A VISIT TO GUAYAQUIL

Trip to Guayaquil.

Guayaquil is Ecuador’s main port near the mouth of the Guayas river. It is Ecuador’s largest city with roughly 3 million people and where I attended my first six years of school. We drove about 2 hours from a little coastal fishing village/resort called Punta Blanca to Guayaquil.

My specific interest, other than just seeing how the city has changed, was to see where I lived and to visit my old school.

Since I left for the U.S., Guayaquil has grown six fold in population and its area has expanded beyond my ability to recognize almost everything. However, using two landmarks I remember from childhood, those being the Cathedral and a building that looks like a castle, I easily located where I lived and my old grammar school.

The place where I lived is in a neighborhood called five corners. I was warned that it was a dangerous place, but I did not find it so. The house and apartment have deteriorated significantly, some of it was boarded up, but the structure had not changed in decades. That was the most surprising thing for me. The structure, and for that matter, the  surrounding streets, were almost as I had left them as a child. I suppose some things never change. 

Moving on to my school, San Jose -La Salle, With the exception of a different color, the school too, was exactly as I remembered it. Many memories came rushing. How we lined up for inspection, where we had to recite our daily memorizing task, where and how  I broke my arm and all the festive events of the school. Thus, my goal for visiting Guayaquil was met. 

In general, I found Guayaquil, congested, loud and hectic. Glad to be going back to Cuenca, which is my favorite city in Ecuador.

Trip from Cuenca , in the highlands of Ecuador, to the Coast.

Trip from Cuenca , situated in the highlands of Ecuador, to the Coast.

If I get a nickel for every time I mention how beautiful and diverse Ecuador is, I could rival Bill Gates. So, I’m going to earn a few more nickels.

In a span of 4 ½ to 5 hours, we drove from Cuenca to Punta Blanca. We went from as high as 2 ¾ miles above sea level to 50 feet above sea level. Imagine the drastic change in the environment when one makes that transition. Let me  to describe the change.

In the highlands – called La Sierra - one experiences a windy, cold environment, the temperature and vegetation changes and adjusts depending on how high it is. At the highest altitudes, one sees almost a tundra-like environment, you might remember the pictures of El Cajas National Park. For the most part, in La Sierra, the vegetation is lush green.

As you approach the coast, the altitude drops significantly. The temperature and vegetation changes. Now one sees vast cocoa, banana and sugar cane plantations and it gets hot and humid. It is amazing, in less than 5 hours, it’s as if you’re in a different country. But it’s still Ecuador.

The people  and how they speak  look and are very different. In the sierra, one sees lots of indigenous people descendants of the Incas, when they speak, it’s a little melodic, like they are almost singing the sentences. It is quite charming. In the coast, the people look a bit darker, almost Caribean, and they speak fast and, almost, monotone. The difference is quite noticeable. 

Food is different. The sierra has  hearty vegetable soups, potatoes, pork, cui, chicken, breads, in the coast the food changes to fish stews, sea food of all types, ceviche, platanos ( plantains), mangoes, coconuts, pineapples, papaya and rice. All the food is very deliscious.

So, all this drastic environmental and cultural change in a matter of less than 5 hours.  Now we drive from beach to beach, from one village to another. The Pacific is just gorgeous to look at. We will enjoy the coast for a few days before we drive back to Cuenca, then Quito and, finally, the U.S.

The following images should be self evident, with regard to, where they are from. The Sierra or the Coast. Enjoy.

A visit to Chictic:

A visit to Chictic:

On Sunday 10/6/13, we visited a large farm called Chictic, which is one and a half hours from Cuenca. Chicti  belonged to Victoria and Carlos and is where I spend my first 6 formative years. I have nothing but fond and happy memories of the place.

When I was a child, Chicti grew sugar cane and made rum. That was the business. The farm, also, grew many crops like corn, potatoes, beans etc.. that were used by the family. In addition, livestock and many other animals like hogs, cuis, chickens which were also for family consumption. It was a beautiful and wonderful place to grow up and play.

Today, the farm is owned by a nephew and it used only as a residence.

Seeing the farm after so many years was very emotional. Not much has changed but just a few additions. All that I remember was still the same and why shouldn’t it be ? mountains don’t change much. The small hill we used to slide down in the mud when it rained is still there.

The only strange thing was the scale of things. As a child it seemed everything took longer and was farther away than it actually is. What I thought took 40 minutes from the nearest village called Paute to the farm, was only 20 minutes. Granted the roads are much better now.

The mountains which seemed so far away, now seemed closer.

We spent a few hours in Chictic, had lunch of roasted pig and traditional Ecuadorian dishes, talked with the family and reminisced, then back to Cuenca.

Overall, that which I’ve been looking forward for so long, did not disappoint me. I went back in time for a few hours. It was unforgettable.

Cuenca and El Cajas National Park

Cuenca.

My sister Victoria, has a large house just a few blocks from the heart of Cuenca where the Calderon park and the cathedral are. I am staying with Victoria. The location couldn’t be better.

Cuenca is a beautiful, relatively quiet city of around 500,00 people. In comparison to the Capital Quito, Cuenca is very laid back and nice to walk anywhere. Virtually all of Cuenca’s architecture is no more than two stories high colonial style homes. Shops, restaurants and boutiques are everywhere. It is no wonder that so many foreigners retire to Cuenca.

We visited a restaurant that specializes in Cui. It is a delicious small animal relative to the guiney pig. We had to call a few hours in advance so the cui could be roasted over a coal pit and ready for us. What a treat. Cui tastes a bit like the dark meat of chicken, the crispy skin is to die for and very little fat. I highly recommend Cui for everyone.

                               Norma and Manuel 

The National Park El Cajas:

 This is a spectacular National preserve close to the highlands of Cuenca. It reaches altitudes near 4,300 meters and it is very windy and cold. It’s like driving on the mountain tops of the Grand Canyon, except everything is a beautiful green. There are over 40 lakes formed in craters between mountains. One must see this park in person to appreciate its beauty. The National Park El Cajas is definitely a highlight of the vacation.

Day Trip To ImgaPirca then Cui in Cuenca.

Day Trip To ImgaPirca then Cui in Cuenca.

We drove about 2 hours from Cuenca to see Ingapirca, which is an archeological discovery of where the Caῆaris lived, almost 10,000 feet high on the mountains of Ecuador, 800 years before Christ. The Caῆaris were there way before the Incas, and the two didn’t get along. And, so, that explains a beautiful town in Ecuador called Caῆar.

Ingapirca, a Kichua ( Inca language still spoken)  word meaning Wall of the Inca, is the most important archeological site of the Inca empire in Ecuador.

As I’ve said before, getting there was just as exciting. We drove on valley roads high on the mountains looking at spectacular scenery of dairy farms and lush green tapestry fields. Just square patches of farm land in every earth color imaginable. Just stunning. The mountain people were indigenous decendants of the Caῆaris/Incas and they still wear the traditional clothing, which is very colorful and beautiful.

We drove through a mountain top town called Tambo where my mother was born and where she met my father. So weird to realize my mom was born in one of these towns, high on the mountains of Ecuador. To me, it might as well be Mars.

We took a guided tour of the ruins and it is amazing how the Caῆari civilization lived, guided by the sun, moon and stars to figure out when to plant crops, when to harvest and when to rest and be with family.

The most important detail, I learned was that the women ruled the kingdom. The highest authority was a female priest. She decided everything. It was a matriarchal society.  When she died, she was buried with all her possessions, including her servants which were given a potion to put them to sleep and slowly die.

After the archeological visit, It was about 1 pm, we were all tired and hungry.  Victoria decided to call ahead to a terrific restaurant in Cuenca called Tres Estrellas that specializes in Cui. Next report the Feast of the Cui.