s right it’s a dry weekend. All of the stores that sell alcohol which is every corner store, ice cream parlor, internet café, hardware store and grocery store in the country, is not allowed to sell any alcoholic beverages. All of the bars are closed, and if anyone is seen drinking or drunk in public the police will arrest you. The fine is only 40 cents, although you must spend 48 hours in jail. It kind of makes sense though (the prohibition on drinking, not Ecuadorian jail) because the government doesn’t want any crazy riots, or for political candidates to bribe voters with beer or rum.
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