STIR THE POTS

El Año Nuevo y la vuelta

It was a fairly humid morning as we descended from the familiar hills of Zaruma to make for the coast for a new years full of burning effigy's and a flight back to New York!

We left without breakfast and hadn't decided where we should eat on the road, I dreaded the idea,  still feeling shaky in the intestines department. The first town still hadn't awoken yet and it was nearing noon, so we pressed on a few miles sharing instead a humungus mangoe, a parting gift from Celso Aguilars finca.

We finally made our way out of the hilly country down to a larger road with lots of commerce and a local truckers restaurant? We sat at a large table with some unsteady chairs that looked like they came from someones dining set, yet all mismatched and no worse for wear.There was no menu to speak of and this place looked somewhat better than those next door or across the road. like I would know? Our guide, my brother-inlaw,asked  what we wanted. It was a resounding yes on coffee, he ordered  corvina for two,chicken for one and he decided on a tongue dish, I rolled my eyes! The food was very simple and oversauced,(peanut and some spices, probably a sofrito)some rice and plantains, we had entered the guineo zone! The tongue was offered around to the rest, I think even my brother-inlaw found the food simple, he even berated the head waitress for being cheap and not serving some yucca alongside the dish. As we made our way  again,I wanted to seperate my mind from the world so I plugged in my headphones and blasted some tunes on the ipod. Stopping along the road we bought some cut sugar cane to chupar. Every half mile or so, our hands full after chewing the sugarcane for it's juice,we would throw it out the windows into the fields, biodegradable.Better than some people just throwing trash without hesitation! As we neared Guayaquil more towns and cities cropped up, we stopped in one town to look at some drying cacao in the sun.
We went to the shaded building where the dried cacao was being held and readied for shipment.I thought about the route, the final destination this fruit would take,and why this land had not been able to process it for market to the taste of it's  biggest consumers? Probably that it isn't cheap,and the taste hasn't translated to the production yet?

The heat of the afternoon was unbearable we needed a refresher and our guide bought some cool coconut water in plastic cups with an ice cube!
Mmmmm the thirst quencher!

Following the now busier highway',started to  fill with banana pickers going to celebrate the new year crammed precariously into the back of the company trucks.It seemed summer had arrived here in the tropics, so we stopped again for some water,taking a closer look at local roadside food like fresh conchas ,empanadas, fritada's  and  maduro's baked with queso.

The final stretch to Guayaquil was laden with año viejo's strapped on top of passing cars,readied for the torch and the coming of a new year.

We stayed at my brother-inlaws and decided breakfast the next day would be at "El patacon".   we would try one of the coasts best reknowned specialty dishes, bolon. I love this dish for breakfast and my brother-inlaw was once heralded the "Rey del Bolon" when he ran a small restaurant in the city. Bolon are a plantain fried,mashed, flourished with varying  condiments like, cheese,crisp chicharon or both if preferred? The menu at "El Patacon" was filled with coastal specialties, but my eye's went to the show stopper, the "super bolon"! It was offered with either plantain(verde) or a combination with sweet plantain (maduro). I opted for the mixed with just chicharon, my better instinct would of said just the regular plantain.When I first was introduced to this dish it was my wife who prepared it, she missed some lessons I think,product of  parrochial schooling!
My brother-in law had his own ideas and did make a memorable "bolon", full of flavor.What he called concentrado, or the juices and scrapings in the pan from the roasted pork were added to the final product keeping the bolon moist, he also mixed the two types of plantain. It should be added that in Zaruma my wifes home town they make a softer variant with incredible home ground peanuts that are roasted, almost a mushy plantain full of cacuhuete essence! The place was packed and service all over the place, imagine locals filling the tables with cola overdosed kids eating all sorts of non-friendly diet food that would satisfy any bingers! Still without a plantain where would we all be without a bolon!(think about trans fat laws!)This particular one I had ordered came out before I finished the delicious coffee I had, black no milk or sugar thanks! The first bite indicated that they had overdone the mix and it was almost dessert sweet with hints of crisp pork, I suffered and my only condolence was to order an ice cold beer to cool off the tropical heat! Another family member who is notoriously late came in and ordered another dish that had a local spin, caldo de bolas. A soup with plantain dumplings, yucca,corn and a healthy dose of peanut butter!Comfort food for sure!

During the day we made the tour of the año viejo vendors selling their effigies on a wide strip centrally located in the old part of town, it was a who's who of superheroes,politicians and the outright artistic! The night before we tried manuvering the same street.We  were  stalled in traffic,finally abandoning our efforts we dodged cars at traffic lights that were out, it was insane! I crossed myself many times and asked the Virgin of wherever to get me out alive, these guy's don't know how to drive!

Our plans were not in place for that nights festivities,logistics,etc....so we ended up waiting in line late in the evening virtually waiting to usher in the evening on another hotel buffet, a glass of wine later and twelve grapes. This being the Hilton I was already dissapointed about the grub,but to give me grapes that were wrapped in plastic looking like used and tattered,finally having to make a wish after each grape. Boom it was 12:00 midnight, I had hardly swallowed the grapes! This being the most unevenful holiday of the year I was almost happy it ended! Leaving an uneventful dinner without any feeling of cheer we  circumnavigated the streets of Guayaquil avoiding the smoldering añjo viejo's that had ceremoniously been torched and forgotten. With only the crackle of fireworks to remind us of the new year's arrival we went home to bed.

So this was Ecuador, it had been three years since my last visit and it's alway's an adventure but it has lots of interesting people,places,and food that keep fond memories alive!Undoubtedly I will make a return visit, smoke some Cuban cigars,check out some new locations  and  well  just deal  with what  happens on the road!

Zaruma

The night before leaving Loja we hastily put together a plan to get to Zaruma,my wifes hometown.First we looked for a friendly peña or bar.We settled on one after stumbling into a shady looking disco with thumping rythms of reggaeton, where you couldn't even consider a drink let alone a conversation! The next bar was more quiet and filled with locals as well as an underaged looking kid serving liquor.We started to deliberate over our next voyage and contacted my wifes other brother,who we would meet along the route at a specified location,We decided the better and said  no, it would mean losing a day. So we found a willing driver who would pick us up the next day and my brother-inlaw promised us a easier route of only a couple of hours if we got out early skipping breakfast so we could try tigrillo(a mashed plantain,cooked with onions cheese and eggs) in Zaruma!

The next morning we got up at the crack of dawn with roosters crowing around the city, who needed an alarm clock?
Our driver started us out of the town as we said adios to Loja and  proceeded  to head northwest into some more mountains! We passed Catamayo's outskirts and went through to some really shitty roads till we started to climb and the road seemed to smooth out a bit. My eye's closed and I drifted for what seemed an hour when my kidney's were awoken by the car hitting some seriously bumpy tracks, this rode was not that paved!"Is this the pre-inca road?" I enquired fearing the worse as we passed into more jungle like mountains full of green fauna and terrible prescipices below us. As we careened for what seemed like hours around some hairpin curves. With an occasional  animals appearing from nowhere, like a donkey  a mare and her newborn colt catching his balance as we doged around them barely missing them."Vroom",then  out of nowhere came a
semi truck with a ton of goods strapped on it's carriage, "how the hell did this idiot find this road?" I thought as he just missed us, the worse was just down the road ahead  of us  a truck with a fat pig in tow was  passing some foul smell through our window!
The truck started to go faster as we passed some odd huts, people living literally on the edge of the road and mountain.As another hill started to disappear another appeared just beyond, god what a trip and all on gravel! Then we came to a screeching halt as our driver peered out in front of us at a road that no longer was there, it had been swept out by the sheering of the mountain collapsing below down into the river and valley below us.What we had in front was a clay mucky water drenched road with no other identifiable signs except of tire tracks from the trucks that had enough push to get through this muck!
Without hesitation, both my brother-inlaw saw an opening in that mess and floored the engine....straight into a ditch, the wheels got caught in the clay and water and sprayed the car's windsheild with this ochre mess! The driver cursed, I rolled my eye's, my wife asked what happened, I told her the obvious....were in Ecuador and stuck in some deep shit!(furious and wishing I was in Switzerland on some train,that would be  right on time!)We got out and the driver got my brother-inlaw in the drivers seat as he tried to push out the front end of the car while the wheels spun in place digging us deeper into this muddy abyss! With no sign of help or civilization we laughed a little while the driver started to whine about the route and pay! My brother-inlaw started down the road to find some help, I was really pissed now and just shook my head as my wife in her platform shoes told me to relax! We waited a while contemplating another push of the car,I didn't give much thought to it, we were screwed! Just then I heard what sounded like a truck, thank god! Around the corner came a pick up with my brother-inlaw in the back with a rope in hand. We managed to get the car pulled out and unstuck, whence like a knight in shining armor came a tractor that would clear our path to let us pass and get on our way! The tractor cleaned up the road pushing the water and debris off the side of the hill, we got back sighing relief only losing about a half of an hour or more? We started down another turn what seemd a good two miles the road still feeling bumpy! Oh no, again another ditch! The driver told us to get out and he would floor it to get across with my wife in tow in the back seat, while we would carefully make our way across this next obstacle on foot. My brother-inlaw told me to get closer to the hill on drier ground. Without a care and having my army experience I surveyed it differently, and tramped precariously on an embankment on what looked like sand and gravel. Slurp went my left leg deep into what was like quicksand, the right leg quickly followed as I lurched forward with hands outstretched into the clay, plop! I heard myself laugh as my brother-inlaw shouted, too late I was deep in the shit, I worried only for my ipod in my pocket and perhaps some mud in the eye!
I got out and trudged over to the otherside and made it for the car that had made it with no effort! My wife was laughing, the driver was bewildered and I think felt sorry, I just cursed under my breath!
They suggested I wash off in the muddy water, the driver said not to worry about the upholstery, and layed newspaper down on the seats. I was resolved to scrape this thick clay off my legs and save a ball to take home to make a sculpture! We continued what seemed like even more treacherous roads avoiding rocks and water puddles that could be mistaken for small ponds.Finally after a good hour, my brother-inlaw said we were in the Provincia de El Oro, the canton of Zaruma. We could see it high above the mountain where it lay as we passed mining camps.Up we climbed again making our way into the outskirts of the town. I had once visited about ten years ago, with a noticeable increase in structures,commerce and traffic we made it to our destination, Hotel Roland.This being the hotel owned by a cousin. I quickly got  out of my mud laden clothes and cleaned up.Later we decided to go for some local fare up in the center of the town, we tried several places, no were serving ,Finally our luck we  found one place to have some grub!
Some crisp tamales that are served with a locally grown coffee, they offered it with criollo cheese(a fresh cheese that has a very sour taste.)I was so famished I scarfed four they had a real tasty seasoning that permeated cumin and with the coffee I was ready for a siesta!

The next day was spent making lunch at the hotel and visiting a town close by Malvas, then we were introduced to a man making traditional bocadillos like his parents had for generations....to be continued

Cisne(Virgin of the Swans)

Having survived a delicate situation of narrow minded 1st worlder by taking part in the national dish, which could also be mistaken for a pet! We set back out on the road to visit a virgin! I try hard from pissing off too many people, because when it comes to religion I have been known to make some commentary, not out of any disrespect mind you. I come from a mixed religion family, Jewish and catholic,neither of those religions were forced upon my young mind so I didn't have to choose which was the "true" religion.My religion is humanistic and I like it better when I can pray for my next great meal a glass of wine or a fine looking women passing my path.
So as not to wander off subject let's continue... Burping up the lunch and floating through cloud filled mountains again our driver started off at a quick pace at frightening speeds up and down till we reached the first of many roadside monuments to the Virgin de Cisne, where is said she made water appear miracle!Some little kids were trying to sell us recycled bottles to collect holy water from a grotto, my wife splashed some on my face as I snapped some pics, the children hanging off the sides eyeing me down,There parents trying to sell some chifles they sold on the side of the road for the devoted and hungry.As we got closer to the town the high mountains  the contrasting vista made my wonder about both the indigenous people and the Spanish invaders amazing accomplishments  as well a pretty hairy set of cojones to have destroyed an empire so vast.I had read about the messengers in the Inca empire crossing long distances by foot over these same ominous mountains, hell I was dizzy as a passenger on a paved road. Imagine them, with maybe some of that guarapo coca leaf drink my brother-inlaw got his hands on from that shaman back in Vilcabamba !Then those buggers from extremadura making there way on horses ,mules with there harquebus's and swords.My mind was brought back to reality from the oohs and aaahs of the devoted fellow travelers buying candles from some local kid, I declined my brother-inlaws offer of a candle.We drove into this high mountain village where this sort of weird wood and plaster church that reminded me of high German rococo that I knew well from trips to where my father lived in Allgau. What a bizzare scene, in front of this somewhat broken down looking stainglassed temple,were beggars in the entrance and a myriad of icon,bric-a-brac sellers.It reminded me of the story of JC in Jerusalem chasing away the money lenders, all this was even stranger in so high a place  and suddenly noticing as if the only foreigner in sight some  Quechua speakers conversing in their ancient tongue. We entered the chapel passing some people begging for alms, the inside seemed even poorer than the chuches in Loja, the congregation was being called together for a mass."Exit stage left for me", I sat out on the steps taking in some equatorial sun on my already burned head! Pachama was giving me her blessing I hoped? I wondered aloud to myself as my wife who had purchased some icongraphy, with literature regarding the "big" haired virgin was reading out the history of and names of the devoted including Simon Bolivar.Being somewhat leary I proposed that the founding of the virgin in 1594, was simultaneous with that of conquest in these parts. Most of the former Incan sites were destroyed throughout the empire, the stones re-used to build the temples of their christain overlords to dissuade them from practicing there own cultural beliefs. I waited around for my fellow travelers as they bought some sweets and icons,there I met some native animals, llamas, guanacos,vicunas being led by a little boy who was trying to kiss each of the animals till his father scolded him!

The air was cooling and we started to descend the mountain again,snacking on peanut candies.Following the same road down the mountain to Catamayo
then back through to our hotel and some tamal Lojano till our next adventure the next day to Zaruma.

Plato tipica

After leaving the and stark beauty of  Caja's incredible lakes.We climbed  up and down some massive mountains twisting through incredible valleys of rock, lemon grass and short pines growing on the side of the  road . These didn't look like either the Alps or the rockies that I had visited on other trips, instead they had  nebulous and tropical formations with stones strewn along the roadway with sheer drops into dark menacing spaces below us.As we made our way closer to Cuenca along the road were children holding wires to stop cars for caridad(charity) or in this case some money for the new year, we swerved between cars and buses on hairpin turns while the waft of fresh air came through the cars cabin window, we started to notice more people and villages as we approached Cuenca. The valley opened up to houses being built, there cement blocks supported by steel and bamboo, signs welcomed us and we decided to go for lunch at the Hotel Crespo. We came here on our first visit to Cuenca and had some great meals, mushroom and hearts of palm ceviche, which I have made at work and a classic  mote pillo with some steak for breakfast. I remember some French tourist across from us looking at the plate and probably wondering why they were eating softic rolls of bread with butter!Our driver considered some chicken style restaurants, my brother-inlaw suggested cuy , we overuled and told him to ask directions to the hotel.The town is congested and we passed through streets where you could see Panama hats being made for in small independent stores for   Chola Cuencanas.
Needless to say we were lost and the driver was given directions to and fro when I finally recognized a street and he looked for parking while we back tracked to the hotel. They had just finished lunch service so we decided to make it to the main square for something quick to eat, they close early here!
We found a restaurant, Raymipamba, it looked harmless and I quickly looked  over the menu and decided on what my fellow travelers said I shouldn't have, "plato tipica, I went against better judgement. "when in Rome" hmmmph! It was a mote pillo with sliced pork,vegetables and a potato cake. So we finished up our lunch and jumped into the car, made our way circuitously through neibohoods till we finally made it to the road south towards Loja.We had started about noon from Guayaquil and it was nearing 4 o'clock so we needed to make some time up after our lunch so we would make it there in and around another three and a half or four hours! There was some discussion about the route again and I was pretty full from the food, paying no attention I kept my eye's on the trip wondering about our next destination.
We slowly creeped up and out of the city and were in some menacing terrain as well as very cloudy hills, my stomach started to growl, maybe from the four or five coffees I had put down this morning I thought? We kept climbing and the road was again full of rocks that had fallen off the surrounding mountains.The clouds were dropping down on the road and we followed behind trucks and cars when suddenly I clutched my stomach and started to feel a deep pain! We started to climb up another hill and I felt sweaty,"let me out!!" I should of said it in Spanish, I nudged my wife and told her I had an emergency," right now!" The driver handed me a box of kleenex and I assumed a precarious position next to some dried up bush which stabbed me as I knelt down and defiled the mountainside.Whew, I couldn't of cared less that all the rest of the cars that drove by and looked, I had released whatever demon amoeba or whatever that fouled up my intestines. Later as we continued in the dark through even more treacherous roads, no lights and wet rain to boot! We stopped by a roadside village with about two or three huts and I was served overly sweet tea with lemongrass. At first I argued with my brother-inlaw to buy some bottled water. The driver and he concured that hot tea would be the cure all that would absolve me of this torture, I worried about amoebas and they said the water was boiled.Little consolation as I sipped this hot brew and my stomach did seem to cease having sharp pains.

We got back on the road and light of day had dissapeared long ago as we finally made our way slowly through Saraguro country. As the lights in the valley below indicated we arrived as well as signs of hostals along the hills before we entered Loja.

to be continued....

Puerta de Inca

On route to the Southern Andes we finally found a furgoneta(van) in Guayaquil, I wasn't in the mood for the drive but what choice that or a whole weeks hotel bill, some more buffet food and most likely some really hot and humid weather!So we set out after a price was decided and haggled over, I sat looking out the window passing over the new bridge that passed over the rio Guayas heading east towards the mountains in the distance.At first our driver was sort of quiet and my brother-inlaw set into motion conversation as we passed by familiar landscapes of highway that was newly paved and lined with some trees, then we started to notice Año Viejo along the roadside for sale, you could feel a real sense that the ritual this year was more important, especially in a sign along a mountain village I passed later down the trip where it loosley said "no more oligarchs for office";The election of the youngest and by most accounts the handsome Presidente Rafael Correa I think the hope for a better change was around here as well as most places in the world.As we followed the road out of the city I noticed the foothills starting to appear even near to bananeras and cocoa plantations that surrounded us, my brother-inlaw told me of the different types and grades of cocoa, he said that bananas were a losing crop because of the recent elections and tariffs with both the EU and us up north "gringos", so to compensate they put in cocoa as the new cash crop; shipping would also become an important future for the country when the port of Manta and Posorja close to Guyaquil would expand for trade in two years because of the possibility that ships could enter the port because of it deep water channels,perhaps superceding the Panama canal as the gateway for the Latin American trade with the rest of the Pacific.

The wrong turn to Cuenca

Ok so we had an itinerary sort of? The driver said he was taking a route to Cuenca that would be shorter to get to our first destination, Loja.My brothe-inlaw countered saying "no take the road that goes to Machala and we have a better ride and shorter!" He lost out we turned, I didn't mind Cuenca is a pretty town, old colonial buildings and a river as well as some little villages surrounding nearby,Gualaseo being the one I visited on my last trip there.The trip was reasonably uneventful, but we did pass through some beautiful passes where we saw some incredible scenery and some llama! Keep your eye's peeled for the llama in the windsheild that passes, or here is one we saw later!This was the caja nacional parque, a beautiful place with lagoons full of trout and vistas that made me wonder about how such majestic and treacherous land had been overtaken by so few Spaniards and a few horses? The conquistadors who I had recently read about in a book about the Inca empire, made for some non-stop reading about both the culture of  incas and the men from Extremadura who left behind language,architecture and a mixed race, mestizos, as well as a displaced indigenous

culture which is still in place and strong.

 

To be continued.......

Road trip through the Andes

The first evening I tried to adjust to smells and sounds and surroundings, as well crack into conversation with my Spanish, not your best Castillian mind you, but I can drive at the wheel good enough to make some people look twice when I tell them I'm from some other province in the highlands near Quito or something, it's a good laugh! So we go to a neighborhood where there are a few restaurant, I pray for something better than what I have come to know from previous ventures to greasy spoons to buffet halls! So my brother-inlaw takes us to a part of town called Urdesa (hmmm is that like Odessa?), the restaurant is supposedly owned by some Argentinians, it's called Blu, the at the entrance we are accosted by street urchins who identify my light skin as perhaps some wealthy Gringo and I tell them "can you help a fellow American out on his luck?" My brother inlaw  shoo's them off and we knock on a door, the windows are tinted(I think to avoid having peering eyes of these unortunate souls looking at us while we devour the vittels.The interior is strangely decorated with some awful art and it all seems put together by someone who hasn't a clue, or I don't really get it? The wine is expensive, 20 and up, no real deals there, the menu is in Spanish and I find some interesting ideas that seem somewhat similar to magazines, but I try not to be the judgemental chef, instead it's, I don't care what it is give it to me! The wine is decent Argentinian Malbec, Altas  Hormigas, and I order a Corvina tiradito, should of snapped a picture but I devoured it and shared  some with the brother-inlaws (customary to let everyone try!) Next I had Tuna with some grilled vegetables and some sort of psuedo asian sweet sauce, I scared the waiter when I said I wanted it rare! Dessert was ok, lemon tart with a sorbet and a gooey carmel tuile and a cookie, somehow this fusion of Euro latin hasn't quite clicked here, I heard Peru has a higher gastronomic  school and culture! Everyone tells me to give the Chef my card and he comes out, nice local guy, kind of bewildered, so they initiate that I would interview him later in the trip and he gives me his card.
So as to break up the boredom of a strangely humid enviornment in the heart of Guayaquil , especially at Christmas when I usually will bake numerous reminders of childhood goodies like Stollen and schlep a christmas tree a good ten or more blocks if a cab won't pick me up; no this year I am lounging in a pool at the hotel we are staying, enjoying a dip which will I hope relieve a serious back ache from too many consecutive parties where I loaded ovens with large fowl and sides of meat for the enjoyment of my customers! I was even so lucky to  get a fairly decent massage, my second this year! As is the case in Ecuador and I suppose in other countries there are still buffet service in most restaurant, eegad! Nothing like congealed sauce and wilting meat, so I stay with the cold goodies like ceviche though I admit mine is better, but I would rather that than some dried pork or something, I have been stricken with amoebas  here before.
So after spending two day's in the city, doing mundane back in forth with the wifes family, christmas with yet another buffet and lousy wine and finally realizing we couldn't find any transportation because everyone is traveling to and fro, it's good to plan ahead "sports fans"! Our plan comes together to visit Loja via Cuenca, then stop for a couple day's in my wifes birth place, Zaruma in the Southern Andes, how we get there though is another story, an eight hour  driving adventure through high mountain passes strewn with rocks and mud, a sudden stomach spasm on a high pass ,Cuy and llamas!....on the road continues........