Shoutout from Matador Trips

It's not exactly self promotion, since I didn't write the article, but a little article has been published on Matador Trips about yours truly. Since I've been living in Ecuador for 8 months or so now, I'm an expert on the country for the Matador Network, and I've been featured this week as an expert. So take a look at the article and see what writer Hal Amen has said.

Ceviche Saturday

I met up with Jamie yesterday at the 10 de agosto market to pick up supplies for making ceviche. One of the traditional dishes from the coast of Ecuador, it's become a meal that I really enjoy eating, but don't get much of because I live in the mountains. Yet for a friends birthday, a few of us were gathering at Jamie's house to cook the food and hang out.

Outside the market it was hot and Jamie and I went upstairs for some delicious juice concoction with pineapple and strawberry for 50 cents. Her friend, Fernanda, whose birthday we were celebrating, was the one who knew how to cook the ceviche, and she was going to show us how. We strolled through the market, but let Fernanda do the buying so she would get the best prices. Walking through the fish section, the older, female vendors were playing with Jamie and I. First they danced for us and got us to dance, and then they asked if we were married. I said no and they asked if we were dating. Again I said no, and they asked me if I liked boys. When I said no they laughed and asked Jamie why she didn't want me, since I was beautiful with cat eyes.

They quoted us a price on shrimp, and when we asked Fernanda how much it cost her, she paid two dollars less than we would have. The supplies we needed were shrimp, peppers, onions, cilantro, and plantain for the patacones that we would dip into the ceviche. Ceviche is a cold soup dish, as served in Ecuador. In Peru it's a different story altogether. I'm just going to focus on what I'm familiar with, the Ecuadorian version. Even though it's a coastal dish, Fernanda's father is from Guayaquil, so she knew the recipe.

Back at Jamie's house, we started to prepare the food. The girls started preparing the shrimp while I cut up the onions, and though Fernanda wanted them cut in a certain way, it took me a couple of onions to get it right. Eventually the onions were too much for my eyes and Fernanda finished it up, but by then the shrimps were ready and the shells were being mixed in a pot of hot water that would become the broth. This is used to add flavor, and it smelled so good I could have eaten just the shells.

After the onion fiasco I moved on to cutting up the peppers. We used green peppers, and after cutting them open and removing the seeds, I cut them into long strips and then into tiny parts. We only needed about 1 and a half peppers before we were almost done with preparation. By this time a bunch of other people had shown up and the kitchen was packed. The ceviche was almost finished, so some people moved on to cook the patacones. For this fried food, you cut up pieces of plantain and fry both sides. Once they are semi fried, you remove them from the pan and mash them flat. After, you put them back in the pan and fry them some more until they are finished.

At the same time other people were preparing homemade canelazo, a traditional drink here that I've said tastes like acid reflux. For this drink, naranjilla was boiled in with aguardiente, or sugar cane alcohol. I've looked for a translation of naranjilla and can't find one, and I have to imagine that this fruit doesn't exist back home.

Once the patacones were ready to go we put a table in the yard and had a little picnic as the sun started to go down. With the ceviche in a large bowl, we all put an equal amount into smaller bowls and dipped the patacones into the broth as we ate up the rest of the ingredients. With a lime juice that adds to the flavor, the ceviche had all of the fixings to make a hungry man feel satiated. The shrimp was just right and the peppers and onions, which I normally don't go after, created a blend in the broth that caused a tart sensation once they reached the mouth, but ultimately left you wanting more. In other words, it was a great meal.

Just as we finished it got dark and drizzles came down, so we went back inside for some chocolate flavored Zhumir, a sugar cane alcohol, and some of the canelazo before heading out. A relatively big process for a meal, ceviche is nonetheless a dish that I can add to my favorites, and with any luck we'll be cooking it again some time soon.

Visitors and Ceviche, YEAH!

I don't even know what I've been up to lately. I think for the last 5 weeks in a row I've had either three or four day weekends, in addition to the "half vacation" I had this week, teaching only one course at night. So I've been sort of bumming around, watching movies and reading. But this weekend got exciting when my friend Ricardo told me that he was going to be visiting from Portoviejo. His ex-girlfriend is visiting him and he was taking her to Cuenca to show her around.

He was supposed to get in on Friday but surprised me on Thursday by showing up early, and though he was only going to stay the night, he wound up staying two. We had a good time catching up, and his ex-girlfriend Angela was really friendly and fun to hang out with too. On Friday we walked around for a few hours enjoying the sun, later on going home to get a good nap in. Our plan was to go out salsa dancing that night and we needed some rest.

Lauren came over later on too, and while hanging out in the basement of my house, we played checkers, had a few drinks, and played, "Would you rather..." The salsa club was fun but we stayed out until closing time, around 3 am, so today I'm feeling pretty tired. Ricardo and Angela have already left, but there's still something to look forward to. Lauren, Jamie, and a few other friends are getting together shortly to make ceviche, one of the traditional dishes of Ecuador. The only problem is that it's traditional to the coast, so I don't get to eat it very often, but I really like it.

We're actually about to meet up to get the supplies and cook it, so I've gotta be leaving. But I'll follow up with how it turns out.

Back to the Grind

Today I went for a run for the first time since the race on Sunday. My muscles have finally recovered, and my sore throat is beginning to clear up. I didn't go for a long run, but still ran down to the park and ran three laps. I then ran back up the steps and back to my house. It was a pretty good run, all things told, and lasted longer than the majority of the runs I did before the race.

I'm still debating whether or not I want to try the 15k up in Quito, but I'm going to assume I am for the time being and try to train regardless. And even if I don't do it, at least I've been getting more exercise and running more. This week has been pretty laid back because I've only had one class each night at 7 p.m. Since the other class has ended, on Monday I just had a meeting at 5 o'clock and on Tuesday gave a final exam at 1 o'clock.

Yesterday I had to find a way to kill the entire day, so in the morning I went down to the bank and discovered that I was actually paid on time for April. Woo hoo! And, just to keep the good times rolling, they also paid the extra $100 dollars that they owed from all of the previous paychecks. With extra money and nothing to do, I picked up a few new DVDs. I've been burning through movies and television series lately because there's just been so little to do. I've been going through some money on this, but then again there isn't all that much that I buy here.

I also went down to the American-owned English bookstore and exchanged three books. Each book brought in knocks off $2 on a book you choose, and I quickly noticed a mid-sized book called "Survivor," by Chuck Palahniuk, the author of "Fight Club." "Fight Club" is one of my favorite book, and movies as well, and so it was a no brainer. The cost was $10, but with the three books, it was knocked down to $4.

I've already burned through 70 pages or so, and as usual, it's a dark and twisted story. But it's a good read, and I'm already pleased with the purchase. So for the next few days that will be my source of entertainment. Reading the new book, walking around town, and watching DVDs. It's a tough life sometimes.

Aftermath

In the aftermath of the 10k on Sunday, I've been feeling like a 90 year old man. My entire body feels sore and it's hard to get moving, though once I do start to walk I can make an effort of it. But my legs are done for, and I'm thinking I should have stretched for a bit longer after the race. I feel devoid of energy, and if I had the chance, I'd really rather just stay in bed for a couple of days and sleep.

As a result of the exhaustion, I'm also a bit sick. It started out with my throat being a little sore, and eventually got to feel very sore. Also, my head has been throbbing. This morning was the worst of it, and it felt like I hadn't slept at all last night. So I've been napping as much as I could throughout the day, and I think I actually broke a fever while giving a final exam today. So hopefully I'm getting better.

Now it's just a matter of time until my muscles heal and I can start running again. I'm considering running a 15k in Quito in June, and I'll need to train a bit more for that race. I'm going to be in Quito anyway for a conference, and a few of my friends are planning on running in it. My official time for the 10k was 1 hour and 6 minutes, and I feel that I could improve a lot in the next race. However, judging by how badly my body feels right now, I need to think about whether or not I want to go ahead with it. I'll give updates on what I'm doing with that.

Nothin' But a 10k Road Race at High Altitude on a Sunday Mornin'

I've never had any wild ambition to run in a road race, and in fact, up until recently I tried to do everything I could to avoid running. Not for me, I thought. I'll just take a nice leisurely pace. But in the last month or two in Cuenca I decided to start running, and realizing that the altitude wasn't a problem and I was actually able to run, I continued to keep it up when the weather permitted. And just last week I heard about a 10k road race in Cuenca that was taking place on Sunday. It was the "45 Edicion Circuito Internacional de Las Cruces de Cuenca," a race to all of the crosses of the city. Some friends from Quito wanted to come down and race, and it got me thinking about trying it. Then my host mom kept egging me on, and suddenly I was motivated like never before.

It's almost weird to suddenly be motivated to run when it was never a factor in my life before, but even when my friends from Quito said they couldn't come, I still wanted to do it. I dragged my friend Jamie into signing up with me, and after paying the $10 fee to enter, there wasn't much else to do but dread and fear, second guess, and wonder at which kilometer I'd keel over and die. Cuenca is, after all, at high altitude. We sit at 2,500 meters, or 8,200 feet. So it's pretty high up, but I guess after months of walking all over the place and recently walking around, I'm well acclimated.

On Tuesday I prepared by running about 4 kilometers, and after my legs were hurting for a couple of days, I was dubious about how well I'd come out. But Jamie and I agreed to go slowly, pacing ourselves and not over doing it. We also came up with signals in case we needed to speed up, slow down, or drop out. But after last night, waking up every couple of hours anxiously, I woke up this morning tired but ready to go. I didn't really train for it, but I was ready to take on 10 kilometers, or about 6.2 miles. Not much in the long run, but much more than I'd ever run.

It was cold this morning as I jogged down to the starting line, and after meeting up with Jamie, we attached our numbers, mine being 0920, and I felt like a real runner. Though of course that was just a facade. We ran into another, older teacher who had run in the New York Marathon once, and started out the race with him. Just before the gun shot went off the sun came out and it got hotter, and I realized that I would be burning by the end. For once the weather was actually nice. I wanted to start asap.

As we started people pushed and scooted past, but we took our time and joked around, making our way around the bend and easily passing the first couple of kilometers. By the third kilometer we said goodbye to the other teacher as he ran ahead to go at his chosen speed, and Jamie and I ran with music in our ears to keep us going. The sun was shining on us and when we could we hid under the cover of shade. As we ran by, supporters on the side of the road cheered us on and passed out little pouches of water that, when we bit into to open, would explode half of the contents on us. But it felt good.

And still I didn't feel tired or out of breath. We were trotting, and honestly some speed walkers probably could have passed us, but we were doing well. And as we progressed we passed other people who obviously wore themselves out too early. We were doing it well. It wasn't the Boston Marathon by any means, but it felt good to be accomplishing something and seeing the people waving. Most of the people were surprised to see me in there and would instantly cheer louder, not expecting me to be able to handle the altitude.

Finally we arrived at the street that was one long hill. It wasn't "heartbreak hill" but it was enough to cause runners to stop and walk. We tackled it steadily and went up slower than before, but we soon reached the crest and had passed many other runners. We were nearing the halfway point and I felt great, knowing I could keep going for a while. Jamie was a little behind and we didn't want to get split up, so I slowed down occasionally for us to stick together. Back through the center of the city with more onlookers, my host mom and sister were waiting on a corner to cheer me on.

We passed a couple of police and army bands and more supporters, unsure of how many kilometers we'd passed, but knowing that we were close to the end. I wasn't breathing heavily or even sweating all that much, a fact that shocked me as I ran and realized that I was running further than I ever had. Music will definitely help with it. Finally we started nearing the end, and I could recognize the area where we'd started, and since I wasn't tired, I told Jamie I was just going to run all out, so I turned on the jets for probably the last half kilometer and arrived to a huge crowd about an hour and 5 minutes or so after we left. The official time will be posted later.

By the time I decided to run all out my legs were feeling numb, rocks were in my shoes, and blisters were forming. But it felt good to get it done, and once I was finished and I was deep into the crowd, I didn't really know what else to do besides wait for Jamie. We met up and had to get into a long line to return the chips that tracked our time, pick up shirts and a medal that everyone got.

So that about completed the 180* for me. As someone who never used to enjoy running, I actually really enjoyed the race. I took it easy and was able to accomplish it, and now I'm even thinking of trying a 15k in Quito in June. And I owe it all to one game of Frisbee. Back in February we played Frisbee in the park, and after running around for a couple of hours I realized that I wasn't really tired. I decided after that to start running and take advantage of my situation, and to get in better shape. It feels good to have done it, and with that being said, it's now time to rest up my legs and take it easy for the rest of the day.

Dar Vueltas

For as long as I've been in Ecuador, this has been a phrase that has been just out of reach for me. It's been mysterious and something to be envied, and I always wondered why I wasn't invited to "Dar Vueltas" with everyone else. What it basically boils down to is a group of friends pile into a car and drive around all night looking for a place to drink. It sounds pretty juvenile and it is, but I wanted to experience it firsthand, and finally last night I got a taste.

Of course, as I've experienced with other things, the long awaited taste isn't always as good as you might expect. We started the night when I got picked up outside of my house by a group of friends. I thought we'd go to a bar, but they wanted to save money and just drink in a park. After debating for 10 minutes which park to go to, it was decided that it would be too hard because the cops were going to just kick us out, even though everyone drinks in parks.

So after more stalling and driving around in circles, we bought some Zhumir, the local drink, and a 6 pack. I didn't want us to drink at my place, and no one else could help.

"My parents are home, they'll kill me."

"We can't go to my house, my mom is sleeping."

This all seemed extremely reminiscent of high school, right down to the driving aimlessly while trying to figure it out. But people don't mind driving around, as it's a sense of freedom that they can't have in the home. And since gas is so cheap, it's never really an issue. Since no one else I know has a car, I've never been able to take advantage of this, and as a result haven't seen much of the outskirts of the city. Driving is a big part of suburbia life, and it's something that I miss. So as we drove around and I could see neighborhoods I've never been to, it was entertaining and worthwhile, even though we were wasting time.

All of us were over the legal age to drink, but there was fear of something. They didn't want to deal with cops. As we pulled into a park a cop on a motorcycle was just breaking up the people there. Plan busted. Next thing I knew we were driving into the sticks over muddy, broken pot hole roads, further and further away from the city. We pulled off into a dirt road by a river and while the music played, the drinks were mixed.

Something I've never seen was done. They took the liquor and put it all into a plastic bag, following that with the tonic to mix it with. One of the guys then bit a hole into the bag and poured it slowly back into the bottle, now that it was "mixed." After a drink we moved on back into the city and met up with some more people. At the Coliseum, "The Doors" were playing. I put the name in quotations because from the looks of the poster, it's two original members and three other guys they just threw together. Hardly The Doors. The streets were packed with tough rocker wanna-be's and packs of friends drinking on the corner. One spot seemed as good as another.

We found another park, pulled over to play music, got out and started drinking. Always pouring just a tiny amount in the cup to take a quick drink and pass it on. But soon the cops showed up and kicked us out. So again we piled back into the car and drove around. I was beginning to see how this wasn't a very efficient way to drink. Stopping to get another bottle, we arrived in a new part of town. But again, we were soon kicked out by a night watchmen. It was looking hopeless.

But eventually, when all seemed lost, we wound up in a neighborhood outside of town called Banos. There we were able to drink in peace, and even though it was cold and late, it was fun just hanging out and talking with everyone. And after all that work, we only stayed there for about a half hour before heading home. To dar vueltas, it seemed, was more about driving around than drinking. The long awaited cultural experience was one that really didn't amount to much, but as long as I've done it, I'm glad it's been done.