Getting Around

How to stay safe on Ecuadorian buses

Sara Shahriari

30 Sep 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_transportation_.png

/tips/topic/getting-around/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/16880/profile/

Most Ecuadorian towns have a central terminal terrestre so you can check out all the bus companies in one place. Be careful with your belongings. Watch the porter put your bags under the bus, and carry your most valuable things in a small bag onto the bus. Keep that bag on your lap; never put it in the overhead rack or on the floor. Whenever you go on a long trip, take a bus that goes direct and will not stop to pick up passengers on the road. I lived in Ecuador two years ago and recently returned, and my impression is that crime levels have risen. I would not take an overnight bus anymore, especially on, to, or from the coast. Personally, I travel direct by day. Also, learn when the dry season is and travel then to minimize mudslide issues.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_transportation_.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Festivals & Events

Fireworks and cows

Jon Brandt

29 Jun 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_events.png

/tips/topic/festivals-events/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/10650/profile/

During the Corpus Christi celebrations in Ecuador, week-long celebrations take place in almost every town. You can expect to find candy being sold by churches and cathedrals all week long, and every night fireworks and "castillos" or castles are burned down. But there's a twist. The "vaca loca" or "chola loca" is a large paper mache doll that shoot fireworks into the crowd. The cows shoot out of their horns, and the doll out of their hands. People run and scream in fear but also laugh, as this is a tradition here. It can be dangerous, and once in a while something will catch on fire, but it's worth checking it out if you're around.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_events.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Culture Shock

TP in the toilet is a no-no

Jon Brandt

20 Jun 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_cultureshock.png

/tips/topic/culture-shock/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/10650/profile/

The pipes in Ecuador are too weak to handle toilet paper, or basically anything other than human waste. So do not throw toilet paper into the bowl! There is a garbage can in every bathroom for this very reason. It can be hard to adjust to at first, but do not make the mistake of causing an overflow, or you'll have to deal with it. This might seem disgusting at first, but after a while you just get used to it. The hardest thing might be switching back to putting toilet paper in the toilet once you go back home.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_cultureshock.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Must Do

Galápagos on a Budget

Sara Shahriari

01 Oct 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_mustdo.png

/tips/topic/must-do/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/16880/profile/

if you can get to the Galápagos you don't need a zillion dollars to enjoy it. First, it is true that if you go to Puerto Ayora (fly to Baltra, take the ferry to Santa Cruz, bus into town) and wait, you probably can get on a nice boat at the last minute for deep discounts. When I was there two years ago, I saw discounts of up to 50 percent on some cruises. Second, if you don't want to spend the night on a boat, or if you want to do a quick trip, you can stay in Puerto Ayora and take day trips from there. I went on a great snorkeling and dive trip to Floreana and a trip to Bartomolomé. I also explored Santa Cruz, all while staying in a hostel. I spent under $300 during four days on the islands and really enjoyed it. For me, swimming with sea lions was the best!

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_mustdo.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Etiquette

Hello and goodbye, to every one of you!

Sara Shahriari

01 Oct 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_etiquette.png

/tips/topic/etiquette/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/16880/profile/

In the United States, when I enter or leave a large gathering I hug my close friends and give everyone else a wave. Don't do that in Ecuador. Greeting and leave-taking are important. Naturally you don't need to walk into a bar and kiss everyone, but you should greet everyone in your group, even people you don't know. If you are invited to coffee and there are 20 people at the table, go around to every person when you arrive and again when you leave. Women kiss everyone on one cheek; men kiss women on the cheek and shake hands with other men. Before I learned this, I think I snubbed a lot of people and was thought very rude, but you can avoid my mistakes!

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_etiquette.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Food

Churros are NOT dessert in Ecuador

Emily Rusca

18 Feb 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_food.png

/tips/topic/food/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/11798/profile/

I came home from my internship one day while living in a rural indigenous community on the side of Volcán Imbabura. My host mom told me she wanted me to try "colada de churros" because it's traditional for the Día de los Difuntos in October. I said sure, and she placed a bowl of beige soup with little things that I found to be snails when I lifted one up in my spoon. Now, I'm from California and MUCH more familiar with the Mexican version of "churros" -- sweet fried dough covered in sugar and cinnamon. Slurping the little bugger out of its shell, I kept an open mind about this new meaning of "churro," but after I finished about five or six, I respectfully declined to eat more. My problem was more with the texture than the taste.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_food.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Packing

Bring some slippers

Ashley Haugo

03 Jun 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_packing.png

/tips/topic/packing/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/14643/profile/

Despite being advised to pack a pair of bedroom slippers, I decided to use my precious luggage space for something more practical. However, upon getting settled with my host family, I noticed everyone did indeed wear some sort of slipper around the house. Remaining frugal, I declined to purchase a pair and opted to make do with stocking feet, thinking no harm could be done. It wasn't until two months into my stay when my mother called my little brother (who is seven years old) "uncivilized" for walking around the house in his socks that I realized it is best to follow advice and observations when trying to fit into a different culture.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_packing.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Religion

What religion are you?

Jon Brandt

26 Mar 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_religion.png

/tips/topic/religion/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/10650/profile/

Living in a country that's 95 percent Catholic, I often find it a little awkward to tell people that I'm Jewish. Most people assume that you're Catholic, but even if you've just met someone they will ask, "What religion are you?" I don't advertise for various reasons, but I'm not going to lie about it when someone asks. The Ecuadorians I talk to are usually very surprised to hear that I'm Jewish, mostly because I'm the first one they've ever met. Though they ask a lot of questions, which can seem annoying and almost insulting, for the most part they aren't meant to harm. They are just curious.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_religion.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Sports

Fútbol frenzy

Ashley Haugo

03 Jun 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_sports.png

/tips/topic/sports/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/14643/profile/

To truly get to the heart of Ecuadorian life—especially that of a young adult—you must attend a soccer match. Many Ecuadorians practically live and breathe by their soccer team. However, be cautious when you go to a match... and maybe wear a hat. I discovered the fans often pass around rolled up "sticks" of newspaper and light them on fire to serve as torches. While the sea of light makes quite a beautiful spectacle around the stadium, I found I had to keep close vigil so that none of the flaming pieces of paper that broke off landed on me!

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_sports.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Health

End that stomach pain without going to the doctor

Emily Rusca

17 Feb 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_health.png

/tips/topic/health/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/11798/profile/

When your intestines feel like they're going to explode because they're filled up with gas or you have nothing left inside of you after a long night of no sleep and a lot of time in the bathroom, you've probably got yourself an infection. If you've had unboiled water, get yourself to the doctor. If you've just eaten street food, head to the nearest pharmacy and ask for "10 tabletas de ciprofloxacino" and "suero" (saline solution). Take one pill once every 12 hours. The "suero" is to get yourself rehydrated with electrolytes. You'll be just fine in a couple of days--but no alcohol, as this pill is an antibiotic!

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_health.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Slang

Talking straw?

Molly Beer

18 Mar 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_slang.png

/tips/topic/slang/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/27/profile/

In El Salvador, my favorite slang phrase was "¡que paja!," or "pajero," which means, literally, "what straw!" or "one who makes straw," but is used to mean "bullshit" or "bullshitter." I taught high schoolers. I had plenty of reasons to accuse people of talking straw. Then I moved to Ecuador. One of my first nights, at dinner with my elderly host parents and their adult children, I used this phrase repeatedly, especially because everyone erupted with laughter when I did. Finally, through tears, my middle-aged host brother asked me if I knew what the the word meant. In Ecuador, I learned that evening, "pajero" means not "one who makes straw," but "one who masturbates." I didn't stop blushing for a week, but it did break the ice.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_slang.png

Comments [ 0 ]

Being an American

"Gringo" isn't all that bad

Emily Rusca

18 Feb 2009

Ecuador

http://media.glimpse.org/images/flags/gifs/ec.gif

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_title_american.png

/tips/topic/being-an-american/

/tips/country/EC/

/accounts/11798/profile/

The term "gringo," though invented as a derogatory term, doesn't always mean that an Ecuadorian hates you. Many host families are proud of their "gringitos" and use it actually as a term of affection. La Mariscal in Quito, the main clubbing/restaurant/bar area of Quito, is nicknamed "Gringolandia." Gringos are generally loved in Ecuador, even if they are thought to be filthy rich and get robbed sometimes.

http://media.glimpse.org/images/tip_american.png

Comments [ 0 ]