While the pictures load at the bottom of the page, I hope you enjoy reading Part I of my journal of our trip to Ecuador.
My Journal of Our 1997 Trip to Ecuador
-- by Donna R. Carter
~*~ Part I ~*~
The First Few Days Saturday night 12/13/97 through Tuesday afternoon 12/16/97
The first week, we crammed in looking around the city and vicinity, running around downtown, climbing up inside church towers and ringing church bells, going to all the "touristy" places so that Jeff could say "been-there-done-that" ;) taking a ton of pictures, riding trolleys and taxi's.
The day we arrived, I could already see the obvious changes -- because the Guest House we were supposed to be staying at wasn't where it used to be on the HCJB compound, and I walked to the wrong place!! {laugh} ... we walked, in the rain (it rained the night we got there) down the block I used to live on and to a house mid-block that had been renovated and added on to which now was the Guest House (and had been, so I'm told, for 8 years already).
Climbing into bed, Jeff wondered what that funny almost-cricket-like noise was and I realized that he was hearing the frogs!!! I hadn't even thought about those silly frogs croaking at night and it sounded so normal to me I hadn't even noticed them... and I lay there in the dark listening to the frogs croaking "brrrrrrup-tock-tock-tock-tock" back and forth to each other. :)))) It was so cool!! :))))
The first morning, waking up was *wonderful*!!! The birds were chirping and it was the same chirping I had heard while I was growing up -- so cheerful and wake-uppy!! I went to the open window and opened the curtain, took a deep breath of fresh air, smelling the wonderful rich dirt smell and looking out to a clear blue sky and seeing Pichincha (mountain) rising up from the city ... HOME!!!!! HOME!!!!! :))))
We were up early enough to get in a walk around the close-by area and decided to go across to the "Indian market" a few blocks away -- it had just been starting up when I was there last, and it was full-blown now – smelling fresh fruits and vegetables, stepping over trash and fruit peels and sewage, hearing the women yelling their produce and prices
"Tomates! Cinco por diez mil!"
"Chuchos!"
"Mandarinas-Naranjas-Pińas!"
"Moras!"
"Naranjillas!"
"Tostadas!"
... and buying some naranjillas to make juice with!! :)) (wouldn't have bought my meat or fish there if I were PAID!) {laugh} ... Cow's hooves, skinned chickens with their feet still attached, blood smelling, dripping all over ... {grin}
We went to church (English Fellowship) later and fidgeted in wooden pews, listening to / singing old hymns and trying to stay alert (we were pretty tired from flying the day before and getting in around midnight)... and then we got to hear Ron Cline speak in church again. {grin} For me, it was *definitely* a "this is like it was before" type of thing... including the firecracker "bombs" going off at irregular intervals out in the city.
Several people recognized me and I was able to acquaint them with Jeff and Melissa. We were invited a few places for dinner (and a Christmas party) during our stay and then we walked down the block ... to find that some of the houses I knew were gone and at the bottom of the hill the church was on (where there used to be a big, beautiful house) was a big roasted chicken restaurant "Gus's" that looked like a huge jukebox..!!
Most of the physical changes in the city were expected -- I knew there would be high-rises and that certain parts of the city had expanded and parts of what I had known would be torn down. Silly enough, those things didn't bother me as much as the little things -- like gardens being gone and huge hedges being in their places... several of the homes that used to be surrounded by lovely rose and flower gardens inside their gates were now hiding behind 8-10 foot high 3 foot thick hedges instead. I missed those gardens!!!
We had to exchange some money, so we found out where the nearest money exchange place was -- in one of the "new" malls (new to me, anyway) ... this tall mall (bigger than most of the U.S. malls I've been in) ... so we went to "El Jardín" and exchanged some money and ate there (I think Jeff and Melissa ate at Taco Bell... I chose something of a more local flavor)
There was a grocery store in the mall and I stocked up on all the junk food I had loved as a kid ... and some of the local carbonated beverages...
"Taste this, Jeff -- you see what I mean?? How can anyone call Apple or Strawberry flavored soda pop Apple or Strawberry flavored after they've had Fioravanti Manzana or Fresa??? THIS is the stuff that has flavor -- it SMACKS of flavor, it HITS you up the side of your head with flavor!! And what about Inca Kola? Nobody's figured out what that's supposed to taste like, but ... it's still good!" ;) (Jeff says that Inca Cola tastes like creme soda with banana flavor ... Walter says it's pineapple ... ) and stock up on Güitig, the local carbonated mineral water :d "And aren't these candies cute? They look just like honeycombs [referring to Leche y Miel candy] and they're called "Milk & Honey"! Try these, Melissa ... they don't have any milk." [giving her a Menta Glacial "glacial mint"]
Melissa spent two days at the school I used to go to (Alliance Academy) and enjoyed being with kids her own age who spoke English. They had a pretty simple schedule for the last couple of days of school, mostly preparing for their Christmas program.
While she was in school, Jeff and I hit the town. It's probably a good thing she wasn't with us because one of the markets we went to [Ipiales] was extraordinarily crowded and we could have lost her easily in the crush.
Ipiales was the "underground black market" last time I was home -- stuff from Colombia... now it's open air and it covers the streets of about a 10 square block area -- huge!! We were also able to get Melissa a couple of Christmas presents since she wasn't along.
I remembered again how difficult it is to find a public restroom when I asked several store owners if I could use theirs ... finally I walked into a fabric store and literally begged the lady to use her restroom: "It isn't working - there's no water" she said ... "I really don't care! I really need to go!" I answered. So she motions me to follow her, but precedes me into the bathroom .... to turn off the dripping faucet, first. {laugh}
I forgot you can't take glass bottles of soda pop out of restaurants :p faux pax on my part -- created a big ruckus when I, unthinkingly, walked off with a bottle of Güitig [carbonated mineral water].
We took a taxi up the Panecillo ["little bread bun"] and saw the statue of the Virgen del Panecillo, but didn't go up inside it, and after we looked around and took in a panoramic view of the city (and a couple of the snowcaps), we took the taxi back down and to the Basílica ...
