I know I have blogged about this before but it really is an extraordinary thing to observe. Most of us all learn to walk at a young age and usually the average person manages it quite comfortably for the rest of their lives. Ecuadorians however, are different. Firstly, they walk so unbelievably slowly it actually defies normal belief. I am sure on one occassion I walked past someone who was making their way to the same bank as myself. A week later when collecting money out again I walked past that same person still wearing the same clothes as the week before and still heading to the bank. For this poor Ecuadorian, they hadn't yet made the first round - I had essentially lapped them. Secondly, they find it immensely difficult to walk down the road in a straight line. With not a sole around them they feel it is necessary to swerve across the pavement in some sort of snake like motion. This generally leads to me getting very frustrated that I can't get around them, or me bumping into them at some point during the overtaking procedure. I have since started a "carry a compass while walking" scheme, where I hand out free compasses to those who cannot move forward in a straight line!!! Consequently, over the past 6 months, profits from compass sales within Ecuador have risen by 200%. Now, I know I have explained Ecuadorian walking habits before, but, here's the thing - I have now figured out why this slow walking culture has evolved. Just last Thursday it was, as I took my daily route to work - there, all of a sudden, like a bolt of lightning out of the sky - it hit me. It was a revelation, my scientific brain had finally realised why and how Ecuadorians walk so slowly. So world - here it is.................................
Ecuadorians actually don't move at all. They are 100% stationary at all times. Their feet hover just slightly above the ground. The distance is so small that to the ordinary observer it looks like they are resting on the surface of the Earth just like everyone else. But, their not. As they hover in the exact same position above our planet, they then wait for the Earth's rotation beneath their feet to eventually bring places (say the park, the bank, their house), to them. The movement of their legs in a back and forth like motion is purely for visual effect. In this theory, the slow rotation of the Earth is the key to getting an Ecuadorian where they want to go (or should I say - bringing the location they want to go to, to them) and thus tragically - they actually have no control over their speed. The science behind it is flawless and anyone who says otherwise should first read the Penguin book of basic physics. As well, because this now takes the blame away from the poor locals here in this country, I don't actually mind so much anymore. I thought they were walking like that just to wind me up - but its really not their fault. Now I stroll down the streets of Quito with a spring in my step and a frustration-free life. Unfortunately, it now saddens me everytime I see an Ecuadorian taking 7 days to get to the local bank!!!
On an equally important observational topic, quite some time ago I went to a concert. It was held in the Plaza del Toros and involved traditional South American music, with bands from both Ecuador and Colombia. Even the rain couldn't stop the party from exploding, with the whole stadium dancing to famous songs for the entire night. Since living in Ecuador for nearly two years now, I knew many of the tunes emminating from the giant speakers. Its funny how you come to a country and after a while, its sort of natural to listen and dance to a type of music that is never even heard of back home. That really is one amazing thing about Ecuador - people here love music and love to dance to that music. For me - a lot of it is so new. Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton - these are types of music I really didn't know existed before coming here, and now, I even know some basic steps!!! In some ways its a shame that music of this nature, like other traditional music from around the world isn't more integrated into our lives at home - instead of being completely inundated with pop and R'n'B!!! The concert was a great experience and despite its length (over 5 hours), was thoroughly enjoyable.
There are many other cultural peculiarities that you find living in another country like Ecuador. Everyday something pops up that you are completely baffled by. Here are a few others I have noticed:
Bus behaviour: buses don't stop very often, in fact - they rarely stop at all. They usually just slow down enough so that you are able to jump (literally) on and off them. If you mess this up you can be in real trouble. I recently saw a man lose his grip whilst hanging off a moving bus that was turning a corner and he ended up falling out and rolling into the middle of the road. About 50 people watched the now bleeding man as he shouted at the bus, which just carried on its way, almost as though it was saying 'well you know the rules - we don't stop for anyone'. It must have really hurt!!! When you are on the bus though, behaviour is equally baffling. People don't stay in the same seat. Its like the chair they were given is never quite good enough. As soon as someone gets up, there is always somebody up and out, to grab the new spot, even though they already had a perfectly good seat to begin with. Then someone else will get up and go for their old seat. Its like musical chairs!!! The moving into and out of the seats is completely random as far as I can tell - or at least, I haven't yet worked out why some plastic sitting moulds are move appealing than others. It's bizarre.
Street urinating: it doesn't matter if its day or night, no matter how many people are around, or if they are drunk or not - there is always someone weeing somewhere on a nearby street at all times. The street I live on is particularly prone to street urinating practices. I suppose that its a urinating hotspot - so that people come from all over town, to gather, like some sort of social event............and then wee all over the place!!! Im going to ask the Ecuadorian gavernment if they can stop the production of beaurocratic forms and instead build more toilets. Often on the street I live, are also random locals who end up sleeping on the pavement, with their face straight down into the cold concrete. Nobody ever asks if these people are okay, and it ends up that you just step over random Ecuadorians from time to time as though they were old dirty laundry that you had forgotten to clear from your bedroom floor.
Personal space issues: in England, people, no matter how crowded the place is will always try and give you some personal space - like there is some form of invisible force field around you that people cannot enter. In Ecuador, people go the complete opposite way. Its like when they walk past you they want to knock into you, touch you, fall over your feet or cough in your face. On some occassions I have even thought about filing for harassment but then I thought how many documents I would have to fill in to do this and thus quickly brushed the idea away.
The elevator: I don't think people have worked out the elevator here (or 'lift' as we say in England), quite yet. I say this because 99% of the time that I try to exit one, 99% of people will be barging their way into it before anyone has got out. Its almost as though they feel that they must get into it NOW, or it may not appear for a decade or so. It doesn't matter how many people are already in the lift, trying to get out of it, as soon as those doors open - an army full of people are marching to get their spot.
So, as you can see - I could probably write a 100 page thesis on such cultural differences. Sixty pages would probably be on queing habits (or lack of queing habits here) and Im not just saying that because Im English (and thus a master of standing in line).................in this part of the world, the man with the biggest gob usually comes out on top. Of course I am sure such oddities would present themselves to an Ecuadorian in England too. Many will come to our country and be like "god, why are these people so fussy about standing in a line" or "why does everyone walk so fast here - these people need to chill out!!!"That sort of thing you know. And so, I think I will end my tales of cultural & peculiar differences for now, not least because I need at least a couple more pages to get through them all, but also I am writing this siting next to a window and outside a man is in full view - weeing up a lamp-post!!!
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Ecuadorian Life - A Country Of Culture, Peculiarities & Cultural Peculiarities
Turning 28 Years Old
It doesn't seem that long ago that I was celebrating my 27th birthday here in Ecuador. Last year I spent a crazy night on a Chiva Bus and don't really remember much of what happened after that. Now, a whole year has passed and thats a scary thought. The older I get though the less bothered I am about getting there. What I mean by that is, before I wanted to celebrate each 18th of September in style - going out, doing things big, usually drinking too much. Last years mayhem sort of happened by chance. I would have happily taken a few quiet drinks in a bar and be done with it, but, at that time - I had a big group of friends who loved to party, and that particular weekend was one where many people were leaving the city for good. As such, last year became a birthday and multiple-leaving event all in one, and hence a night that turned into chaos. This year was almost the same. Maisa's sister, Grace, was soon to be leaving for Canada to study English and my good friend Henry was returning back home to England. However, with Grace's Canadian visa not turning up on time and Henry leaving some days after my birthday, it turned out that I would have the day all to myself. As such, this years 18th of September passed far more smoothly - and I was still as happy as ever.
Firstly, I awoke at Maisa's house to the entire family walking in and singing happy birthday to me while holding a birthday cake with a big 28 on it. It's lucky I am a big strong man - because otherwise I would have looked at that 28, realised how old I am now and then burst into tears. The cake was delicious. I spent the entire weekend with Maisa and her family, as well as Henry. On two of the evenings Maisa, myself, Maisa's sisters and Henry, plus a few friends went out for meals and then some drinks. Maisa treated me and everyone in fact, to both events, which was very nice of her. We also found out that there was a fun-fair going on in town. They don't happen very often in Ecuador and this was the last weekend before it moved on to some other South-American country. As such, we all headed over to smash each other with bumper cars and ride rollercoasters that made us all feel positively sick. I think behaving as childish as possible was the perfect remedy of turning another year older.
I had never seen a fun-fair like this before. I mean they had all the things a fun-fair in England has but everything looked somewhat more dangerous here. They had one ride that didn't have safety bars on it and people were being thrown all over the place. Maisa told me that that is how it was supposed to be and yes everyone usually comes off with some form of injury. Maisa's sister, Jessy, ended up spraining her arm on the bumper cars. Welcome to Ecuador!!!
It was a nice weekend, and a good birthday too. Im glad its over for another year though and I can now finally carry on with normal day-to-day life. Just a final note: As I get older I really do feel I am getting more wise with each passing year. For example, it was soon after my birthday, whilst walking down a normal street in Ecuador that I finally figured it out. It came to me in a flash of brilliance and it should be commended by something prestigious like a Nobel Prize, because finally I did it, I figured out why Ecuadorians - have a problem with walking...............................
Vacation Over - A Return To Quito Life
So after my ten day trip across Ecuador, into Peru and back again, my Quito life resumed once more. I have now been living in Ecuador for one year and nine months. It seems like time has gone much faster than when I went travelling before - maybe because I have mainly stayed in one spot and gone through the daily work routine. When I think about all the things I have done here though - the things I have been through, the experiences I have had, the people I have met and the friends I have made - it does seem to be an awful lot!!!
The period of time just around the Peru trip was generally filled with birthdays, parties and birthday parties. Just before we left for our ten day adventure, it was Maisa's sisters (Grace's) 20th Birthday. We went to a very swanky hotel for a buffet lunch before heading up the large hill (El Panecillo) that sits in the historic old town of Quito and where on top, is a giant statue of the Virgin Mary. It is a landmark within the city and at the summit you get fantastic 360 degree views of the entire area. I had been up here once before but a long time ago, so it was nice to get another look with Henry, Maisa and all her family. In the evening there was a huge party set up in Maisa's house, complete with DJ, a lot of food and also a flow of Mojitos (which were constructed by Henry and myself). On the same day - it was actually Maisa's other sisters (Jessy's) birthday too. She turned 15 which is quite a big deal in Ecuador so her birthday was pushed forward about a month for a very special event.
Just two weeks after our Peru trip, Maisa's dad celebrated a business venture. He was opening a petrol station and for the inauguration he decided to hold a big party on site. Under a giant tent, around 150 people were treated to a three course meal, a huge band playing typical South American music and a lot of whiskey. Before everyone got drunk there were speeches and the cutting of ribbon. Then, with everyone dressed up in all their fancy clothes we all drank and danced the night away. By the end, some where too intoxicated to stand. I even had to carry a few out of the venue. I however, was still in control of all my faculties by the time the clock struck 3am and the party came to a close. It was a great event, even with the staff of the party trying to steal some belongings of Maisa's aunt and uncle who had come over from Venezuela. I found most of their things buried under a big pile of table-cloths at the end of the night where some of the staff had hidden the things for easy pickings later. Everything made it back to their rightfull owners except a camera which disappeared altogether. Its sad that at such an expensive event, some staff would still try their luck and steal from the guests. Maisa's dad ended up leaving his party shouting the word "rats" to the staff members!!! All in all though it didn't detract from a great night enjoyed by everyone.
Just one week later and it was Jessy's birthday. Maisa's sister was turning 15 years and well, it was one of the biggest parties I have ever seen - especially for a 15 year birthday. The event was more like a wedding only there was no bride and groom. The planning of this party took months and all four sisters had special dresses made for the occasion. The men were suited and booted too. The event first started in their nearby church (I told you - it was just like a wedding). There was a small service, with a band playing, lots of singing and praying......and maybe like a gallon of holy water being thrown around to bless everyone. I have never been to a service like this before. I'm not the most religious person in the world, but I respect everyones decision to choose in what they believe. To everyone else here, the service was quite normal as most people are Catholic in this country. For me the whole thing was a little strange. Religion is a funny business, with all the little rituals and specific acts which must be followed at the exact time and to the exact specifications. Its almost like the person who invented religion had some form of severe OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It was still very interesting to see though.
Afterwards, everyone headed to the Sheraton Hotel. The party must of housed around 150 people, most of which were Jessy's friends and the rest, family. Two groups had come all the way from Venezuela. There was first a reception with drinks and two very weird looking clowns, dressed all in gold and whos job was to welcome you into the room. They scared the living hell out of three-year old Domi and to be honest, me a little as well. The party was held in a huge room full of round tables and large screens on the walls. The family walked into the room surrounded by music and everyone clapped. Jessy came last. Then there were some speeches by Marcelo, Maisa and Grace. They laid a chair in the middle of the room so Jessy could sit down and her Mum came in with her shoes and put them on her feet, like some sort of Cinderella reenaction. Then a movie was played on the big screens showing photos of Jessy through her life, before she had a 'first dance' with a male friend of hers in front of everyone. Later, we sat down to a three course meal with Champagne. There was a buffet dinner for the kids.
During the night there were two bands playing different types of music and a DJ, who generally played songs aimed at the youngsters. The dancing and drinking went on well into the night and we all only stopped once to sing happy birthday as a giant cake was wheeled onto the dance-floor. It was a pretty amazing party and everyone had a good time all round. I remember thinking that my 15th birthday was quite different. If my memory serves me right, my friends and I spent the entire night trying to sneak into a pub in my local (North London) area, just to get an alcoholic beverage, and the only clowns involved were the behaviour of my friends. Still, each to their own.
During those weeks, it had been the birthday of Grace and Jessy, Domi and Marcelo (most of the Coello family basically) but also of someone else. The most special birthday of all the birthdays was coming up. There had only ever been 27 of these fantastic events to occur in all the world, but 28 was just around the corner.................
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
The Ecuadorian Coast & El Carmen
The Ecuadorian coastal road is pretty amazing although a lot of the time it doesn't strictly follow the shore. It sweeps inland and often curves up and above the coast so you get some wonderful views of the sea and beyond. It also takes you through some jungle feeling terrain, which is always nice. We left Salinas for this amazing ride as we were heading to a small place called El Carmen.
The ride to El Carmen, where Maisa's aunt and uncle have a home and where we were to be staying for one night, is some hours north of Salinas. Its hard to keep track how many hours, but we broke up our journey by stopping off at places on route. We made one stop at Puerto Lopez, which is actually a popular tourist spot as many come here to see the whales which often pass by this particular area. We only stopped off for lunch, but it also has a nice long-stretched beach to look at too, especially when you are eating delicious soup. We also stopped off at some small fishing village. I don't remember the name of the town, but the people there looked and acted odd and I don't think many of them had left the place, well, probably ever. It was an interesting experience being there though, as an army of fisherman were crowded on the beach standing over two huge swordfish. We watched as they hacked these things to pieces before feeding the unwanted parts to two very eager looking dogs. The smell made me feel somewhat ill, and it reminded me once again why I don't eat fish. It would have been fascinating to see those two swordfish actually in the ocean, alive and blazing through the water because before they were dismantled, they looked immense.
Eventually we made it to El Carmen. Just off the main coastal road, a small dirt-track leads to a farm, where Maisa's aunt and uncle have a rustic, wooden jungle house. It was certainly different to any of the other accommodation that we had stayed in thus far on this trip but it was incredible to be there. The shower is basically a bucket of water, the toilet has no flusher, and the rooms are simply wooden boxes with beds. Surrounding the house though is an assortment of amazing things. Chickens run riot there, and around is every type of growing plant under the sun. They get meat and eggs from the chickens, then the plants provide them with oranges, passion fruits, cocao plants, yuca and avacadoes.......plus more. They really don't need a local supermarket as they have everything right in their back yard. They cooked us some very fresh and organic food, including a typical Ecuadorian coastal dish which involves crispy rice. Unfortunately, there are also a ton of bugs there including thousands of mosquitos, but we slept with the nets up so it wasn't so much of a problem.
The next day we continued north about an hour or so, where there was a party that we were to attend. Im not exactly sure what the whole thing was about but it included the entire family of Maisa's aunt (who is not blood related). I don't think I ever have or ever will see a family this big again in my entire life - as there must of been like two hundred people there. Im sure if you were part of this family you would meet up with everyone and each time see some relative that you never had before. Maisa only knew a hatful of them there and im not suprised. I don't think if you counted the members of my family from all the generations going back to the time of the cave man (or Adam and Eve - whatever you believe), would it have totalled the number at this event. It was incredible. There was food and beer flowing and a lot of chatting going on. The event went on all day, mainly I think because by the time you had gone around and said hello to everyone you would probably have passed at least three hours. We only stayed a short time as we needed to get back to Quito, so off we went again, continuing north.
The views continuing north up the coast and then swinging east, past the town of Santo Domingo and on to Quito is pretty spectacular. It mainly sweeps around mountains and outlooks some wonderful views. If you have problems with car-sickness, this would have been your nightmare ride, but luckily I don't have such issues. We got back to Quito late, and I spent that last night at Maisa's house in the valley. The next day the parents prepared a huge feast including some delicious salty pork which is one of my favourite things to eat out here. Eventually Maisa gave Henry and I a lift back to the old town of Quito where I live. After a 10 day trip crossing two countries, seeing around 10 locations and doing an absolute mass of things, I walked into my room, shut my door and collapsed!!!
It had been an amazing trip and I was glad to take the time off work for it. It was packed full of adventure and a ton of travelling, but then I like my vacations to be busy. Culturally it was fascinating too as we covered so many different regions, foods and life-styles. One day we were staying in a 5-star hotel and the next in a wooden jungle house surrounded by chickens. It was worth every minute and one trip I won't forget in a hurry. For now though, once again, it was back to work................................
Back In Ecua-Land - Guayaquil & Salinas (Ecuador)
It was a long drive from Mancora. We set off about mid-day, took the short ride to the border (through arid desert and coastlines) before crossing the frontera back to Ecuador. The paperwork getting back over was nothing more than a formality this time around. From the border, we took the long drive around the southern part of the country (through all those banana plantations) towards the large city of Guayaquil. Actually we wern't spending much time here. We were just passing through. We stopped for dinner and had a look around before continuing on our journey. I had passed through Quayaquil a number of times, as its the main hub for travelling on to a number of places in the south of Ecuador. Most of those previous occassions I had only driven through the city, so I never really got to see the place up close. This time however, despite it only being a whistle-stop tour - I did actually manage to get out the car this time and see some sights properly.
Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and despite not being its capital, it certainly is its economic hub. Because of this and the fact that it has a reputation of being dangerous, not many backpackers bother to stop here. However, underneath its shell of business and robbers its actually quite a cool town. The city is located away from the high altitude mountains and so its climate is more tropical, being hot and humid for most of the year. The city has a number of things to keep the average tourist happy, but nothing more so than the Malecon, which is often seen to define this place. The Malecon is essentially Quayaquil's river-side promenade, where people come to shop, walk and eat - and often all in one go. The promenade runs along the huge Rio Guayas (Guayas River) which is used as a major trading route. During the short time we had in Guayaquil - we spent it on the Malecon, for a night-time stroll. We started at La Rotonda (a famous statue depicting the meeting between Bolivar and San Martin that took place here in 1822), before continuing south, past the clock tower and yacht club as well as a whole host of other night time delights!!! It would have been nice to spend a bit more time here and in the city in general, but we were pressed for time, so we eventually got back in the car and continued on our way.
It was less than two hours to reach our destination - Salinas. The town lies on Ecuador's southern coast and it is here that Maisa and her family have a holiday home. The place was only a few minutes from the beach and after a bit of a spruce-up (the house hadn't been lived in for over a year), it felt like home. I had been to Salinas before. About 6 months previously I participated in a scientific conference where I presented a talk to 200 Ecuadorians on the explosive activity of Tungurahua Volcano. The conference was held at a university in the nearby town of Santa Elena, but we all stayed on the Navy Base in Salinas - so I got to see a bit of the town then. From afar, Salinas looks like Miami Beach - with tall hotels and apartments lining the shore. Yachts dock just off the bay and during the months from December to April - they often come from all over the world.
In the few days that we spent in Salinas we spent most of our time along the beach-front, eating in the restaurants and admiring the many market stalls. We also had time for a couple of expeditions though too. We went to a famous and dangerous part of the coast in Salinas called the Chocolatera - which is where a series of ocean currents meet, crashing against the cliff-side rocks. We stood precariously on the top of those cliffs and watched the ferocity of mother nature in action below us. We also took a drive up the coast including the two hour ride north to Montañita. I had spent some time in this small, party town (and once for a crazy New Years Eve night) but Henry had never been and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We didn't stay for the evening so he didn't get to experience it in all its glory but he got a taste of what the place is like at least.
After some days, we had to continue on our way again. Our trip was coming to an end and we had to get back to Quito. Before our return journey though we still had some time left................so we ended up driving north to stay in a Jungle house and attend a party with 200 family members. Of course we did!!!
Crossing Countries - Mancora (Peru)
Its amazing how different a place can look simply by crossing from one country to another. Really, that is pretty odd, because its only an imaginary line - but somehow the change is very noticable. That is because, in the south of Ecuador, the climate is such that plants and vegetation thrive so the whole landscape looks green, mainly with banana plantations. But as you cross to the north of Peru, the climate shifts and everything becomes very arid and dry. Of course, being in Peru is different for a whole host of other (non-landscape) reasons, such as the infrastructure and people, the cultures and the currency. One thing you notice straight away when you enter Peru is how everyone drives tuk-tuk's - a motorbike with a big carriage on the back for carrying a few passengers. They are extremely popular in Asia, where I used to hop on them all over the place to get from one location to the next. You don't really see them in Ecuador though.
The drive from the border to the popular beach-side town of Mancora is only a few hours, so we arrived pretty quickly. Most of our trip from this point on would be along some part of the Pacific coast. That meant one thing in terms of food...........fish. Anyone who has ever met me, knows that I am not a big fan of eating anything that has come out of the ocean. Don't get me wrong - if it resides on the land, whatever it is, then I will throw it down my gob with little hesitation. On my travels I have eaten; Grasshopper; Snake; Guinea Pig; and Cricket (to name just a few), but put a piece of cod in front of me and my lip starts to quiver. In Peru and in Ecuador too they have a famous fishy dish called cerviche - which is some type of uncooked sea creature in a very strong lime-juice sauce. Its a bit like a soup and the idea is that the fish doesn't need to be cooked because the lime-juice keeps it fresh. I have actually tried this dish before and apart from all the fishiness, its quite tasty. Along this part of the coast 90% of places only sell fish and cerviche so I thought it was going to be hard-work just to find something for me to eat. On top of that, my work compañero (Pete Hall) also told me that in northern Peru, they harvest so much anchovy that they end up feeding it to the chickens so that the chickens also have a fishy taste..............I knew then I was going to be in real trouble!!! Actually, throughout my time in Peru and back up through Ecuador I generally didn't have problems finding something (non-fishy) to eat and I was also the only person in our group who didn't get sick at some stage................I say thats 1-0 to the land eater!!!
Mancora was much smaller than I expected. It has a reputation for being a popular backpacker spot, especially for those who want to party, so I was suprised that the Coello family chose this place for their relaxing vacation. Actually it seems, that's its the hostals themselves which are the party venues and although the town did have quite a few beach-side bars, it wasn't as crazy as I had expected. I guess it could be compared to Ecuador's Montañita - but really there was a lot less going on here in Mancora. For us, it didn't actually matter - because we were here just to enjoy the beach and do very little - clubbing wasn't really on our agenda. We only stayed in Mancora for two nights in the end, because the sun failed to come out in any forceful manner and the town of Mancora failed to impress the Coello family. The first night we stayed close to the town. It was a nice hotel but the beach there had a constant gale force wind. So, the second night we headed a bit up the coast and found an amazing resort type place where we could just relax. The beach was far more tranquilo and this hotel was incredible. We essentially had our own apartment, right on the beach, and the pool was so amazing that we barely put our feet on the sand. There, we did nothing but soak up the sun and drank Pisco Sours (a famous Peruvian alcoholic cocktail). This hotel also had an amazing restaurant, pool-table and service, which meant you never had to leave your sun-bed. It really was an amazing place for doing very little.
Often we would head into the town of Mancora just to eat and see the place at night. It has a nice street-side market, specifically for selling to backpackers. I tried to get used to the currency in Peru but I wasn't there long enough to fully adapt. Its a pretty easy conversion though - at about 2.5 Soles (more or less) to one US ($) Dollar. The Peruvian people always seemed firendly and polite, just like their Ecuadorian neighbours although again, I wasn't in the country long enough to fully know anything about them. A few days later, we headed north, back up the coast towards Ecuador again. It was interesting and fun being in a new country and I was glad for the opportunity to see another place on this vast continent. I would definately like to head back to Peru again some day soon - and do a bit of backpacking around some of the famous sites (like Cusco and Machu Picchu), but they will have to wait until next time. For now, we continued back up north and once again made it to familiar territory.....................Ecuador!!!
Machala
I think the drive from Cuenca to Machala was one of the most incredible rides, scenic-wise, that I have ever been on. Its quite a few hours drive but the road takes you through some fantastic countryside. We switched cars for this drive so it was just Maisa, myself, Henry and Grace. With the youngsters alone on the road, the music blaring and the windows down, we crusied through jungle scenes, around the winding sides of bare mountains and along a series of rivers. We skated arocss valleys and toured through plantations of banana trees as far as the eyes can see. It wasn't until now that I finally understood why Ecuador is one of the biggest exporters of bananas in the world. We stopped along the way too, to buy some of the bananas of which there were around 7 different varieties. They only cost us just 5 US Cent each - I remember thinking it was definately cheaper than Tesco. At one point we also stopped off to swim in a river - of which was very popular with the locals in the area too. It was like taking a swim in an icy bath with an entire village. It was cold in there, but thats exactly what was required after the sweltering heat of the jungle climate.
After some hours of driving, through ever-changing scenery, we eventually made it to our destination. Machala is a small town, located deep in the south of Ecuador. Its only about an hour from the Peruvian border and the average tourist would likely only find themselves here if they were heading to or coming from Peru. Its a nice little town though, surrounded simply by banana plantations. We stayed in a 5-star hotel called Oro Verde. It was an amazing place, complete with swimming pool, tennis courts and an incredible breakfast. The rooms were fantastic too and I can't remember having a better shower since my visit to the Ceasers Palace in Las Vegas almost a year earlier.
The next day we headed for Peru. People have often told me that the border between Ecuador and Peru is a bit of a nightmare although actually it didn't seem all that bad. We did have problems though, of course we did!!! Firstly, you have to go to an office on the Ecuadorian side and get an exit stamp. Simple enough. Actually for all of Maisa's family and myself - it was simple. For Henry, it was a disaster. The problem he had was that he had to extend his visa, so he did that a few days before, but it was done in a bit of a rush. He got his passport back from the immigration office just one day before our trip began. He had all the correct documentation so his passport was all in order. However, the day we left was a public holiday and then it was the weekend when the immigration office is shut and nobody works. Henry's problem was although he had the right stamps in his passport, the computer system with everyone's details on it hadn't updated his information - so at the border they said he couldn't get an official exit stamp because the computer said NO. When we drove to the Peruvian side (which is across a large bridge), they said they couldn't give Henry an entry stamp because he didn't have an Ecuadorian exit stamp. Ahhhhhh. Then, some Peruvian officals said not to worry and just to go on through anyway. Amazingly there is no-one there really stopping you getting into your car and driving into Peru, but it didn't sound right to us. We knew if we did this that Henry would have problems getting out of Peru or into Ecuador on our return so we went back to the Ecuadorian office. Essentially what were doing was travelling back and forth between countries. After some talking, the officer realised he had made a mistake and Henry's details had been updated - he was apparently looking on the wrong computer screen. As we left, Maisa's father (Marcelo) muttered to us that the problem here, was that the Ecuadorian officer was not actually human at all but some form of baboon. I remember thinking that a baboon would probably have no problem stamping a piece of paper and getting us all through the border and that such a comment was harsh on the entire species of baboons. After driving across the bridge once more and getting all our stamps - all of us were finally and officially into Peru.......................
