The Chilcapamba Community in Ecuador

After a week in Quito and a weekend in Otavalo I traveled to a small indigenous community about 30 minutes by car from Otavalo. The name of the community is Chilcapamba.

I stayed with the leader of the community and his family. Alfonso and Francisca Morales operate a small guest lodge in Chilcapamba.

Alfonso and Francisca provided a private room with private bathroom/shower. Certainly nothing fancy but I was very comfortable. The property included a pair of stucco buildings in a tranquil rural setting. The property was nearly self-sufficient; they raised chickens, pigs and guinea pigs (a delicacy in Ecuador) along with a vegetable garden and numerous fruit trees. The property included a cool MacGyver style water system with large barrels collecting rain water and connecting to a series of hoses guiding water to the house for general use and to the garden for irrigation.

Here’s a video tour of the property.

The setting of Chilcapamba is beautiful. Large cloud-shrouded green volcanoes dominate vistas in all directions. Most of the land is dedicated to agricultural production. Some small scale farms with a few acres of crops combined with cows grazing and pigs/chickens hunting about for a few bites of food. Some properties are larger haciendas, maybe 20-40 acres, with larger scale production. Flowers are a major export in Ecuador and large green houses can be seen along with larger herds of cattle and rows of corn. Nearby Cotacachi is a center for leather goods production so the cattle may be raised for both beef and leather.

Here’s a video taken while walking from Quiroga (nearby town with bus service) to Chilcapamba.

Francisca prepared meals for the family and for me, served in their kitchen. For breakfast I was offered eggs and bread rolls with butter and fruit jelly along with coffee or tea. My one disappointment in Ecuador was coffee as it was typically served “instant” like combining hot water with cocoa mix for hot chocolate. Adequate but not nearly as pleasing as my regular mug of dark roast from Solar Roast. Breakfast also typically included fresh squeezed juice. For lunch we always started with a bowl of soup followed by a plate of rice with chicken, pork or beef and vegetables with an occasional green salad on the side. Again, fresh fruit juice is typical for dessert. Dinner is the same as lunch, more or less, and often consists of the same food leftover from lunch with a few different highlights.

My host family spoke spanish fluently but their primary language at home is Quechua. They told me that they often speak a combination of Quechua and Spanish; sort of like Spanglish.

I started each day with breakfast at 8:30 am followed immediately by Spanish lessons beginning at 9:00 am sharp (my teacher was a stickler). These sessions consisted of a combination of conversation and various exercises. We took a 20 minute break at 11:00 am and then wrapped up at 1:00 pm for lunch. After lunch we headed out for some sort of day trip. The Spanish instructor was my guide so these short trips were continuations of my language lessons.

One day we visited the city of Cotacachi, a popular destination for expats where we strolled past leather making shops, the town square and to a museum commemorating the city’s history as a center for great music composers. Another day we hiked to a beautiful waterfall where indigenous people once bathed in the cold falls as a spiritual cleansing ritual. Another day we visited a Crater Lake like water formation at the foot of one of the large volcanoes in the area. On this trip we were joined by another Spanish instructor and her young daughter.

The highlights of my time in Chilcapamba included my daily walks from the bus stop in Quiroga, the nearest town with modern services, where I would say goodbye to my instructor for the day and walk back to the house where I stayed. It was good exercise (mostly uphill), beautiful scenery and friendly people of all ages would stare and sometimes say hello to the strange gringo.

The other highlight for me were evening meals when my host family would gather allowing me to see how they interacted with one another. Often extended family, many brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins living in the same community, would be invited to dinner making it a festive affair.

I managed to forge a friendship of sorts with the youngest in the family, a six year old boy named Tupac. He became friendly after I allowed him to play Minecraft and other games my kids enjoy on my phone.

Here’s Tupac playing music for me to practice for an upcoming school performance.

I loved my time in Ecuador and especially in Chilcapamba. Hopefully I will be able to return in 2016 to continue exploring!

The Chilcapamba Community is always looking for English instructors, especially those willing to stay for 6-12 months. This would be an incredible opportunity to learn Spanish and to experience life in Ecuador as part of an indigenous community. If you might be interested please send me a note or post a comment here and I will put you in touch with the right people.

Adios y gracias por leer!

 

A View of the US from Ecuador: Shitty Food and Nowhere to Walk

Before leaving Quito I had a chance to have a good conversation with the proprietors of the hotel where I stayed. It was so satisfying for me because the conversations were in Spanish and I was able to understand and make myself understood, mas o menos. Progress!

[As an aside, this is a key advantage to staying in a small family-owned hotel. Yes, it will be less comfortable. But, it will also be less sterile. Not only will you save money you might also meet and learn from some real people.]

During one such conversation I learned the hotel owners’ entire family, 15 people of various ages, recently traveled to the U.S. They flew into Miami and went on to Orlando to visit, of course, Disney World. They loved it! It was the trip of a lifetime for them. But, they were surprised that everywhere they went they found nothing but shitty food and no where to walk.

This should surprise no one who lives in the U.S. I travel occasionally for business and it’s always a vacation from healthy living. Unless I’m staying in the center of a major city like New York, Chicago or San Francisco where public transportation is adequate, my hotel is typically on a concrete island devoid of fresh food. I might be able to walk to a next door restaurant or around the hotel where I’m staying but that’s about it unless I drive somewhere first. In contrast, most places I’ve traveled to outside the U.S., i.e., Europe, North Africa and various parts of Latin America, you can walk everywhere. Furthermore, it’s relatively easy to find fresh food.

In Quito, for example, and here in Otavalo where I am now and where I stayed for 2 days last weekend, it’s difficult to walk more than half a block in any direction without seeing fresh produce for sale or without seeing a restaurant or cafe offering a decent meal with real food, i.e., unprocessed meat, vegetables, rice, etc., for a very reasonable price.

When walking around Quito or Otavalo you’ll see on every block a small restaurant offering almuerzo. In Ecuador, almuerzo typically includes a bowl of hearty soup as the first course with maybe chicken and rice or potatoes, maybe corn and a few other vegetables. The second course typically includes a meat dish, often chicken, pork or fish along with a side of rice or beans and a small side salad. Then for the last course you’re often served a large glass of fresh fruit juice. Think smoothie or fresh squeezed juice but with an outrageous variety of delicious tropical flavors. So, you get a healthy variety of foods and it might cost $2 or $3. And, no tip required! Love that last part.

In contrast, imagine landing in Orlando where many foreigners visit to take their children to Disney. Visitors from Latin America will probably stay in a hotel away from the Magic Kingdom where rooms are less expensive. If fortunate, they may be next to an IHOP or Ruby Tuesday or Outback Steakhouse or similar within a short walk, probably across a scenic parking lot. If unlucky, maybe only a McDonalds, Wendy’s, Carl’s Junior or a gas station style convenience market. Or perhaps nothing at all. This means paying ~$15 for some protein and carbs. Maybe a salad and an overcooked side vegetable. Or, it might mean paying ~$7 for junk food at a fast food restaurant. Or maybe $3 for Ho-Ho’s and a Coke. Furthermore, after consuming a dose of fat and sugar there’s nowhere to walk to burn calories. You can either risk life and limb to cross freeways and four lane boulevards or you can hop on the hotel treadmill and watch Bill O’reilly yell at people. Nice.

The thing that occurs to me when I contemplate the nature of the typical American habitat as seen by foreigners is the US is increasingly at a competitive disadvantage in a global and mobile knowledge-based economy. Many careers with a future will require technology skills but permit mobility. I don’t think this bodes well for car-dependent communities in the US. And, people will only pay so much for the privilege of living in San Francisco or New York. If opportunities to earn a decent living as “mobile” work-from-home technology pros continue to grow while the cost of living differences persist between the US and Latin America, the outbound flow of relatively affluent and relatively young Americans could become a problem for the US economy.

Furthermore, from a demographic standpoint we are an aging country with our largest age cohort entering or nearing retirement. Retirees don’t want to spend their days in traffic. And they are much more motivated to eat healthy food and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This means more walking and may lead retirees to look beyond the shores and borders of the US. This is already happening in fairly large numbers with retirees landing here in Ecuador and elsewhere in Latin America to take advantage of lower costs and, perhaps, a milder climate. As Latin America continues to develop modern infrastructure, especially health care and communication technology, this outbound migration of baby boomers, with money our US economy needs, will most likely accelerate.

If both of these emerging outbound migration tendencies persist it could become a problem for the US economy. It might just begin to resemble that big sucking sound Ross Perot warned about 20+ years ago.

 

Adios Quito

Yesterday I left Quito after a wonderful 6 day visit and now I’m in Otavalo, a market town about 2 hours north of Quito by bus.

My favorite activity in Quito (and in most cities) is people watching and one of the best places for people watching in Quito is La Plaza Grande in Old Town. Here’s a pic I took sitting in the Plaza. Just a typical weekday afternoon. I wish we had more central gathering places like this in the States. I could sit mesmerized all day if it weren’t for the cadre of young shoe-shine boys who will approach me every few minutes to point out how filthy my shoes look.

Even better people watching in Quito takes place walking the streets where small stores and people sell fresh fruit, sandwiches, ice cream and other sweet treats, lottery tickets, clothes, artwork, etc. I’ve seen a few old hombres crouching on the ground next to a scale, presumably offering the opportunity to weigh yourself for a nickel or two.

One interesting tidbit: I have yet to see a single beggar in Quito. Signs of poverty are everywhere but I haven’t witnessed anyone asking for a handout. They are all trying to earn.

Here’s a short video I took while walking down one of the bustling streets in Old Town Quito. Nothing remarkable. Just a quick slice of Quito. I’ve been reluctant to brandish my phone too much as I’ve been told to keep it out of sight to avoid putting a (larger) target on my back for thieves. I’ve also witnessed tourists offending locals by taking pictures without permission. I don’t want to be one of those tourists. The video is a bit jumpy I’m afraid.

 

Indigenous people, mostly Quechua I’m told, blend into the city landscape in fairly sizable numbers selling fresh produce, roasted nuts and textiles of various sorts. The vendors are mostly older women and their assistants are typically young girls. Sometimes the women have babies on their back or toddlers by their side holding hands. I assume the men and boys are working elsewhere. I don’t know. I’d like to learn more about how the economy functions for these street vendors. Regardless, it’s fascinating to see indigenous people within an urban landscape dressed in traditional garments that don’t seem to have changed much since Pre-Conquistador times. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.

In Otavalo the small city (pop. circa 90,000) is swarming with indigenous people who are in town to sell crafts at the market in Plaza de Ponchos. It’s a visual feast. Today I purchased a few gifts and convinced one of the vendors, my new friend Amelia, to take a picture with me as part of the deal.

Tomorrow I’ll be heading up into the nearby highland villages for a homestay with an indigenous family. Promises to be a fascinating experience!

Hasta luego!

 

 

Why Ecuador: 10 Reasons to choose Ecuador for study, travel or retirement

My wanderlust was reawakened this past spring while teaching a course entitled, “Geography of the World Economy” in the Hasan School of Business at CSU-Pueblo. I was like a kid in a candy store sorting through various materials to present to my students. I must have watched 30-40 videos, mostly documentaries with plenty of TED talks thrown in and a small handful of feature length movies from the historical fiction genre. I probably read a hundred articles, mostly in the Economist which may be the only periodical left in the entire world worthy of respect as a source of high quality journalism.

In any case, I had to travel. But where?

Everyone has their own tastes, requirements, limitations and parameters and I’m no different. Instead of describing my personal decision factors, I’ve tried to come up with good reasons for anyone to consider a trip to Ecuador.

Here’s my list:

1. Ecuador is in the Central Time Zone, same as Mexico and Central America. Every time I’ve traveled to Europe I’ve lost 2 or 3 days to jet lag. Didn’t lose a minute upon landing in Quito; certainly no more than on my recent trip to Chicago. They should call it time zone lag, not jet lag.
2. The US Dollar is the national currency. Don’t underestimate how this reduces travel headaches in a multitude of important ways.
3. Biodiversity. Where else can you find the Galapagos Islands, Amazon rain forest, Pacific coastline with gnarly surfing and whale watching, and the Andean Highlands complete with Cloud Forests (look it up, bird watchers paradise) and active Volcanoes; all this within an area approximately the size of Colorado?
4. Cultural Diversity. There are 3 million indigenous peoples from 12+ distinct culture groups in the country. Remnants of the ancient Incan empire are all around. Hunter-gatherer tribes live traditional lifestyles completely isolated in the Amazon. Catholic churches built by Conquistadors and their descendants are numerous and Catholicism and other cultural legacies of Spanish colonization continue to thrive in contemporary Ecuador.
5. Climate. Ecuador is, of course, on the equator but the climate is mild because much of the country is at a relatively high altitude. Quito is far more comfortable than Panama or Costa Rica, for example, where you’ll find hot temperatures most of the year. This goes for the Andes highlands where most urban areas are located; the western lowlands and eastern (Amazon) regions of Ecuador are a different story.
6. Spanish. If you want to learn a foreign language, Spanish is the way to go … unless perhaps you’re willing to tackle Mandarin and travel across the Pacific regularly. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world behind Mandarin and ahead of English. That’s right, gringo, ahead of English…and probably widening its lead as Latin America continues to grow at a rapid clip. For this reason, Brazil and Belize are right out!
7. Safety. Although every specific city/town/neighborhood/location is unique, generally speaking Ecuador is safer and more stable politically than Mexico, almost all of Central America, Venezuela and Columbia. If you omit crime near the northern border with Colombia, it’s on par with the safest parts of South America, i.e., Chile and Argentina. But, it’s closer to the US with travel times to Quito far shorter than to Santiago or Buenos Aires. As an aside, for context, the 2014 murder rate in Ecuador was lower than the 2014 murder rate in the State of Louisiana. Maybe Bobby Jindal has a political future in Latin America?
8. Sample some Socialism. The current President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, is a self-proclaimed socialist and had a strong alliance with Hugo Chavez. He was elected in 2006 and re-elected twice since. Most citizens in the US have no fucking clue what socialism means. Come to Ecuador and you can check out a flavor of socialism first hand. I’m not saying let’s all be socialists. But why not learn something before dismissing it entirely? If you hate socialism but you’ve never experienced its application in a particular location, then you’re no wiser than my 6 year old who loves noodles and tomato sauce on pizza but refuses to try spaghetti with marinara sauce.
9. Cost of Living. Ecuador es muy barato. A small but relatively upscale and modern apartment in downtown (La Mariscal) Quito will run you about $500 per month. If you’re willing to live among la gente you can find a place for less than $200 per month. A typical lunch (almuerzo) in Quito costs $2-3 and for that price you get a hearty bowl of soup, a rice or noodle or bean dish with meat, a small side salad and a large glass of fresh juice. For breakfast this morning I was in a bit of a hurry and bought two queso empanadas (sort of like a large cheese filled croissant). It was plenty to carry me to lunch and cost less than $1. Bananas cost about a nickel each. I plan to take a bus 2 hours north to Otavalo in a few days. A one way ticket will run me $2. I had a small load of laundry done today. It was neatly folded and smells fresh, all for $1.50. My biggest expenses on this trip are airfare and the $11 per hour I pay for Spanish language instruction. I could probably find instruction at a lower price but it wouldn’t be as good and it wouldn’t benefit a terrific non-profit organization. More on Yanapuma later.
10. Southern Hemisphere Cred. After visiting Ecuador you’ll be able to say you’ve been south of the equator……uh, sorry, we live in a decimal based society and I didn’t want only 9 reasons in the title.

That’s it! I hope this might be useful for anyone out there trying to decide on a location for international perspective, an ecological adventure or a new chapter in life.

Segura viaja mis amigos!