No Escaping Hungarians

One of the walking tours I had found and brought along was a

shopping tour. Ron is not a shopper, but what did pique his

interest was a shop and museum owned by a Hungarian, Olga Fisch. Okay, it does not sound like a Hungarian name, but we did not name her so get over it. 

According to the walking

tour, her shop is heavy handed with the price tags. We had no intention of buying, but this was described as art as opposed to souvenirs. Being off of the beaten track, we climbed a hill to get to the front door.

The security guard needed to call the salesperson, who then admitted us. This really is an art gallery, the items were

lovely. That said, the only thing that really caught my eye was a set of salt and pepper shakers resembling an indigenous couple. At $47, I left them behind. 

There is a museum upstairs from the shop. We wanted to visit, but I was anticipating a hefty admission. Well, wrong! It was free. It is a small, but outstanding collection of antiquities and cultural items. 

Later, speaking with the salesperson, we found that Olga came to Ecuador in 1936 from Budapest, but she died 25 years ago. She was quite famous as an artist and as a collector who encouraged cultural art among the Ecuadorians.  

After a wonderful lunch for $3, we walked back to the bus stop to go home. We happened upon a lovely church, Iglesia de Santa Teresita. There were some gorgeous mosaics behind the altar.

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And Now the Last Musings on People in Otavalo

In addition to things that really impressed us, I have to speak to the people that inspired us. On our first evening, we went to see if the tourism office was open. Right outside the office was this young boy stacking things in a box. At first, I did not pay much attention, but when taking a second look, I realized he was packing away the unsold stock of the day. There were other boxes on the ground that he completed already. Shortly after, a car pulled up where the boxes were placed in the trunk. It made me aware once again how early the children here become working members of the family.

I had read an article in some US newspaper regarding Ecuadorian immigrants to the US. It mentioned there was a

large group in the Minneapolis – St. Paul area. What was interesting was the fact that the reporter claimed that it is well known Ecuadorians have excellent work ethics; they can find a job the day after they arrive. The article continued to mention that employers have come to know that they will get more than a day’s pay from a day’s work with an Ecuadorian employee, hence making them sought after. Here in Ecuador, it seems they will do anything possible to succeed, regardless of how menial the task. I cannot speak to their success or failure, but the point is they try.

People of all ages are continually carrying packages around.

In Otavalo in particular, the average person is short. They are to short that if they were to kiss me on the lips, I would have to get on my knees first, while they still reached up on their tippy toes. This makes me wonder how their backs survive the weight of carrying things all the time. I question whether being short has been an advantage for some reason. Some backpacks are larger than the height of the person carrying it. This is similar to the ratio with

an ant that is carting off food. It is also apparent that the women in particular carry their babies on their backs for a number of years. Is this back strength development?
 
Being a culture junkie, I am acutely aware of how the indigenous people maintain their culture in a fast changing world. What warmed my heart was to see small girls wearing the same traditional blouse and skirt as their female relatives. There is a concession though. 

 A number of young people have smartphones. This seemed incongruent with the customs, until I read this article based in the US. It could be similar circumstances in Otavalo and other parts of South America in general. 

Loja wants to claim the title of Music and Art Capital of Ecuador, but personally, I believe this is a marketing ploy. We have discovered more art galleries, artist venues, and musical events in other cities and towns then we did in Loja. Our first night, we went to the central square where there was a concert and dance entertaining the masses. A few days later, when I needed my

 
Daily Grind coffee fix, we discovered a band playing on the plaza of the central park. The man at the tourism office told us there was a daily music event in front of the cathedral, but the times varied. We were especially pleased to see the female members of the band; this was an equal opportunity career.

This brings me to an observation I have made, though I do not know if stats will support it. From my looking around, I would guess that the baby population is 7:1 girls to boys. 

Finally, the artistic talent is ubiquitous. Not only is it evident in the crafts, art galleries, museums, but more blatant is the street art. We have discovered some fabulous murals on walls that could qualify as a gallery if not museum piece, yet it is

covering a concrete wall. There are two ways to think about this. In one respect, being public art gives the mural a wider audience who can see and appreciate it. Alternatively, it is exposed to the elements, in some cases severely limiting its value as the paint becomes faded, chipped or the wall demolished all together. Overall, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to appreciate them at this time. 

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Ecuador Facts and Thoughts

Ecuador’s population is 15,223,680
Quito – formally San Francisco de Quito is the capital city of Ecuador with a population of 1.801 million. It is the 2nd largest city of the country.

Ethnic Makeup:
•    Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 65%
•    Indigenous: 25%
•    Spanish and other European: 7%
•    Black: 3%
There are over 40 indigenous nations including the Quichua, Huaorani, Shuar (Jívaro), Achuar, Cofan, Siona, Secoya, Otavaleño, Tcháchila (Colorados), Zaparo, Salasaca, Canari, Saraguro & Chachi

In Otavalo, it is estimated that 75% of the population are indigenous peoples. Most of the people are so short; they do not come up to our breastbone. When the nursery school performed their concert, they looked like 2 year olds. If you see someone over 5 feet, they really stand out from the crowd. There are some older indigenous women we have mistaken for children until could see their faces.

Languages:
Spanish (official), numerous indigenous tongues. Quichua, the language of the Incas, is the most widely spoken indigenous language and now recognized as an official language.

Weather
If we are so close to the equator, why am I freezing? I had thought that the Southern Hemisphere during their summer would mean warmth. Worthy, but faulty assumption that is, truth be told. Quito’s temperatures are fairly steady with a daytime high of 66 °F (18.9 °C), which generally falls to an average of 50 °F (10 °C) at night. This we learned is basically due to the altitude. In school, we learn that heat rises. One would think that being closer to the sun, we would be warmer. Otavalo, close to the same altitude as Quito, runs a general high of 60.1 °F (15.6°C) with a low of 40°F (4.4 °C) at night. Sure feels colder since the hotels, shops, and restaurants do not have any heaters.

Currency
The country uses the US American dollar and coins, but some of the coins are still the old Ecuadorian. There is a plethora of $1 coins, which strangely enough, they are all with Sacagawea, a coin that never caught the affection of the American people.

Regarding money, no one ever has change. If you try using a $5 bill for something that cost $4.29, they will ask you if you have any smaller bills. If you are trying to use anything over a $10 bill you are not going to be able to complete the sale. Exceptions being for example if you are in a restaurant and your bill is over $20, but even then, they want as close to the exact amount as possible. Some of the high end shops still have to rummage for change to the extent of getting employees to empty their pockets so as not to lose a sale.

Education
We are amazed at the number of schools around both cities. One can barely go three blocks without running into a school of one sort or another. These are not shabby looking schools either. There has not been one school that I would not have minded attending myself. They seem to be putting their money into education through the high schools at a minimum.  We have seen hundreds of students wearing dozens of different uniforms. Asking around, uniforms are required for all schools, even the nursery school kiddies have their own little uniforms.

From what we heard from our tour guide, for university, the first child goes for free. All other children from that family have to pay tuition.

Botany and Exports
Ecuador has over 300 varieties of orchids. Their major exports are petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, and gold. They are the world’s largest exporter of bananas.  There are 25,000 species of plants in the country.

Telecommunications
It is rare to see anyone on a mobile phone. They probably are too costly. I did not notice too many Wi-Fi signs in Quito, but in Otavalo, there is free Wi-Fi in all public parks. It is not unusual to see young people in the park with their laptops.

Contradictions
In Otavalo, you can pass by a very high end telecommunications store selling expensive equipment while right outside will be an indigenous women with a blanket spread selling her handicrafts. You can also walk by a supermarket jammed with people, yet there will be indigenous women directly across from the store’s door selling their own produce.

Christmas
Being 95% Catholic, this is country takes Christmas seriously. So far we have seen 7 different little song performances around the city of Otavalo performed by different school groups dressed in matching costumes or with girls dressed as angels and the boys with elves hats on. The streets are strung with lights and many of the shops have a plethora of decorations in the windows.

Of all things to be a Christmas treat, it is animal crackers. We see 50 pound bags of them all over the markets. There are also handfuls of them in Christmas bags with other sweets, like candy bars. These are given to children as a Christmas treat. The animal crackers are labeled zoological galletas.

Children
We get many stares from children. They are not accustomed to seeing a white face or faces with beards. All of the locals are clean shaven, both men and women. I was coming around a corner and the same time a little chubby girl was coming from the other direction. We almost plowed into each other. As she stared up into my face, I just wished I could take a picture with my eyes that was shareable. Her look of awe was incredible and precious at the same time.

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What is Hungarian Now?

This special exhibit was reported on XPatLoop.com, one of the portals to keep up with English news events in Budapest and sometimes beyond.

You can read the lengthy, but interesting description here. This seems really worthy of visiting before it ends on October 14th.

Venue: Műcsarnok
Address: XIV Budapest, Dózsa György u. 37.

If you don't know the city, this is the beautiful building at Heroes Square on the right side as you are looking at the statues.

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Masai Tribe Videos

Masai Tribal Videos

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Culture Happens

Here is Jim's other comment, "Culture is happening. CULTURE IS HAPPENING! (you must share THAT funny story.. how funny)".

Now to put it into context. When Jim and Peggy arrived, they spoke a great deal about wanting to experience the culture here as they do whenever they travel.

One night while they were here, there was a fire on our street. The street was filled with fire trucks and although Jim, Peggy, and our other guests were milling around the window watching the goings on, I was grading papers and never left my computer. However, I said to Jim "Culture is happening." and we chuckled.

The next morning at 7:30 am, the buzzer rings for the downstairs door. Everyone was still sleeping and we ignored it. People wanting to get in to leave flyers always choose our buzzer. This time, the buzzer was insistent to the point that I answered it and let whomever into the building and went back to bed. 

Not five minutes later, our own door bell was ringing. I threw on my bathrobe and went to answer it. There was a man in a uniform, the likes of which I had never seen before. He bla, bla, bla'ed to me in Hungarian, but when I said I did not understand, he said "We need to check your chimney. There was a fire here last night. The 'chimney' is for the hot water heater and is inspected annually. The last time was only a month ago, but I let him in. He came in followed by three other men all in the same uniform. Being wider awake, I saw the logo was a fireman running with a ladder. 

The four men went into the bathroom, where we pointed out the heater and chimney. They did massive investigations and were chattering like a bunch of old women at a gossip convention. I was concerned they were going to wake the guests in both rooms, but especially the large bedroom. Without our knowing it, they went into the bedroom, saw people in there and zipped out again. Then they sheepishly opened the door and said they needed to check the thermostat as well, which is in the large bedroom. There was enough noise to raise the dead and we still had a few days before Halloween. After they declared us fully in compliance a clean chmney and with no fire hazards , they thanked us and left. 

Thirty minutes later, Jim emerged from the small bedroom. I apologized for all of the noise, but he had not heard a thing. I said I should have been shouting "Culture is happening, culture is happening". So culture happened and he missed it.

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Happy New Year

Only hours are left to this year, but we slept in as long as possible, which turned out to be 9:00 am. Big whoop!! We needed to make reservations for a place in Vietnam, so Blue Pumpkin to the rescue. Just as we walked up, someone took the patio table by the electric outlet, but there was one on the first floor, so I grabbed it. The store next door has a great selection of unique gifts, so I made my fifth trip in there and made one last purchase.

Dropping off the computer, we took off walking in the opposite direction of the market area. We have passed this area a number of times going and coming from Angkor, but have not stopped here. We walked quite a distance looking for a store that Ron had read about in the travel guide, but we could not find it. Street signs or any identification is nil. We never did find the store, but we did find a café that serves good coffee.

On the way back, we stopped at some food vendors and looked at strange fruits. We had tasted dragon fruit in Kuala Lumpur, but we never tasted this fruit that looks like a red tennis ball with porcupine syndrome. The woman peeled one for us and we tasted its juicy sweet yet tangy flesh. Then she peeled these little brown marbles and popped out a slimy ball with a dark pit in the center, making it look like an eyeball staring at me, with the pit as a pupil. It felt like what I imagine an eyeball would feel like or at least what my eyeball feels like when I put in contact lens. We bought some of each just as thanks for introducing us to these new tastes. We will give them to the hotel staff as we leave on a bus tomorrow.

The rest of the afternoon was spent writing, working with photos, and just kicking back. Ron wanted to go to the Blue Pumpkin sale. After 7:00 pm, all of their left over baked goods is 50% off and we would have them for snacks on the bus. We started speaking to a tuk-tuk driver who was telling us that although tourism has been up this year, it still has been a bad year for the tuk-tuk drivers. The increase in tourism is due to the Koreans; however, there are Korean businesses here that cater to them. The Korean travel agencies here draw them, then Korean bus services drive them around and they eat at Korean restaurants. Then the profits are sent back to Korea, not contributing to the local economy. Sounds like Wal-Mart. He also said that many of the tuk-tuk drivers are from the provinces where their family has sold a cow or ox in order to buy a tuk-tuk for their son to come to Siem Reap to make money and send it back home. Unfortunately, these drivers have to rent a room and survive here in the city when they are not driving or trying to convince someone to ride with them. Add to this the increasing price of gasoline and he has us in tears for these poor guys.

As we were talking, he asked where we were going for dinner. We had not decided yet, so he suggested a hotel that has a buffet dinner and a dance show. Wary of such suggestions, he offered to drive us to the hotel to make a decision when we arrived. It was indeed one of the larger hotels and it is packed with who else, but Koreans. We were able to get a table right near the stage, very lucky since it was so full of bus tour groups and we did not have a reservation. The show was excellent dances of Cambodian culture. The buffet was extensive with Cambodian dishes and it was all you can eat sans drinks. Dinner was $12.00 each, a bargain by far.

Our tuk-tuk friend returned to get us and return us to the hotel where I will work on pictures and Ron will nap for the fourth time today. When we arrived, we asked our driver how much we owed, bearing in mind the sob story he gave us. He said whatever we wanted to give him, making it difficult since the ride was only 10 minutes and easily walkable. However, being a special day, the end of the year, we should prosper others and I gave him $7.00. He about did somersaults and it was not an act. I believe he thought we were more generous than he anticipated.

We hung around the hotel room until 11:00 and then went to the block party. There were about six blocks cut off from traffic, but only one block was a party area. Beers were $1.00 and the street was mobbed. No fabulous fireworks or other fun things, but hundreds of people having a good time dancing in the street to loud music making merry. The Cambodians do not celebrate New Years at this time, so they all wished us a happy one. I think theirs falls in April.

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