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!

Visiting Papa Correa

Papa Correa waving to his people

Every Monday at the President's palace there is a changing of the guards ceremony. This is very popular ceremony with Ecuadorians because President Rafael Correa, or Papa Correa as he is often fondly referred to, comes out onto his balcony and waves.

In typical Ecuadorian fashion, there was no official information about what time the event would start. There was no information online (apart from other blogs, which didn't seem to sight an exact time), and we had heard a range from 9am to 11am from friends. Chelsea and I decided to play it on the safe side and arrive at 9:30.

When we arrived at the Plaza Grande (one of the first places my host family took me with the Statue de Independencia) it was already quite crowded. We figured that they were protestors because of the current issues arising with drilling in the Amazon region called Yasuni. Many of the signs held by people were about the drilling, but seemed to be supporting it claiming it will bring wealth and security to many Ecuadorians. There were people of all ages. It was very interesting because many people wanted their picture taken with their signs or with their groups.

As we waited out in the sun, the plaza became even more crowded. The police arrived and started to organize the crowd. There were also rows and rows of chairs being set up along the street. Eventually around 10:45 or so bunches and bunches of school children filed in and sat in the seats that had been set up. Right around 11am (so that does seem to be the official time) music started, and people began to line up on the balcony. The important ministers, the Vice President, and President were all introduced. They were waving, and everyone was cheering and waving. There was not much sign of any protest, the Ecuadorians love Correa, hence his nickname.

There was music from a marching band, the school children sang, the guards marched/changed, the flag was raised, there was lots of pushing and shoving in the crowd (especially from old pushy Ecuadorian grandmothers), the police tried to keep the crowds in order, and the sun beat down.

The whole thing lasted for about 45 minutes to an hour. Chelsea and I were unsure if the ceremony was this big every week (with all the school children, and about 20-30 people on the balcony who seemed to be getting some sort of honor for the week). It was fun to be there and to watch, and really interesting to see the people who had come from all over the country to protest or support Correa, but in the end looked at him with admiration.

Of course I became photo happy...this is a pretty edited down version, but still deserved a slide show. Enjoy!

The Guayasamín Museum: So good I went twice in one week!

one of Guayasamín's self portraits

This past week I finally was able to go to the Guayasamín Museum here in Quito. The museum has two parts: first is Guayasamín's house, which is full of both his own artwork (and his studio), as well as his personal art collection, and the second is the Capilla del Hombre, which is a museum that he built on his property (it unfortunately wasn't completed before his death, but was finished in 2002).

Oswaldo Guayasamín is an Ecuadorian artist who resided in Quito for the majority of his life. He was very involved politically, and his work reflects that. (Number one bad-ass fact-he was close friends with Fidel Castro, even had a special guest room in his house for him.) Wikipedia can always provide more information .

Chelsea and I first went last Monday, and then we went back with Josh on Sunday (Sundays are free! Anyone who visits me will be required to be here for a Sunday to experience it!)

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, please enjoy the slideshow below! (or click here for the album!) Obviously it is a museum, so there are "no photos allowed", but I am quite the pro at stealth Iphone photos (but that explains the somewhat weird angles/poor photo quality at times...)

PS-BEFORE the the museum on Sunday, Chelsea and I tried to go to Bailoteripia (dance aerobics in the park), but learned when we got there it had been canceled for the week (typical Ecuador, no way to check up on that stuff...) We plan to try our luck again this coming Sunday!

Searching for an English teaching job in Ecuador

This post is meant to provide information and support to anyone planning to come to Ecuador to teach English.

 Laws have changed recently in Ecuador! This means a few things when searching for teaching jobs.

• First, it is much harder to find a job in Ecuador with out a degree. I have a Bachelor's, but I am learning that a Master's is much preferred in the university system. In language institutes the laws are not quite as strict yet, and it is still possible to find work without a degree (but be careful, as some will try to employ you illegally, meaning no visa). If you are planning to teach, the Ministry of Education has recently started to crack down requesting that all of your diplomas and other documents to be apostilled and registered with Senescyt. This is a long and complicated process.
• Second, I am still learning about the different types of visas that allow you to work in Ecuador. From what I understand at the moment, there are three main types. The first, which is the best option is the Cultural Exchange Visa. This is a one year visa (can be renewed), which allows you to live and volunteer in Ecuador (and receive a stipend to live off of, a bit of a loophole in the system). The second type of visa is a work visa. This is a much more expensive visa, which usually has a 4-6 month processing time. It also requires the person to be registered with Senescyt, etc. The third type of visa, called the 12-IX (12-9) visa, which I am just starting to hear about is an extended 6 month tourist visa that you can work under (meant as a volunteer visa as well). However, it is much easier to secure this before you leave the Untied States, and for many (including myself) the plan is to get certified and then begin the job search. The Cultural Exchange Visa is your best bet. 

Here are some words of caution to anyone considering the TESOL certification course at EIL Ecuador: The TESOL course itself was an incredible experience, and I could not be more pleased with the training I received. However, EIL says that they will help TESOL course participants with job placement and securing a visa (IF they are able to offer placement, they also offer the Cultural Exchange Visa), and this is the part I was extremely disappointed with.

Because of the new laws, EIL's program has suffered some growing pains. There were very few options presented to me, and they were presented 4 days after the course had ended. There was only one opportunity in Quito (and I had already moved into my apartment in Quito for various other reasons based on the programs lack of organization). For this reason I felt the need to take it upon myself and search for jobs. Our teacher trainers on the course Justin and Sophia were invaluable in this process. They gave us different language institutes to check out, as well as personal contacts. This is how I was able to get in touch with the English Teaching Program at the Fulbright Commission.

Ecuador is a great place to look into teaching, but make sure you are well informed about the support that the program you are working with provides, or be prepared to go through Senescyt.

Hired! My New Position Teaching at the Fulbright Commission

As promised, here is an update on my job search!

I am extremely excited that I have been hired to work as a full-time English teacher at Fulbright Ecuador! Here is their main page and here is more about the program.

Before I tell you more about the job, let's go back in time to see how I got here.

As many of you know about 10 months ago I was sending a different type of application to the Fulbright Commission (click on the link to learn more about the US based programs). I originally applied to go to teach English in Turkey for a year. Fulbright is an incredibly competitive program, so I was disappointed, though unsurprised to be rejected in January. After some reevaluation (and a few more rejections from different programs), I decided it would be smart for me to get my TESOL certificate. I researched programs and found the TESOL course I participated in here in Quito through EIL Ecuador.

As I will talk about in the following post, the job search was a bit of a struggle...I owe a special thank you to my teacher trainers for connecting me with the head of the Fulbright English Teaching Program (EIL Ecuador did not help with this one bit!) I filled out an application, had an interview, and have been sitting in on a few of the classes as the current cycle finishes up.

Because Fulbright is a language institute, they work in cycles rather than following the typical school calendar. Each cycle is 10 weeks long with a 2 week break between (longer breaks in September and December).  I will be working with university students and young professionals 18 years and older. This is also means that class times are varied to work around their schedules. I will be teaching 7-9 am and then 5-7 pm and 7-9 pm Monday-Thursday and occasional Fridays/Saturdays.

I start with the next cycle, which will begin September 23. There are 8 levels in the Fulbright ETP, and I will be teaching 3 classes of Level 2. I don't know how many students I will have in my classes yet, but class sizes are typically between 8 and 16.

I am very very excited about this job, and can't wait until I can share my experience with you all!

And since I don't like posts with no pictures...enjoy some recent culinary creations from home!

Who says Ramen can't be classy/nutritious?

Burrito night

Homemade micheladas (beer, chili, and lime in a salt rimmed glass, it's actually Mexican, but very popular here in Ecuador as well) and veggie/bean stir-fry