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Cascadas, guarumos, el bosque nublado (waterfalls, silvery trees whose leaves look white from a distance, cloud forests)… Like a scene from the movie “Romancing the Stone”, a majestic trip from Quito, Ecuador, down from the Andes Mountains to the coast is breathtaking.
There were 20 of us, 5 people in each of 4 rented Sport Utility Vehicles. We twisted down through the mountains in a caravan of 4 x 4’s, a train linked by invisible couplings. The elevation of Quito is approximately 9,000 feet, so this downhill journey proved exhilarating. The rules of the road are not exactly the same in Ecuador. While I think the laws are similar, the driving is definitely not. We were on a two-lane road throughout the entire descent, which meant that to get anywhere, we had to pass big trucks and buses…sometimes on sharp curves! But the driver’s co-pilot (whoever sat shotgun) would tell him when it was safe to pass, as we could see the road twisting ahead of us and down below us. The road was paved, although full of unsuspected bumps, which caused soreness the following day. A nice distraction from the unfamiliar driving was the view: enchanting and fascinating, although at the same time disheartening. Enchantment came from the plethora of lush greenery by which we were surrounded, and the multidimensional canvas on which it was displayed. Fascination occurred in response to the spectacular mountains, their pointed peaks and sharp dips. But the view became disheartening when we caught sight of the disparaging conditions in which the natives live. Irony expresses herself here in the poverty amidst the panorama.
Toward the bottom of the mountains, we had the opportunity to bear witness to the stretching and pulling involved in taffy making. Although I did not sample the taffy, other members of our group tell me that it was delicious, and 10 times sweeter than Bit-O-Honey. I am hoping to get some on the way back through! Ecuador is certainly a poor country that is rich in culture and, more importantly, rich in values. The people who live here are very poor, but also seemingly very happy and gracious. How refreshing!
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The
realization that we were in another culture came on strong with our
adventurous drive. As we drove, we passed many skinny stray dogs,
Ecuadorian women who, always in skirts, hauled straw on their
shoulders, and makeshift memorials on the sides of the road
commemorating tragic spots along a dangerous highway. The sight
that impacted me most, however, was definitely the huge, dead hogs
hanging from ropes around their necks, in front of buildings
alongside the road. Some were whole while others had only one side
left, but they all hung in the open air, in the sun, in the dust,
and they served as nourishment. 