Ecuador

Ecuador

Day 1.

February 20,2018

I landed at the new airport at about midnight last night. Immediately after clearing customs everyone gets dumped into a liquor store with pretty girls offering free samples of whiskey. So far so good. The terminal is small, crowded and yet still quiet. I like it here already. There a lot of advertisements for medical care, especially cancer treatments, in the U.S.

With no phone or internet my intended hotel was not an option. The Wyndham at the airport was full but the guy at their booth, the only hotel booth, asked my name and told me to wait, I think. So I did.  20 minutes later a guy was walking around the terminal calling my name and holding up a printed sign with my name on it. I felt like a celebrity. 20 minutes later I ended up in a luxury family resort in one of the rooms, I think, intended for the nanny. It is very nice with llamas, peacocks, and other things wandering around the pools and fountains.  The front desk slid my card on an old fashioned mechanical thing that made an imprint on carbonless carbon paper. I would bet my offspring have never seen such a thing. The compound is enclosed by not one, but two, stone walls about 8 feet high topped with barbed wire and an electric fence. I feel very safe, sort of.  Breakfast was a typical gag it down buffet but now I know what coffee should taste like. The only thing interesting was sweet slimy fruit guts with sour crunchy seeds. Delicious.

So far it seems there are two Ecuador’s. One is like where I am staying, and the other looks like Tijuana. Walls made of used pallets with galvanized tin roofs that have been under construction for several generations. Both Equador’s are completely enclosed by tall stone walls topped with barbed wire and or broken glass. I have booked an airbnb at the Ritz Plaza in downtown Quito. Headed there now. The hotel shuttle took me back to the airport and along the way we passed dozens of little mom and pop street food restaurants. At the airport was all the chains you see everywhere else. From the airport I took a $5 coach that costs $8 with tax. It took over 1.5 hours to get to the bus stop in Quito mostly because of traffic.  $5 is the magic number around here because that’s what the taxi cost to the airbnb, which is really the Ritz Plaza hotel. It is as swanky as anywhere I have ever stayed. I ended up walking the last mile or so because it was faster than sitting in traffic. The cab was a 1990 ish Chevy POS with crank down windows. From the airport to the hotel was three hours, and maybe 20 miles.

Getting around here is not easy but it is better than France. I was planning to take the city busses but they make the London tube look positively vacant. I will probably walk, take a cab, or rent a motorbike. I  have discovered that if I open up google maps, put in my destination, maps will continue to function even after I leave wifi access. Directions are tough because the locals do not speak english. They don’t even try. Not even the hotel desk clerks. I’m OK with that, so far.

The official currency is the U.S. dollar. I pay with paper bills and receive change back in coins. OK, but not all of the coins are given in change are U.S. coins.  I guess a 50 peso coin from wherever is supposed to have about 50 cents in value. I doubt it.

There is a lot of poverty here. Street vendors walk thru the stalled traffic hawking everything imaginable. Sunglasses, children’s toys, water, M&M’s, oranges…  Several times I observed security guards searching backpacks as employees left their buildings.

I am not usually the fattest guy in line, but here I am nearly always the tallest. I think income has something to do with that because there are not many proper restaurants and most people seem to eat pre-packaged food from micro grocers.  I think nutritional quality takes a back seat to calories per dollar.

Day 2.

So far I am not liking Quito much.  Many, if any, of the cars do not have a catalytic convertor and they stink. The diesels belch black smoke and are noisy. The traffic is horrible! I walked to the motorcycle shop and firmed up my reservation. The walk was about an hour each way with lots to see.

My airbnb has neither heat or AC so I have to sleep with the window open and it is noisy. Really noisy. Plus several other residents enjoyed their music loudly until around 3:00 a..m.  Thank gawd I have my ANR headphones. Earlier I broke down and bought a sim card good for seven days and 200 mb. It costs $5.

Day 3.

The motorcycle shop doesn’t open until 10:00 so I had plenty of time to walk there. Along the way I had a nice breakfast. Two eggs, a small salad, a croissant, coffee and juice all for a about $3. There is sort of a central park with a DC 3 (airplane) and tons of sport fields with plenty of aspiring athletes.

A parade passed through with everyone blowing police whistles and chanting something, like a protest parade. There was a lot of anger and I sensed it could get ugly fast but there was a strong police / military presence ready to deal with it. A spectator told me they were “celebrating” turning 60. My guess is it had something to do with pensions.   Shortly after the parade passed I was bent down looking at something from a street vendor when I was knocked flat. I got up and saw a guy in a wheelchair who then proceeded to yell at me. I looked at the street vendor to get a hint about why this guy was so mad and he just looked ready to run. I turned back to the wheelchair guy and realized that his best day is worse than my worst day. He rolled off still swearing at me.

If you are not interested in motorcycles skip to the next paragraph.

I rented a Yamaha XT250. It is tall. I tried on about 20 helmets and the one that fit the best has pink butterflies on it.  The bike has a magic button, and a healthy growl with power to match. It is not that fast but it has an incredible powerband and was fitted with street tires. I regret the tires and longed for some knobbies. When sitting the bike feels cramped, like the foot pets are too far forward, but when standing it feels great. In soft sand it handles better than any bike I have ever ridden. The trade off is marginal handling in slow technical narrow trails.  When in sand scoot back and keep the throttle on. When in the bumps keep your shoulders strait above the pegs and let the suspension do the work. Jumps are straightforward and the back end never wants to come around, nor does the front end want to drop. Overall, Yamaha obviously knows what they are doing.

The included GPS is about the size of a small smart phone and difficult use. The color scheme is oranges, greens, blues, purples, and lavenders showing all the planned and or possible routes. Even with my reading glasses it is nearly impossible to see, and I can’t wear my readers while riding…

Riding in the traffic looked kinda fun. In reality it is terrifying. Riding up between the cars and zig zagging about looks easy, but things happens fast. The cars are expecting you to ride aggressively and if you don’t it messes everything up and that is dangerous. After I got out of the city traffic lightened up considerably and then stopped. There was a roadblock with lots of guns, military trucks, and intimidating soldiers. All busses and multi passenger vehicles were being searched. I got a good look at about 20 or so people sitting on their feet handcuffed behind their backs with terrified looks on their faces. They looked like farm workers. It is one thing to see while watching the BBC. Quite another to see stopped right next to them. I  have to wonder who they are? Venezuelans trying to get to Chili, or Colombians, or Mexicans? Don’t know.

I had planned a 3.5 hour trip to a volcano and nearby town. It took about 2 hours just to get out of Quito and then I was on a highway. This is not why I rented a bike so I turned off on a side road and headed up towards a mountain. A real mountain! I passed thru several small villages and made the mistake of stopping in one to snap some photos.

I was quickly chastised for not having permission to do so. Then he held out his hand. Presumably permission could be had for a price. I bought an ice cream sandwich off his cart instead. He seemed OK with it. I watched women load up bails of various kinds of produce on the government bus to take to a market or perhaps just a street corner. Considering the price of food here I think this is probably a very poor living.

Finally I found what I was looking for.  I spent the next several hours ripsnorting around on dirt roads and trails doing what I came here to do. Walking the earth on my big blue bike.

Fulfilling is the word I would use. In all I spent 7 hours on the bike with about 1/2 of that sitting in traffic. My plan tomorrow is to get out of town before everyone wakes up and head towards the Amazon basin to look around.

Day 4.

What a glorious day. I started out early to avoid the traffic. It worked. My plan was to go East, cross over the continental divide (I think) and descend into the Amazon rainforest to a national park near the town of Baeza. I am well equipped to ride in 50 and 60 degree weather, but as I climbed the temp dropped rapidly. By the time I got to the top I was freezing. My hands were numb and I was shivering uncontrollably. I made it about 5 miles down the other side and realized that if it starts to rain, and it looked like it was, my Levis would get wet and I would freeze to death. I made the right decision and turned around. Technically, I can say I have been in the Amazon basin. I stopped back at the top to shoot some photos and try to warm up when I saw a dirt trail headed down a canyon. It was a great trail passing by small farms and villages. I had breakfast in one of them. $3 buys more than you can eat. I am seeing a pattern where most meals come with pork, bananas  (not like the ones you buy in King Soopers), corn, and potatoes.

I was way out on a trail when I encountered a local. He was walking along in the middle of nowhere and dressed just like the “Indians” you see in photos of Peru with the goofy hat and brightly colored clothing. He kept a stone face and refused to even acknowledge my presence. I left him alone.

The canyon eventually brought me back close to Quito and I decided to spend the rest of the day sightseeing. I went to the ginormous Catholic church which costs $2 for admission. Admission to the tower was extra. If you could pick up the church and drop it in Spain it would fit right in, complete with the never ending restoration scaffolding. The “enclaves” along the main cathedral had the most unusual displays that can only be described as “Disney princess”. I took photos.  I unknowingly parked in a spot that blocked the driveway to the police station. I got dirty looks and good stern finger wagging.

About 2 blocks from the church I found the red light district. These “girls” are overweight, over aged, over painted, and over priced – even if they pay you. I can’t imagine.

Another 2 blocks away is a central shopping district. Hundreds of little shops each about the size of a full bathroom, with nothing but smart phones and crap. The people watching is worth the trip down there though. My next destination was a huge bizarre statue on a mountain top. But you can’t get there from here. All the streets go the wrong way or are closed. I gave up and found myself sampling street food at another market that has less crowds and more merchandise. Clothes and stuff. Several street vendors had puppies. I forgot to mention the dogs. There are dogs everywhere. Dogs. Dogs. Dogs. And they don’t bark. Actually one did bark at me in a small village when I stopped for directions and got a swift kick to the ribs from his owner for his error in judgement. Take notes America!

9 great hours on the bike today and I am tired. Time for an early dinner and some rest.

Day 5.

I had a great day. I am going to write about a lot of negative things, but I had a great day.

I returned the big blue bike early. I was not having fun dodging taxis, busses, and suckling in exhaust. Riding around in Quito is just terrifying.

So at 9:00 a.m. I started walking. First I wanted some orange juice. That was prohibited. I was offered grapefruit, tangerine, and mystery fruit juice. She had plenty of orange but I had to settle for tangerine. WHY?

Drinking my tangerine juice I walked through “central park”. I noticed a policeman followed me all the way, discreetly of course, but he never let me out of his eyesight. Speaking of cops, they are everywhere. Larger intersections might have 3 or 4. Smaller intersections generally only one. I am pretty sure this is used as a tool to lower unemployment. “Here, put on this uniform and bullet proof vest and stand around on this street corner all day”.  They also pack guns. There are several branches of the police but most are “national police”. There are also military police that guard the government buildings, and I won’t even look them in the eye. They just look ready for war.

It was time to try the bus. It wasn’t too bad and got me to a more interesting part of town. Cost: $.25. Once again I was sort of near the big Catholic church. I walked up the hillside to look at some large beautiful homes under construction. All I can say is there is a clear lack of craftsmanship. I knew this already.

Walking back down the hill I upset two dogs. They were just lying there sleeping until one saw me with one eye. They both got up and growled at me menacingly with their fur up until I was long passed. Other pedestrians walked right on by with no trouble.

I know I stick out because I look like a tomato. Quito is just a fuzz under 10,000 feet and the sun passes directly overhead. I feel like a lobster even though I am putting on SPF 50 multiple times a day. Note: There are mobile cancer screening trucks that park in various locations around the city. The screenings are free to everyone, even me I think.

Fashion trends for business men (not all, obviously) are suites and ties with long curly hair. They look quite dandy. Fashionable young men buzz cut the sides of their hair with slicked up curls on top and a “muffin top” over their belt. For fashionable young women it’s all about boobs and butt. The bigger the better. Symmetry takes a back seat.  The store mannequins are absolutely ridiculous.

I stumbled into a two story food court. Meals that I have been paying $3 or $4 for are about a dollar. But this place is really a dump and full of obviously economically disadvantaged people. The men tending the stores are very aggressive and even try to block me into sitting in their area with their body.  I kept my cool and went up a floor. The prices are about double, but still much lower than what I have been paying. I ordered a bowl of potato soup with cheese and half an avocado. It was delicious but somehow made me want to buy some hand sanitizer ASAP. The woman working the booth wanted me to try a condiment in my soup. I indicated no several times but she spooned in several drops anyway. I politely sampled the mixture. It was super hot and she good naturedly watched me hop around a bit. They must feed Tabasco sauce to their infants.

I then wandered into a shopping area. There are various districts. First was the jewelry district (sorry honey), then household appliances, then clothing. I bought myself three hats and a batman belt. The hats scream tourist and I am too embarrassed to wear them until I get home, where I will just be “eccentric.”  I also picked up some small gifts to bring home and a blanket made by the natives. In Spanish I got a full description of the differences between Inca and Aztec, or maybe Muzo weaving technologies. There are differences between llama and alpaca wools, and I am sure it was all very interesting. All I know is that they are very soft.

I can easily spot several different tribes. Usually they are either begging or trying to sell vegetables or produce of some kind on the sidewalk. Ecuador is not the most prosperous nation and these folks do not, for whatever reason, fully participate in the economy. Gut wrenching to just walk by.

I also see a lot of people with serious birth defects begging. I can remember what polio looked like, and this is it. I don’t have any medical knowledge but I have to wonder what vaccinations the population is not getting.

I passed a textbook store. They had books on algebra, geology, the environment, and Lenin. Now I understand.

I stopped by an Irish pub, Finn McCool’s, on my way home for a Guinness. The two gentlemen working there responded “no” when I asked if they spoke English. So I asked out loud “what kind of an Irish pub doesn’t speak English”? The young couple sitting at the bar burst out laughing.  She was a long legged curly haired goddess half my age. I very much enjoyed talking to her. He was from Belgium. She was from Venezuela. I told them I was from the U.S. and she immediately said that they had hopes that Donald Trump would do something militarily. I told her that we frequently do and it never ends well. I asked her if there was any chance of a domestic revolution. She said no and then explained to me that there are two economies. Venezuela is very wealthy. They have copper, silver, and gold. These commodities are all traded in dollars. The Venezuelans that work in these industries are very rich, and they support the government. There are fancy expensive restaurants that are full every night, but you must pay with dollars. Her “most dream” is to someday return to Venezuela but it will never  happen without outside help, she says. She further explained that China and Russia are contenders, but I did not understand how that would benefit her cause. Mr. Belgium was giving me stink eye so I left the conversation and ordered fish & chips with a domestic beer. I wanted a Guinness but one can was $14. Tariffs.

There are a lot of market distortions besides Guinness. I gassed up the big blue bike three times. Gas costs about $3/gal. Each time my name, license plate, and quantity was recorded. Obviously gas is subsidized so they need to prevent black market sales in nearby countries. My $50 Samsung J7 Prime costs around $300 here, and yet an LG 55” 4K flat screen sells for $72.

I had heard that the nation was staunchly Catholic. I observed several gender bending couples, not flamboyant,  but right out in the open and no one even blinked. Same way with breastfeeding. That’s the way it should be, I think.

Back to motorcycles. The majority of what’s on the street are re-branded Japanese bikes now being built in China, and are several generations old. The cops ride Honda XR 400’s. In one of the showrooms I saw a Suzuki GSXR 125. How ridiculous is that!

The architecture is meh. There are a few pockets of creative brilliance though. Graffiti covers nearly everything and a lot of it is sanctioned by the government. They close the road sometimes while it is being touched up. There are also the street artists with a message. They seem to draw UN soldiers with great detail and I think the statement is positive. I also saw two anti US statements. I wonder why? Is it because they don’t like their Reebok shoes, or Nike tee shirt, Adidas cap? Maybe it’s the McDonald’s lunch or KFC dinner they don’t like. I bet it’s the US military helicopters their government owns so many of.

I do not move around gracefully here. I am constantly jumping out of the way of cars, and busses. I trip on the uneven sidewalks. My second attempt at riding the public bus was a fiasco.

I get bumped around by other pedestrians, and I just feel accosted.

The good:
1. The Andes.
2. The locals are polite.
3. The costs are low, so are the services.
4. I saw exactly two insects, both were butterflies.
5. No one speaks English
The bad:
1. The sickening air pollution.
2. The incessant noise level everywhere.
3. The sun and the altitude. Besides getting easily winded my arms and face are fried and starting to peel.
4. The poverty.
5. No one speaks English
The OK:
1. The food.