It is an overused cliche observation about Latin America; but I am continually, almost daily amazed and wondered by the extremes here in Quito/ Latin America. While climbing up El Bosque and Colinas de Pichincha, to the east of central Quito on my bike today the landscape quickly changed (as it traditionally does traveling outside of the city limits here in Ecuador) from heavily guarded, fancy, high rise apartment buildings to cement shacks and dirt soccer/ volleyaball courts.
I was riding out of the city, looking for a trail up to “las antenas”, an alternative, apearently 4 hour climb up the volcano Pichincha, and I got lost. Not an uncommon experience for me on my bike, my first step is asking anyone who seems helpful (and sober) if they are familar with my destination and how I might arrive there. So, when I asked if there was an entrance to the park, the people I passed kept saying, yeah, sure, mas alla, sube largo por alli, si hay una entrada. All I found were a bunch of dead end logging paths and some roadside trash, but that’s beside the point.
As I was approaching a particularly steep section of road, I asked one friendly gentleman the aforementioned question and he responded by giving me directions to keep going, and then at the end of the road turn right, manda alderecha, but he was gesturing with his hands to the left. For a moment, I thought I had confused my right/ left translations in Spanish but that seemed unlikely. So, I asked for clarification, now gesturing myself as well, and he said, ah, si cierto, al IZQUERDA, si si. He then held up his carton of peach wine, as an implied explanation for his confusion. So, perhaps I should have been more skeptical of following directions from a drunk, but I was more focused on the climb, and observing the people. I was reminded of Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat, one of my all time favorite novellas. Themes of simplicity, friendship and anti-materialism, purvey the story as they did this neighborhood I was riding through.
Not only was the man apparently drunk, or hungover on wine (like many of the characters in TF) but his actions and words reminded me acutely of Steinbeck’s paisanos. The man proceeded to greet his neighbor/ friend (also climbing the hill) in such a conjenial, happy way, donde andas amigo? como vas? And then turned to money oye, verdad, si, bueno, si yo tengo que pagar una cuenta de mi primo, algo como necessita $70 that I was reminded of TF.
The familiar, community, family feel of the barrio through which I was passing, where all debts are shared, and money is a popular topic is TFesque.
It somehow still amazes me how one can be in a fully modern - McDonalds filled, mall worshiped modern society, and then just a ten minute ride up the hill, you can be in Tortilla Flat.
I love Ecuador for that.
I was riding out of the city, looking for a trail up to “las antenas”, an alternative, apearently 4 hour climb up the volcano Pichincha, and I got lost. Not an uncommon experience for me on my bike, my first step is asking anyone who seems helpful (and sober) if they are familar with my destination and how I might arrive there. So, when I asked if there was an entrance to the park, the people I passed kept saying, yeah, sure, mas alla, sube largo por alli, si hay una entrada. All I found were a bunch of dead end logging paths and some roadside trash, but that’s beside the point.
As I was approaching a particularly steep section of road, I asked one friendly gentleman the aforementioned question and he responded by giving me directions to keep going, and then at the end of the road turn right, manda alderecha, but he was gesturing with his hands to the left. For a moment, I thought I had confused my right/ left translations in Spanish but that seemed unlikely. So, I asked for clarification, now gesturing myself as well, and he said, ah, si cierto, al IZQUERDA, si si. He then held up his carton of peach wine, as an implied explanation for his confusion. So, perhaps I should have been more skeptical of following directions from a drunk, but I was more focused on the climb, and observing the people. I was reminded of Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat, one of my all time favorite novellas. Themes of simplicity, friendship and anti-materialism, purvey the story as they did this neighborhood I was riding through.
Not only was the man apparently drunk, or hungover on wine (like many of the characters in TF) but his actions and words reminded me acutely of Steinbeck’s paisanos. The man proceeded to greet his neighbor/ friend (also climbing the hill) in such a conjenial, happy way, donde andas amigo? como vas? And then turned to money oye, verdad, si, bueno, si yo tengo que pagar una cuenta de mi primo, algo como necessita $70 that I was reminded of TF.
The familiar, community, family feel of the barrio through which I was passing, where all debts are shared, and money is a popular topic is TFesque.
It somehow still amazes me how one can be in a fully modern - McDonalds filled, mall worshiped modern society, and then just a ten minute ride up the hill, you can be in Tortilla Flat.
I love Ecuador for that.
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