Ecuador Food Market

Sunday we ventured downtown and went to the big open air food market to check out where many of the locals grocery shop.  I'll be honest, I certainly wasn't planning on buying anything because I usually find the words "open air" and "food " to be a bad combination in downtown Guayaquil.  I was pleaseantly surprised to find hundreds of venders selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and other various supplies in an organized, clean environment.  Check it out:  

Chickens anyone?  In Ecuador, EVERYTHING on the chicken is eaten.  My buddy Mark can tell you how chicken feet soup tasted......and the problems it caused during digestion.  Check out the utility bike ready to haul home some food for the whole family.

Fresh fish of all different, unidentifiable kinds.

Yes, that's D up ahead with a bag full of veggies, fruit and pasta.  We couldn't resist since everything looked so good and it was so cheap.  A bag full of fruit or veggies was never more than a $1.  Eating good has never been so affordable!  In a country where there is so much poverty, Ecuadorians are very fortunate to live in a climate where such healthy fruits and vegitables are grown and sold at a minumal price. 

Here is a family of 3 leaving the market with live "crabs on a rope".  Doesn't get much fresher than that.  Looks like Jr. is scouting for the quickest way home.  Click on the image for a closer look.

All this and 2 large bags to carry it for $9.  We be eatin good this week!

Spy Cam is Back

It's been a long time since the Spy Cam was out capturing some Guayaquil action, but today D and I ventured out by bus to see what was going on.  Check it out:

I'm not sure if these T's are for sale or some Sunday laundry hanging out to dry

Today is game day with one of the local futbol teams.  This guy pulled up a chair in the middle of the sidewalk to watch a TV through a store front window.  No cable needed when you have a portable chair.

A slow day for this guy selling belts and neck ties.......

......and these guys selling shoes.  It's starting to resemble U.S. retail sales.  Anyone up for another economic stimulas package?

A nice little family lunch outdoors

"Give me 2 ice cream cones and a lolly pop!"

Our final destination was of course the DVD store.  Not exactly legal by American standards but certainly legal by Ecuadorian.  70 cent DVD's and TV series stacked floor to ceiling.  For the record, we would never think of buying such pirated material.  That said, I can confirm that the quality of these pirated works are very impressive.  I hear that they even have the Special Features available.

Only 2 more months until the rainy season hits and washes out our favorite trail.

October Adventures

This last weekend we went to Salinas for the 3 day weekend and some Marlin fishing.  We rented a house on a private beach and had a great time celebrating with friends.  As for the fishing, well, we had a great boat ride.  After 9 hours of fishing, our only excitement came when a Marlin lunged at the bait with such force it snaped the 50 weight fishing line.  "The one that got away" was the key to having a successful trip.  Had the line not snapped, I would have a much bigger fish tale for you.  Now, the Marlin is the one with the great story about how he got his sweet nose ring.        

Do you think this boat had anything to do with us not catching anything?

Fortunately this was the 1st boat on the way to the 2nd boat......the Mac Arther.

This was our only fish we had on board......the bait fish!

Maybe one of us would have made better bait.

Last Thursday we went to a professional baseball game.  Yes, I'm as surprised as you to hear there is baseball in Ecuador.  There are a total of 3 teams who play a full season against each other before the 2 best teams play a championship game.  There are more players on the field then fans in the seats.  Hot dogs and bevy's sell for a $1 each and if you catch a foul ball, throw it back.  It's the only game ball.  Amazingly, in their baseball history, they have had 1 player who went on to play in the Major Leauges for the Seattle Mariners.

Biking Cotopaxi, Chimborazo

2 Days.  2 National Parks.  2 of Ecuadors highest volcanos.  2 Mountain Bikers.  Check it out:

   

Another incredable Ecuador adventure!

Man Down!

WARNING: Blood and detailed description follows.  Last Wednesday I took an accidental elbow to the chops while playing soccer.  My lip was split so wide that I was able to fit the entire end of a Q-tip inside my lip to clean it out!  After a trip to the ER the next morning, it turns out I didn't need stitches and it should heal on its own.  I haven't been able to say the letter "B" without my lips sticking together and I'm certainly not getting any kiss action from D.  The other story is simply, "You should have seen the other guy!" 

Emelec vs. Barcelona

Spork is back!  There have been many busy days since our last post but the adventures have continued.  Most of them take place Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 8:35 and 9:10 AM.  It's called Nursery PE where I do "physical education" with 23 2-3 year olds with runny noses, poopy pants and 2 minute attention spands.  How many times does 2 minutes go into a 35 minute class period?  17, which is also the number of different activities needed to keep these kids corralled in city limits.  Yes, we play a lot of "Chase that bird" and "Catch Mr. R".  This last week, I had to bring in a HazMat cleanup team to nuke the tumble mats of the snot spots left where each child rolled over face down.  The best part of this adventure is that I get to hold 23 little mini hands each class and there is a race to see who gets to sit by Mr. R for stretches.

This last weekend, I had a chance to go to the biggest sporting event in Guayaquil, The Classico, where the 2 futbol teams from Guayaquil play each other.  By no means is this a "friendly" game between both teams and fans.  This game included truck loads of riot police, home made flares, confetti made from confidential business records, confetti catching fire from home made flares, 1 coach ejected, 2 players from the same team ejected, 1 player playing with his arm in a sling, 1 fist fight among fans supporting the same team, and 3 goals scored by the apposing team within the first 20 minutes.  The last one, most of all, enraged the fans so much that water bottles were being thrown at players and coaches while also recieving not so nice comments about their madres (mothers).  The most alarming point came when our Ecuadorian friends suggested we leave for safety concerns if there was another goal scored.  News flash for gringos: If an Ecuadorian is concerned about safety, you should be no where near that area!  Fortunately, there were no more goals.  Check it out:     

View from the stadium.

There is no better way to arrive at a Classico than in the back of a truck!

Home made flares: Besides catching the confetti on fire, the smoke was so bad that most fans left their seats for the open air hallways so they could breath.  Not a lot of forsight.

Christian and Orlando ready to get the game started.