Piratas and Patacones

If you want to visit the beaches and islands around Puerto Lopez and do outdoor sports you can book a tour at one of the many agencies at the "Malecon". Or you can have a drink at one of the beach huts, hope you´ll meet a former tourist guide and spend the money on food and drinks ;-). I, of course, did the last one and it worked out perfectly. While I was enjoying my papaya and mango juice I got to know Roberto, who used to work for one of the agencies a couple of years ago but now owns a bar and is free untill 8pm to play sports and relax on the beach. We went to play beach volley and were lucky enought to have a French guy in the opposite team who played worse than me and made it easy for us to win - and for me to get accepted in the team. Later on Roberto offered to take me kayaking, snorkeling and surfing and of course, my new passion, fishing on the following days! In the evening we went dancing at the beach and I got another salsa lesson - barefeet in the sand next to a camp fire - que vida boa (oups, buena!)! ;-)

(And I got to see some extraordinary wildlife when I went to the outhouse of Roberto`s bar last night - there was a huge spider sitting right in the toilet bowl! Thank God I am not one of those persons who flips out when they see a spider - I was just a bit concerned about its choice of habitat ;-))

Today we met at 10am for an "expedition" - a surprise, Roberto didn´t want to tell me more. Just that I had to take some drinking water, bikini and a towel. We went off by bus and then hiked down to a little hidden beach which has beautifull rock formations and caves (where according to Roberto pirates used to hide and now dwarfs live) . From there we climbed over the rocks to some larger beach and walked maybe half an hour, an hour to the end of the beach. Roberto kind of reminds me of Forrest Gump - he is really cute and doesn´t say much. But if he says something is pretty cool and you keep wondering if he is joking or not. Like when we saw some snails I told him that the French eat them. He didn´t say much and I was not sure if he got it. But then when we spoke about the French guy and how bad he played volley, Roberto just said its because he eats snails. I am still not sure if it was a joke or not, but I´m liking it. He can also go hours without talking which is kind of relaxing. From the end of the beach the original plan was to take a kayak to the island of Salango where you can go snorkeling and watch sea birds. As the kayaks where a bit expensive we asked some of the local boys to take us to the islands by boat. On the way to the island Roberto spotted the diving boat of one of his friends who takes tourist to dive and snorkel. We entered the boat like pirates and went snorkeling, too. It was just amazing - we saw many beautifull fishes, yellow and blue striped ones and one that reminded me of the Alzheimer-fish in "Finding Nemo". Actually I had to think of the movie all the time and guess I´ll watch it again when I get to Rio ;-)

We went back with the boat to Puerto Lopez and headed for the market where we bough fresh tuna and vegetables and platanos. Roberto asked me to cook something and actually it turned out to be quite yummy. He also showed me how to prepare "patacones", one of my favourite food here in Ecuador. As we used the kitchen in his bar we had the soundsystem on full volume all the time - listening to Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Orishas... how much better can life be :-)

After dinner we went to play and watch volley, swim and run on the beach. I see a chance of losing my traveling-belly, caused by yummy south American food ;-) Tomorrow we will go fishing in the morning and later mountain biking... guess I will get stuck here for some more days ;-)

La vida loca in Puerto Lopez

Actually I came to Puerto Lopez to relax a little bit before starting the long way "back home" to Rio via Peru and to visit the Machalilla National Park. The Isla de la Plata is considered "Galapagos for the poor" as it has some of the species found on Galapagos but is way more "economico". Puerto Lopez itself is a little beach town (village!) north of the surfer´s paradise of Montañita and looks pretty laid back (which translates into "dead" ;-)) - on the first view!

I arrived on saturday morning at 6am with the night bus from Quito, took a Ecuadorian version of a tuktuk to my Hosteria Itapoa (which I chose because its Brazilian owned and therefore possible to speak Portuguese ;-)) and slept until noon.

So yes, my primary reasons for coming to Puerto Lopez where to relax and visit the national park - but, as one wise man said (was it John Lennon?) Life is what happens whilst your making plans ;-) So far I have neither relaxed nor visited the national park ;-)

On saturday evening I went out to have dinner and check my mails and on the back happened what my parents feared most on this trip - I got kidnapped by the Colombians! I resisted their attemps to fill me up with Vodka but couldn`t free myself from having to dance salsa and reggaeton until 3am in the morning. Thank God the randsom only consisted of a minor donation for more vodka and at 5am I finally arrived at my cabaña. So much for relaxing...

Quito - I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship

So many people tried to scare me off from going to Quito - so I was already sure that I´d love it ;-) The so called dangerous and ugly places are usually the best ones ;-) And I was right - I have only arrived about 5 hours ago but I have already fallen for Quito and the Quiteños!

Described as "cheap and non-touristic" in the Lonely Planet I chose the Grand Hotel in the old city center for my 3-4 nights in Quito - and it is perfect! The hotel looks pretty gloomy from the outside but once you´re in you will be welcomed by the sweet staff and old-time charme. The reception is kind of 50ish, there is a cafeteria, a tv room and even one with a ping pong table! The room is clean, has a creaking wooden floor, a white metal bed and a beautiful view, especially at sunset. Oh yes, and there is even a cat that shows up from nowhere and races around the long corridors. A wonderful old fashioned athmosphere without being dusty or smelly - just love it! The street it is in is also perfect - a bit off the old city center it is full of cheap restaurants, internet cafes and little grocery shops.

After congratulating myself on chosing this pefect place to stay I took off to explore the city - and once again have been rewarded for my choice :-) I sat down in a simple juice bar to have a pineapple juice and consult my Lonely Planet - and this cute guy asks me if he can sit down with me and treat me on a cake. So why not? Turns out his father owns the place and he treats me for another coffee and an ice cream and then offers to show me the city tomorrow. This is not the first time someone just invites me on a coffee or icecream and offers to show me around. I guess Ecuadorians have just pushed the Dutch from my personal number one of sweet people ;-) I already know that it will be hard to say goodbye next week... lets hope, Peruvians can keep up with their neighbours ;-) So far my CS contacts seem wonderful, so I am not too worried...

More on Quito soon! :-)

The Devil´s Nose Train - Riobamba to Alausi

On Wednesday morning I finally took the famous Devil´s Nose train from Riobamba to Alausi. It was freezing and I arrived about one hour before arrival but still - the "good" places on the roof where already occupied by my dear countrymen ;-) Guess they must have been camping at the train station in order to get the best seats. Well, Germans have been infamous for occupying deck chairs at 5:00 am with their beach towels and the like, so I was not too surprised and used the time until departure to get coffee, croissants and bananas for the trip. Actually it turned out to be much better inside the train at for the first two hours even in there it was freezing cold.

The train ride definately is scenic and the Devil´s Nose part of the track really impressive - but then again the train is purely touristic and quite overpriced (11USD). Most bus connections in the highlands are equally impressive and scenic and less pricey.

My route 2008

Time flies! We are already in December and I had to decide on how to get back to Brazil to spend the holidays with my one and only carioca, Bill :-) So tomorrow I will leave Riobamba and continue North to Banos and Quito. From there I will travel down the coast to check out the Ecuadorian beaches and pick up my bag in Guayaquil before heading to Peru. I hope I will have the time to stop in Trujillo to visit the Chan Chan ruins and then continue to Lima and Cusco. Around December 20 I will try to get back to Rio on a stand-by ticket with Lan Peru.

For 2009 I am planning to travel to Minas Gerais, the South of Brazil, Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Paraguay, Iguassu falls, and maybe via Bolivia, Peru and Brazil to Venezuela. I haven´t decided on a fix route yet and am open to suggestions if anybody is traveling in these parts of the world :-)

On the road to Riobamba

On the bus to Riobamba I met Robert from California who has been traveling for 5 years! We spoke about the joy of being on the road, the wonderful encounters and the great feeling of never knowing what the next day will bring... He told me that traveling now comes natural to him and he can`t imagine to settle down in the future. Somehow I fear I might end up like him - an eternal traveler ;-) We shared some travel stories and most of all we had a good laugh about all the warnings you receive - especially from people who have never left their home towns or countries. Those in particular will tell you how dangerous the country is you are currently traveling in and how high chances are to get robbed, raped, killed, what ever! Sure, you have to be careful wherever you go but we both agreed that until now - thank God - the positive encounters outweigh the negative experiences by far. Still, we also shared some tips on traveling save and I was happy to hear that so far I have done exactly as he - as a far more experienced backpacker - does too. Robert also recommended me some interesting books on South America, especially about the history of the continent and we ended up trading travel guides - my Footprints South America Handbook against his Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring :-)

Riobamba is smaller then Cuenca but it is also far less touristic and therefore has its own charm. Once again I have been blessed with a great Couchsurfing host, Fausto. He showed me around, we cooked, watched a movie... once again it feels like being with an old friend - the joy of Couchsurfing :-)

Mama Negra - Latacunga

I actually came to Riobamba to take the famous Devil`s Nose train on Sunday.
But then my host Fausto told me about the Mama Negra celebrations in Latacunga (about 2hrs North of Riobamba) and as this fiesta takes place only once a year and the train goes 3 times a week of course we went to see the Mama Negra. By chance, Geovanny from Guayaquil also happened to be in Latacunga for a mountain bike race so we all met up there and had a great time.

"The Fiesta of the Mama Negra, which takes place in the city of Latacunga is one of the most fascinating cultural events in Ecuador. This public celebration of civic pride rivals Brazil’s festivals as an emblematic “melting pot” of wildly divergent cultural traditions: Spanish, Incan, Aymaran, Mayan, African, and most recently, gay.

The fiesta has its origins with the colonization of Latacunga by the Spanish for its rich mineral resources. The native inhabitants were forced to convert to Catholicism, but the conversion was not entirely pure, with the result that indigenous elements, such as a polytheistic belief in “spirits” became part of the new religion. The Spanish conquerors brought in additional populations from Bolivia, Guatemala, and ultimately, Africa as slaves, and they too, brought their own beliefs and traditions to Latacunga.

What set the holiday in motion was the eruption of the Cotopaxi volcano in 1742. The citizens of the region petitioned the “Virgin of Mercy,” who had been designated the patron of the volcano, and when Latacunga was spared, an annual celebration was set in place to honor her.
The festival was traditionally held during the last weekend in September, but was on the verge of dying out in the early 1960's when Cotopaxi Governor Virgilio Guerrero proposed saving it and making it coincide with Latacunga's official celebration of its founding on November 11th. The now-official holiday had the ironic effect of reviving interest in the traditional religious celebration of the "Virgin of Mercy," which also features the Mama Negra, but the larger and more colorful celebration is in November. Dates vary from year to year- sometimes coinciding with Latacunga's founding and sometimes with the days surrounding Day of the Dead- so be sure to ask around.

The event constitutes a parade of characters, such as the Angel of the Stars, the Moorish King, as well as Los Huacos, who represent Latacunga’s pre-Colombian heritage, and the Camisonas, colorful transvestites, in a parade that attracts many, as well as dancers, musicians, and marching bands, all culminating in the arrival, on horseback, of the Mama Negra, the Black Mother, a combination of the Virgin with African deities. The Mama Negra, bearing dolls representing her “children,” is elaborately costumed and from a container sprays milk and water on the parade goers.

Candy and wine containers are also tossed to the crowds, and restaurateurs all feature Latacunga’s most famous contribution to Ecuadorian cuisine, Chugchucaras; deep fried pork, pork rinds, popcorn potatoes, maize, and plantain."

(Borrowed from Ricardo Segreda; http://www.vivatravelguides.com/south-america/ecuador/ecuador-overview/holidays/fiesta-de-la-mama-negra)