Pilsener -
Pilsener is the only beer in Ecuador. I'm almost kidding. There's another beer called Club, (pronounced Clooooob, it was the most popular beer tenish years ago) and another called brama or something, which is popular in a few south american countries. Well anyway, it's a pale wheat ale and in the beginning, I was in disbelief that I would only be drinking one type of beer for 5 months, but it's grown on me for sure. Aaannnd, it's only $2.50 for 24oz of Pilsener! Wahhooo for my budget! Also, the style of Ecuadorian drinking is a lot more communal than that of the states. People buy a couple of beers at a time and a few people have glasses. The glasses and beers both get passed around and people share and talk and the beer stays cold (no stale, warm last sips of beer) and there's no conflict over what kind of beer to share because there is only one kind at the bars. That's definitely something I want to do at home with my friends :)
Mopeds -
Mopeds are big here on the island, as they should be. One interesting thing about mopeds is that entire families ride them at once, include infants and pets. I've seen a moped with parents a small child, an infant, and a puppy mopedding around the island. If mopedding was a verb. I actually will work on getting a picture of that because I'm sure that I'll never see it again once I leave.
American mothers would be shitting their pants realizing what kind of child saftey exists in vehicles here... (which is none) Frequently you will see pick up trucks with the kids horsing around in the back, suburbans with kids jumping around, no seatbelts, mothers holding infants in the front seat, etc etc etc. But here, there is no car insurance. So, when people get into accidents, they are immediately incarcerated until they can prove that they can pay for the damage of the accident. So, drivers may seem crazy, but there is a lot of beeping going on in the streets of the mainland because everyone needs to let each other know what they are doing and what's going on. Also, interesting fact... if someone is pulled over on a bridge, you cannot pass them for any reason. If their car is broken down, you have to wait until they get it towed. I have nightmares that I'm driving in Ecuador and I get into an accident and then I just have to chill in jail until my parents realize I should have been home already.
Taxis -
Chevorlet is doing a project on the islands - they've provided a bunch of white trucks to all the inhabited islands and we basically can go anywhere we want around town for a dollar, and then to the highlands for 15 bucks. Sweet deal. I don't remember exactly what the promotion was for, but surely it has to do with the environment and conserving all the endemic species.
We all ride in the back of the pick ups, mainly because it's a few thousand degrees in the equatorial sun and the breeze keeps us alive. But also because it's awesome and fun and absolutely illegal in America. Riding through the highlands in the back of a pick up is one of my favorite things to do here. The vegetation zones change from semi-arid to straight up jungle complete with banana trees, coffee trees, avocado trees, guayabana trees...
Passing people in the street -Married men/bachelor men/especially teenaged young men give you a few times over and say "holaaa mamacita, te quiero, como te llamas, you're sexxyyyy"
But everyone else just smiles and says hola, little kids say "Hi How Are You" in English and then giggle and run away.
Some people are annoyed by all the gringos in town but most of them are used to it.
Politics
Every Friday and Saturday there have been political rallies, all inhabited islands have to elect a governer. This means that every friday and saturday, right outside my house, there have been parties going on until say, 4 or 5 in the morning. I mean, hey, I like to party. I like latin music. I can get my groove on. It's just that they pick a song - one song - to be their campaign song, usually a popular song from 8 years ago that they change the lyrics to - and then they play this song on repeat from about 9 at night to 4 in the morning. Uhhhmmmm... So anyway, the governer now is named Zapata and hearsay tells me he got caught shark finning this past year, a highly illegal and environmentally destructive activity that will end up hurting the tourism industry in the Galapagos, an industry which is their main source of income. And he wants to full on populate San Cristobal, which will destroy everything. Everyone educated wants to light Zapata on fire and throw him into a barrel of Amazonian gasoline, but the truth of the matter is that many people on the islands are not educated and he will likely be reelected. For now, we will just have to enjoy the free cana liquor he passes out at the rallies...
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