Life after Manta

Back on the road, and have left the good living of Manta. Most of the country seems to run on change. If travelling to Ecuador, good advice would be to bring one hundred dollars with you, in one dollar bills. The buses everywhere are 20cents, cab rides are 1dollar and many other street foods are cheap as well. Manta, however, was how the top 1% lives here in Ecuador. But, even that top `1% is much cheaper than the US, more like the upper middle class prices. Beach front homes for 200k, condos on the beach for 50k, the finest meals at a restuarant for 7dollars, etc. And, there is some of the best surfing in Ecuador right in Manta. Unfortunately, it is not surfing or wave season, so I am out of luck this trip.
Driving with Dario and family to Guayaquil has was cool. We passed many small towns and each is known for something. There is a town just known to make pillows, another rice, and another things from whicker, etc. Whatever the town is known for, every small store sells exactly the same thing! It´s something to see. It was fun trying to guess what I would see going form one town to antoher. Also ate something that was pretty darn good called humitas. It´s kind of a steamed corn bread, rapped in a banana leaf with cheese inside.
I´m here in Guayaquil only for one night, and tomorrow I´ll catch a bus to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. There I will be totally on my own for two days, then I´ll fly to Bogota, Colombia.
We did party pretty hard the last night in Manta though. People here in Ecuador really only drink two things; Pilsner beer or scotch whisky sometimes mixed with water. The beer is good, but the whisky will put you on your ass, or face! We started at his favorite restuarant, where the owners really began to like me as well and made something special, not on the menu, just for us taht was on the house with wine included! Then went to an outside bar where there was a live band and hooked up with some of their friends, who then joined us in a hopping dance club. They were playing the old school hip hop that I like to call pop hop that was popular when I went to HS, and is still played at city proms today in awesome cities in the US like Phila. After we finished up at Karaoke. Turns out that Ecuadorians are generally crazy about that stuff here. There are some sub stories there, but will have to tell some of you personally as I am trying to keep this blog somewhat clean. All I can say is 21!

life in manta

Manta has made an impression. However, I feel that a grand reason for this impression has been Dario. He is a great host and I enjoy his wife and child as well thus far. Dario is a work acquantance that I met in real estate and is doing some exciting things here in Manta, Ecuador. We are already mixing work with fun and are enjoying eachothers company thus far. After meeting me at the bus at 7am, he spent the day showing me around Manta. The day included a tour with a friend of the Ecuadorian naval base, Darrio's tennis match, and finally a fun restuarant that he likes to go with his wife and friends. It has been a much needed fun day, more to my speed. I will miss Tonsupa but know that it is not for me for any length of time. Tomorrow I know that we will see more of what is happening in Manta and I am looking forward to the tours.

last nights in Tonsupa

Buying the ticket to leave Tonsupa and head to my next destination early felt good. I leave tomorrow evening to Manta on an overnight bus ride, and can´t wait. Until then, I am trying to have some fun here by going out in the evening and playing some sports with the locals. Well, you have already read about the dirty volleyball experience, so I kind of gave up on the sport thing. But, we did go to a neighboring village called Altecames, where I am now in the internet cafe. There is a bit more life here but the constant rain and wet environment sometimes thwarts my efforts to do some things outside. Still, went to the clubs on the beach where I drank and bit and danced last night. I went with another volunteer from Germany who has been here for 10 months and dating a local Ecuadorian guy. There are a couple of volunteer girls who have found Ecuadorian boyfriends, and sad to say that they have consistently been ugly guys, baffeling.
Anyway, it was fun to be around some life on the beach. To get there we took a motortaxi and hitched a ride in the back of a truck and did the same to return. Oh, and did I mention it was pouring most of time?! UGH!

volleyball in Gonzalo Pizzaro

Went to play volleyball Ecuadorian style in a small section of earth in Tonsupa called Gonzalo Pizzaro. I actually was supposed to volunteer here on the outset of this trip, but due to lack of organization that didn´t happen. Anyway, the rain actually held off long enough to play, but the mud was ever prevelent. It was actually the dirtiest game I have ever played! And, sad to mention that I think it wasn´t only dirt and water in that mud mixture...
My team didn´t win, however, I did not care. I never even knew the score and was happy for it to be over. We trenched our way home through muddy street battleing moquitoes along the way as has been the steady trend. The shower afterward, although cold as usual, felt refreshing. OH! I learned afterward that I was supposed to pay 50cents because they always play for money. I didn´t pay on principal because, one, no one told me up front, and I would not have agreed to play for anything on that mud.

Living in Tonsupa

Tonsupa is a poor beach town. Me, two other volunteers, and and a native helper, were to come here and help teach kids English. When we arrived on Monday we learned that our school had planned seminars for the teachers, so there is no class this whole week. That means I am not doing what I have set out to do, an in turn has put a thorn in my spirit to help. I suppose it is indicative of the disoragnization that I have whitnessed first hand within the poor schools here in Ecuador.
To add to the lack of continuity, the rany season has progressed later thatn usual here. It is either raining or cloudy every day. However, I try to stay positive and have enjoyed both my host families and the other volunteers whom I´ve met, here in Tonsupa and in Cumbaya. Although the families are of different financial scales, they have both been extremely hospitable. They also both have toddlers who really took to me and vice versa.
OH! I almost forgot to mention! I have been cooking for everyone here. Including 50 people at the guarderia(nursery), the whole volunteer group(20), family in Cumbaya(10), and here in Tonsupa(8). So, I suppose above all other things I have illuminated my love for food and cooking here in Ecuador. I know there is one person above all others I know that will appreciate that...

Doing the tourist thing, gotta go!

I have been in Cumbaya since my arrival, meeting other volunteers and learning more about what I will be doing from those who have been in the program for about a year. The other day all the volunteers went to pappallacta, a place known for its´ hot springs. It was a great time to get to know those who have been in the program for a while, learn more about Ecuador, and of course experience a unique and picturesque area high up in the mountains. The area was set up along a gushing ice cold river. Along the river were, surpisingly, several different pools all ranging in temperature from the frigid river itself to water so hot that it felt as if your skin was burning and you had to enter both methodically as not to shock your system. There were also grottos set up trapping the steam where you could sit and have a soothing steam bath. I hope to add some pics very soon.
Yeasterday and today will also be touristy things that include traveling to the capital, Quito, and to the middle of the world complex. Today was the historic Quito. There I walked the crowded streets with people crammed tightly up to Independence square. Stopping along the way in a couple of very old churches. Myself and three others were surprisingly admitted into the capital building as the last tour of the day. Several other tourists were quick to gain admittance and we all were shown the presidents musuem inside the capital building seeing gifts given to the present president that may never find there way to a public museum. The best part was that myslef along with my own tour volunteer from Cumabaya were getting to know the young tour guide for the capital.
I was happy to learn that the president has a large flat directly above the capital building. As soon as I heard that information, myself and my guide Santiago started to go to work on the tour guide to let us have a private tour of his flat since the president was not there. She refused, however, after the tour ended she asked me to write a comment about the tour and my stint in Ecuador. As I was writing and the rest of the group filed out she asked me, ¨would you still like to see the president flat?¨ I said of course we did, and with that we walked up a flight of private stairs and were ushered in to where the president resides when he is in the capital.
His flat was of course very clean and huge to say the least. Here is the best part. As we are being shown out she haphazardly says, ¨and there is the president´s bathroom, if you have to go, then go.¨ So, eventhough I didn´t, my ears peered back and I replied, ¨Ok, I gotta go!¨ I then went into this huge bathroom with a one lonely toilet at the end of a short hallway. So I did what anyone would do, I tinkled on the seat and left! Ahh, good times.

First eve in Ecuador

My introduction to Ecuador has officially begun. I arrived earlier this afternoon and was met by a German who works as a volunteer and has been living in Ecuador since August of 06. He is only 20 but is mature and sociable as he has been showing me around the small town called Cumbaya(not the song). Initally we took a taxi from the airport (5$)to the small town to meet the director and others who volunteer in a daycare program for small children. After he accompanied me to take a brief walk so I would know where things are located such as the internet cafe, descent places to eat, etc.
I've already learned that Cumbaya has an economic mix of people. It has a University close by(25cent bus), which is where I am know writing this blog, and actually supports one of the most affluent communities in all of Ecuador. Not sure how founded that is yet, but it's interesting becuase there is poverty right next store to new strip malls. Hmmm, kind of like parts of our cities in the US.
Still is a bit early to comment on social, economic, or communal environment here. Therefore, I will wait for the next entry.