Ecuadorianisms: Through my Lens

Telling people back home about Quito was like explaining Milwaukee to people who have either never heard of or been to. Quito is the second highest national capital in the world, after La Paz, Bolivia (one place I really want to visit!). The city sits at over 9,000 feet above sea level (2,800 meters), and is nestled in a valley between mountain peaks and volcano summits in the Andes Mountain Range. This makes for a very loooong and narrow city, extremely spread out and diverse as you transition from one area to the next. This makes it feel somewhat like MKE, as you find certain types of people in each of these areas. Overall, the people of Quito are quite helpful and patient, especially with us Grino/as.

The exception to this is the company TV/Cable. Although their internet is (supposed to be) really good, their customer service sucks. David and I have experienced this a lot in the last almost two weeks. They kept scheduling appointments and then not show up. One night, they called to cancel their appointment at 9 pm, and rescheduled for the next day. When he called them the next day, they said that someone came and installed the internet. SOOOO messed up. I hope we have internet at home soon because it makes it difficult to get work done after hours. Or to keep up with friends and family. Or access Netflix. 

Bathroom Etiquette

One thing I have been forcing myself to become accustomed to is bathroom etiquette. It is the norm for, after you finish #2, to throw away your used toilet paper in a trash can next to the toilet. At my school and in nearly all of the other restrooms I have used, there is a red bag that signifies contaminated waste. This is due to a number of different hypotheses including: narrow pipes; low water pressure; and small pipes. A reaction or solution to this is that the main type of toilet paper I have seen is scented... thank goodness otherwise I wouldn't be able to follow the local custom. When I went home for my Nana's funeral, I realized how used to it I am getting. First thing I did when I got to my mom's house was use the bathroom and my arm started reaching to toss it in the waste can next to the toilet. DON'T WORRY: I flushed it. 

Altitude and Exercise

On Friday the 29th I went for a run for the first time in weeks... which started out innocently. My building has a mini-gym with a treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, and some other equipment. None of it works. Sooooo I decided to head out to the streets around 6:15 pm. One thing you should know about Quito/Ecuador is that it starts getting dark at 6:30 pm every day. Another thing you should know is that most people who run do it at the park. So for a Gringo running through the streets at night by himself is REALLY random and strange to see. During my 2.5 mile run, I ran up, what I would consider, the UWEC hill on crack times four. Thankfully, there was a downhill "shortly" after. The altitude is still affecting me somewhat, but not as much as before-- I'll talk about altitude sickness symptoms in a later post--, but what really killed me was the smog. The cars literally spew out exhaust you can see, smell, taste, and feel. I guess hear, as well.

 

View of the Pichinchas from our rooftop terrace

Parque la Carolina has a track in the middle, about 800-1000 meters around. I haven't made it there yet to run but apparently in the morning it is quite busy. I have been setting my alarm for 5:20 in the morning so I can get a workout before the school day, because after school I feel so rushed. There is dinner, cleaning, planning and grading to take care of. Plus it starts getting dark early and I don't necessarily want to be outside by myself when it is dark. One day I will make it there, hopefully soon. I believe someone said it is about 3km around the entire park. Espero una dia I will run around it at least once.

Power Outages

We moved to Quito right at the end of the dry season. Due to the lack of precipitation and the amount of energy that is produced from hydroelectric power, we have experienced several power outages. The longest that we endured was about 10 minutes long. Our building has a backup generator but that really only helps the refrigerator. Otherwise, everything gets knocked out. A few people have told stories (about THESE outages) that the power lines will just explode like fireworks. It is super important that we have power strips/surge protectors. I brought two or three with me in anticipation. 

Security

Glass "barbed wire"

Many buildings with an outside wall have some sort of added security. I've seen barbed wire. I've seen fences with sharp pointy spires at the top. I've even seen high walls with nothing, except a security guard outside. What takes the cake is that some people have devised a devilish method for scaring away intruders: shattered glass. They have literally taken shards of glass, pointed them upward, and waited for them to set into concrete. WHAT?! WHO DOES THAT?! It isn't even in the older parts of the city. I've seen it everywhere. So for you DIYers, try that one out if you are worried about burglars. 

Taxi Rides

Taxis are a very common method of transportation and are much cheaper than in the states. I forget what the specific algorithm they use to calculate the cost of fare but it is something along the lines of this:

• about ten cents per minute for waiting in traffic
• about thirty cents (or maybe more) a minute for diving
• speed has some kind of impact in the cost

Church near La Rhonda

The minimum cost for a cab though is $1, though. There have been a few times when my fare was about eighty cents but they rounded it up to a dollar. There's also an app called "Easy Taxi" that some people have used and I believe the minimum you will pay is $2. After it gets dark, taxis turn off their meters and you have one of two options:

1. negotiate the cost of fare (which it helps to know about how much it would be); or
2. say "taxi metro" and hope they agree to turn on the meter

Another thing to not be surprised about is being refused a ride. Some cabs don't want to go to certain parts of the city at certain times, or deal with heavy traffic so they will sometimes say "no." One night, my roommate and I tried getting a cab to La Mariscal and the cab driver refused to take us, so we had to wait for another one. 

Also, when going to between the airport and the "main part" of Quito, the price is slightly different... or a lot. It can take at least 40 minutes to go between the two depending on traffic. But it should not cost you more than $25. 

Major rule: have small bills and coins. Taxis will not give you change back, or may not accept large bills.