Don Jimmy´s Visit

September 16, 2008
Tuesday
11:30AM
Sayausi


We are back in Sayausi after having spent the last week traveling around Ecuador with my dad a.k.a. Don Jimmy. Don Jimmy arrived in Quito, Ecuador on Monday September 8, 2008. During the week that followed we traveled down to the coast, hung out in Sayausi, hiked in Cajas, strolled through Cuenca, and shopped in Otavalo. Below is a closer look at what happens when you bring an Arizona Yankee to South America. And by closer look I mean the longest post we have ever made with the most pictures we have ever posted. In other words, pull up a chair and prepare to settle in for the long haul…or read a little now and a little later, whatever gets you through. And remember, Don Jimmy was our first visitor but not our last, so the next post could be about you!

Note: This page is going to take a while to load because there are lots of video clips and slideshows (remember to double-click on the slideshows to see the captions).


Sunday September 7, 2008
Sayausi is a ten hour bus ride away from Quito. Therefore, Mike and I had originally planned to take an early morning bus on the day of my dad’s arrival, putting us in Quito around 7:00pm and leaving a little over two hours before my dad’s scheduled arrival at 9:45pm. However, on Sunday the day before my dad was going to arrive ‘a little over two hours’ of leeway did not seem sufficient considering the bus ride could easily be delayed by traffic, landslides, or other unforeseeable yet fairly common events on the Pan Americana of Ecuador. So, we packed our bags that morning and set out for Riobamba, a small city located 7 hours north of Sayausi and only 3 hours away from the Quito airport.

Before we left however we needed to let Dona Melchora, Norma, Rita, and Maribel know that our plans had changed. Visiting several Ecuadorian families is no small task and hence our departure time was postponed three hours on account of having to visit each family to organize Tuesday’s dinner (much more on this later) and to do some despida-ing (saying goodbye) before we left for two days (people don’t really travel too much here so it is a relatively big deal when some leaves, even if it is only for several days).

We ended up on a 2:30pm bus and for our viewing pleasure we were shown two movies: a Steven Segal thriller and a movie produced by WWF (yes, the wrestling federation). We arrived in Riobamba around 10:30pm as we were delayed some on the way for a still unknown reason that required the bus to turn around and back track for 45 minutes before turning around again, heading back in the right direction. Not a huge delay but it definitely reassured me in the decision to leave a day earlier than we had originally planned.


Monday September 8
Mike and I left Riobamba around 11:00am after a breakfast of two eggs, bread, jam, cheese, coffee, and juice for the low, low price of $1.50 (Cuenca prices are a lot higher than most in Ecuador due to the high number of emigrants that are sending money back to families in and around Cuenca. One egg, bread, and coffee is $1.50 in Sayausi).

After a pleasant four-hour bus ride we arrived in Quito and immediately checked into the hotel we had reserved for that night. The hotel was lovely with a panoramic view of New Town and the Panecillo (a giant stone angel on a hillside that overlooks Old Town) and we spent the remainder of the afternoon vegged out on cable TV with a small break for dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant where we splurged on a $5.00 dinner complete with naan (yummy!) and several Indian dipping sauces.

During the day I had talked briefly with my Dad about hurricane Ike and the possible implications for his flight out of Miami but the pilot took them around the storm and he arrived in Quito at 10:45pm.

Now, if you don’t know my dad this next piece of information may not sound that amazing but trust me, it is. My dad arrived prepared to spend eight days in a foreign country, hiking in the cold of the Andes, strolling down the sunny streets of Cuenca, and passing through the hot coastal city of Guayquil. When my dad has previously visited me for a weekend during spring in New York he has packed two large suitcases along with a carryon that he has been unable to zip closed due to the enormity of things that have been crammed in (things like gloves and scarves…and we all know how cold New York City is in May). So imagine our surprise when my dad shows up with only two small backpacks and one suitcase. And get this, the suitcase which was by far the largest of the three bags was filled only with things for Mike and me! (It should be mentioned that we provided my Dad with a pretty thorough packing list with lots of do’s and don’ts. This a service we are happy to provide to anyone else coming down to visit)

So, after seven months of phone calls, emails, and packages a real live family member was in our midst!! Off we went to the hotel where we chatted until we got a call from the front desk asking us to be quieter as they had received a phone call from our neighbors. Definitely an indication that we were in a pretty nice hotel as normal Ecuadorian culture permits all decibels of noise at any hour.



Tuesday September 9
Our first full day of Ecuadorian sights and sounds began with breakfast at the Magic Bean located in the Mariscal of Quito (the Mariscal is the tourist neighborhood filled with restaurants and hotels). This breakfast differed significantly from the $1.50 breakfast we had in Riobamba that day before. To start with there were more choices. Instead of choosing between fried and scrambled eggs, we could have anything you could possibly imagine in any combination; crepes, omelettes, bagels, smoothies, granola, etc... Of course this “choice” comes at a price but when your dad is visiting and paying the price is well worth it! So, we had a lovely breakfast with wonderful company and set the tone for the rest of our trip; relaxing and fun.

After breakfast we had to pack up our bags and head to the airport again for a flight to Guayaquil. Guayaquil is located in the southwestern part of the country right on the coast. It is also conveiniently located a short 3 hour car ride from Cuenca and Sayausi. We should mention here that we had originally planned to fly in and out of Cuenca during my dad’s trip but the week before he arrived we found out that the Cuenca airport was closed. Yes, the entire airport was closed for two weeks; September 1 - September 15. And the only way we found out was when we went to buy tickets. There was no mass media outreach (at least not in Sayausi) to inform the people of the impending closure. There was nothing at all to warn potential travelers of airport construction that would shut it down completely for two full weeks. So, we improvised. Instead of leaving Quito around noon on Tuesday heading directly for Cuenca, we left at nine o’clock heading for Guayquil where we would get a car to take us to Cuenca.

Headed south on an airplane leaving from Quito can be quite remarkable as the city is more or less surrounded by volcanic peaks. These volcanic peaks are usually shrouded in low-lying clouds. However, in airplane cruising at high altitudes these low-lying clouds form a lovely sheet of white that accentuates the jagged peaks breaking through and providing a rather priceless vista of some glacier covered Andean Mountain peaks (Cotopaxi and Chimborazo).

After forty minutes of peak watching we made out descent into Guayaquil where the high temperature in combination with intense humidity made us thankful for our Sierran Mountain site. We then piled into an air-conditioned van (thank goodness) and headed for Sayausi.

As it turns out the drive from Guayaquil to our site is quite nice. You start off traveling through lush cocoa, sugarcane, and banana fields and then begin a steady climb up a windy road that passes through Cajas National Park (Mike’s counterpart). It’s also worth noting that the road begins at sea level in Guayaquil then reaches 4,000 meters (12,000 ft) within an hour and a half. Therefore the drive is beautiful but steep with signs (and stone rubble) every hundred meters cautioning landslides and accidents. As you can imagine the views are incredible, and as my dad can attest to, the drive passes close enough to the edge of the road to provide a truly panoramic, and nauseating, experience.

After three hours of twists and turns, drop-offs, and waterfalls we arrived in Sayausi. My dad, after saying how beautiful everything was and how nice the apartment is, took a nice long nap…until we had to leave to go up to Maribel’s house for a traditional Ecuadorian dinner.

We arrived at Maribel’s house at four o’clock after taking a ten-minute bus ride up the road from our apartment (this was the only time we were on a bus during my dad’s entire trip). Upon our arrival we were immediately swept into a small wood hut where they had already picked out four plump, live cuy (reminder: cuy are guinea pigs). My dad was given the prime seat in front of the fire with the best view of the cooking that was going to take place. And boy did stuff take place.

Dona Rita, the mother of Maribel, Norma, Sandra, and Meli, took each cuy one at a time and pressed its nose against the floor applying increasing pressure until a soft ‘crack’ was heard. The ‘crack’ indicated that the cranium had been broken. Once the cranium was broken she gouged out each eye with her fingernail then held it upside down over what looked like a frying pan. Each cuy was hung upside down for a few minutes allowing the blood to drip out. After each cuy had its cranium broken, its eyes gouged out, and its blood drained, it was dipped in boiling water. The boiling water caused the pores to open, which allows the fur to be ripped out more easily. This entire process from cranium crushing to de-furring takes about thirty minutes.

The next part is to take out the unwanted organs. The unwanted organs include everything except the liver, which is a delicacy. After the organs are taken out its mouth is cut open so that it looks like each cuy is dressed up like the Joker from Batman. At this point the cuy is ready to be seasoned then wedged onto a large stick and roasted over an open fire.

I would like to point out that my dad handled all of this very well especially considering his semi-vegetarian status. Before the cuy were killed he made a special effort to thank each cuy (see picture in slideshow below).

While the cuy were roasting we took my dad on a tour of the garden where I have been helping Maribel plant broccoli and other goodies over the past few weeks. On the way we stopped at the pig pen where my dad again talked to the animals and the animals apparently responded positively to what he was saying.

After the tour of the garden we were ushered back into the wood hut to watch the capture and beheading of two chickens. The chickens are sparred the crushing of the cranium but are subjected to a partial beheading with an extraordinarily dull kitchen knife. Again, the blood is let out, the feathers are pulled out, the organs are removed (although more of the organs remain in the chicken than the cuy), the flavor is added, and then it is cut into pieces and added to the caldo de pollo (chicken soup).

During the entire meal preparation my Dad was introduced to about seven adults and at least as many children. To my dad’s credit he remembered most of the names and was given the title Don Jimmy by Norma (she asked if Jim was like Jimmy and then proceeded to call him Don Jimmy which caught on with everyone else as well). During all the meets and greets my Dad gave each person a little recuerdo (souvenir) of Arizona which were well received and are now displayed around several different houses in Sayausi. Keep your eye open for a picture of Norma with a basket of roasted cuy and an Arizona flag pinned to her jacket. My Dad also introduced the idea of ‘thumb wars’ to the children and with Mike’s help translated it to the following:

Uno, dos, tres, cuarto
Yo declaro la Guerra de dedos!

Needless to say it was a smashing success and I expect I will have to play this game for the next two years.

After four hours of butchering and seasoning it was time to eat. Juan Diego, Maribel’s son, made clear that his favorite parts of the cuy were the head, liver, and feet. As such, he grabbed the four livers before anyone else could claim them (I can’t speak for the Ecuadorian contingent but from our side he didn’t have any competition). My Dad was served and ate chicken neck (this is the local favorite part of the chicken) soup, cuy paws, cuy meat, motecito (watery corn), rice, aji (a local type of hot sauce made from tomate de arbol), potatoes, and agua de remedios (the pink, sugary tea that is very popular here). Tired but happy we returned to our apartment, watched an episode of West Wing, then fell fast asleep.




Wednesday September 10
Wednesday morning we had a nice breakfast in our apartment then set out on a tour of Sayausi. The tour included the soccer field, the Laundromat, our favorite tienda, a river view, the internet café, and three cafecitos (we took my dad to meet a few of our closest friends here in Sayausi and at each house we were served essentially the equivalent of another breakfast). After visiting several families back to back to back it made the importance of remittances in the lives of people in Sayausi very obvious. You only need to see the house (or the furniture) to know whether or not the people living in it have family in the States sending back money. Nevertheless, the tea and crackers were great at every house and full though we were it was time for lunch and we had just the place in mind for Don Jimmy.

There is a restaurant located in between Sayausi and Cuenca called “El Paraiso de Eva”. However, everyone knows the restaurant as “El Che”. “El Che” is plastered with photos and parafenelia all about Che. Not only that but the owner is always dressed in full Che reagalia. Yes, everyday he wears fatigues, a hat, combat boots, and of course a loaded gun. But this is no act, no gimic, no ‘come and eat at Che’s’ sales pitch. This man is an honest to god revolutionary…with a restaurant. In any event we talked to him for a few moments after a lunch of roasted pig, llapingauchos (balls of mashed potatoes with cheese in the middle), motecito, caldo de pollo, with lemonade and he was gracious enough to take a few pictures with us and discuss how the revolution was progressing. Needless to say he is in favor of the new constitution that is being voted on in two weeks. Because of this upcoming election there is graffiti everywhere that says “Si” or “No”. In fact there is even a “Si a la constitucion” rap that is played frequently on the radio. My Dad took great joy in the political environment that has taken over Ecuador and the activeness of the people. From our balcony in Cuenca the next night he yelled to the gente, “Vota si!” but as currently serving Peace Corps volunteers we can’t tell you what we think about the constitution or the ambassador would have our heads (figuratively of course). That being said, we didn’t stop my dad from yelling, not that anyone could.

After lunch we returned to Sayausi for a quick afternoon siesta then up to Dona Melchora’s house for a fourth cafecito and little surprise. Though Mike and I had forgotten entirely about a previous promoise, Melchora and Norma had not. No more than five mintues after our arrival they whisked me upstairs to dress me up as a chola cuencana, again. So, for the third time in a month I was wearing a pollera, a blusa, and a chalina, dancing in the upstairs living room to the blasting tunes of traditional Ecuadorian music this time with my dad and get this…even Mike was made to dance (see pictures in the slideshow).

Dancing the Chola Cuencana, Again








We finished off the day with dinner in Cuenca overlooking the river Tomebamba. Not bad for Peace Corps.




Thursday September 11
Before heading into Cuenca to stay at a luxurious hotel and eat lots of delicious food, we decided to head into Cajas National Park for a few hours of hiking and alpaca hunting. Luckily, our neighbor owns his own taxi and agreed to take us to lake Llaviucu (a lake in the park) and wait for us while we hiked around. So, we packed a bag full of snacks, a few extra layers in case of rain or other weather changes that Cajas is known for, and set out.

Fortunately, the weather agreed and we spent the morning checking out Incan ruins (a stone wall about three feet high that runs about fifty yards), chatting with fishermen looking for trout, and searching for alpacas and llamas (which we did end up finding along with a few baby llamas, too). We ate nuts (hand delivered from the states since they are hard to get down here) and apples while sitting near a beautiful lake and only got kind of muddy traipsing around.

When we had finished with our hike we headed into Cuenca to begin acting like the tourists we haven’t been able to be. We stayed at a great hotel with a balcony, ate dinner with Kelly and Lesley (our nearest Peace Corps buddies), went out for ice cream, and stumbled across two live concerts; one of which was a series of high school choirs singing Beatles medleys in the old cathedral and the other a traditional Ecuadorian group that was playing in a rotunda in the central park (Parque Calderon). During the concert in Parque Calderon we were really waiting for them to play one song; Chola Cuencana. Fortunately, lady luck was on our side (or maybe it’s just that there are a really limited number of popular traditional songs) and they played Chola Cuencana just before we were about to throw in the chalina.




Friday September 12
Our first and last morning in Cuenca began with a complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel (with unlimited coffee refills!!!). Then we went to the nearby hat museum where they make all sorts of hats including the famous Panama Hat which is actually made in Ecuador.

How to Make a Panama Hat


After hat shopping we went to a local guitar shop that is owned by an Ecuadorian family that makes guitars by hand on the second floor of the shop. We got a tour of the workshop and I left the proud owner of a handmade guitar! Technically, I still have to learn how to play the guitar before I can truly appreciate it but I also have an instructional book and a lot of free time to remedy that slight drawback. (Thanks for the guitar Dad!)

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Nueve de Octubre, a market that sells really great cheap, wooden furniture, pots, pans, knickknacks, and everything elase you could imagine needing. Also, on Tuesdays and Fridays there are several stands set up where local curaderas (people who cure) offer limpiezas. A limpieza supposedly gets rid of whatever bad spirit is ailing you. After some convincing, my Dad agreed to get a limpieza. During the limpieza the curadera hits the patient with a bushel of herbs repeatedly while making a ¨schhhk¨ sound. After beating the patient with the hearbs she then rubs several eggs over the patient´s face, stomach, and lower back. Before getting spit on with spirit water, the patient has to rub scented oils through his or her hair. Though my Dad did not agree to get spit on during the limpieza but he handled it in stride as well as the beating with the herbs and the egg rub.

Videos of the Limpieza




By this point it was just about 11:30am and we needed to eat lunch and catch our ride back to Guayaquil to get our plane for Quito to get our car to Otavalo, so we grabbed lunch at the hotel (yummy pizza) and checked out.

The car ride was great, though again I think my Dad would emphasize the lack of guardrails and passing lanes, and we arrived at the airport with an hour to spare. I should mention here that there are a few pictures of a small town alongside a highway in the slideshow below. The small town is El Mango and one of our Peace Corps friends is living there…slightly different than the pampered life we are living in the suburbs of Cuenca. My Dad said the rice paddies surrounding the small town reminded him of his service in Vietnam.

Again we got great views of volcanic peaks (Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Illinizas) during the plane ride and arrived in Quito where a private car from the hacienda we were going to be staying at in Otavalo was waiting. It was quite the celebrity experience.

The ride up to Otavalo was highlighted by the full moon casting its glow on the mountains that bordered the road. We arrived at the hacienda (Casa Mojanda) just after eight o’clock where we were met by the four other guests and the hostess. We were then served a delicious three-course meal followed by freshly made tea with herbs cut from the garden. All and all things were going pretty well and they were only going to get better.




Saturday September 13
Saturday morning we woke up to spectacular views of several surrounding volcanoes (Cotacachi, Imbabura, Fuya Fuya) and piled into the hacienda’s SUV with the other guests and headed off toward the animal market. The animal market takes place during the early morning hours every Saturday just outside of Otavalo. At this market people from the nearby areas bring their cows, horses, llamas, pigs, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, fighting roosters, and every other type of animal you could possibly imagine. Though we were tempted by a few cute baby pigs, in the end we decided it would be better to go back to the hacienda for breakfast before making any big decisions.

Back at the hacienda we were treated to a breakfast of pancakes, granola, yogurt, fresh fruit salad, and unlimited coffee! Then, with full stomachs and a sunny day ahead of us we loaded into the SUV again and headed off for the Saturday market. Otavalo is famous for its Saturday crafts market and tourists (and some locals, too) crowd the streets on a weekly basis shopping for anything from leather hats to knickknacks to woven textiles. And my Dad, who is by no means a shopper, spent five hours perusing the stands of Otavalo and bargaining with the vendors in his limited (yet impressive) Spanish, and Mike who is also by no means a shopper got to practice his limited (yet also impressive) Kichwa. During our shopping extravaganza we did take time out to enjoy a live Andean folk band that was playing for the lunch crowd in a popular restaurant. In fact, my Dad went back two more times throughout the day the take in the reedy tunes of the Andes.

Some prize acquirements made during the spree include two very nice wool ponchos (essentially blankets that people are socially permitted to walk around in) and an Indiana Jones hat for Mike (exactly how it sounds) to keep off the sun and rain while hiking through Cajas.

To celebrate a good day of shopping we went to a nearby pie shop and ordered two slices of pie topped with vanilla ice cream. We had been to this pie shop two years ago when we were here as turistas and rumor has it that is was started by a Peace Corps volunteer a long time ago. The pie is great but the service is definitely at a Peace Corps pace; unhurried at best. Again, with full stomachs, we got into a taxi and returned to the hacienda for an afternoon of napping and strolling the impressive grounds and gardens.

In the evening, we were served rosemary chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, tomate de arbol juice, and maracuya pie (passion fruit pie). Everything was delicious but I was particularly impressed with the rosemary chicken. The flavor was great but that paled in comparison to the quantity of meat that was on my piece of chicken. After seven months of campo chicken I had forgotten that chicken usually has quite a bit of meat on it and because of this can actually be served as a main course at dinner as opposed to a garnish in a soup!




Sunday September 14
For our last full day at the hacienda we decided to go on a hike at some nearby lakes (Lagunas de Mojanda). So, after a breakfast of eggs, homemade wheat bread, fruit salad, granola, yogurt, naranjilla juice, unlimited coffee, and a half hour of trying to convince the llamas in our front yard to let us pet them we drove up to the lakes with our private guide and Maki (a sweet dalmation that lives at Casa Mojanda).

The lakes are located a half hours drive from the hacienda up a cobblestone road with sweeping views of the surrounding valley. Once we arrived at the lakes we took an hour hike through the Andean paramo at over 12,000ft (good job dad!). During the hike Maki uncovered a few resting birds and we explored the edge of a quinoa forest (a highly endangered tree that grows at extreme altitudes and takes a long time to grow).

When we returned to our cabin at the hacienda we ate our sack lunches, which we were supposed to eat on the hike but ended up saving for home. Again, the cheese sandwich with roasted red peppers, the apple, chips, and cookies were delicious. The cheese sandwich even more so as the last time we had eaten any type of cheese other than the local queso fresco, which is essentially like solidified cottage cheese, was over seven months ago. Yummmmm, real cheese!!!!

After lunch my Dad took his meditation break, which on a good day turns into a nap, and Mike and I went to the kitchen for another cup of unlimited coffee. Here in Ecuador coffee means Nescafe Instant Coffee and there are absolutamente no free refills. Being at a place that serves real, roasted, fresh ground coffee with hot milk on the side was quite the treat.

Our last dinner at the hacienda was amazing. The entire dinner had an Indian theme starting with mulligatawny soup and ending with a cinnamon fruit custard. We chatted with the other guests after dinner then retired to the common room for our last viewing of West Wing (I have made several references to West Wing which may require some explanation. West Wing is a political series about the White House that we have been watching on and off since I was in high school. A few years ago we decided to start from the beginning and since then whenever we have time we watch an episode, or two. We are finally on the last of seven seasons after four years of diligent viewing).

Our last night at the hacienda there was a gorgeous full moon that drifted in and out of the clouds providing a cozy atmosphere for sound sleeping.




Monday September 15
My Dad’s last day in Ecuador! Like the previous two days this one began with a nice warm fire (thanks Mike) in our living room chimenea followed by a delicious breakfast and then trying to coax the llamas into letting us feed or pet them. Unlike the previous two days on this morning we had to pack.

Packing didn’t take too long though as my Dad was leaving with much fewer things than he came with and so at around 10:30am we loaded into a car and drove back to Quito. Fortunately me Dad’s flight was not until the early evening, which gave us time to have a wonderful lunch at an Italian restaurant. Mozzarella cheese never tasted so good! I’m pretty sure the lunch consisted of at least four courses, each one more delicious than the last (unfortunately there was no googala but we did get tiramisu and gelato for dessert).

To settle our stomachs, we took a walk around the surrounding neighborhood before getting a taxi to take us to the airport. We’ll skip over the teary goodbyes and get right to saying how great everything was.

All and all the trip was fantastic and we would like to thank my Dad for treating us to such a fun week and to his fabulous company! We miss you and had a wonderful time with Don Jimmy in Ecuador.

To everyone else we would like to invite you to come and visit us in Ecuador. And as my Dad would like to make clear to everyone thinking about coming South, Mike’s travel agent skills are exceptional so the more the merrier!




Special Note: If you say ´tomate´the next time you talk to us you will have proven your dedication to this blog as we will know that you read the entire entry and that is no small feat. Remember the code word is ´tomate´.