Link's Blog

Quito day 2

Our Second day in Quito passed quickly. Eddie and I had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant (café con leche, fresh water melon and home made bread toast with guava spread) and went down to the lobby for a couple of hours to catch up on our emails, facebook and blogs.

We end up also eating lunch at the hotel’s restaurant. We had a great typical Andean lunch and head out to the Bolivar plaza.

Something I like about the mountain towns of Ecuador are their beautiful colonial churches. It has always impressed me how much amazing craftsmanship was put in the old colonial churches in the name of faith, and by state orders. In general, in spanish based colonies, every plaza or park has a church at its front street.

We walked across Plaza Bolivar, and by the Statue of the hero of five nations Simon Bolivar (Every city, town, village, settlement or bunch of people by the side of the road seems to have one or more statues of El Libertador Simon Bolivar).

We enter the Church of Santo Domingo, and as usual, the grandeur of the place took my breath away. We walked I the middle of a mass (Catholic), so I respectfully sat down and listen to the remaining of the mass before walking around. The Church of Santo Domingo has high vaulted ceilings, with a gilded baroque altar dedicated to the holy trinity, the Virgin Mary and the Saint Domingo, the patron of the church. The altar was high as the church, and several small altars surrounded the main sitting area, each dedicated to a different saint, and depicting several scenes of the crucifixion (Via Dolorosa) We walked to a side exit and we end up in a smaller chapel, with large stained windows and also a second exit, we followed d this exist and we end up and a second chapel with a very intricate classic baroque triple altar in golden and red; this altar had a side exit to a the smallest and simplest of the three connecting chapels. This chapel had 7 life size statues of different saint surrounding the main sitting area. This chapel also had a small door that lead to a mausoleum  inthe very back of the church. We left the church of Santo Domingo around 2:00 pm and headed to the bus terminal.

Eddie is still using the guide book he took last time we were in Ecuador. Guide books get outdated rather fast, an after roaming the small, hilly cobble stones of Old Town Quito we end up in the former bus terminal, just to find out that it closed a year ago, and that there was a modern bus terminal in the very south of the Quito valley. Damn it.

We grad a cab and barely made on time to catch the next bus to the city of Latacunga.

Eating our way trought Latacunga

November 2 is the Day of the Dead in most of South America. Some countries like Mexico are very well know for their large parades and festivities dedicated to the dead. Countries like Ecuador celebrate it by visiting cemeteries and remembering out lost loved ones. In the case of Latacunga, the whole town becomes a party. Because of Latacunga being the larges town in that valley (About 2 hours south of Quito) its cemetery is the largest one too, most farmers in local villages and communities come to bury their dead in Latacunga’s graveyard. On the Day of the Dead the town is filled with visitors from all around.

We crossed the beautiful Victorian styled bridge that connect the Panamericana highway to Latacunga. A small clothing market was right across the bridge, and one block up, in a large, two block plaza, a very large market was buzzing with activity.

We wander around the market for a while. The first thing we bougth was a piece of pound cake filled with blackberry preserve, soon after we bought a “guagua de pan” which is a piece of bread decorated to look as a child, and is only made one day of the year to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

Something we noticed about this large market is that each type of vendor was grouped by the product they sell. This separation even applied to vendor selling similar goods, like food: only soup vendors here, only juice vendors there, only fried food vendors next to them, etc

We sat down at one of the tables set up in the plaza and order two bowls of “Yaguarlocro”, which is a very tasty and milky soup cooked with potatoes, pieces of pork and grains.

We walked along the juice vendors and there was curious fruit hanging from the sides of the kiosks. I asked one of the ladies in the kiosk what was that. She told me that is was Borojo. I had to tried that so I asked for a shake of the fruit. Then it got complicated. The fruit lady pour in the blender a raw egg, a cup of alfalfa juice, a cup of carrot juice, a whole bottle of sweet malt, some sugar, two spoonfuls of the Borojo pulp, and half cup of a kind of wine she had on displayed. The blend it and strained it, then she blend it again, and strained again before handing us a glassful of the green, creamy shake.

-”Is call the “raising of the dead one” juice. Is great for hangovers” - She said to us while handing us the shake with a smile.

I took a deep breath and tasted it. It was delicious. Is was a little sour, and definitely sweet. I drank my glass in a gulp and she refill it with what it was left in the blender.

The juice lady recommended us to walk north two block, passed the commentary to the artesian market.

We strolled along the plaza a few blocks up and passed the cemetery, The graveyard looked like a garden with all the floral offerings and people in front of the graves.

After the cemetery we noticed that the street got really heavy on traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian. Soon I learned where everyone was going. There was a traveling theme park at the end of the street.

We walked among the busy attractions, and Eddie bought a coconut- black berry ice cream. Pass the large attractions there were all the gambling tables, that had every game you know and a few new ones.

The original idea for us to stop at Latacunga, was for me to get a haircut, so I walked in the first hair saloon I came across. There a very kind lady give me a great hair cut for only a buck.

We walked the old section of Latacunga, enjoying the old buildings, and a small church dedicated to San Francis di Assisi. Soon the street lights sheepishly started to shine. We walked back to the street that connect us to the bridge back to the Panamericana highway. We were greeted by a beautiful mountain sunset. Before walking across the bridge, we bought a piece of chocolate cake and walked back to the bus terminal.

Next stop. Ambato.

Two dollar Blackjack in Ambato city.

We arrived to the city of Ambato around 9:00PM.

Following Eddie tour guide we end up in a hotel call El Gran Hotel. Very crappy joint if you ask me, but the beds were comfortable.

We changed our clothes and headed out to grab more food (yeah, there was a lot of feeding that day). After having a bottle of wine and great steak at a local restaurant (each chuck of beautifully cook meat was $7.00) we walked around the quiet city streets for a while.

Because being a Monday night on a holyday, mostly every placed was closed. We end up walking into a casino, where Eddie showed me how to play blackjack. I watched Eddie play $2.00 blackjack for sometime, while he would teach me the techniques, and how to balance the odds of the game.

fter some time, I gather the courage to sit at the table , and gamble some money. We played blackjack for another hour before going back to the hotel. I lost $25.00 against the house, but I had a good time. I look at the $25 lost as an entertainment expense.

Back in Quito

Yesterday I had a wonderful Halloween night with my brother and The Brit. Around 9:00 pm I had to leave the parade, and take the subway up to Grand Central to take a shuttle bus to JFK.

I meet Eddie at the bus stop at 9:35, just to find out that the bus left 5 minutes ago. The next bus would leave in 30 minutes.

I was still covered in white makeup, so we walked inside Grand Central, and I headed to the bathroom to clean up. I found really amusing how every mirror and sink in the bathroom was being used as a costume touch-up station. I was soaking wet because of the rain I just endured (It rain all along the parade) so, cleaning up my face, neck and hair was as easy as keep on pouring water on my head. The make up was white and I had a white shirt so besides a wet shirt, there was no trace left that I was a archangel just minutes ago.

We catch the bus to JFK and we were at terminal 4 way to early. While waiting on the security check line, there was a business man in front of us, cruising me SO HEAVILY that I was actually blushing. He keep on staring at me and smiling, I would smile back to be polite, and I was empted to just go a talk to him. He was a good looking man too; but I realized that a relationship that started in a place so fleeting as a security check line in a international airport will not have any future.

Avianca airlines was our carrier. We would flight to Bogota, Colombia (5 hours) and then from Bogota to Quito, Ecuador (1 hour)

I made myself an oath the I will NEVER again will travel with American Airlines, and although they had cheaper flights to Quito, I will not risk my mental peace for a few bucks less.

The flight was on time and as soon as we took off, and the room lights were shut down, I closed my eyes and quickly fell as sleep. I was awakened by the same cabin lights being turned on. I thought I might have slept a couple of hours, and that this was a routine the vital sign check up, with the excuse of drinks and snacks, but the captain started talking and announced our descend on the city of Bogota. We were in the airport of El Dorado in Bogota at 5:30 am. On our way to our connection gate, we had to pass two metal detectors and a body pad down. Also, while we were waiting at the gate, a sniffing dog passed by several times.

We had about 2 hours to burn in Bogota, and there was nothing to do, and as usually happens, the seats at the waiting area are built to be uncomfortable and there is not way to lay down on them. Still I manage to position myself in a position comfortable enough to pass out. I even had dreams, funny enough, these dream were little adventures set on airport departure gates.

Finally, we were allowed in the plane. I was still drowsy and I did not notice when we took off. I opened my eyes and looked out the window to the magnificent views of the Colombian Andes. I also noticed that the plane barely had 15 passengers, although it was a Jumbo Jet. The flight attendant ask if we want to sit in front of the plane. I change sits to Eddie could lay down across the seats.

We finally made it to Quito around 9:00 am. Immigration was a very quick process due to small number of passengers and the high number of immigration officers.

When we left the airport, Eddie insisted in taking a bus to the Old Town, although the taxi ride was only $4.oo. I am rather glad we did. Quito as well as Guayaquil had a new transportation system call Metrovia, which is a bus system, with assigned bus stations that run in their own lanes, therefore, never being bother by traffic. The bus we got in was articulated bus (Those long buses with a joint in the center), and the bus was packed with people. The bus driver was either new or never before was trained to drive a bus fill with people. The ride was extremely shaky and the sudden stops and starts almost throw us to the floor several times. We had to grab to a pole or overheard handle with all our strength in order not to fall.

We arrived to Old Town, at the Marin station in about 20 minutes. I been in this area before, so getting our boundaries was easy. We walked aroud for a while and finally made it to our hotel at the Plaza Bolivar around 11:00 am.

The hotel we stayed was called Hotel Real Audiencia. It was set in a beautiful old house, probably owned by a cabildo (political figure in the colonial times). The restaurant in the top floor had a great view of the Plaza Bolivar and the it church.

We got to our rooms in the top floor and we were out of breath by the second floor (we were at the 4^th floor), I quickly relized that our bodies were not yet adjust to the altitude of the city (New York is a sea level and Quito is about 3,000 meters above sea level. Little oxygen up here.

We took a nap and around 4:00 pm went out to get a bite to eat.

We walked to the Palacio de Carondelet plaza (The Palacio de Carondelet is the presidential residence) and got a table at a nice tavern call “Hasta la vuelta!” (until I get back) which is a famous line from the Ecuadorian legend of Padre Almeida,

Padre Almeida was a party monster Franciscan monk , who lived in colonial Quito. He would used the image of the crucified Jesus as a ladder to climb to a window on top of the statue and out of the monastery, always with his guitar on tow and ready to party. He would do this every night until one day, the image of Christ could not take it anymore and had to say something to the monk: “Until when Padre Almeida?” to what he quickly responded “Until I get back, Lord!”. The story ends one morning when Padre Almeida was returning from a party and saw a funerary procession and finding out that it was his own funeral procession. The vision scared the monk enough to change his ways and followed a religious career that nearly earned him sainthood.

The food at the tavern was good, but the service was excellent. I thought I was a good waiter, but I could take some tips from our ever smiling waitress.

After eating, we wonder the streets of Old Town for a while, and walked back to the hotel to figure out what to do. Eddie check on his tour guide and decide to go to the neighbor of Mariscal, which according to the guide was the bar and club area of Quito.

We hailed a taxi and told de cabbie to take us to Plaza Foch (Reads “Foh-sch“, no “fuck” you pervert!) The open plaza was surrounded by cafes filled with tourists and locals. We walked around the area and finally sat down at the Coffee Tree café and just watch people and drink for good 3 hours. It was very interesting to see people of all ages, and from all ethnicities walking by.

Around 10:30 he headed back to the hotel and I was asleep by 11:30.

Halloween 2009

Halloween is my favorite holiday!

Every year my brother and I dress up and walk down 6th avenue. We enjoy so much having our picture taken and we love playing with tourists who found very amusing to find twins wearing awesome costumes (My brother and I look very alike, and when in makeup up and costume we do look like identical twins)

The way that usually goes with my brother is that I design the costume we are going to wear; it does not matter how complex it may be. Then my brother looks at the design and figures a way to build it. We have wore rather complicated costumes in the past. Then we both build the costume. Finally I create the make up and out we are. This year we were archangels.

My original idea was to have retractable wings. I was more of creative thinking that a realistic idea. I quickly sketched the idea and pass it along to my brother, not expecting to have retractable wings, at all.. Within 24 hours my brother had already found a way to make the retractable wings a reality. He had a design for the mechanism and he even made it strong enough to endure rain, and pushy people around us .

The final product was even better than what I imagine.

The wings were made of white fabric, mounted in a mechanism similar of the one that umbrellas use to open; and attached to a harness around our torso. We had a long cape behind us, a warrior chest plate painted in shinny white in front, hiding the harness. Our halos were made of glow sticks weaved in a circle and mounted on dark wire around or heads, giving the illusion that they were floating. It was really cool.

The Brit (Steve) also join our fun. He had a shaved head, so he painted his whole head white, and I added some make up to give him a zombie/ vampire look. He wore a tux and an black umbrella and he accessorized the outfit with two mannequin heads on his arms. The whole effect was very cool too.

We headed downtown, and it was fun the see the subway car getting slowly filled up with people in costume going to the parade. Around 125h st, these two girls in costume got it. One of the girls was wearing a ring master costume. She seemed pulled from the pages of a comic book, or a circus edition of Heavy Metal magazine. She was extremely sexy, and her costume left very little to imagination.

Along the way we join a French couple wearing amazing Venetians masquerade costumes. Jack and Michelle. It was their very first time in the NYC Halloween parade, and their costumes were amazingly beautiful. They seem surprised that everybody around was taking pictures and we told them to get used to it. It will be a common occurrence for the rest of the night.

We only could travel to West 4th street in the subway. Then we had to walk down to Spring. We got stop by many people who wanted our picture, but the best part was opening our wings to the amazement of the people around. We made it to the beginning of the parade and we were forced into a small street, along with many other people in costumes and we waited… and waited… and waited to be let into the parade. Then the rain started. First as a small, fine water splashed, but eventually into a real rain.

Many costumes around us started failing. Makeup would start to run down, Feathers would get wet, cardboard armors and other costumes pieces would start to decay, sponge helmets and shields would wet and heavy and collapse. It was a sad scene. The last time that my brother and I were in a costume parade, (The mermaid parade) , a rain storm descended upon us, and our costumes at the time (Lionfish), had a cardboard base. Keeping them together was a challenge.

This time we took in account that it may rain, and our costumes were water proof. We also consider that the make up will be ruinned if it rains, so, I design a simple design that it will still look impressive when tears of color run down our cheeks.

Finally we were allowed in the parade. We had our usual fun. Taking pictures with tourist, opening a closing our wings to everyone’s delight. Enjoying the camera flashes (yeah, we are camera whores), Unfortunately, I could not walk all the way to the end of the parade at 23rd st. I had to leave at 14th and run to Grand Central to catch a shuttle buss to JFK.

I cannot wait for the next costume gathering!