Ecuador Day 16: Park

For some reason, and by luck, Mathi and Dad left the home early with Antonio in their arms this morning to go wrestle through the tangled business and politics of hospital bureaucratic necessities. That is, they left Sis and I with two beautiful siblings girls to take care of for the day. Lucky them. The girls I mean. And us. What else could Gabi and I ever want to possibly do, then, on a hot spring day in Ecuador, but to visit the biggest and best park we could find.

It had actually happened a few days before. When Gabs and I were on our way home from Imabari, the White City. It was not so late in the afternoon, the sun was lazily hanging in somewhere low in the sky and we weren't really paying attention to our surroundings by the time we finally got on a bus back home; Gabi held her head in the one hand she had rested along the bus window sill, and I would glace over her shoulder from time to time to watch the stripped blurs of green and brown hill side mountains and trees swipe past us. An occasional unfinished concrete house would surprise me from moment to moment. Who lives in these semi abandoned affairs so removed from....anything really.

And so it came to be that when something did pass by that bus window, we noticed it. That day, a Sunday, it was a huge park, set out in the middle of nothing much, yet with families and blankets and food stretched out as far as we could briefly see. It was at least the size of two city blocks, and I don't remember seeing any park that big since I left home more than two years ago. The sight was definitely worth taking note, and we did. Gabs marked it down on the map and saved it in the her pack pocket for the future. 

Today is that day.

Naturally, the parents checked up on us when the girls finally awoke. Emily is always the first to get up, Zoila takes a little bit longer to come around, even after having breakfast, just like my older sis. And so I snapped this little photo of these two and sent it over to the curious hearts at the hospital as proof that we were indeed up and moving around.

It didn't take much motivation, after telling the girls that we wanted to take them to the biggest park we had seen in a while, to get the two children ready. They might have even beaten big sis and I to it. Any day that we can make it out of the house before ten in the morning is indeed a feat. 

Here we are resting along the regular and familiar curbside, un-designated bus stop, waiting for the green bus to take us into town. The local neighborhood dog makes a great habit of walking with us around the streets even on hot days, even if its just to the bus stop. Don't worry, he likes to wonder around the gravely roads, saying hello to all the other dogs in the other yards while we are away, and in the worst case, he lingers around the outside of the house for a bit before our neighbors let him in.

Emily, two seconds later.

The great thing about the rural buses here in Ecuador is that you don't have to wait at "the" bus stop. I cant tell you how many times I've missed buses in San Francisco, futilely running to catch with them because I was still half a block away. Frustration. Here in Ecuador, all you have to do is wait along the route and flag down the bus you want, taxi style. The bad news is that there is completely NO schedule to the bus system - not that there was much of a dependable on in San Francisco either. It'll get here when it gets here.

This leads, however, to some of the more fun times. Needing to pass some unwanted minutes until our ride arrives, Gabi and Emily a game Slide. Its still new to the girls, so we have a great laugh trying to get past level five.  



After a 45 min bus ride, we arrive.

And by the time we do, the day is perfect. The sun is out, but its not oppressive. The wind is smooth and cooling, not a bother. And even if there is not many other people to play and enjoy with, we have this huge space to ourselves to run freely around. Play structures, boats and a mini lake with a bridge, a cafe across the street - I wonder how much I would have enjoyed this place if I were twenty years younger. Then I think, about as much as I do now, that I'm thinking too much, and chased the girls up the grass hill to the top of this view. 

Down at the bottom, where the bus had left us, a giant maze, complete with dead ends and dizzying passages begs anyone who lays eyes upon her to enter. The walls are all brightly painted and some entrances/exits only tease the promise of a passage with their iron grid, with room enough just to squeeze a skinny arm through, blocking the way. You could pass over the walls, that are intentionally left open; though, why would you? It was my dream too, as a child, to find a giant maze like this. I can even remember planing to grow corn in our backyard, only so that I could have a tall enough plant to knock down and construct a bio-maze (pun) to challenge my friends with. Something about the combination of a physical and psychological challenge of a maze that is so satisfying. 

And if you'll notice, as Gabs love to, the graffiti is once again indicative of the love to be found in people here. Its always less about gangs and marking territory, and more about free expression. What kind of free expression. Well, from the ages of the kids who think graffitying is a good idea, romance and political poetry. The green"Te Amo" lettering is "I love you" with some half written name falling out of the picture.  

At the top of the maze, or rather, at its center, you can climb to the top, as my three sisters did, and gaze freely upon the World fresh with the sweat of accomplishment. 

And what park would be complete without a slide? A four piece slide at that! Zoila wins!! 

This round about swing that gains momentum by centrifugal force is not one that I see much of in the states, but in Ecuador just about every park has this style. Pushing the two not so little girls around this contraption made me dizzy too, and that is part of the fun - running around, pulling one of the empty chairs around with me so as to grow the momentum and excitement before a final snap of the arm to really set the whole thing on its way and hear the younger sisters "weee" with thrill. 

This play structure, I'm not sure of. Essentially just pairs of stationary bikes, I was suspicious of the giant metal flower at the center of the stage which all the bikes where pointing towards, wondering if it would turn once one were to pedal with enough revolutions. So the girls tried. And then I tried. Maybe it was broken. No matter how long we worked the machine, nothing came of the effort. 

Gabi never looses her temper around the girls, but I guess Emilie did something out of line since she so obviously here is giving her a swift kick in the rump. 

The cool bridge that connects the park to a small man made island. 

If you take a closer look...you can see some ripples in the water. Those are actually from two brave young souls who, in complete school uniforms, decided to go for a swim. 

And there they are, supper soaked on a supper hot day. I really like the geometry of this bridge for some reason, I cant really explain it. I suppose I find it attractive for its vanishing and ever intersecting lines. That, and it sort of looks like a worm hole to another dimension, no? 

Big sis, pondering Life. We all need some time to just hit the pause button on life and let our thoughts come to us without editing. 


I don't remember what time we arrived at the park, or what time we left, so I have no idea how long we spent playing, chasing, and imagining monsters over grass and dirt, but I know we had fun.

Its only come to my realization now that we do things a little different in this family. We certainly don't measure things much. That is, we place a large emphasis on the now and today over what may never come. The words of Morgan Freeman come to mind, over an interview he gave about his success, about if he was somehow resentful that his career took so long to get off the ground. The man thought about it for a second, and with complete honestly, and with a reason and tone to match the way only Morgan Freeman can do, he said "No. I do not carry with me any reservations about starting out my career as late in life as I did - because....because no where is it written that it had to be."

Time, money, food and so on - its not that saving is not important, but that we never value something in the future over the feelings of the present. I think that our time is much too free flowing to be expected in some future date, that it is much more artistic in approach - one life less about form or content and more about feeling. And that is one of the beautiful things about art, there is no wrong answer.

Much Love,
-A

Ecuador Day 15: Like Riding A Bike

Just like riding a bike.

If only everything came back to us as quickly as riding a bike. Foreign words you once knew would instantly be re-remembered, cuisines your mother once showed you how to cook as a child would taste like she had measured and put together the dish herself, and I'd personally never loose another game of snooker.  

Since leaving japan two weeks ago, I have not even looked at a bike seriously. Back home, not only would I commute daily to work, but just about everywhere else as well. I even did it in the rain that I hate. And for the breaks in between work, friends, and reading, I would ride my bike up and around the green mountainous overlooking the Pacific Ocean to my left and the Usa city lake to my right. I've never really made a habit of tallying exactly just how far I would go, a good guesstimation is as good as any other. Anywhere from two to three hours a day I say - and that is much, much more than the big goose egg I've been throwing up these last fifteen days. You could say I'm getting fat, but its more of the lack of cardiovascular exercise that I miss. My energy is in a funk.

That's why I was so excited to hear that Quito holds a very special car free day that me and Sis are excited to cycle through. Each Sunday, a major street that cuts through the middle of the new and old city is shut down to cars, buses, and motorcycles, thus insuring that the energetic public come out in force. Families take the kids out on training wheels, youngsters take their dates out for a change in exercise, there are runners and joggers in tight pants and bright shoes, and older folks walk briskly more along the side walk than the street, but they're out there. And I also happened to see my favorite event, my absolute favorite spectacle to see again and again no matter what country I happen to find myself in. I get a personal sadistic satisfaction from watching the colored spandexed weekend warriors cyclists riding aerodynamic carbon frames...get dropped by a heavy steel framed skinny kid with jeans, flip flops, and a ten year old hat.

You couldn't get me on a bus quicker to Quito that morning, I was ready to ride. 

"Woke up this morning, smiling with the rising sun. Three little birds....." Just the perfect morning today.

There is a lot of outside construction happening in the neighborhood we are living. Houses and corner stores are being built, sure. But there are also additions of trees and cemented center islands all through the middle, up and down the street. The sound doesn't really pose a problem during all of this, there is actually little at all since most of the time the construction here is done completely by hand and thumb. The real annoyance are the scraps of material. Small cement blocks used to pattern the grounds of streets can be found in random mounds all through the way, sometimes arranged nicely, often in dismay. (We've taken to stack a few up and use them as improvised seats as we wait for the bus). There are also massive mounds of dirt, stacked higher than two meters, kicking up grey and smoggy sand storms down the mountain side valley when the wind comes down - which is to say, several times a day. 

I'm painting a worse picture than what is actually found there. The kids love to climb these mountains of dirt that mysteriously pop up and disappear from days to days - and who wouldn't? As a matter of fact, my father and I commented on this very observation at the same time one morning. If I was with a kid that didn't want to climb a mounds of earth, then I'd say there is something wrong with that kid. Forget the insistence on getting kids in car seats, lets get these kids playing in the mud!

And from the piles of dirt, dust, and mud that accumulate in the middle or sides of the road, sometimes so big that they prevent cars from making it down the road entirely, there grows these wondrous white and purple flowers quickly.  

I like El Quinche, the little big city just a ten minute bus ride outside our country home. No matter how many times I kick around there, shops I visit, and restaurants I try, there is always something new to see and smell. Here, a woman sells her litter of baby chickens, a buck twenty five each. A small investment for a dinner three months down the road. Not to mention all that comes along with a grown chicken besides the meat: feathers for a pillow, beaks for guitar picks, etc... 

Knowing that we would be in for a full day of cycling activities, Gabs and I motioned to take in some serious munchies for energy before the bus ride into Quito. Since Gabi is on a wheat-free diet, and me by proxy, we eat a lot of food made by verde, the green banana substitute in everything from tortillas to empanadas.  

You know, it struck me as I was reliving this day, just why we, in the land of the supposed free USA, can't eat on the buses?  Its an certain realization we all come to when living for a time outside of the circles we make. Take for example being in any relation, or just in general; the longer you stay apart, be it from the States or an old lover, the more you can accurately tell apart all the bull shit you thought loved. 

I don't hate cars or take any extreme position such as, but I do like cycling down paved streets uninterrupted.  Speaking of which, here is a long uninterrupted straightaway found rare in the mountainous region of Quito. Technically the city rests in a valley, though that is not to say there are no hills or steep inclines. Ha! And don't forget the altitude. Quito is not built at sea level, not even close.  

Obviously one of the added benefits to cycling with a partner are all the cool full body pics they can take. 

Staying happy with my sister. The last time we saw each other was in Japan, and now the legend continues. Gabs is a good sister to have around, being the expert mechanic she is, since the bikes that we rented were shot. My bearings were almost falling out, my front end was all wobbly, Gabi's crank was uneven, and the brakes were no good - bad news for all the hills we were to face that day. We made our primitive adjustments and tried to fix the problem as best we could before carrying on. If you find yourself along these lines, always remember ABC - Air (in the tires), Brakes, and Chain. If you cover your ABC's then you'll at least make it through the day. Reading all the exposed teeth in the photo, we had a good time.

Cycling for the good part of the day lead us to the end of the track, all the way up that hill to the resting statue of the guardian angle. But...we didn't make it that far. We, instead, rationed that the pieces falling off our bikes would just barely guarantee the ride home as it is. Putting out the energy it would have taken to mount the final stretch above us and touch the statue waiting at the top, as few people do in any case, would have felt grate but instead we looked upon in awe and silently spoke those secret words each to ourselves, "Next time, baby. Next time..." 

An example of the old architecture that still remains a constant throughout the city streets in this part of Quito. It is the case that in other part of the this country, the general process for building a three storied house is to first build the rooms on the ground floor, build in preparation for the second and third, and then never getting around to building it. Indeed, there is so much unfinished construction in Ecuador that it can detract from some of the real bueauty found in the region. 

Here however, the local is complimented not only by the completed buildings, but by their wonderful colors and European balconies. It doesn't take much imagination to wonder at just how life proceeded down these corridors.

Departing from the blocked off road that was our lane for the day free of cars, big Sis and I turned uphill for just a bit, a steep bit, to find our way to this leering cathedral. The tip top points and cross atop the structure could be seen almost from anywhere in the city - and I am sure that was/is the point. Hundreds of years later, and the architect's plans still work, we were attracted to the giant palace and wanted to take a gander around.  

From within the belly...

And well, it just wouldn't be a complete day in Quito without the rain. After a full day of cycling, returning our bikes and grabbing a light bite to eat, Gabs and I decided to take a walk through the artist's park with the remaining two hours of daylight that remained. And we only just made it to the park when it began.

A few manageable drops at first, nothing to run around for. Then a little harder. We ducked under a giant tree for cover, hoping that the rain would wash through us quickly. When it didn't, we knew we were in a lot of trouble. There wasn't any cover in view and no storefronts to duck into. It looked like the trees were not enough for the families also hurdled under them, as some families braved the rain and decided to make a run for it. Then it really started to rain as they made a run for it. 

Not left with much options, we know that we couldn't stay where we were. Up ahead, there was the street, maybe we could catch a taxi we thought. We thought. But how to catch one? We would get soaked trying to flag one down. That's when we saw, way out into the distance, the smallest inkling of hope. A bus stop. It appeared to be covered, and at least not completely packed with people. It was a good run away, but the tree wasn't provide much shelter at this point either. So we shouldered our bags, put our heads down, and made the quickest run we could safely make through the hurting rain towards nothing a mirage in the distance.

Among the other people also taking care from the rain, we arrived wet and cold. There was room to stand up, but not much and the transparent plastic-like cover was already letting the water in. I don't think we were in much of a better situation. Gabi agreed. It was taxi time, damn the extra charge they would surely add on to get us out of here. So be it. And after a sixteen minute wait, a taxi that was not supposed to stop at the bus stops for passengers did so for us and our desperately wailing hands and pleading faces. To the nearest local coffee house we were off. 

That is were I took this picture to remind of the day, and to dry off as best we could as we waited for the rain. 


We were well received when we finally did make it home that night. It had been a full day and even though our father wanted Gabs and I to have so alone time to explore the city, his demeanor clearly stated that he was happy we were home and asked lots of questions about our day. And, it was good to once again be home with the family.

Goodnight. Love,
-A