Family Fun

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Our Ecuadorian apartment was invaded last week by the DuRocher clan. And they brought presents. Actual list of contents of a suitcase dedicated to things we requested (and some extras): 5 t-shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair of Chuck Taylor All-Stars, 1 pair of Tevas, 1 small iPod speaker, 1 Kindle, 1 Kindle cover, 1 Spanish workbook, 1 South America guidebook, 1 Ecuador guidebook, 1 South American cookbook (in English!), 2 pounds of cheddar cheese, 2 pounds of manchego cheese, 2 pound of mimolette cheese, 1 pound bag of blue cheese, 1 ½ pounds of prosciutto, a 3 pound salami, 1 quart of maple syrup, 3 packages of Cadbury easter eggs, 1 bag of See’s candy chocolate eggs, and 5 assorted hand puppets for the benefit of our preschool students. Since this is our general requirement for weekly rent, we let them stay with us.

But before Chris’ Mom, Dad, and sister Lauren got to our place in Cuenca, Chris first met them for a couple of days in Quito. In true DuRocher style, Chris greeted them upon their late night arrival with a big bag of food – local specialties like humitas, tamales, and empanadas. So after an unnecessarily large meal and a good night’s sleep at the charming Hotel El Relicario del Carmen, we were ready to see tourist Quito on Saturday.

There was just one problem – it was election day in Ecuador. Voting in Ecuador is obligatory, and most people remain registered in their hometowns, necessitating travel. Traffic on Friday night and Saturday morning in Quito was horrendous as people made their way to their polling places. To allow for all of this, many public services and businesses close or have shortened hours, and it is forbidden to sell alcohol from Friday to Sunday, so many restaurants simply choose to close. All of this not for any office, but for referendums on several new laws. Yes, the obligatory election seems to be free and open and would pass any electoral observation system. However, for weeks leading up to this Saturday, there were parades and street banners that said “Yes, for your country” and the rhetoric strongly suggested that anything other than “Sí” makes you a horrible, unpatriotic person. The ballot itself (so we’re told, we didn’t actually see a ballot since we can’t vote) has a very large box to check for “Sí” compared to a small one “No”. Several people related to us that the government uses hardball tactics especially rural areas, telling people, often illiterate, that if they don’t vote “Sí” that services like roads and electricity might have problems next year.

So, what could the DuRochers do on this Saturday? Thankfully, quite a lot. By late morning we were in the Grand Plaza and took a fascinating tour of the Palacio de Carondelet, the seat of national government and the traditional residence of the President (except the current President Correa, because he chose to remain in his own house in Quito and open the place up to tours). Then, because we were terrified that it might close later in the day, we stopped for a late morning ice cream at the historic St. Augustin Heledaría. The next several hours were spent wandering the many historic sites of Old Town Quito including San Francisco monastery and plaza, the Rondo street of old homes converted into tourist shops and restaurants, and the Santo Domingo church. There was also a great stop at the Museo de la Ciudad (pleasantly open) in Quito’s oldest building, the Hospital San Juan de Dios. After a quick snack, we caught a cab up to the Panecillo, a hilltop lookout with a giant statue of the virgin Mary. Finally we capped the busy day with an excellent dinner at one of Quito’s finest restaurants Theatrum inside the Teatro Nacional Sucre.

On Sunday – Mother’s Day or El Diá de la Mama – we made an early start with a guide we hired through our hotel. Off for a pleasant drive outside Quito, we made a quick stop at the Mitad del Mundo for the obligatory equator photo, but our real destination was Otavalo. An historic trading center, the town is now a center for indigenous crafts and clothing. Without question touristy, the place was still pleasantly full of artisan-level work and we each bought stuff, from Dad’s new panama hat to embroidered tablecloths for Mom to alpaca blankets for everyone. We also got in a Mother’s Day lunch at a local restaurant before heading back for our flight to Cuenca.

After three months in Cuenca, we are apparently now ready to host visitors and show them around. We still had work each morning at the preschool, but we spent our afternoons showing off our new home. We covered the general walking tour of the plazas, churches, and stone streets. We shopped the craft market, the flower market, and of course the food market. While Chris had Spanish class one afternoon, Justin took the family for a riverside walk to the Ferria Libre to explore some more exotic market shopping. We also spent an afternoon at our favorite Baños hot spring pools for a relaxing swim. Chris’ Mom, a former preschool teacher herself, even rode the school bus with us one day. The kids loved her puppets and stickers (man, they love stickers. Really, these kids will do just about anything for a picture stuck to their hand).

And along with touring, there was eating, lots of eating. We hit local classics like roasted chicken. We went for Argentine steak and Columbian fried fish. Of course, we also took them to gringo favorites the Californian Kitchen and the Inca Lounge (where the DuRocher team took the win and the cash pot at the Trivia Night hosted by Justin – honestly, we did not have any advance questions). But the cap on the food festivities was clearly Cuy. Yes, we finally ate one of those little rodents, roasted to perfection at a place called Guijabamba, an often recommended place by both locals and tourists. Not bad at all, but the portion recommended for two people was really enough for all of us. Even Lauren, a vegetarian, clearly a little grossed out, had a small bite so that she check the box off on her list of accomplishments. While there are several vegetarian restaurants in Cuenca, it is a bit harder to please a combined carnivore and vegetarian group. Thankfully, Lauren is easy going and a big fan of both potatoes and cornmeal, both made into a million side dishes.

After a pleasant five days, we took a final walk around town and some last photos in the plaza, and then caught a van to Guayaquil. The 3-hour drive is really fascinating, as the road winds through the Cajas National Park, down the Andes, and eventually into rows of tropical banana trees before reaching the coast. To get from the bus station to the hotel, we grabbed two cabs to fit the five of us and the luggage. While in slow moving traffic, a much quicker person actually reached into the cab window and grabbed Mr. DuRocher’s Blackberry and ran off before we even knew what had happened. The upside – Dad will now do less work on this vacation. This also provides an opportunity to discuss the crime rate in Guayaquil, especially associated with taxis. As with most cases, the horror stories are exaggerated but embedded with a kernel of truth. Guayaquil does have crime, more than other cities in the region, but no one should hide in their hotel room.

Friday was Chris’s Mom’s birthday – we won’t out the number, but it’s a significant birthday, one worth a big family celebration (and a trip to the Galapagos!). Therefore, after a quick drink at the hotel bar, we jumped in (hotel-approved) taxis and rode out to the suburbs for an excellent seafood (except for Lauren) dinner at Lo Nuestro. In an historic mansion full of old memorabilia, they served up amazing local ceviche, clams, crab, and shrimp, and they even brought out Feliz Cumpleaños cake for the birthday girl.

The next day, the visiting DuRocher trio met up with their tour group for the next week. Meanwhile, Chris and Justin rolled the dice and hailed cabs there and back to the Parque Historical. It was located in a neighborhood that could easily be mistaken for any suburb in the United States, with gated residence communities with names like the “Castle in the Woods”, day spas, Starbucks ripoffs, high-end shopping malls with Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and, oh yeah, a Tony Romas and Chiles. The park was totally worth the trip out to the burbs. The “wildlife” area shows birds, monkeys, and other local fauna along a raised walkway through the trees (hey, it’s no Galapagos, but it was cool). The next “historical” area is a street of salvaged and restored buildings from turn-of-the 20th century Guayaquil homes and businesses. During our visit, an army of staff was decking the place into what appeared to be a really fancy wedding for someone’s closest four hundred plus friends. The final “traditions” zone had a farm of indigenous plants (we finally figured out that all of the roadside trees we couldn’t recognize are cacao bushes) and exhibits of traditional bamboo homes and regional products. Even our cab driver, who at first didn’t know where the Historical Park was, decided to visit the park himself once we arrived. So now we’re showing the locals around.

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