Food in Ecuador

     I know this blog used to talk about food all the time. How I make it. Yummy food I had. I have not spent much time reflecting on that here because there have been many challenges. I've been tinkering with this post for days and have not really said anything partially because there has not been much to say. Today however we had our first great cooking experience.

     Our language/surfing school offered cooking classes and we finally booked a class with them. Ivonne and Luis, the language teachers, brought their mother and sister in to teach us how to make ceviche. It was great to see this Ecuadorian family make one of their frequent (weekly) dishes. They grew up just two towns down the coast and had ceviche every Sunday with arroz and chifles. It was very fresh with vegetables we chopped up there. I was allowed to help chop and Luis said 'Paulo es bueno chef.' Madre also made her own chifles, plantain chips, from scratch that the reasurants serve store bought from a bag. Her children were surrounding her helping; her son was smiling ear to ear especially when he ate the ceviche. What a wonderful experience. The recipe is pretty simple but we got some great tips from the source and we will make it for you when we get back. 

     Now back to the post I have been working on.

     We are still learning how to get the ingredients that we are used to cooking with. There are a couple of great fruit and vegetable stands here but the produce is ripe enough that it has to be used that day or the very next because they don't use any preservatives. I'm not used to broccoli going bad after a day. The mangos, limes, pineapples, papayas, strawberries, cherries, and watermelons are yummy and everything seems to be in season. The veggies are okay but not what we are used to, except the tomatoes, peppers and avocados, they are great. Our produce bill is equal to how much I spend on just apples in Seattle. 

      Groceries are much harder to get. On our first big shopping trip we got some canned goods like beans, tomatoes and tuna however there are no can openers to be found in this little town. Two weeks later in the big city the big grocery store had only one can opener and it was electric. We will see how long it lasts since everything metal here starts to corrode. 

     There is no fresh protein at the grocery store except eggs. All animal proteins are sold on the street each morning because most people don't have a fridge. We have seen many a man chopping up chickens and filleting fish on the back of their tricylcles. We have done what we can with frozen chicken and packaged ham. The best chicken, fish and pork we have eaten is at restaurants owned by the locals. They know where to get chicken and pork. Beef is not part of the typical food in this region. This may change when we move up into the Andes. 

     Seafood is becoming easier now that we know how to do it. Just hang out in town in the morning and someone with a big bucket of fish or shrimp or langoustines will eventually drive by.
     One of our new friends who has been here for a couple of years has picked up a few recipies. She know how to make fresh limeaide and tortilla de verde, green plantain fritters, or Ecuadorian latkes as I think they taste. 

     We are learning that we are indeed first world people. As much as we are trying to assimilate we are not fully making that happen. So we will continue to do the best we can. But man do I miss Central Market.

Beach Life

     It's not for everyone. Not really even for me for long. However I would suggest that everyone deflate long enough to be a true beach bum for a month. It takes time to fully deflate so need a month. Drink mostly beer or fruit juice. Wear mostly swimwear and flip flops. Eat seafood, untouched by heat if possible. Eat lots of fruit from just up the hill or off your neighbors tree. Avoid transportation that requires a motor unless it is a bus to the next beach. Buy jewelry made from grown things. Make friends with your neighbors. Shower outside. Surf, read, swim and sleep in a hammock. Live in a different gear. Move at a slower pace.

     Then of course go back to your real life and make money so you can do it again. Just my advice. We have beach one week left.

Surfing

     I rented a surfboard and took the dude surfing today. He can stand up half the time. Got a couple of pictures too. There are also pictures of Cael with our surfing/spanish teacher and Lumia with our favorite produce lady. I have not been this tan since I was a life guard in highschool.

Mixed day

     Life continues to be paradisic here in Ecuador. Sadly however we heard Stephanie's Grandfather Cliff Arntz passed yesterday. He was a kind man and a great Grandfather. Steph and all of us will miss him.

     With that news this morning and Steph fighting a cold we did not get out till this afternoon when we went to Eddies' Tacos to watch the Seahawks continue to be awesome. Watching American Football with Spanish commentators is a strange experience. 

     We are back to it tomorrow with Spanish lessons. We hope everyone back stateside is well and we are thinking of all of you today. Buenos noches. 

The plan is coming together

     All of the parts of our trip to Ecuador are solid. We talked with folks we have met here, looked at what we wanted to do and made a few budget decisions. Now we can share our full itinerary.

     Guayaquil 12/15-12/17 at Courtyard Marriott. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/gyecy-courtyard-guayaquil/.
     Olon 12/18-1/9 & 1/12-1/31 at Casa Sandra, you have seen the pictures.

     Puerto Lopez, coastal fishing town with tourist boats to Isla La Plata, 1/9-1/12 at Hostel Mandala. www.hosteriamandala.info/. We stated in Delfin Cabin and it is was lush. Very nice porch, three beds and a rain shower. We were inspired to get a hammock to bring home for our tree house.

     Cuenca 2/1-2/14 at VRBO #475415. www.vrbo.com/475415. 

     Amabato 2/15-2/17 at Hotel Roka Plaza. www.hotelrokaplaza.com/. We will be here for Carnaval. The host says to watch the parades from the hotel.

     Baños, know for its thermal baths, has more than 60 waterfalls, 2/18-2/21 at Le Casa Verdi. www.lacasaverde.com.ec/

     Cotopaxi 2/22-2/24 Hacienda Los Mortinos. www.losmortinos.com. 

     Quito for one night before the Amazon, 2/25 at Hotel Sierra Madre. www.hotelsierramadre.com/.

     Our Amazon excursion 2/26-3/1 at La Casa Del Suizo. www.casadelsuizo.com/.

     Quito, high alititude capitol of Ecuador 3/1-3/8 at Wantara Suites - Suite Estrella. www.wantara.info/.

     Back to our port of entry, Guayaquil 3/9 Courtyard Marriott. www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/gyecy-courtyard-guayaquil/.
Seattle 3/10 at Casa SPCL

Evening entertainment

     Most evenings here in our home in Olón we sit out at the cabana and watch the sunset. You have seen the pictures. It is usually amazing. What you don't see is our entertainment program.

     Our two beautiful children have been putting on a nightly program. Lumia dances and some times Cael joins with that. Cael has perfected some magic tricks where he has us pick a card then without us seeing (usually around a corner) he hides that card. The first time when he hid the card in his hat, he went through the whole deck without finding the card then 'accidentally' dropped the card out of his hat on to our laps. Steph and I were both surprised, laughed for quite a while, and it was a successful magic trick. 29 times now later with Lumia now performing the trick it has worn a bit thin but we still usually get a good laugh. Cael is also working on his New Jersey thug inpersonation that he got from his friend Alex at school. He opens a pretend trench coat to reveal first one side with 'ya want some watches' then the other side to 'or ya want some meuychendice?' It is hallarious. Also it is wearing a bit thin after two weeks but there have been variations on the theme. Kudos for them for trying to entertain their parents. Kudos for them for putting up with 3000 miles from home, friends and family. They are troopers and seasoned travelers. Did I say that we love them?

     I have also not detailed our Spanish lessons. Luis from Outdoor Ecuador gives Steph, Cael and me one hour lessons three days a week. When we move to our next destination, we will get more kid friendly lessons for Lumia. Until then Luis is running us through nouns, adjectives, simple phrases and now finally a verb. We are totally useless at conversation but some things are making sense. Cael is good at remembering words but no grammar and Steph is figuring out the phrasing better. I am falling back on my high school French which helps me understand how everything comes together but sometimes overtakes me confusing everyone including Luis. We are making slow progress. I can tell you what time it is sometimes, if you are not in a hurry. 

     Finally I miss the Internet connection from the last four days. I was able to make much prettier blog entries. Hopefully Hugo from Interdatos will be here this week to set up a satellite connection. That would be so cool. Until then buenos noches at dial up speed. 

Buses and boats

     On Friday after Spanish lessons we hopped the Green Bus to Puerto Lopez for the weekend. The bus was packed full and we all had to stand for the first bit. We finally all got seats, Cael next to the driver, me in the jump seat next to the door, and Steph and Lumia in real seats as people got off. It looked like it was Friday rush hour. The bus driver drove faster that I would have. Though the low coastal towns were less startling then up through the steep hills that took up over a third of the trip - I was a bit white knuckled. It was much wetter up the coast from us and looked much more like a jungle. 

     We made it to Puerto Lopez which is a much bigger town that Olon. Its port is full of larger fishing boats and touring boats. Our hotel is at the north end of the beach and tucked into a little tropical oasis. It is called Hotel Mandala and is run by an Italian and Schweitzerdeutsch couple. After being sternly talked to for arriving two hours late we have been treated splendidly. Our room is half a cabin amongst tropical vegetation. We were quickly startled by two big green iguanas that fell in to our roof then down into the vegetation. We had a great dinner. I have a cold. 

     Saturday or Sábado (my favorite Spanish word so far) we took a tour boat to Isle la Plata or the poor man's Galapagoes. We were in one of these boats with 5 American college girls, an Ecuadorian family, a couple others, captain, first mate, and two tour guides (not my photo, I wish I took one of the guys trying to fix the engine).

All was going well in our hour and a half boat ride. We were zipping along after about an hour when one of the engines blew. By now we were out past the calm cove. So we bobbed along on one half power engine making no apparent progress for close to another hour before a boat came from the island to pick us up. Two of the college girls were heaving over the sides to 'feed the fish' as our tour guide described it. We finally made it to the island. We had an abbreviated hike to see the Blue Footed Boobies. We saw a group of 5 of them including one baby in a nest. Go see our pictures. Back down at the boat we saw a bunch of big ocean green turtles. We also got to briefly snorkel. I saw a Dori fish and one of these (not my photo). 

     Then we headed back to town. This was in a different boat with stronger engines. It was also choppier. Either way it was rough. We seemed to jump a couple of waves, hover over our seats and crash down. It appears fun and was a bit like a roller coaster but I found it bone jarring. 

     That night we all slept hard. I down loaded a bunch of new pictures. Don't forget to check them out. 

Fishing

     This morning the local fishers were right outside on our beach at low tide. They row long wooden boats out past the surf and drop the center of their long net. Meanwhile their crew on the beach holds onto the ends of the net. Then the boat comes back in and working with the surf they slowly pull the net back. As many as twenty fishers now roll the fish towards the center of the net while still in the surf. Eventually they have a big pile of fish that they load up on to waiting pickup trucks. Then they carefully load the net back up into the boat, roll the boat up on to the beach and lift it up into one of the big pickups and drive away. There were four different groups doing this this morning and they all seem to help when the net pulling starts up. It looks very physical. Stay tuned for pictures.

     Our surfing teacher today said that the there are more stingrays at low tide so our first lesson is tomorrow afternoon at high tide. That fits with my sting ray experience. My stings don't hurt anymore but the are two dime sized red swollen spots on my ankles. I will not provide pictures. 

     It is not always sunny here. Mornings are frequently cloudy. Sometimes it burns away, sometimes not. One of the Ecuadorians I know says that this part of the coast that we are on seems to be like this. It is so spectacular when the light hits the water and the sea turns from grey to blue. 

     Yesterday was Epiphany. Locals matched around town with a band. Many señores y señoritas were walking along costumed as a king or the Madonna with child. They were followed by kids, families, and dogs. It was a festive atmosphere for our dinner on the street. We had yummy pork chops with beans and rice.  

     We are busy making plans for the rest of our trip. This weekend we are going up the beach to a little town called Puerto Lopez that is in the middle of a national park. We will ride out to an island and go up into the dry forest (really a desert). We will return here to the beach for the rest of Januaury. Then we will be in Cuenca, an old colonial city and day trip from there to Incan ruins, hot springs and other places for two weeks. From there we will spend a couple of days each at a couple of towns between Cuenca and Quito known as the Avenue of the Volcanoes. This will be during Carnaval. Then we will spend as much as two weeks in Quito with days trips out to places like the large market in Otavalo. And take a 3-5 day trip to the upper Amazon. That should fill us up. Stay tuned. 

Stingrays

     Opportunities to write blog entries come to me. I don't really need to think them up. You should know that stingray stings are NOT fatal. There was that crazy Australian crocodile guy who died from a sting but that was because he was handling it and it stung him through the heart.

     I only got stung once in each ankle. While I said it was NOT fatal it sure does hurt. Cael and Lumia and I went out to in low tide this morning. We were standing in the surf when I felt a quick stab in each foot. When I pulled them up out of the water a decent trickle of blood was coming out of two little holes.

     When we first came here I looked up dangerous animals. I learned that there were few dangerous animals in the ocean and they are very rare especially in our shallow surf. Out further there are sharks but they keep away from people. Locals had mentioned stingrays but said that they were very rare. So this morning I was not to worried that I was in danger but I thought I should go into town to see the doctor just in case. 

     Both of my inside ankles were stung just above my callus pad. Both bled a bit until they were all covered with sand. They hurt quite a bit but could still limp along at a pretty good clip. I told Steph that I was heading up the beach for medical advice. Cael walked up the beach with me. 

     First we looked for surf teachers but none were out this morning and there were no life guards on duty this low tourist day. So we walked into town to our Spanish teacher. I figured we knew her and should could at least point us to a clinic. 

     Ivonne looked a bit shocked but quickly got out a candle, lit it and dripped the hot wax on my stings. I was skeptical but the pain did go away some. She then told me how to get to the town doctor. By now Cael started to cry and said he was scared. He has always been sensitive to others pain. 

    Doctor Villalta-Cadena was not stressed out about it so I quickly relaxed. There was only one other patient in his office. The geriatric gentleman finished up his appointment, got his medications and left. I asked Dr VC if there was concern about poison and in his broke English said I only had to be concerned about pain and infection. He said I was lucky because I got stung twice. He said he had never see that. He gave me two shots of lidocaine at the sites and cleaned me up with a strong antiseptic. He gave me two doses of Lanimex to take, a medication much like ibuprophen. By now Steph and Lumia caught up and paid the doctor $16.50. A deal. He said I can go right back to swimming as long as I cleaned them up and applied antibiotic cream.

     Now that I am home I looked up those stingrays and I am indeed not in danger. The candle thing actually has a basis in science. Stingray venom protein breaks down with heat. They suggest hotpacks, hot sand, hot water. 

     How is that for a fun morning? The pain is almost gone. Only hurts when I poke it. 

A town in Ecuador

     I'm getting more used to this little town and I am noticing less the trash and dogs. Now I am noticing the people and their lives. Every other little house has a shop on the lower floor that sells bottled water or rotisserie chicken or washes your clothes. Everyone is busy with family, work or sitting in the shade to avoid the heat. Most people meet your eye and say hola or buenos dias. Few speak English but show little irritation with my poor communication attempts.  

     Construction is everywhere in a madcap crookedness that would make any American lawyer faint. Scaffolding is made of teetering bamboo wrapped in rebar. Now that the vacationers are back in the big cites the streets are empty of traffic and the kids are wandering around after school, two to a bike or in small groups. The hippies and surfers hangout one town down and the expats look dazed. 

     We are doing our best to not get sun burnt and keep busy. Home work is getting done. Lots of books are getting read. Tonight was dinner and game night. We are not used to slowing this far down. 

     Maybe soon I will be handle a sentence in Spanish but don't hold your breath. During lessons I notice the bits that I can use on my job and setting those aside to practice more later. Now I will sign out of this ramble with buenos noches. 

1/3/15 Rain in Paradise

It rains even here. Last night and this morning rain fell and I was cloudy all day. It knocked down the humidity and it was mereley warm not hot. It may have also driven away the weakest of vacationers. The vacationers here are mostly Ecudorians from the interior who come to the coast to catch the breeze and play in the ocean. For those of us who are living here a bit longer it clogs the infrastructure and taps out the water pressure and bandwidth. The roads are clogged but our favorite spot in the beach still had an open table. I love eating at a teasurant with my feet in the sand.

Stephanie's Voice

     'We have been in Ecuador two weeks now. Tonight we are hearing the strains of American show tunes from one of the very fancy houses right north of Sandra's. I must say that is much preferred over the disco thump thumping a couple nights ago from the house south of us along with the screaming youngsters having fun. Fireworks continue to dot the evening as well.
     Last night was WILD with so many fireworks and burning effigies up and down the beach. The weather wasn't super beautiful so the beach wasn't overflowing with Ecuadorians; we were with the English people we've met having a BBQ and had a lovely time. Anna, Andy and Lily who's 7 have lived here for two years. Andy teaches for Cambridge university teaching others how to teach English.
     The issues we have had have made the time a bit bumpy, but we are settling into a routine with Spanish lessons mon wed and fri. Swimming usually twice a day. Procuring food we like and cooking take up more time when central market isn't around the corner and the modern cookware and gadgets are limited.
     We are riding on the neighbors wifi coat tails, so we'll see how long this reliable connection works for us.
     The primary issues have been enough hot water, getting the work completed on the remodel, a work in progress, and slow or no internet. We are not complaining - it had just impacted our ability to get organized.
     The little town of Olón seems pretty typical for the villages along the coast. Many of the locals live in concrete or cinder block houses where they only paint the side that faces the street. Even though their house might have multiple floors, that doesn't mean all floors are actually built out. Few have windows or doors and the furnishings are very modest. I have noticed many a dining table as the fanciest element with the chairs covered in plastic. And, then right around us we are surrounded by very opulent houses with staff to serve their owners with drinks on the beach and keep the place maintained during the non-vacation times.
     The locals are quick to greet you with a smile, so we do try to get our beunos _____ (Dias, tardes and noches) correct. I find myself responding in German often and then realize that's probably even less likely than English for them to understand! We are getting by with simple words and lots of gestures. The language lessons should help us out.
     I believe Paul's posting more pics on Flickr tonight along with a quick blog post.
     We will stay out here on the beach through January, but no longer. We are way the heck out here and want to explore other parts of the country. we have booked a place in Cuenca feb 1-15. Then we will head north to Quito and perhaps make a side trip to the Amazon.
      Please feel free to email us (SPCL.SH@gmail.com) as that is the best way to communicate. You can also text us if your need is more urgent.'

-Stephanie. I used your email because it was full of good info 

Dogs

     Animal lovers may not want to read this. I may have mentioned that there are stray dogs all over town. Lots of very scruffy mutts and a few distinguishable breeds. The breeded dogs are usually on leashes but the others are free to roam. They are not looked after and are pretty beat up. I have seen more dog gonads than I have ever wished to see. We are frequently dodging poop. One of my least favorite activities. They are true dogs in the sense that there are packs and dominate animals. They are also sometimes aggressive with each other and with us. Locals say that it is always a good idea to keep a rock in hand to either distract them or whack them. Imagine our surprise when this morning when we saw two tired and sad looking dogs laying on the beach this morning who when they tried to get up and walk were still stuck together. They looked very confused. Some of the expats are a bit disgusted with the lack of dog supervison and are thinking of starting a spay neuter program. Good luck.

Life is every where

     I made the kids walk up and down the beach today and not go into the water for the sole purpose of looking at life  They were reluctant at first and whiny but by the end were turning over rocks and digging in the sand. We found 3 different types of crab. Sand Dollars. Little surface skimmers with conical shells about a centimeter long. A weird purple jelly fishy thing that we named the Sea Mushroom. We found a big old oyster shell with at least two other kinds of creatures living on its shell.
      I wonder what is the limit for things living on other things. Bacteria on bacteria on parasites on little creatures on bigger creatures, How many layers are supported?