I have recently returned from a 2-week
training assignment in the city of Quito, the nation’s capital for
Ecuador. This is a truly magnificent
place to visit. Here, at 9,650 feet
above sea-level, it is a whole new world to experience.
You can go on the internet and read
all about Ecuador. You can learn all
about the diversity, both natural and cultural, of this nation of about 14
million people. You can discover that
there are four regions, called the Amazon rainforest, the highland Andes, the
Coast and the Galapagos Archipelago; whose inhabitants of amazing giant
tortoise always fascinated me at high school in my geography studies. You can read all about the intriguing story
of the so-called ‘Panama Hat’ that actually originated in Ecuador and is worn
by both men and women. In fact there is
so much that you can read about this country of almost 170,000 square miles
that has the equator running through its northern parts. But how do you, as an aspiring writer, put in
to words that, which you experienced, first-hand? I can only equate it (no pun intended) to the
dilemma an accomplished writer would have when trying to explain to you, in
words, the flavour of vanilla ice-cream.
It’s practically impossible; you just have to lick it yourself in order
to experience and appreciate it. And
that is the case for this wondrous country of Ecuador.
I was staying at the Best Western Plaza
Hotel and Casino in the heart of the modern area of the city of Quito, in the
region of the highland Andes, and I now have a better understanding of
‘altitude training’ that many athletes go through in their quest for sporting
achievement. Upon arrival I became aware
of the lack of oxygen that my body was normally accustomed to. The bouts of breathlessness, at first, was
startling and I really did have to pace myself for tasks as simple as climbing
a few flights of stairs. Oh, but the
trade-off was worth it!
I loved the mornings. If there are no clouds, you are guaranteed a
view of a most extraordinary dawn. The sun rises quickly on the equator. One morning, whilst having my coffee, enjoying
the panoramic view from my hotel window, and at the same time watching the city
of Quito wake up, I was able watch one of the peaks of the Andes mountain range
get lit up by the dawn sun. There were a
few clouds swirling around the peak that changed colour very quickly with the rising sun. Then, it was as if a veil of warm light was
rolling down the mountain side as the sun rose and covered it with a
magnificent glow. It was absolutely
breathtaking.
Across the road from my hotel window, on the Avenida
Naciones Unidas (United Nations Avenue), was a large park; La Carolina, where I
could view, at my leisure, the people and their activities. I
have seen the same juggler using the same spot in the park at the same time on
most days. About 5:00PM, on the same
avenue that borders one side of the park, there is a guy bobbing in and out of the
on-coming traffic trying to make a buck by cleaning your windshield… in a wheel
chair! In the park there was always some
activity going on because it was such a lively place within the bustling city
of Quito. It reminded, somewhat, of
Central Park in New York City; a haven within the metropolis.
At first, it was somewhat surprising
to notice that people were selling just about anything on the streets of Quito;
literally. I mean, they would come up to
the cars that were waiting for a green light and would offer you their wares;
be it mandarins, candy, linens, ice cream, etc.
This did not seem to pose an inconvenience because some drivers would
wave them over to buy a netted string of about six mandarins or whatever. It was eventually clear to me that this is
part of the delightful culture of Ecuador.
Although I was there on a business
trip, I was able to have a weekend free.
On my first Friday I was able to get a ticket to watch Ecuador play
Bolivia at the Estadio Olympico Atahualpamore, in a qualifier for the soccer
World Cup Finals in Brazil, 2014. As a
football fanatic this was a brilliant experience. I’m just glad of two things; one, Ecuador
only scored once and two that I was located only three rows from the top of the
stadium. Why? Because when Ecuador scored everyone, in
their delight, stood up and cheered whilst launching their beers up in to the
air. Well, they have to come down; and
they did, all over the fans that were in front of me. It literally rained beer for a few moments
and some of these guys were soaking wet.
Not that they seemed to mind.
They were happy their team, and country, scored and they were not
surprised by what took place regarding the beer. I was both surprised and relieved.
The Saturday afforded me the time to
be a tourist. Outside the park La
Carolina is a double-decker open topped tour bus. Once you have paid for your ticket, you can
get on and off any time at any place you like because of the designated stops
along the route. This allowed me to take
in some wonderful places; the Plaza Grande and all of the historic district of
Quito. El Panecillo was really nice,
with a statue of the Virgin Mary, and its view over the city from the elevated
hill located in the middle of the city.
But the view from El Tererifco was a true sight to behold. You had to take a cable car up the last 4,000
feet or so to an altitude of over 13,200 feet.
I have never been so high above sea level outside of a perfectly
serviceable airplane. At such a height,
even the silence is deafening. But at
least there weren’t any car horns that I could hear, just the wind. The view from this altitude was simply
stunning. I felt overwhelmed by the
beauty of it all. But the giddiness that
I felt wasn’t just from the sights and sounds; the air was very thin up
there! I actually felt relieved when I
took the cable car back down the mountain and felt I was at sea level, even
though I wasn’t; yet a week previous I was struggling with an elevation of 9,650
feet! The human body is quite remarkable
when it comes to adjusting itself to its climate and surroundings. I actually felt I could breathe without too
much difficulty!
To say that I enjoyed this whole
experience would be an understatement. I
had the privilege to train seven true gentlemen for two weeks. Although mostly in a classroom environment,
we had a day where we took a two hour drive south, through the Andes mountain-range,
to Cotopaxi Airport, just outside a small town called Latacunga. We spent the day on a live aircraft going
through a series of exercises. Outside
the hangar, looking north, was a spectacular view of Cotopaxi Volcano;
elevation over 19,000 feet, and, even on the equator, the peak was high enough
that it was snow-capped. After our busy day
in the hangar, the guys took me into Latacunga, to a genuine Ecuadorian diner,
for some local food and a cold beer. I
don’t think that this would be something a tourist would have had the
opportunity to experience because my guess is that it was not a resort, of
sorts; just the local folks going about their regular daily lives.
I think that as you get older, you
lose some of the courage you had in your youth.
I would not have wanted to drive around Quito because I am not sure what
(if any) high-way code they use other than car horns. I was amazed that I didn’t see one single
accident. These guys seemed to know what
they’re doing, but I didn’t have a clue!
Ecuador is a country that, to me
looking on the outside, is a happy place.
People talk to each other and they are friendly. This is something you don't see too much when in a big city in North America. I only wished that I could speak Spanish so
that I could engage with the locals, and my students, more than I did.
I would love to go back to Ecuador, but I think I would prefer to go as a tourist so that I could have more time and take in the coastal area and the Galapagos Islands. Not sure if I'm brave enough to take on the Amazonia just yet; but you could tempt me!
Sounds like you had a great adventure Paul. Nothing like getting off the beaten path and enjoying what the locals do.
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