Ecuador, Summer 2013 (Part 1)
THE FOLLOWING BLOG POST WAS WRITTEN BEFORE THIS WEBSITE WAS EVER CONCEIVED ON MY OLD TUMBLR ACCOUNT. IT HAS BEEN EDITED FROM ITS ORIGINAL FORM FOR GRAMMAR, PACING, AND TO MAKE IT AN OVERALL BETTER READ.
Hard to stand upright in an airplane bathroom if you’re over 6 feet tall.
Throughout all of my high school and college years, I’ve spent every summer down in Ecuador visiting my mother and extended family.
These trips have never been that enjoyable for me. I have a few cousins who I care about and like to hang out with, but other than that there’s not much to do down here and I’d rather spend summers with my friends back in the states. Not to mention all the comforts of home as well.
This summer was a particularly depressing one for me. I had recently been dumped and was feeling pretty down about the whole situation. Maybe this trip would be a good opportunity to clear my head.
I flew into the largest city in the country, Guayaquil, where most of my family lives. I laid low for a few days visiting family members that I had not seen in almost a year, going to my grandmother’s house, and spending time with my cousins.
The first weekend I was in Ecuador, my mother and I drove to Salinas, a beach town about an hour and a half from Guayaquil where my family owns a home. I spent about a week there, relaxing on the beach and eating at some of my favorite local restaurants.
An economic crisis in the late 90’s caused Ecuador’s currency, the Sucre, to undergo rapid hyperinflation. In an attempt to save the economy, Ecuador adopted the US dollar due in part to its more stable value in the world marketplace.
This meal, which was not from the KFC pictured behind me, cost me $5.60 for enough food for two people.
Despite its use of the dollar, Ecuador is still a developing economy and the local prices of goods often reflect that.
American chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Pizza Hut can easily be found here but their usual offerings are typically too expensive when compared to smaller, locally owned eateries.
To compensate, chains like KFC offer lunch plates consisting of things like rice, lentils, and roasted chicken for roughly $2. I personally stuck with the locally owned restaurants since the food in Ecuador is one of the things I miss most about it.
The beer selection in Ecuador is pretty lacking. Most restaurants don’t offer anything other than the national brands Pilsener and Club. Neither beer is particularly good, but its also not as bad as the Natty’s or Keystones I’ve had at several college house parties, so I couldn’t really complain. Especially considering how cheap it was too.
Other than that, I spent the next several days splitting time between going to the beach, eating out at restaurants, and laying on a hammock and reading a book.
One day, my mother found me asleep on a hammock clearly having a nightmare. I was visibly shaking and crying in my sleep. Upon waking me I fell to the ground and suffered an anxiety attack. I was clearly not in a good mental state. It was at this point that I decided I needed to getaway, so I began planning my trip through the country.
I figured I would start in the north in the capital city Quito, where an important World Cup qualifying match between Ecuador and Argentina would be taking place. From there I would just go with the flow like a leaf in the wind.
