Hola. I had to move my blog to another website because this one limits the number of pictures you can post unless you pay. The new website is:
http://blog.travelpod.com/members/brinndalton
It has not been much fun having to re-create, but here it is. I hope I have no problems with this one. Chao todos.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Guayaquil, Ecuador population 3.5 million
Guayaquil, established by the Spanish in 1538, is the largest city in Ecuador and also its financial center. The cities name come from the name of the indigenous "Guayas" who dominated the region at the time of the Spanish arrival. The wealth of the city is attributed to the fact that the Guayas river passes through the city on its way to the Gulf of Guayaquil and eventually the Pacific Ocean, and is now the largest port in the country. Many of the natural resources (bananas, oil, shrimp, gold) exported by Ecuador and foreign goods imported to the country pass through the port at Guayquil. Ecuador is the largest exporter of bananas in the world (list of top banana growing and exporting nations: http://suite101.com/article/top-ten-banana-countries-a8403). The United States receives about 45% of all of Ecuador's exports.
The relationship between the U.S. and Ecuador have weakened some under the current administration under the leadership of the left-leaning president Rafael Correa, who has criticized U.S. oil companies operating in Ecuador, the U.S. military base on the coast of Ecuador, the U.S. attempts to prevent Ecuador from offering asylum to WikiLeaks creator Julian Assange, the U.S. war on drugs, and the U.S. banks that help fund the Ecuadorian media. (http://rt.com/usa/news/correa-assange-us-latin-318/). “I love and admire the American people a great deal. Believe me, the last thing I’d be is anti-American. However, i will always call a spade a spade,” Correa told Assange during a recent episode of the his television program on RT. “And if there are international US policies that are detrimental to our country, or even to that of Latin America, I will denounce them strongly. And I will never, ever allow my country’s sovereignty to be affected by them.”
Asylum is defined as:
a refuge granted an alien by a sovereign state on its own territory; a temporary refuge granted political offenders, especially in a foreign embassy
Guayaquil, like most large cities in Latin America, has a large disparity between the rich and poor and a notorious history of violence and robberies. The Ecuadorian government has invested large amounts of money in developing and securing the Malecon (meaning 'pier') area, the city's historic waterfront with a heavy police presence. Many foreign travelers only pass through Guayaquil on their way to or from coastal beach towns, and few stay more than one night. I of course heard many stories about "the friend of a friend" who was robbed in Guayquil, and to avoid the city at all costs. Out of curiosity, I opted to stay for 4 days and see for myself what the city had to offer (and carry very little cash around with me just in case).
What I found was a city not really accostomed to foreigners, but a beautiful city that is enjoyed by its residents and visiting Ecuadorians. Guayaquil is viewed, especially by Ecuadorians from Quito, as lacking history and culture, but from what I found, most of this can be attributed mostly the "Great Fire" of 1896 that destroyed most of the city's colonial architecture. Guayaquil was a very important city for the colonizing Spanish for exporting goods and shipbuilding. It was also often targeted by pirates who plagued the Pacific coast during the development of Ecuador. The Las Penas neighborhood and Santa Ana Hill that overlook the city and the Guayas River are still covered in stone forts and cannons used by the Spanish to protect themselves from pirate attacks. Guayaquil is also historically famous for being the meeting place of the two leaders of the South American Revolution movements, Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, who met and held a conference to both celebrate and set the guidelines for the newly independent nations of South America. A famous statue in the Malecon marks this famous event in South American history. Guayaquil, not coincidentally, was also the starting point of the famous conquistador Francisco Pizarro for his conquest of Peru and the Incan civilization. A proper setting for reclaiming the colonial lands, but ironically all of those who reclaimed these lands came from Spanish or mixed heritage. The indigenous peoples, similar to the history of North America, had very little reclamation.
The city has a very significant history and I learned alot about the area and how it differed greatly from the interior or Andean history of Ecudaor that I was most familiar with. I only spent 4 days, but I did pack in as many activities as possible. Including watching the local professional football team, Barcelona, play a game at what I thought was a restaurant/sports bar across the street from my hotel, but may very well have been a brothel. I left as soon as the game ended to avoid the change in atmosphere from "gametime" to "gaaaametime", but the locals definitely got a kick having a random gringo to watch the game with. Gringo is a much debated term, but today is very common in Latin America and has lost some of the deragotary connotation it once had. I mistakingly (like many others) thought it orginated in Latin American countries wanting the U.S. military out of occupied areas, and would infamously say "Green go home" in reference their green uniforms. Apparently this explanation is somewhat of a an urban myth.
Gringo is defined as:
Monument and painting marking the famous meeting of Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
The relationship between the U.S. and Ecuador have weakened some under the current administration under the leadership of the left-leaning president Rafael Correa, who has criticized U.S. oil companies operating in Ecuador, the U.S. military base on the coast of Ecuador, the U.S. attempts to prevent Ecuador from offering asylum to WikiLeaks creator Julian Assange, the U.S. war on drugs, and the U.S. banks that help fund the Ecuadorian media. (http://rt.com/usa/news/correa-assange-us-latin-318/). “I love and admire the American people a great deal. Believe me, the last thing I’d be is anti-American. However, i will always call a spade a spade,” Correa told Assange during a recent episode of the his television program on RT. “And if there are international US policies that are detrimental to our country, or even to that of Latin America, I will denounce them strongly. And I will never, ever allow my country’s sovereignty to be affected by them.”
Asylum is defined as:
a refuge granted an alien by a sovereign state on its own territory; a temporary refuge granted political offenders, especially in a foreign embassy
Guayaquil, like most large cities in Latin America, has a large disparity between the rich and poor and a notorious history of violence and robberies. The Ecuadorian government has invested large amounts of money in developing and securing the Malecon (meaning 'pier') area, the city's historic waterfront with a heavy police presence. Many foreign travelers only pass through Guayaquil on their way to or from coastal beach towns, and few stay more than one night. I of course heard many stories about "the friend of a friend" who was robbed in Guayquil, and to avoid the city at all costs. Out of curiosity, I opted to stay for 4 days and see for myself what the city had to offer (and carry very little cash around with me just in case).
What I found was a city not really accostomed to foreigners, but a beautiful city that is enjoyed by its residents and visiting Ecuadorians. Guayaquil is viewed, especially by Ecuadorians from Quito, as lacking history and culture, but from what I found, most of this can be attributed mostly the "Great Fire" of 1896 that destroyed most of the city's colonial architecture. Guayaquil was a very important city for the colonizing Spanish for exporting goods and shipbuilding. It was also often targeted by pirates who plagued the Pacific coast during the development of Ecuador. The Las Penas neighborhood and Santa Ana Hill that overlook the city and the Guayas River are still covered in stone forts and cannons used by the Spanish to protect themselves from pirate attacks. Guayaquil is also historically famous for being the meeting place of the two leaders of the South American Revolution movements, Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, who met and held a conference to both celebrate and set the guidelines for the newly independent nations of South America. A famous statue in the Malecon marks this famous event in South American history. Guayaquil, not coincidentally, was also the starting point of the famous conquistador Francisco Pizarro for his conquest of Peru and the Incan civilization. A proper setting for reclaiming the colonial lands, but ironically all of those who reclaimed these lands came from Spanish or mixed heritage. The indigenous peoples, similar to the history of North America, had very little reclamation.
The city has a very significant history and I learned alot about the area and how it differed greatly from the interior or Andean history of Ecudaor that I was most familiar with. I only spent 4 days, but I did pack in as many activities as possible. Including watching the local professional football team, Barcelona, play a game at what I thought was a restaurant/sports bar across the street from my hotel, but may very well have been a brothel. I left as soon as the game ended to avoid the change in atmosphere from "gametime" to "gaaaametime", but the locals definitely got a kick having a random gringo to watch the game with. Gringo is a much debated term, but today is very common in Latin America and has lost some of the deragotary connotation it once had. I mistakingly (like many others) thought it orginated in Latin American countries wanting the U.S. military out of occupied areas, and would infamously say "Green go home" in reference their green uniforms. Apparently this explanation is somewhat of a an urban myth.
Gringo is defined as:
Word History: In Latin America the word gringo is an offensive term for a foreigner, particularly an American or English person. But the word existed in Spanish before this particular sense came into being. In fact, gringo may be an alteration of the wordgriego, the Spanish development of Latin Graecus, "Greek." Griego first meant "Greek, Grecian," as an adjective and "Greek, Greek language," as a noun. The saying "It's Greek to me" exists in Spanish, as it does in English, and helps us understand whygriego came to mean "unintelligible language" and perhaps, by further extension of this idea, "stranger, that is, one who speaks a foreign language." The altered form gringo lost touch with Greek but has the senses "unintelligible language," "foreigner, especially an English person," and in Latin America, "North American or Britisher." Its first recorded English use (1849) is in John Woodhouse Audubon's Western Journal: "We were hooted and shouted at as we passed through, and called 'Gringoes.'"
Path along the Malecon (pier) in Guayaquil. The city you can see to the left, the Guayas River is to the right.
 
Malecon along the river and some familiar scenes. Next to the guy who may or may not have been doing some afternoon drinking is a recycling bin. The poster in the far background is for Batman 3 playing at the nearby IMax Theater. The next picture is a poster of "Papa Noel" the name for Santa Claus in Latin America. Still wearing winter clothes despite the fact we're near the equator and these children have never experienced cold weather.
Stairs up to the Penas area of Guayaquil
The same viewpoint (Penas) looking west from the river. The hillside neighborhood of Santa Ana to the right is becoming safer with much effort, but still ill-advised to visit at nighttime.
  A painting showing the indigenous Guayas of the area and their fishing hooks. Next a Spanish colonial statue depicting a Catholic saint, next to a religious statue of the Guayas people.
A model depicting the "Great Fire" of 1896 that destroyed much of the city and robbing it of the colonial architectural beauty seen in other Ecuadorian cities such as Quito and nearby Cuenca.
 
Plaza de las Iguanas in front of the Guayaquil Metropolitan Cathedral or Cathedral of Saint Peter.
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Friday, November 16, 2012
The Coast of Ecuador
Having had enough of high elevation and chilly night temperatures, I decided to head to the Ecuadorian coast. A bus from Quito to the coast is roughly 6-8 hours depending exactly where you're going and how many people (meaning stops) you pick up along the way. After traveling through the towns of Esmeraldas and Atacames in the north, I came to town called Mompiche to see it's world class surf break. Mompiche is a fishing village that is slowly turning into a tourist area as it is now accessible by a newly built road. In the past, visitors (surfers mainly) had to travel by boat to get there. There was no swell (waves) at the time, but I could see the potential and planned to revisit when there was (I did return a few weeks later). A swell is the wave pattern generated by storms at sea. These storms bring the waves to the coast that surfers seek and fisherman dread. Finally, I travelled further south to a town called Canoa, where I would end up spending the next 6 weeks.
While in Canoa, I volunteered in a kindergarten English class at a school built and run by local Ecuadorians and Americans now living in the community. There I specialized in alphabet pronunciation, numbers, colors, and learning how to say "please quit crawling under the table" and "if you fight you don't get any popcorn" in Spanish. The family that owned my hostal helped start the school and helped me find an opportunity to volunteer there. The school is private and compared to what I saw each day as I walked by the public school in town, the students at my school are very fortunate. The public school resembled a prison in large part and based on the noise level, the inmates were running the place. Education is not a high priority with most families in developing nations, and in Canoa I found that most parents that were concerned about their child's education sent them to public schools in the nearby cities, due the general lack of control and focus at the local school. Students at the school I worked mostly had parents who could pay a small fee and provide uniforms and supplies for their children. I think it would be a good lesson in life if all American students could see the conditions and access to education that many children in the world are faced with. Our system is by no means perfect, but at least it is existent. That is not the case for many of the world's poor.
The world famous point break at Mompiche. No waves on this day, but would come in a few weeks later.
Picture just before I went out to Mompiche break with friends from Canoa (one of which was a former competitive surfer in Ecuador).
Hand made beach hats in Mompiche. Takes him about 5 hours, costs you about $15; $12 if you can speak Spanish and are willing to bargain.
Sign welcoming visitors to Canoa.
The fishing boats of Canoa.
The fisherman of Canoa getting ready for morning journey. They usually go twice a day.
Rush hour on a Canoa morning.
Blue footed boobies (birds) made famous from Darwin's journey to the nearby (somewhat) Galapagos Islands. The "bluer" their feet the healthier they are.
The Pacific Coast in Ecuador at Canoa, Manabi province.
Caves on the Pacific coast of Ecuador.
This is why it's a bad idea to throw your trash into the ocean or river.
Canoa sunset.
Life in the campo or countryside. I was traveling on horseback.
View of my journey with my new amigo 'Fuego.'
The end of my journey with Fuego.
Two pictures showing the local public school I walked by each morning and the private school I worked in (kids having their morning meeting and stretching).
"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."
George Washington Carver
Canoa, whose name fittingly translates to "canoe" in Spanish, is town that was originally a fishing town. The beaches, surf, and nice weather are turning this former fishing village into a tourist area, which is common all along the Pacific coast of Ecuador. Canoa has a tropical monsoon climate meaning that it has a wet and dry season. I was there during the dry season (June to November), but surprisingly the sunny weather is more consistent during the wet season (December to May). Monsoons are defined as: A system of winds that influences the climate of a large area and that reverses direction with the seasons. Monsoons are caused primarily by the much greater annual variation in temperature over large areas of land than over large areas of adjacent ocean water. This variation causes an excess of atmospheric pressure over the continents in the winter, and a deficit in the summer. The disparity causes strong winds to blow between the ocean and the land, bringing heavy seasonal rainfall.
If you look at a climate map (http://ecuadorexplorer.com/html/climate_map.html) of Ecuador, Canoa sits just north of an arid coastal region that resembles southern California in both the coastal landscapes and the climate. Also on the map you will see that the northernmost coastal regions are tropical grassland, tropical monsoon, and tropical rainforest. These areas are ideal for growing sugar cane, and as you could theorize based on the report from Colombia, these areas contain the highest concentration of Afro-Ecuadorians due to the slave sugar plantations operated by the colonial Spanish.
The people in Canoa and the Manabi province are mostly Meztizos (mixed Spanish and Indigenous). The Spanish conquered the Manabi region and established the nearby city of Bahia de Caraquez in 1624. This area was once the capital of the ancient Chirije civilization. The Chirije are called the "Phoenicians of the Americas" because they sailed along the Pacific coast from as far south as northern Chile and as far north as southern Mexico trading the sought after Spondylus (or "Red Thorny Oyster"shell) for goods along the coast. (The Phoenicians were well known sailors in the ancient Mediterranean) "Bahia", as it is called by the locals, is where the famous conquistador Francisco Pizarro captured the final Incan ruler Atalhualpa and established a point in which the Spanish could further explore the interior of Ecuador, and build a port in which to transport the resources that they acquired. A conquistador is defined as: an adventurer or conqueror, esp. one of the Spanish conquerors of the New World in the 16th century.
While in Canoa, I volunteered in a kindergarten English class at a school built and run by local Ecuadorians and Americans now living in the community. There I specialized in alphabet pronunciation, numbers, colors, and learning how to say "please quit crawling under the table" and "if you fight you don't get any popcorn" in Spanish. The family that owned my hostal helped start the school and helped me find an opportunity to volunteer there. The school is private and compared to what I saw each day as I walked by the public school in town, the students at my school are very fortunate. The public school resembled a prison in large part and based on the noise level, the inmates were running the place. Education is not a high priority with most families in developing nations, and in Canoa I found that most parents that were concerned about their child's education sent them to public schools in the nearby cities, due the general lack of control and focus at the local school. Students at the school I worked mostly had parents who could pay a small fee and provide uniforms and supplies for their children. I think it would be a good lesson in life if all American students could see the conditions and access to education that many children in the world are faced with. Our system is by no means perfect, but at least it is existent. That is not the case for many of the world's poor.
After one month and half in Canoa, I had to leave. Life was getting too comfortable and I was relying on my English too much and not studying Spanish. My next 2 stops are Guayaquil then Cuenca for a 2 weeek Spanish course. Hasta la vista Canoa.
The busy streets of Mompiche, Ecuador
Picture just before I went out to Mompiche break with friends from Canoa (one of which was a former competitive surfer in Ecuador).
Hand made beach hats in Mompiche. Takes him about 5 hours, costs you about $15; $12 if you can speak Spanish and are willing to bargain.
Sign welcoming visitors to Canoa.
Caves on the Pacific coast of Ecuador.
This is why it's a bad idea to throw your trash into the ocean or river.
View of my journey with my new amigo 'Fuego.'
The end of my journey with Fuego.
Ancient figurines of the Chirije "Phoenicians of the Americas"
Replica of the maritime vessels used by the Chirije. They sailed and traded along the Pacific from modern day Mexico to Chile.
Two pictures showing the local public school I walked by each morning and the private school I worked in (kids having their morning meeting and stretching).
"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."
George Washington Carver
School grounds with ever-important futbol (soccer) field.
"Dough Day." Making people and learning parts of the body using dough.
The following pictures show the typical end of my class period with the kindergartners. Each class is 2.5 hours long. The teacher I worked with would make popcorn toward the end of class as an incentive for them not to make our lives an absolute nightmare.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Quito, Ecuador (Population 2.2 million)
I arrived in Quito, Ecuador with little background knowledge of the city and no exact plan. Sometimes, part of the adventure is figuring out a city on your own. I had heard from other travelers in Colombia and Otavalo, Ecuador (3 hours north of Quito) contradicting reports regarding the safety of the city and the friendliness of the people. I have found though, with anyplace (or anything or anyone for that matter) it is best to see for yourself to make a judgement. So I arrived by bus to Quito with only a slight idea as to where I was going to stay and no expectations or plans beyond that.
Quito is the capital of Ecuador, but unlike most Latin American cities, it is not the primate city due to the fact that the coastal city of Guayaquil has the largest population in the nation. In my experience, I found Quito to be a wonderful city and the people extremely friendly and helpful. I did have my first difficult encounter on my trip thus far in Quito, but it was with a crazy French guy who (I'm still somewhat confused due to his broken English) was threatening to fight me because apparently he thought I was the Australian who had kept him up by partying too late at the hostel. Needless to say, I diffused the conflict and moved out the same dorm room as this weirdo to avoid him throwing my toothbrush in the toilet, or worse, for revenge. Here is a website dedicated to dealing with crazy French people living in exile in Ecuador because they are wanted for murder…(Kidding). Back to Quito, of course there are robberies and crime as in any big city, but as a general rule as in anywhere, find out where to go and where to avoid, and don't test those boundaries. A common theme among foreigners who are robbed in Latin America is that they were walking by themselves at night, and most often had been drinking. "Use a good judgement" a friend of mine in Chattanooga always says.
The old town or Historical Center (Centro Historico) in Quito is restored and clean, and the area is full of cathedrals, museums, plazas, and colonial architecture. The following website provides an interactive map of the old town with images of the sites you will see walking the town (http://ecuadorexplorer.com/html/quito_centro_map.htm). The old town is listed as a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site, meaning it is protected and funded as a special place of interest by the United Nations. For more information about UNESCO and World Heritage Sites see their website that tells more about the organization and provides a list of sites by nation (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list). There are currently 962 sites in the world (cultural, natural, and mixed properties), 21 of which are in the United States. Italy tops the list with 47 sites.
I spent a little more than a week in and around Quito and was able to visit the equator for the first time, which was a great experience. In general most traveler's, myself included, stay in the newer area of the city called Mariscal. I was surprised to find so many foreigners both visiting and living in Quito and the large number of restaurants and shops that cater to both wealthy Ecuadorians and western people. (The term "western" is typically used to describe: The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident [from Latin: occidens "sunset, West"; as contrasted with the Orient], is a term referring to different nations depending on the context. There is no agreed upon definition about what all these nations have in common[1] apart from having a significant population of European descent and being heavily influenced by Europe.)
I think the high rate of western residence is due in large part to the relative peace and governmental stability compared to most of central America (including Mexico), neighboring Colombia, and nearby Venezuela. That being said, Ecuador did have a political coup ("coup" or coup d'etat is defined as: {French: “stroke of state”} Sudden overthrow, often violent, of an existing government by a group of conspirators. Coups are most common in countries with unstable governments and in countries with little experience of successful democracy.) in 2000, but the country has not experienced the full brunt of civil war and narco-terrorism that have plagued nearby nations. Also, the coastal, mountain, and jungle areas have a favorable climate to nations south of Ecuador, due to its proximity to the equator.
I actually fell prey to watching the NFL one Sunday with a group of Americans living in the area, but sometimes it's nice to surround yourself with the comforts of home when on the road. I made up for it though the next day by watching a national soccer match between Ecuador and Uruguay with a group of Ecuadorians (much more fun by the way). The South American nations are currently competing for a spot in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil which adds a lot of excitement to the games. You can track the qualifying results on the following website (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/southamerica/standings/index.html). The top 4 teams qualify (Brazil automatically in for hosting the event) and Ecuador is currently in 3rd.
Plaza de la Independencia
La Virgen de Quito
Toy Store in Quito (Yes, those are fake rats for sale hanging under the T-Rex if you can't make them out)--Also, check out the jerseys behind the Rat Man, the most popular professional soccer team Barcelona who play out of the city of Guayaquil
Iglesia y Covento de San Francisco-built in 1536, the oldest in Quito
La Iglesia de San Francisco (church)-All hand carved and guilded with real gold, Below: statues of San Francisco (Saint Francis) and Jesus
Presidential Palace and guards
Basilica del Voto Nacional
Pope John Paul statue in front of La Basilica--"The Pilgrim Pope" visited Quito in 1985 and blessed the Cathedral
Head binding or skull manipulation was common among the ancient Andean peoples. Scientists believe the process was done to create an ethnic identity or a sign of social class. The device would be applied to the skull of an infant for six months starting at one month old. Interesting images on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cranial_deformation
Metallurgy in South America dates to 2000 BC. These gold artifacts would have been used for religious ceremonies or possibly burial rites. The abundance of gold and silver in the Andes was a main draw for Spanish exploration and eventual colonization in the region.
Quite possibly the ugliest mannequin I've ever seen
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