Page 1 of 1Hanging with the Locals in Ecuador
By Mike Yaeger and Matt Lepkowski
Quick FactsDestination:
Quito, Ecuador |
The small, overcrowded bus careens down the valley highway as we descend from the capital city of Quito to a small suburb southeast of the city called Ferrearmenia. This is our first glimpse of the real countryside of Ecuador and it is a mixture of majestic landscapes and tragic poverty. The valley is covered in trees, dotted with sad cinder block structures and controlled burns providing subsistence agricultural land. The highway is littered with families, whose children await the next bus to stop so they can offer their simple wares of bagged water and fruits. For these families, this is their only source of income and a harsh life is evident on their weathered faces and soiled garments. Also on their faces, though, is a sign of acceptance, resignation and satisfaction with their place on this earth, or perhaps the ignorance to not know any other way.
One of the best ways to discover the uniqueness of a country is to be given the chance to spend time with it's local people�to witness their homes and businesses and the daily activities that they undertake. Dan, one of the people we were traveling with, grew up next door to a family that actually lived in Ferrearmenia, a southwestern suburb of Quito. They offered to let us use their house as a base for our travels, so that we could leave most of our luggage there and only take what we needed a week at a time. Getting there proved to be quite an adventure, as we had little idea where it was and nobody in Quito recognized the name.
Transportation via Bus in Ecuador
In Ecuador, as in many Latin American countries, the buses that run are privately owned and there are many different companies and qualities of service. There is no set timetable for the local or regional buses, but if you can find the right place to stand, a bus will eventually come along that will take you to where you need to go.
There are 3 different classes of buses: "Popular," "Ejectivo" and "Selectivo." Each rise in class means a larger bus, a higher fare, and less of a crowd. It's worth it to go on the best bus you spot. Most of the local buses seemed to pick up and drop off people around the Parque el Ejido in the center of Quito. The buses are very crowded, and most often you will need to stand, because all of the seats are taken. There is not much room for luggage, which is why traveling light is extremely important. They do offer a luggage compartment below for big bags, but if the bus stops before you get out, any one can grab those bags and run.
Once outside of the city center, the buses travel on fairly wide highways, but there are absolutely no road rules. Cars and buses fight to fit into whatever space is available without any lanes whatsoever, in a surprisingly orderly form of chaos. Instead of paying when you first get on the bus, someone comes around, asks you where you are going, and charges you an arbitrary fee. Of the three people traveling, one paid 30 cents and the other two paid 20 cents. After a few minutes, we told the bus driver that we wanted to get off at Ferrearmenia and he dropped us off on the side of the highway where there was no bus stop or sign of civilization. After crossing the highway, we found we were walking into the town of Ferrearmenia.
In less populated towns, small white pickup trucks called "caminetas "take the place of buses. For a nominal fee, they shuttle people back and forth down the main road. The walk to our destination was only 2 miles and we decided to walk it. It was a beautiful walk and it felt great to be finally seeing the countryside at a nice relaxed pace. One sees so much more by walking than any other form of transport.
There was a small market at the edge of town that had a few dusty shelves providing an assortment of water, candy, liquor, and canned items. The shopkeeper was a member of the family we were going to stay with, and he invited us to a party that evening, which we readily accepted. No arrangements were made as to how we would get there or when to show up, but things just have a way of happening in Latin America. In Ecuador, living in the moment without worry seemed to be the prevailing mentality, and a quite refreshing one at that.
Housing in Ecuador
Walking through town along the main dirt thoroughfare, we were surrounded by large walled houses, evidence of the relative wealth of this suburb. There was the occasional sign of commerce with small markets and stands, but mostly there were just houses. At the end of a long tree-lined street, was the entrance to the house which would serve as home for the next few weeks. All of the houses were gated, and the families employed an individual or another family who lived on premise, to serve as the gatekeeper, gardener, maid and all around servant. We yelled �Hola', as there was no bell, and shortly a man let us in after we explained who we were.
The house was extremely luxurious, even by American standards. They owned about 5 acres, and a house with at least 5 bedrooms, indoor plumbing, a garage, a modern kitchen, laundry facilities and multiple television sets. In contrast, the servants lived in a structure with dirt floors and no possessions outside of a bed and the clothes on their backs. Most of the land the family owned was landscaped and populated by a pack of at least ten dogs, who were friendly, but more wild than domesticated.
A Backyard Party in Quito, Ecuador
We caught a ride with one sons drove us to the party at another beautiful house in the same suburb. On the way, we loaded up on alcohol, all purchased by a child about twelve years old, at a liquor store conveniently owned by yet another member of the family. The evening began with an interesting form of volleyball called Ecuavolley. In this game the net is extremely high, so that no one can actually jump and reach the top. It is played with 4 people on a side and with a rock hard soccer ball. Open-palmed play (carrying) is not only legal, it is the preferred method of play. The best part about the game, was that between points everyone stopped and took shots of a rum and tonic water concoction mixed in a large pitcher, so after about half a game, everyone was pretty drunk. We played the Americans against the Ecuadorians, and came close to winning each of the three games, although we never really caught on to the open palmed method.
The party was extremely segregated, with all of the men outside playing games and drinking, while all of the women sat inside talking and cooking. The indoor festivities began with a scrumptious buffet, including choclo (a type of ivory colored corn that's small on one end and wide on the other with large kernals not arranged in straight rows), different types of bean and potatoes and the ever present aj�. After that everyone sat around in a circle and listened to people playing the acoustic guitar and singing. We were asked to sing a song, and we broke into a rousing version of "Hotel California", making up some of the words as we went along. Eventually, the older members tired and left and then the disco began. The teenagers loved to dance, knew steps to every song, and we danced until about three in the morning.
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