VIVA ECUADOR
BY JEFF FLIEGLER • NOVEMBER 2001

I'm writing this newsletter with a somewhat different bias. You see, it is not a letter that is in any way bicoastal but instead, it is made up of stories from South America. Ecuador in fact. My family and I arrived late on a Saturday, to be greeted by my precious litter sister and her Ecuadorian host family (at least her father and a brother). We didn't really get a taste of anything that night except for the altitude (10,000 feet) and a very nice American Hotel (The Marriott). The next day we did some exploring. My sister, her host father and mother picked up my parents and me to go site-seeing in Quito. First we went to the equator. We actually stood in the Northern and Southern hemispheres at the same time! It was pretty tricky. We next traveled to Julie's University and then to lunch with all of my sister's immediate family. The lunch we had was pretty normal, except they had tripe and blood sausage. These are both organ meats and need an acquired taste! Everyone got a kick out of the way my sister's new brothers would call her Juulee and tell stories of her mishaps in the new country. They told a story of how she tried to tell someone she went bowling but instead she said that she was playing with someone's balls! If you know the relationship I have with my sis, you can just imagine how I went nuts (hmmmm) with this story. The next day it was an early morning (4:30 AM) wake up call and off to the Galapagos Islands. For all of you science buffs in the world, this is where Darwin came up with many of his ideas for the Theory of Evolution. We spent four days on a boat, which, because my father was in charge of planning the trip, was more like a cruise ship. It was quite an experience nevertheless. We bird watched, sea lion watched, marine iguana watched, tropical fish watched and penguin watched. The truly amazing part about the islands was how close we could get to the animals; they had no fear of humans so we could get close enough to touch them. We saw a sea lion in labor and turtles mating. It was truly a surreal experience. My favorite was Lonesome George, a land tortoise at the Darwin Research Institute that the scientists have been trying to get to mate for the past 20 years. I suggested he might be gay. They just looked at me and shook their heads. When we arrived back in Quito, it was left over chaos from the futbol (soccer to you Yanks) victory. The day before, Ecuador earned it's way to the World Cup. It was the first time in some 500 years or something like that! Lots of celebrations! Viva la Ecuador was all a Gringo had to say to make new friends as we danced and drank at a club. My sister took me out with her college friends and my good looks and charm got me an Ecuadorian girls phone number. We finished the night with a semi co-ed naked Jacuzzi party at the hotel but got kicked out by the night security officers before I could get any of my jets working, if you know what I mean. The following morning we went to the old city of Quito. Compared to where we had been dwelling, it was a little like the other side of the tracks but there was a lot of history and culture to take in. It was like Tijuana with pride and class if you could imagine such a thing. My big purchase of the day was six pounds of the best coffee beans I ever tasted. We asked directions to the coffee bean shop and the man told us to "take a left at the corner and then you can smell it." It was true; the whole block smelled of coffee. And it sure wasn't Folgers. In the evening, we when to dinner at my sisters host family's house. They spoke some broken English and my family spoke some broken Spanish. Many times we depended on my sister or one of her brothers to translate. We started out with drinking a special Sheri. Everyone made fun of me because I drank a lot more then they thought a young Gringo was capable of. We had a terrific meal that consisted of beef wrapped in bacon, scalloped potatoes, a few Italian style salads along with an Ecuadorian salad that was made of sweet exotic fruits (we would have a hard time finding them in the US). Dessert was a Vanilla Mousse. After dinner we had coffee con Pisa (a liquor), which is a tasty Ecuadorian version of Irish coffee. After our wonderful meal, my sister took me out yet again, to a Salsa club. No, I mean a SALSA CLUB. These people could shake their "money maker" like I've never seen. Everyone could. When I tried, there were laughs by all but still it was a good time. That night ended early, mostly because of an over expanded stomach and an early wake-up call scheduled for the next morning. This time, Juulee's host family drove us to Otavala, a market that some consider the best in South America. You can get your hands on just about anything -- clothes, art, instruments, and spices, just to name a few. Many of the venders are indigenous to the land. The craftwork is truly amazing. It was a lot of fun trying to bargain with them using Spanglish and to see them smile, usually with only half the teeth a human should have. We then made our way back to Quito. Not before stopping at a beautiful crater lake called Cuicocha. We ate at a restaurant on the shore of the lake, you know a "Table with a View" Then we stopped at a town filled with leather outlets. Of course, my parents decided that an early Chanukah gift for me should be a black leather jacket. How could they resist when they saw me modeling? We also stopped to visit the world's first Ice Cream Maker. They used salt, straw and ice in the outside bowl to chill the ice cream ingredients in an inside bowl. At the hotel, we said our good-byes, gave hugs and packed for the next day and the long trip home. Our flights were uneventful and somewhat grueling. It made me feel like a sheep but when you're a mindless sheep, you have much time to reflect. When I think back on what I'm going to bring home from this trip, two things come to mind. No, one of them is not SALSA DANCING! I'm never going to forget how friendly and hospitable the Ecuadorians are. The government its notoriously corrupt and the standard of living is somewhat less than what we spoiled Americans are accustomed to, in some cases, much less. However, you could never tell by the smiles on their faces or their warmth and generosity. The other thing I'm going to take with me is the spirit and the pride the Ecuadorians have in themselves and their country. They may not all have a car, or there own room, or in some cases, a full set of teeth, but they still have a love in them that comes out when they can share a part of the themselves or their country. So when you think about it, maybe, it is the USA that needs to improve its standard of living. Hope all is well with you. And, "Viva La Ecuador!!"