Holiday Shopping in Ecuador: A trip to Otavalo

This weekend was wonderful. Chelsea came up from Loja, and we had a really fun weekend hanging around Quito and veging and watching girly movies on Netflix just like in our roomie days.

Now that my bank account isn't as sad, I decided it was time for me to do my holiday shopping. Last weekend when having a day of adventure with my friend Anna (a fellow EIL survivor), we discussed going to the nearby town of Otavalo on a day trip to the world famous market there. Otavalo is said to be one of the biggest and best markets in all of South America. The indigenous groups are famous for their leather and woven crafts. The biggest day is Saturday when the market takes up a large part of the city, but Chelsea, Anna and I decided the trip would be more calm (and work out better with our schedules) to go on Sunday. 

We got to one of the bus stations in the north of Quito, Carcelen, around 8:15 on Sunday morning (I think I have been to the majority of big stations by now), and were able to quickly hop on a bus that left quite promptly after that!

The buses (especially for tourists) often play movies (dubbed in Spanish of course). Unfortunately the movies we were subjected to were especially violent, which was a strange change from most of the other movies shown are full of sex instead.

It was a beautiful ride through the sierras. Once out of Quito, the landscape in Ecuador really is beautiful and lush. 

here is a view of (what I believe is) Cuyambe, another of Ecuador's volcanoes

and another view out the bus window

Right before the town of Otavalo there is a small town San Pablo del Lago with a huge lake (Lago San Pablo). On this absolutely beautiful day all I wanted to do was go jump into the clear blue water, but alas, that will need to be saved for another adventure!

Lago San Pablo with Imbabura Volcano behind it

We arrived to the bus station in Otavalo after a two hour ride (that means $2!!!). We hopped into a cab to take us to the market, since we were weren't sure how far it would be. Turns out it was only a few blocks away! The market was in a main square that took up about a block. Since it was Sunday and not Saturday it was substantially smaller, but still filled to the brim with cool things! We set off weaving our way between the stalls.

some adorable overalls for kids...I did ask if they came in my size, and a guy laughed at me. Joke is on him though because when I did find a pair...I spent some money (see below).

overview of the market 

and again

inside the market it is so colorful!

they sell everything from art to clothing and jewelry to furniture and kitchy trinkets and honestly pretty much anything and everything you could think of!

 We spent the day looking for various items for our friends and families. The trick is to really bargain, which can be fun and exhausting all at the same time. I think we really walked away with quite the bounty! You will just all have to wait until I am home to see what I picked up :P

(but if no one gets a gift, it's because it was super important for me to buy these and rock this fashion statement)

It was nice to get out of Quito for the day and see more of Ecuador. However, if I go back to Otavalo, I will make sure to do it on a Saturday because I was not completely WOWED with the market on Sunday. About 6 blocks away from me in the Mariscal is the Artisan market in Quito (smartly placed in the tourist center!) I honestly did not find Otavalo to be much more thrilling, though there were a few things that were definitely better quality there, but as I said it was not Saturday.

Only a few more days of classes left, and then finals next Monday and Tuesday! This weekend we (from Fulbright) will be going to Papallactas, natural hot springs and hiking adventures, and next week will be Thanksgiving! More blogs to come soon!

Halloween in Ecuador

A costume that I can make from what I packed in June AND educate my students about feminism/strong women?!?! Yes I was Rosie the Riveter for Halloween 

I have always loved Halloween. I think it's because it is of Pagan origins so as a kid, unlike at Christmas time, I never felt left out....no wait, let's be serious. It's because there is candy and dressing up and pumpkin carving, and it is part of my favorite season, Fall, and it is always fun!!!

Well as I'm sure most of you are aware, Halloween is not celebrated in Ecuador (or really many other places besides the United States). Instead they observe Dia de Difuntos (directly translated as Day of the Deceased, or Day of the Dead as we are used to hearing it called) on November 2nd. As part of the tradition, they have a traditional drink called Colada Morada, which is eaten with a baby shaped pastry called guaguas de pan (pronounced almost like wawas). The Colada Morada is a SUPER sweet syrupy drink with chunks of fruit, and it is usually served hot. The guaguas are filled with some type of jam or chocolate. 

guagua and colada morada

At Fulbright we all got VERY excited about Halloween! We decided to make a day out of it for our classes on Thursday. Some of the teachers taught their classes the Michael Jackson Thriller dance, and they performed it in the courtyard (while being dressed as zombies of course).

a view from above of the Thriller dance

my morning class running their activities

There was also extra incentive given by many teachers (myself included) to dress up and bring candy for the school wide trick-or-treating activities that we had planned for the day! The classes came up with activities, and other students would rotate around to participate. If you played the game then you got candy! My classes had planned charades and hang man and practicing putting verbs into past tense (when making a ghost story).

and again

5-7 class all dressed up!

7-9 class all dressed up

one of my 7-9 students running our game for other students

 As well as all the fun and games, the students learned about the history of Halloween as well as received their musical education by watching all 14 minutes of the Thriller video.

Between all of the candy, the guagua and the colada morada, I easily slipped into just as big of a sugar coma as I would have at home.

What I have learned about REALLY living on a budget....

Let's be honest, this post is really about how to EAT on a budget. If you know me at all, you know my passion, and my obsession, is FOOOOOOD!

As I sit here writing, half my screen is covered with the blog page and the other half is playing the most current episode of Top Chef (yes I find time and let the internet help me keep up with this addiction. And yes Mom, I am multitasking...sorry!).

Since I've been in Ecuador (almost 4 months now!), I've been learning a lot about myself and my life and all that lovely introspective stuff. One thing I've been learning a lot about is budgeting. As I feel (and I hope my parents would agree), I have always been pretty good at budgeting myself. However, I have been very lucky, and have always been able to splurge on some things, specifically my love for food. When I go to the supermarket, I rarely hold back, and I love going out to eat. Well, especially in the past month I have learned about budgeting on a whole new level. (Let's be clear, mostly because of my stubbornness, and I will make it to my first paycheck on October 31st and counting down, and being screwed out of $200 by my previous landlords, I have brought this budgeting upon myself.)

I know what you are all thinking: "Ecuador must be so cheap/reasonably priced!"
Well you are all right, sort of, but I'm talking about serious budgeting. Learning how to live on $4-5 dollars a day type stuff. Luckily, because of the prices in Ecuador, I only had to slightly modify my lifestyle, meaning that I can still eat fairly healthily, and mostly am sacrificing my laziness (aka going out to eat) and my social life (going out on weekends).

So one of the first things I learned, especially here where imported goods are ridiculously overpriced, it is always cheaper to make stuff for yourself. So 2 weekends ago I made homemade tomato sauce (I did splurge on some wine to add, but luckily as Chelsea and I discovered a few months ago, a decent Chilean cab is under $7). Other than that, luckily all the produce is very cheap here (more tomatoes than I could ever need for a dollar!)

my huge batch of tomato sauce from a few weeks ago!

Peanut butter is SUPER expensive here, but you know what isn't? PEANUT PASTE! Make peanut butter really fast (and more delicious and healthy) by buying peanut paste and adding a bit of oil and honey! Also, dried goods (beans, lentils) are way cheaper in bulk than the cost of one can. One can of beans here is about $1.19 and a huge bag of lentils or bag of black beans that lasts for around a month is about the same price. I did have to learn about the labor of cooking black beans (and by that I mean planning ahead) but lentils cook REALLY FAST! Quinoa, beans, and avocados? Alright not so bad....

Oh wait, one more thing to challenge my budgeting skills? Our fridge has been broken for about 6 days...well now we don't have one because they took it away to fix it yesterday...anyway this means that I can't cook in bulk like I like to, and basically means no beans (they go bad fairly quickly if not refrigerated after cooking). So this means 2 things...
1. I've learned A LOT about how irrelevant refrigerators are. Plenty of the veggies that I love/are nice and cheap here stay good for a few days, or more with out being refrigerated (zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, pretty much everything EXCEPT leafy greens). Also, when in Rome, live like the Romans...meaning the Ecuadorians almost never refrigerate eggs, or butter (probably mostly because they use margarine, but even real butter), and they don't refrigerate milk (it's condensed milk, refrigerated after opening, but if you buy it in a small juice box size it will last the 2 days you need it).
2. College teaches you the magical powers of ramen. Don't ever forget those magical powers! Ramen noodles don't have to simply be the ramen noodles (usually covered in sodium), but can easily become (slightly more) nutritious by adding veggies sautéed in ginger and garlic, and an egg or two. Similarly, we all know pasta is cheap, but it can be mixed with veggies (and tomato sauce can even be made on the fly when a broken fridge makes it so that your 2 jars will go bad), and always served with a salad (as Phi Phi will tell you, I've always preferred the stuff in the salad to the lettuce anyway).

So, here I am learning about truly budgeting, but counting down the days until I can go out and try new restaurants, find some good sushi, buy some brie (only $3.50 here!), and go get some of my favorite beer from a local brewery with my favorite burger or fish tacos.

See below dinner from tonight (which inspired this post)!

throw some chopped tomatoes, garlic, and herbs (especially red pepper flakes) into a pan with a little bit of olive oil, and sauté for a bit and VOILA, tomato sauce!

pasta with quickly made sauce

salad with just the stuff: tomatoes, cucumber, and
avocado with salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar 

Hello again world!

Hello all, sorry for the long absence!

So much has been happening in the last few weeks, and yet at the same time, nothing quite exciting enough to blog about. I guess you could say in the past few weeks I've been learning a few life lessons as well as cultural lessons.

1. I live in a new apartment! Let's start about 3 weeks ago when my new coworker/roommate Hannah and I started an apartment hunt. It lasted for about a week, but similarly to last time the Sunday paper was the best bet. We found a nice 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath about 2 blocks away from work, AND my gym! This is GREAT because it makes it easy to go back and forth during the day as well as saving money on transportation to get home at night. We are subletting the 3rd bedroom.
Cultural life lesson: Furnishing an apartment in Quito is quite an adventure. We took the apartment because it was very nice and of course, location location location!!! But....it was not furnished. In Quito this meant no stove (there was a fridge, but it needed to be fixed) and a simply EMPTY apartment!! The landlords promised to fix the fridge and get us a stove (which both happened VERY QUICKLY AND WHEN WE ASKED!!!) Luckily there is San Roque, a slightly sketchy market near the Centro Historico FULL of every type of furniture. There is a lot of nice wood furniture, and since it is a market, bargaining is the name of the game! So...two full size beds, and a 6 top dining room table and six chairs all acquired for under $400!!! Mattresses are also super cheap (a new one for $100). We also found some great stores along one of the main avenues for all the kitchen essentials we could need (super cheap). So though furnishing an apartment wasn't ideal, it wasn't the worst thing ever.
HOWEVER, obviously, cheap furniture comes with a price...this price being that the screws don't fit properly, and some of the parts aren't even properly aligned...SO be prepared for quite the DIY project.
*Note for a another less happy cultural life lesson in dealing with landlords/moving/LACK OF TENANT RIGHTS, feel free to ask how things ended at my previous location/with my previous landlords, but that rant is not for here....

kitchen, smaller than the old one, but still good!

small balcony outside the living room/dining room

my bedroom, no bed for me, I'm still in the (poor) college mindset

living room/dining room area, big and open, with minimal furniture!

2. Things that we think of to be easier in the US are quite a bit more complicated here, but if you want a Visa, no problem, step right up!! (alright this may be a bit of an exaggeration...but...)
Cultural life lesson: Always expect things to take WAY LONGER and be WAY MORE COMPLICATED than you would expect (but when something is supposed to be long and complicated, have no fear, it will get done almost immediately!). As I went into in a recent post, I am very lucky because my job is sponsoring and helped me get my one year visa. For anyone who has done extensive traveling/lived abroad, you know what a hassle a visa can be. Lucky for me, the process was fairly fast and painless.
THE FOLLOWING PROCESSES PROVED TO BE MORE COMPLICATED THAN GETTING A VISA...

• Getting internet. Not only is my generation (and every one else pretty much now too) addicted to the internet, but it is 100% necessary for me to keep in touch with all of you at home, as well as do my work including lesson planning, looking up listening and video activities, etc. So when we moved into the new apartment and there was no internet set up yet, that was fine. Our landlord said it would just be a few days...WRONG. After over a week we called him and he said it couldn't be done for at least another week, at which point we said that's fine we will just go do it ourselves! WRONG AGAIN! Some companies are simply flaky, while others are technically run by the government meaning that you cannot sign up for their services if you don't have a cedula (Ecuador's ID #, similar to a social security number). So we called our landlord after having many problems with our tails between our legs, and he promised to do it, and 2.5 weeks after moving in, we got internet. YAY! RECAP: Time it took to get a visa...1 week with about 6 hours of waiting total between 3 visits. Time it took to get internet: 2.5 weeks, multiple trips all over Quito to different providers, and ENDLESS WAITING IN THAT TIME!
• Getting a bank account: Once again my amazing job has provided me with the resources to set up a bank account. No I am not a resident, but I am still able to get an account and ATM card through them. They have a system, which has worked until now. Multiple confusing trips to the bank (talking with the woman who I was supposed to talk to many times) left me asking if I really could just go to customer services and open an account like a normal person...OF COURSE I CAN'T! It was quite the process, but finally it was sorted out. RECAP: Time it took to get a visa...1 week with about 6 hours of waiting total between 3 visits. Time it took to set up a bank account...2 weeks, 5 or so visits, and 4ish hours of waiting time.

LIFE LESSON- Acquiring a visa may be easier than you thought in Ecuador (though I do know that not everyone gets through as painlessly as I did...)

3. Ecuadorians (not just Ecuadorians, but also many other cultures around the world) have a much less strict schooling system. This leads to A LOT of whining and complaining in the classroom (here so endearingly called Ecuawhining, and it doesn't just happen in the classroom...).
Cultural life lesson: PUT IN MY FUTURE SYLLABUS THAT WHINING AND COMPLAINING WON'T BE ACCEPTED IN CLASS (in fact you will get a 0 for your participation grade that week...) I didn't think I would have to do this...but I learned quickly. The whine is a long drawn out "TEAAACHERRRRRR" followed by what ever issue they have with the assignment, grade, or anything else you try to do in class. Fulbright has extremely high standards, which makes it fabulous to teach there, but the students think they can pull the same old stuff and the teachers will just cave. I really had to learn to be strict and lay down the law with one of my classes.
TAKE NOTE: Being female, a new teacher, and young (probably 95% of my students are older than me, though I refuse to tell them my age to make the situation worse), basically equals NO respect so LAY DOWN THE LAW!

though my birthday was between cycles, there was a Fulbright birthday celebration for me and another teacher whose birthdays were during this time.

Culture shock/life lessons aside I am really enjoying my job. It gives me a lot of freedom to be creative with my teaching and have fun with my classes. I AM LEARNING SO MUCH ABOUT ENGLISH GRAMMAR! Today will be awesome because there is a HUGE soccer match between Ecuador and Uruguay to qualify for the World Cup. I'm not the biggest soccer fan, but it's always fun when EVERYONE is excited!

Also, I look forward to seeing most if not all of you in 2 months!! I have the whole month of December off. My first stop will be San Diego to see my mom and grandpa (and all you other San Diegans!) and then I'll be roaming the North East for 3 weeks or so!

Mindo: Canopying, Hiking, and of course CHOCOLATE

Sorry for the wordy post...all the pictures are at the bottom!!! (Once again too many not to put in a slide show).

One week ago, Chelsea and I decided we needed to get out of Quito, so we planned a day trip to Mindo. Mindo is a few hours north of Quito located in a cloud forest. We decided it would be better (less crowded) to go in the middle of the week.

Mindo is 2-3 hours by bus from Quito. Rather than the way Josh and I got to Canoa, you must leave from the bus station in the north called Ofelia. Chelsea and I left the house at 6:45am to make sure we could catch the 8am bus (there are only a few buses back and forth from Mindo each day, and since we wanted to get the most out of the day we opted for earliest bus). In typical Ecuadorian fashion this was no way as easy as it should have been. We arrived at the bus station around 7:15 and saw there were a few buses from the bus company. We went to the ticketing window, and it was closed (all the other windows around it were open...). We waited around for 15 minutes and then went to ask the bus drivers if they were going to Mindo. They said yes, but told us we had to wait for the ticketing window to open...at 8! Long story short the window never opened, we watched 3 buses come and go, bought a newspaper, which told us there had been a landslide along the main road for the north making all the buses on the route we were about to travel super delayed and inconsistent, and were even approached by several taxi drivers who figured they could capitalize on the deal by offering a ride to Mindo "$10 a person if there are 4 people"...keep in mind the bus is only $2.50. FINALLY, when Chelsea and I were just about to give up (it was almost 9, and we were worried we had lost too much of the day), one of the bus drives just had every one to Mindo board and took off. We paid on the bus (as to why we couldn't do this with the first 3 drivers I don't know...it's Ecuador!)

The bus ride was shorter than we had expected, and the road seemed to be fairly cleared from the landslide, though we did slow down considerably when driving through the area. Mindo is down off the main road about 15 minutes. It is a very small town mostly based in tourism. We were dropped off right in the middle of the small town where we immediately headed towards the small tourist information office. We asked about hiking and about canopying (zip lining), and also about the daily chocolate tour. Chelsea really wanted to go zip lining, so we headed there first (with my fear of heights, and speed, and drops, and everything really I wasn't sure if I would try it). It was a ways out of town, so we ended up hopping into a taxi, which turned out to be good, because we ended up needing to hire him for the day to get around.

We arrived at the zip line place, and were outfitted for our gear. I was getting very nervous because I wanted to try it but I was terrified. I had the option of doing 2 lines, 3 lines, or the full course of 10 lines. I finally figured if I was going to do it I might as well go big or go home!

I was so scared that I decided I wanted to go attached to a guide for the first line (and maybe all of them) because then I could control my speed more . That meant that I had to FIRST. It took about 5 minutes to get me off that first platform: I was hooked up to the two cable lines (even safer than 1!) and to my guide (that took about 2 minutes of convincing) , and then was told to get in position, crossing my legs and in a sitting position to jump off, this took another 3 or so minutes of convincing, but finally I WAS OFF! Boy did I scream! at first, then became a bit calmer, and made it to the other side, and guess what? IT WAS FUN!!! We did the remaining 9 lines (I went alone for the rest). There was the option to do a few different flying positions (you had to be hooked to a guide for these) but they were a bit too scary for me, but Chelsea did both (as can be seen in the photos). Our two guides were very nice and the whole course took about an hour. The views were spectacular, but looking down was still terrifying!

Post zip lining we met back up with our taxi driver, who took us to where we could hike. There are trails through the cloud forest that lead to 9 waterfalls. The trail in total takes about 3-4 hours, and not only were the dark clouds rolling in, but we wanted to make sure to make it to the chocolate tour! Now to get to these trails, you take a small not very stable looking cable car across a huge valley. It is like zip lining in a car, but definitely scarier. We got to the other side and hiked down to see 2 of the small falls, and then back up and across. Just as we were getting back it began to drizzle, so good timing on our part!

We rode back into town, and went up to the El Quetzal Hotel where the chocolate tour is. We had a bit of time, so I decided I needed to relax with a latte. My first real latte here in Ecuador, and boy was it good! (A latte in a chocolate making facility, as you will see from the pictures it was the perfect day for me to be sporting my Tastebudd's Cafe shirt!)

The chocolate tour was great (lots of free samples!) We got to see the whole process and the facilities that the chocolate is made in. It is very pure chocolate (all dark) and only includes the refined cacao and sugar, and any other ingredient that is in the bar (coffee, aji, nibs, etc), which are all grown on the grounds. The Hotel also has a huge garden which contributes to their restaurant. It looked good. At the end of the tour we got to try the world's best and fudgiest brownie (they are famous for them)!

I of course bought some chocolate, and then we rushed to find a bus. As I mentioned, there are very few buses from Quito to Mindo and vice versa each day. The last bus leaves Mindo at 3pm, but that would have been way too short a day. Since we didn't want to spend the night we had the option to have our cab drive us up to the main road where many buses pass (all headed towards Quito). They come by every 30 minutes or so. We wanted to make sure to get on a bus before dark, and were able to do so by 5:30. It was quite a day! Though it is possible to do as a day trip, it would have been better to spread over 2 days. Good for future reference.

Enjoy the slide show! Some of the photos are Chelsea's too.

A recipe I highly recommend you try...

Disclaimer: This is not an Ecuadorian recipe...

Chelsea and I have gotten pretty into cooking (as shown by our humitas adventures). We have been cooking at home every day. We of course stick to our basics: eggs, rice and beans, mac and cheese with veggies, quinoa pasta. We also have been getting really into cooking Asian dishes. Last week we cooked an awesome tofu curry with lemon verbena (the closest thing to lemongrass here) and lots of veggies. Then a few days ago we decided we wanted to try to make an Asian noodle dish with a teriyaki sauce on the veggies. We made it, it was good....

...BUT not as good as our creation from last night. Last night was Chelsea's final night in Quito before moving to Loja where she will be teaching. We were thinking of going out, but then decided we would rather stay in and cook. We still had some of oyster mushrooms and bean sprouts from our previous stir fry, and figured we should use those up. However, we were out of teriyaki sauce, so we figured we would just make up our own sauce. It was soooo unbelievable, I figured I should share it!


Chelsea and Diandra's AWESOME Peanuty Veggie Noodles



The noodles are just ramen noodles. We cooked them in water with vegetable bouillon to give them a bit of extra flavor.

For vegetables we sautéed spinach and oyster mushrooms (but of course the vegetable options are unlimited) in homemade sesame oil (canola oil with sesame seeds, which get heated for about 5 minutes, while stirring) and ginger.

Now for the best part, the sauce! We eyeballed everything...so it may never be the same again, but I'm sure any variation will be delicious!

First blend chopped garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, a little bit of honey, and some peanuts in a blender.

Make some homemade sesame oil (we are convinced this is the trick), and pour that into the blender with some soy sauce, ahi (Sriracha would be perfect for this, oh how I miss it...), and fresh lime juice. Add a little water if desired to make it a little saucier! Blend all together, and pour over the vegetables that have been sautéed. Then put the veggies on top of the noodles and ENJOY!

We were just so proud of our delicious creation we felt the need to share. :) Buen Provecho!

An Ecuadorian Adventure in the Kitchen (aka Chelsea and Diandra attempt to cook like Ecuadorian Grandmothers)

Chelsea's awesome Spanish/English Ecuadorian cookbook

first you cut the corn...

Chelsea and I really wanted to try an Ecuadorian recipe from her cookbook. We decided to try to tackle humitas. Humitas are similar to tamales. My host family had made them quite frequently for me, but they had been sweet with raisins in them. The recipe that we had were for savory Humitas with cheese.

...put the corn, milk, and egg in the blender...

it comes out like this!

I of course was the master cheese crumbler!

add the cheese in with the corn mix

stir it up real well!

Making the filling was the easy part. The harder part came next...we had to make our little husk bundles to cook our mixture in. My family had used banana leaves to make humitas, but we had the husks/ that is the more traditional way. It was sort of like folding a burrito, and then it had to be tied together. 

Once we had struggled for about 20 minutes to make 6 husks, we had to pour the mixture into the husks. This proved to be a two person job (one person holding the husk open the other one pouring)!

We eventually had to use spoons. The book also said that if you don't have husks you can use aluminum foil. We ended up making little florets out of the aluminum foil to use the rest of the filling. We also decided, just to be safe, we would wrap the bottoms of all the husks in aluminum to avoid ALL of the filling leaking out the bottom...a wise choice.

The left over corn cobs are supposed to line the bottom of the pot immersed in water, and then the humitas balance on top of them to steam. However, we saw this as a potential disaster so we spread aluminum over the cobs and poked holes in it to let the steam through.

Oh wait! We forgot about the melted butter in the microwave! Even though it was supposed to go into the mixture, we drizzled it on top of each humita.

They ended up needing to steam for about an hour, but when they were done they were solid. We sautéed some green beans to go with them. As Chelsea's host sister later commented, this is the first time humitas have ever been on a plate with a vegetable. Leave it to the Gringas!

Our final dinner plate. The humitas in the husks had a different (better) flavor than the ones in aluminum foil, but they were all good!

It was a fairly labor intensive process, and I think if I were to try again I would want to use banana leaves for steaming.

Overall it was a culinary success!