Orquideas del Ecuador

 

Lindsay and I visited an orchid nursery on Sunday (1/23) where they cultivate many different kinds of orchids and other plants.  We were told that there are the beginnings of one thousand young orchid plants in just one small glass bottle (see the above picture).   I can't really tell many details because our young guide spoke en Spanish, naturally, but I did see the plants in the different stages of growth from the beginning through maturity.  When the plants were big enough to be removed from the glass bottle, they were put in trays and then into small little pots.  Eventually, they were placed in bigger pots.  In some of the rooms there were big fans offering cooler air.   There were orchids of many beautiful colors, sizes and shapes.  Some were familiar and many were orchids I had never seen before.  Check out the one pictured above that has the face of a monkey inside.  It was truly amazing and beautiful to see so many beautiful flowers.  

Panama Hats

I thought Panama hats were from Panama but I found I was wrong once I came to Cuenca.  It all happened in the mid 1800s when the straw hats made in Ecuador were traded in Panama.  The hats soon were associated with the country from which they were exported rather than where they were actually from.  Panama hats are made from the fronds of the toquilla palm grown in Ecuador and most of the straw is purchased from buyers in and near Cuenca where they are woven into hats.  Its an extremely arduous process to make them and the time it takes depends on the finished product.  Panama hats are graded by the density of their weaves: standard, superior, fino and superfino.  Superfino hats are woven so tightly with such fine straw that you wouldn't see light through one if you held it up to the light.  They are pliable enough to roll up and the good ones are said to hold water.  When they were first made in the 1800s, everyone wore them to protect them from the sun.  However today they are not worn by all classes of people as they are too expensive.  The pictures above are from the Homero Ortega Hat Factory which is supposedly THE Panama Hat factory.  The first two and last pictures show that many people do love Panama hats.

Mercado Fiera Libra

This is the biggest market in Cuenca and it is at is peak on Saturdays.  You can understand that there is much to see and much to buy, but on this particular day, Lindsay and I only bought the things shown in this last picture.

Festival Unknown

There really ARE lots of festivals.  Again, this weekend I heard music, followed the sound, and there was another parade.  I have no idea what it was all about but saw two new things this time - men in stilts and a dog float!  I am thinking maybe we need to do more celebrating in the states....

Laundry

There are many nice Lavanderías throughout town.  It's so easy to get clean clothes (unlike at home with the multiple trips I have to take up and down my stairs, plus the time it takes to get it done).  You give them your laundry and its usually ready within the day.  All of the people in the lavanderías have an art to folding the clothes so nicely that your huge mountain of clothes is returned in a small, neat, compact package.  You are charged about 50 cents per pound.  The packet of laundry above (which included a set of sheets and lots of clothes) cost about $3.00.

Bus Rides

Buses can be a great mode of transportation in Cuenca.  Local buses run frequently and cost about 25 cents.  Bus rides to other towns are cheap, but the price depends on the distance.  This weekend Lindsay and I took a bus to a town that was about 40 minutes away and it cost about $2.  You can either buy your ticket in the bus station or on the bus, but before you leave the inside of the terminal you must always pay 10 cents to get out to the buses.  The buses vary a lot in age and in cleanliness and sometimes you really don't have a choice.  A very interesting thing that happens on bus rides is that peddlers come on the bus and walk down the aisle giving everybody some type of product.  I have seen them peddle candy, potato chips, ice cream, drinks, plates of food, plastic bags, toys, batteries and tools.  You just take what they hand you and hold on to it.  When the person returns up the aisle, you either buy it or return it.  The picture above shows the candy that was given to us this weekend.   Lindsay wondered just how many times those candy bars had been passed back and forth. We chose not to buy!  Lindsay has also learned that the best thing to do on a bus is to listen to a downloaded podcast.  We each use one earphone and listen to great stories or programs and before we know it, we have reached our destination.

Cuy

When I was in Peru I was not brave enough to try cuy and have always regretted it.  Since I had a second chance in Ecuador, I decided I had to try it.  Cuy is what we know as guinea pig.  It's an Ecuadorian delicacy and has been an important part of the Andean diet for years.   It is slowly roasted on an open fire pit and tastes a bit like pork and chicken, with a similar consistency to duck.   It took about 40 minutes to arrive and when we were served, it was arranged on the platter in five pieces.  I had encouraged my children to give it a try and was happy that they did!  Lindsay thought it was okay, I kind of liked it and Will was not very fond of the experience at all, however he did eat it!  It is one more experience that we'll never forget.

Cooking

My Spanish school offers a variety of fun and interesting events in the early evening on weekdays.  They involve a lot of  Spanish conversation practice and build your knowledge about the country of Ecuador and its people.  One night, the topic was "Cooking in Ecuador" and we learned how to make empanadas filled with plantains and cheese.  They were extremely delicious, which could possibly be because  plantains are one of my favorite fruits here.  They are prepared many different ways, and I must say I love them all!  I am really looking forward to making these scrumptious empanadas when I get home.