Off to Zaruma for the Weekend, Pt 2

After the tour of the mine stopped in at a bar/restaurant and grabbed a couple of beers. I was a bit wary because, after all, it was a dry weekend. I figured that it was a fine time to get out of Cuenca and see a new city, but as it turns out Zaruma is a town that likes to drink. In broad daylight, even though it was illegal, people were drinking in an open door bar facing the street. They thought it was funny that I mentioned it was a dry weekend, and we soon had our beers without a problem.

Apparently, in smaller towns like Zaruma, no one really cares about following the dry law. As I was told by Gaby's dad, the cops aren't going to come and bust in the door in a peaceful town like this because you're having a drink. So to the best of my ability, we couldn't stay dry on the dry weekend.

After the beers, we went back to Gaby's house for another delicious lunch. It's amazing how just a little change of scenery can also change the type of food that you get. Though the meals were still typical of the sierra, there was just something different about them, and I really enjoyed all of the meals that I ate with the family. Feeling sleepy after eating and having the beers, we hung out for a while and decided to go to a pool at an hosteria. Hopping in the back of a pick up truck with Pablo and a neighborhood kid nicknamed "Chino," we headed to the place with a nice sized pool and fantastic views of the valley. It's a new spot that was still in the process of being built, so we were some of the only people there.

The clouds had rolled in and the wind was causing me to freeze in the pool, so after swimming for about 20 minutes I jumped out and tried to warm up a bit. Once the rain started to come in we decided to head home, once again getting in the back of a pick up truck. What is illegal in the U.S. is one of the main ways to get around in this country. And since I never really get a chance to ride in the back in Cuenca, I kept choosing the back, even if it was cold and drizzling.

I headed back to the hotel to rest up for a bit and let the family have some time alone before dinner. And of course, after another delicious meal, Gaby and I went into town to meet up with some of her friends from high school. In a way, the whole night reminded me of the night before Thanksgiving in the U.S. All of the college kids come home and meet up at a bar or someones house to catch up. That's exactly what was happening. Except they were forced to come home to vote, rather than coming home for Thanksgiving.

A group of friends gathered, and though there seemed to be a little confusion at first as to why I was there, they were all very friendly and interested to talk to me. I found out quickly that the Zarumenos are very friendly people. The center park was filled with groups of young people secretly drinking or people driving around in cars, probably also drinking. We walked around until we arrived at the bar from earlier and bought two bottles of rum and some coke and limes. Then we went back to the house of a friend and drank and talked until 3 am. Some dry weekend, I thought.

Though most of the conversations were based around stories from high school, I didn't mind just sitting back and listening. And once in a while they would feel bad and try to include me in the conversation, or ask me about American culture or music. It was interesting for them to hear what I had to say. It was kind of what I'd expected when I first got to Cuenca, but never really encountered.

By the end of the night we were all tired and they had to wake up in the morning to vote for the president, so we said our goodbyes and I went to the hotel to try to get some rest, which would have been easy if it wasn't for those damned roosters.

To be continued...

Above: Inside the mine, outside of "El Sexmo" mine, a view of downtown Zaruma

Off to Zaruma for the Weekend

With another four day weekend, I decided to get out of Cuenca again as my friend invited me to go with her to Zaruma. Gaby is from Zaruma, and since I know a bunch of people from the small town in the El Oro province, I had always wanted to check it out. Zaruma is about 6 hours away from Cuenca, closer towards Peru. It's considered the coast, but nestled in the hills before the sierra opens up, so while it's a hotter, temperate climate, it's also cooler than the coast.

It's an old mining town that is known for producing large amounts of gold, and it actually has a feel of an old western town that you might find in the United States. Everything is made out of wood and the shops and restaurants even seem like saloons. Only instead of finding a ghost town, you'll find a thriving community.

The ride in wasn't very enjoyable simply because the driver was going way too fast around hair pin turns, causing my stomach to give me the heads up that I might let go of breakfast. The views were still nice even though the heat was nearly unbearable as we descended to the coast and then back up again into the hills. This was the first bus I've ever seen with an armed guard on board, which had me wondering why other buses don't have guards as well.

We arrived in Zaruma as darkness descended, and after getting me settled into a hotel in the center of town, I went with Gaby to her house just outside the center. Zaruma is made up of steep hills, but after months of living at higher altitude in Cuenca, it was no problem for me. Gaby's family was very welcoming and served us dinner ( and they would actually feed me for the entire weekend ). The food was delicious and after dinner we sat and talked as we waited out the pounding rain that had caused a leak in the roof. They laughed that we brought Cuenca's bad weather with us. Once it died down Gaby and her brother Pablo walked me back to the hotel and I went to sleep, ready to rest after a long day.

But rest I wasn't able to, as roosters started in right outside the hotel around 2:30 am. I have no idea what they could have been doing up that early, but it seemed like every few minutes from then until sunrise the roosters woke me up, and by the time Gaby called me around 8:30 am to come down for breakfast, I felt like a zombie. Luckily, the coffee in Zaruma is some of the best coffee in the country.

Most of the coffee in the country is exported, and only Loja and Zaruma are known for keeping their own. There's actually an aroma of coffee throughout the town. I like my coffee with milk and sugar, but the coffee from the town was so rich and tasteful that I didn't even need it. After a breakfast of tamales, Gaby, Pablo and I set off for the mines. Since Zaruma is known for it's mining, naturally there is also tourist mine that you can visit for free. Walking up through the small town, the brother and sister seemed to be greeting everyone they met, a typical thing in small towns here but something I don't see much in Cuenca. The views from the town to the surrounding valley are excellent, and even though I feel jaded by the mountains sometimes, I had to admire them.

Up at the mine we saw a video, put on some boots and hard hats, and walked in for a 10 minute tour. The deeper we went the heavier the air became, and you could see just how tough the conditions were. There were a couple people who mentioned to me that in Chile and Argentina "minas" refers to cute girls, but in the rest of the Spanish speaking world it means "mines." So in other words, once I go to Argentina, I should be careful to say that I've been inside a "mina."

To Be continued...

Above: Classic architecture of Zaruma, inside the church, houses on the hills