Head for the Hills!

Once we got outside of Quito, where there hasn´t been an attractive building built since the Spanish were kicked out, we realized just how beautiful Ecuador can be.
The country has three main zones – beach, mountains and jungle – and we´d headed to the mountains. As we drove in the large 4x4 truck with ¨The Biking Dutchman,¨ we were surprised by how often the countryside looked like Switzerland – lots of cows standing in fields of bright green grass, with the fields backing up to huge mountains. One big difference, however, was that the mountain we were heading to – Cotopaxi – isn´t just a mountain, it´s a volcano. And at 5897 meters (19,347 feet), it is, I´m told, both the world´s highest volcano and higher than anything in Switzerland.
But we weren´t going that high. Instead, we, the Dutchman and our mountain bikes headed to the parking lot at 4573 meters (a mere 15,003 feet). As we got there, the mountain gods smiled upon us, pulling back the clouds that had threatened rain and bathing the snow-capped peak in sunlight. We took way too many photos of the mountain, drank ginger tea (it´s supposed to help with the altitude), then put on our helmets, knee pads and elbow pads, and climbed onto our bikes.
Although the descent to 3850 meters (12,631 feet ) down a steep and gullied dirt road was a tricky in spots, we all survived. After lunch and a 28 km ride through more of the park, the group of bikers split up. Most headed back to Quito, but three of us and two guides headed south to another volcano: Quilatoa. It is a mere 3914 meters (12,841 feet ), but you get to stand on the crater rim and look down at the massive green lake below. After spending the night at a modest ´hostal,´ the following day we had another ride down another pockmarked dirt road to the eco-lodge with the composting toilets.
But don´t worry, I´m not going to give you a play-by-play of ¨What I Did on My Andean Summer Vacation¨ (though I will later tell you about when we hiked up to 5000 meters [16,404 feet]). Instead, brace yourself for more of my usual platitudes and broad-brush impressions.
Platitude/Impression #1: Even though we were much older than the other bike riders, don´t be too impressed by the fact that we rode down a hill without breaking our necks – coming down Cotopaxi, we passed two foreigners biking up to the parking lot. And one of our guides, who on separate trips both biked up to the parking lot and climbed from the parking lot to the summit, said the climb was even tougher than the bike ride up. So, basically, we´re wimps. (Truth be told, even though we are terribly out of shape after almost six months with little exercise, ¨we are¨ [read: ¨Annette is¨] toying with the idea of trying to climb Cotopaxi. With any luck, we won´t have the time. Although it´s said to be a non-technical climb, I saw a picture in a climbing outfitter´s office window of someone wearing crampons while walking on a ladder laid horizontally across a crevice in a glacier. If that was on Cotopaxi, I´m staying home. Still having made it to 5000 meters, we are slightly emboldened.)
Platitude/Impression #2: Damn, those fields of high mountain grassland are beautiful. If you saw ¨Motorcycle Diaries,¨ you´ll know what I mean.
Platitude/Impression #3: Damn, it would be tough to be an indigenous living in Ecuador.
Okay, that topic deserves a little more attention:
I am continually fascinated by the indigenous. Sitting by the roadside waiting for a ride across the empty Andean grasslands. Working in fields far steeper than anything San Francisco can dish out – cliff-faces going thousands of feet up mountains that seems to be at a 65 degree angle. Wearing their ridiculous but oh-so-charming outfits. All in all, they´re just a joy to watch.
Being typically clueless about whatever country I´m traveling to until my plane touches down, I wasn´t prepared for all of that. I mean, I knew that Bolivia had llamas and women in bowler hats, but I just didn´t know that Ecuador had much of the same. But as soon as you hit the highlands, there they are. Probably the most memorable scene was when we hiked one day down a narrow mountain path through a canyon, wearing our fancy hiking boots and Gore-Tex jackets. Up they came – a long line of short, squat women, each wearing thin-soled moccasins, pastel-colored knee-high socks, dark mid-calf skirts, lightly colored cardigan sweaters, and the trademark dark felt fedoras. Even more impressive was that each had a massive bundle tied to her back with a thin blanket, and a two-liter bottle of orange soda in her arms. Though initially confused (I mean, really, could they all like orange soda that much?), we later learned that the women had each picked up a weekly food shipment provided by a charity to pregnant women, the elderly and children (not that it explains the orange soda). Still, the hours-long hike back to their village couldn´t have been easy. But since the government provides only $36 per month as a ´poverty bonus´ to those who meet its criteria (which include not having a bank account or a salaried job), I guess they didn´t have much choice.
Okay, onto politics.
Far be it from me to attempt to explain the politics of Latin American – it is way too complex. But I will tell you this much: back around Thanksgiving, a leftist Ph.D. economist who is very friendly with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela was elected as the new president of Ecuador. He defeated one of the country´s richest men – a Bible-toting billionaire. Yesterday, the new president, Rafael Correa, was inaugurated. Correa has made it clear that he intends to stand up to the U.S. – and not just by calling President Bush ´dimwitted´ (though you have to admit he has a point). Among other things, Correa has said he will close the military base that the U.S. maintains here, try to stop the U.S.-sponsored spraying of coca fields, and move Ecuador off the dollar. (Yes, the economy here is dollar-based. And if you´re wondering who´s using all of those Sacagawea dollar coins that none of us want, I can tell you: all of Ecuador. Which brings me to another quick detour: one of the many curious things about this place is the lack of small bills and coins. Lord have mercy on the poor soul who tries to pay for something with a $10 bill – you get nasty looks as the store owner runs up and down the block looking for change. Very strange.) Anyway, things are going to get pretty interesting down here since the country is seriously divided between those supporting Correa and those supporting more conservative policies (although, interestingly, almost everyone we´ve met seems very excited about Correa). But the situation is even more complex because Correa, whose platform argued that Ecuador´s Congress should be less politicized, formed his own party to run for president. As a result, there is not a single person in Congress from his party – sort of like if Ralph Nader had won the presidential election. So while Correa may have some big ideas, it is unclear if he´ll be able to accomplish anything. Anything is possible – Ecuador has had eight presidents since 1996, including three who were driven from office by street protests, and the Congress may simply shut him down.
One last bit on politics here: it is mandatory that everyone between the age of 18 and 65 return to his or her home province for an election to vote. And they do.
Continuing along the lines of sensitive topics, it´s time to talk about religion. It can be summed up in one word: CATHOLIC!!!! Every where you go, every village no matter how small, there is a Catholic church. And people here, well, they´re just crazy about that little Jesus baby. I mean, they like him as an adult, too. But it is nothing like what they feel for that little baby – the celebrations of his birth just go on and on and on. I do not know when they started in December, but the parties are still going on! January 6: Three Kings Celebration. January 13: The Passing of the Child. Even the ¨Indian summer¨ that happens between mid-December and mid-January is known as ¨The Short Summer of The Little Boy.¨ We are told it continues all the way until Carnival in late February.
Okay, one funny story before I end this email. A few nights ago, Annette and I were in one of Ecuador´s major cities, walking home from dinner. As we passed an office building, I noticed the words ¨Dr. German Zapata Hildago, Abogado¨ painted on the large plate glass window that faced the street. Inside, the lights were on and we could see into the wood paneled conference room. Half a dozen well dressed people stood talking. On the wall were several framed, diploma-like documents. All very proper looking. But next to the framed documents was a huge auto garage-like calendar of a topless woman. As Annette put it: ¨This could be a good place to be a lawyer. ¨
That´s all for now. Next time, I´ll write about our six-hour trip through the mountains sitting on the top of a freight train.
Best,
Neil