Weekend Politics

          Ecuadorian voters have convincingly approved a new constitution that increases presidential powers.  With most ballots counted, results show 64% of voters backed the charter, an outcome President Rafael Correa hailed as a "historic win".  He has said the new constitution will help bring about a more just society and tackle instability in Ecuador.  It will enable him to run for two new, consecutive terms. But critics say it gives the president too much power.  The constitution allows him to dissolve Congress within the first three years of its four-year term.  The 444-article constitution will be the Andean nation's 20th.  The package contains some of the most wide-ranging proposals the country - or any country in the region - has seen, says the BBC's Daniel Schweimler.

Investors worried  "We're making history! Onward!" President Correa urged a crowd of supporters in his coastal hometown of Guayaquil.  "This is confirmation of the citizen's revolution we're offering."  Mr. Correa, a 45-year-old US-trained economist, has said he is fulfilling the promises he made when he won elections nearly two years ago.  He was elected following years of turmoil in Ecuador, which saw angry crowds throw three presidents from office in the previous 10 years.

The articles in the proposed constitution include plans to tighten control of vital industries such as oil and mining.  Some foreign loans could be declared illegitimate so they would not have to be paid and there are plans to give free health care to older citizens.  President Correa is offering more say in the running of the country to women, the poor and Ecuador's large indigenous community.  He says he is trying to reduce the power and influence of the business and land-owning elite, which has always run the country.  Not surprisingly, there has been opposition to the proposals, says our South America correspondent.  Some say Mr. Correa is a puppet of the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, and that the state will interfere unnecessarily in business affairs.  Foreign investors, especially in Ecuador's oil industry, are concerned that the new laws will reduce their profits and that the country will not pay its foreign debts, he says.  The US, he adds, will be worried about what many there see as another move to the left in Latin America.  In his speech after the referendum, Mr. Correa urged those who voted against the new constitution to put aside their differences.  "Let them acknowledge defeat and let's strike out together in the new direction the great majority of Ecuadorians, as well as all Latin America, are setting: a society with more justice, much more equality and without so much... misery."  (Information from BBC News)

Traditional Food of Ecuador

The food in Ecuador is diverse, varying with altitude and associated agricultural conditions. Pork, chicken, beef, and cuy (guinea pig) are popular in the mountain regions and are served with a variety of grains (especially rice and corn) or potatoes. A popular street food in mountain regions of Ecuador consists of potatoes served with roasted pig (hornado). Fanesca, a fish soup including several types of bean, is often eaten during Lent and Easter. During the week before the commemoration of the deceased or "día de los muertos", the fruit beverage "Colada Morada" is typical, accompanied by "Guaguas de Pan", which is stuffed bread shaped like children.

Ecuadorian ceviche, made of shrimp, lemon and tomato sauce.  The food is somewhat different in the southern mountain area, featuring typical Loja food such as "repe", a soup prepared with green bananas; "cecina", roasted pork; and "miel con quesillo" or "cuajada" as dessert.   A wide variety of fresh fruit is available, particularly at lower altitudes, including granadilla, passionfruit, naranjilla, several types of bananas, uvilla, taxo, and tree tomato.

Seafood is very popular at the coast, where prawns, shrimp and lobster are key parts of the diet. Plantain- and peanut-based dishes are the basis of most coastal meals, which are usually served in two courses. The first course is caldo soup, which may be aguado (a thin soup, usually with meat) or caldo de leche, a cream vegetable soup. The second course might include rice, a little meat or fish with a menestra (stew), and salad or vegetables. Patacones are popular side dishes with coastal meals.

Some of the typical dishes in the coastal region are: ceviche, pan de almidón, corviche, guatita, encebollado and empanadas; in the mountain region: hornado, fritada, humitas, tamales, llapingachos, lomo saltado, and churrasco.

In the rainforest, a dietary staple is the yuca, elsewhere called cassava. The starchy root is peeled and boiled, fried, or used in a variety of other dishes. Many fruits are available in this region, including bananas, tree grapes, and peach palms.

Aguardiente, a sugar cane-based spirit, is probably the most popular national alcohol. Drinkable yogurt, available in many fruit flavors, is extremely popular and is often consumed with pan de yuca, which is a light bread filled with cheese and eaten warm.   (Information from Wikipedia)

Education

The public education system is free at the point of delivery, and attendance is mandatory from ages five to 14. Provision of public schools falls far below the levels needed, and class sizes are often very large, and families of limited means often find it necessary to pay for education. However, the Ministry of Education reports that only 76 percent of children finish six years of schooling. In rural areas, only 10 percent of the children go on to high school. Ministry statistics give the mean number of years completed as 6.7.

Ecuador has 61 universities, many of which offer graduate degrees, although only 87 percent of the faculty in public universities possess graduate degrees. About 300 higher institutes offer two to three years of post-secondary vocational or technical training. (Information from Wikipedia)

Economy of Ecuador

The economy of Ecuador is based mainly on exports of bananas, oil, shrimp, other primary agricultural products and money transfers from nearly a million Ecuadorian immigrants employed abroad. In 2002, oil accounted for about one-third of public sector revenue and 40% of export earnings. Ecuador is the world's largest exporter of bananas ($936.5 million in 2002) and a major exporter of shrimp ($251 million in 2002). Exports of nontraditional products such as flowers ($291 million in 2002) and canned fish ($333 million in 2002) have grown in recent years. Industry is largely oriented to servicing the domestic market.

Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, flowers and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Industry is largely oriented to servicing the domestic market, and some exports to the Andean Common market. Deteriorating economic performance in 1997-98 culminated in a severe economic and financial crisis in 1999. The crisis was precipitated by a number of external shocks, including the El Niño weather phenomenon in 1997, a sharp drop in global oil prices in 1997-98, and international emerging market instability in 1997-98. These factors highlighted the Government of Ecuador's unsustainable economic policy mix of large fiscal deficits and expansionary money policy and resulted in a 7.3 percent contraction of GDP, annual year-on-year inflation of 52.2 percent, and a 65 percent devaluation of the national currency, the Sucre, in 1999, which helped precipitate a default on external loans later that year.

On January 9, 2000, the administration of President Jamil Mahuad announced its intention to adopt the U.S. dollar as the official currency of Ecuador to address the ongoing economic crisis. The formal adoption of the dollar as currency on September 10, 2000, as opposed to merely pegging the Ecuadorian sucre to the dollar as Argentina had done, theoretically meant that the benefits of seigniorage would accrue to the U.S. economy. Subsequent protests related to the economic and financial crises led to the removal of Mahuad from office and the elevation of Vice President Gustavo Noboa to the presidency.

However, the Noboa government confirmed its commitment to dollarize as the centerpiece of its economic recovery strategy. The government also entered into negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), culminating in the negotiation of a 12-month standby arrangement with the Fund. Additional policy initiatives include efforts to reduce the government's fiscal deficit and to implement structural reforms to strengthen the banking system and regain access to private capital markets.

Buoyed by high oil prices, the Ecuadorian economy experienced a modest recovery in 2000, with GDP rising 1.9 percent. However, 70 percent of the population was estimated to live below the poverty line that year, more than double the rate in 1995.  In April 2007, after winning a referendum on constitutional reform, President Correa announced that he no longer intended that the country would make repayments to the IMF nor deal with the World Bank. (Information from Wikipedia)

La Carolina Park

Carolina Park is about a 20-minute walk from my apartment.  I go there a few times a week to run on the path, and to use the exercise equipment.  La Carolina is a 165.5 acre (670,000 m²) park in the center of Quito main business center, bordered by the avenues Río Amazonas, de los Shyris, Naciones Unidas, Eloy Alfaro, and de la República. This park started from the expropriation of the farm La Carolina in 1939. The modern design of the park was made by the Dirección Metropolitana de Planificación Territorial (DMPT). Pope John Paul II headed a great mass in the park during his visit to Ecuador in 1985. A giant cross has been built in this place.

Quiteños gather at La Carolina mostly on weekends to play soccer, basketball, ecua-volley (an Ecuadorian variation of volleyball with less emphasis on spiking, which allows more of a throw and allows using the feet, much like soccer). Other activities include aerobics, kite flying, running, snacking, and people watching. The southern part of the park has a small pond where paddleboats can be rented, and a skatepark for bicyclists and skateboarders. Artists are known to perform on weekends at the park. In the western part of the park visitors will find the Quito Exhibition Center with different exhibits every month, the Quito botanical gardens, and a Vivarium. (Information from Wikipedia)

The TeleferiQo

The Aerial tramway Station at Cruz Loma (part of the Pichincha mountain complex at about 13,123 ft (4,000 m). Since July 2005, Quito has had an aerial tramway, known as the "Telefériqo," from the city center to the hill known as Cruz Loma on the east side of the Pichincha volcano. The ride takes visitors to an altitude of about 13,400 feet (over 4,100 m) where they find a number of restaurants, coffee shops and a variety of stores. There are also trails for hiking and areas where pictures can be taken of Quito. Due to the increased altitude and the wind on the mountain, it is considerably cooler.

 

Kayaking on the Rio Napo, a weekend in Tena

September 20-21 I travel to Tena with the other study abroad students and a group of guys from Casa Gabriel, you can find more information about Casa Gabriel if you click on the link to Youth World.  From Quito it is a five hour bus ride, we got to the river about 9:00 a.m. and set up our kayaking gear.  It was such a blast kayaking down the rapids.  I am looking forward to going there again.  

Tena, the capital of the Napo Province, is an attractive and quiet city in the Amazon rainforest. Known as the “cinnamon capital" of Ecuador, and originally founded by missionary explorers, Tena has emerged as one of the top industrialized centers of Ecuador. It is the home to a major regional hospital and many tourist related businesses, including a small airport and a vital bus terminal.

Tena is a popular launching point for jungle, kayaking and rafting tours in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest region. The entry to the city is marked by a statue of the indigenous hero Jumandy, who courageously led an uprising against the Spanish colonizers in 1578, and was subsequently executed.

At the confluence of the Tena and Pano rivers in the center of town lies a popular pedestrian bridge, "el puente peatonal". The rivers become the Tena River, which soon joins with the Misahualli and eventually flows into the Napo River. The Napo winds its way east into Peru and Brazil, and is in effect the 9th largest tributary to the Amazon River.

The town is popular with travelers, since it is known as being peaceful, orderly, clean and more geared towards tourists. Many inexpensive hotels, tourist agencies, and restaurants cater to backpackers who commonly use the town as a jumping-off point for trips into the rainforest. Tena is surrounded by forested hills and is located at the edge of the Andes, which are visible to the west.

Tena and its surrounding indigenous communities are also bases for many volunteers working for reforestation projects, with community support in development initiatives in diverse, and connected areas such as bio-piracy, ecotourism and capacity building. Ecuador has one of the best politically organized indigenous populations in Latin America and Tena houses two major confederations, Fonakin (Federacion de Organisaciones de la Nacionalidades Kichwa de Napo) and Ashin (Association de Shamanes Indigenas de Napo); one of the major stand-offs during the 2001 indigenous uprising in Ecuador, took place here.

In comparison to Puyo, the capital of the neighboring province Pastaza, which is both bigger and growing faster, Tena has a lively night life with bars that cater to foreigners. Friday and Saturday nights crowds of volunteers, guides (both indigenous and foreign), and local young people assemble in the "discotecas" playing reggaeton, salsa, and pop music. One will also find a wide variety of "comidas tipicas", preparing and serving food in the traditional manners of the local peoples.

For a rainforest city, Tena's climate is surprisingly comfortable and cooler than the jungle to the east, due to its elevation at 500m above sea level. There's rainfall year-round, with an annual average of 171.65 inches (4,359.91 mm). The heaviest rains come in April, May, and June, but even in this very wet time it doesn't necessarily rain every day or all day when it does rain. The rain is pleasant and warm, but if you plan to be outside for long periods even warm rain can bring down your body temperature so it's wise to have a raincoat or umbrella.

Most roads in the Oriente are unpaved and subject to landslides and other delays, especially during the rainy season. The road from Quito to Tena is no exception, though it continues to be improved. There is regular bus service to Tena via Baeza, but you should book in advance as the buses fill up fast, particularly on Fridays and Sundays. There is a small airport outside of Tena with commercial flights; small white truck-taxis are abundant in the city. It's a good idea to negotiate your price before getting in because the taxi drivers in Tena, like everywhere else in South America, often overcharge.

Tena is famous for the rainforest and rivers that surround it. The jungle, especially if you get outside the city 15 or 20 kilometers, is impressive. First-timers will be changed forever after they lay their eyes on a pristine stretch of Amazon. There is no shortage of jungle guides or tour operators; many have offices in the center of town on Avenida 15 de Noviembre.

Moreover, Tena has reached near legendary status with whitewater enthusiasts and boasts the best rafting and kayaking in Ecuador and, some say, the world. The Jungle Rivers on the Amazon side of the Andes are bigger and have more consistent flows than their west-Andean counterparts. They are also the cleanest and most scenic rivers in Ecuador.

(Information from Wikipedia)

Transportation

The MetrobusQ network, also known as "Red Integrada de Transporte Público" is the bus rapid transit system running in Quito and it goes through the city from south to north. It's divided into three sections: the green line (the central trolleybus), the red line (the north-east Ecovía) and the blue line (the north-west Corredor Central). Besides the bus rapid transit system, there are also many buses running in the city. The buses have got both a name and a number and they have a fixed route. Taxi cabs are all yellow, they've got meters which show the price you pay. There are nearly 8,800 registered taxicabs. Although public transportation is the primary form of travel in the city, including fleets of taxis that constantly cruise the roadways, the use of private vehicles has increased substantially during the past decade. This has happened despite the fact that vehicles cost twice their price in the U.S., due to import tariffs and taxes. Because of growing road congestion in many areas, there are plans to replace the Trole with a light railway system, with construction expected to begin in 2009.

(Information from Wikipedia)

P.S. I take the trolly to School and back home every day, I like it, sometimes there are so many people on the trolly that I just push myself on. It is like a can of sardines.  In the afternoon there are a lot of little kids coming home from school, they are funny.  I prefer the trolly so that I can experience what life is like for the majority of Ecuadorians, a taxi is exclusive. I enjoy observing the interactions between kids, parents and their children, etc. 

The Airport

Mariscal Sucre International Airport (IATA airport code: UIO) serves as the city's principal airport for passenger travel and freight. Its runway is 3120 metres long and is capable of handling many large aircrafts. The main terminal is located on Avenue Amazonas. The airport is located 10 kilometres north of the city's centre, within driving distance to the main business center. Due to tall buildings and fog at night, landing from the south is not as easy as many airports. Its domestic flights go to Guayaquil, Cuenca, Lago Agrio, Coca, Tarapoa, Esmeraldas, Manta, Portoviejo, Macas, Tulcán and many others. Flights to the Galápagos Islands are reached via Guayaquil. Several international airlines have offices in Quito, most of them are around Avenue Amazonas. The airport has international connections with Madrid, Amsterdam, Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Lima, Santiago, Panama City, San José, Miami, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and many others. The construction of a new airport in the rural parish of Tababela, in the adjacent valley outside the city limits, began in 2006 and will be finished by 2010. The Mariscal Sucre International Airport will become then a big park.

(Information from Wikipedia)

Volcano's and Weather

          Quito's closets volcano is Pichincha, looming over the western side of the city and Quito is also the only capital in the world to be directly menaced by an active volcano. Pichincha volcano has got two summits, the closer Rucu Pichincha at 4700 metres above sea level and the higher Guagua Pichincha at 4794 metres. Guagua Pichincha is active and being monitored by volcanologists. The largest eruption occurred in 1660 when over 10 inches (25 cm) of ash covered the city. There were three minor eruptions in the 1800s. The latest eruption was recorded on October 5 1999, with a few puffs of smoke and a large amount of ash was deposited on the city. Although not devastating, the eruption caused significant disruption of activities, including closing of the international airport. It is unlikely that any serious activity will occur in the near future and the topography of the volcano is such that, even if a major eruption were to occur, lava flows would head into the almost unpopulated areas west of the volcano, sparing Quito; which lies to the east.

Weather averages for Quito
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	18 (64)	18 (64)	18 (64)	18 (64)	18 (64)	19 (66)	19 (66)	19 (66)	20 (68)	19 (66)	19 (66)	18 (64)	19 (66)
Average low °C (°F)	14 (57)	14 (57)	12 (54)	10 (50)	9 (48)	8 (46)	6 (42)	6 (42)	8 (46)	9 (48)	9 (48)	10 (50)	10 (50)
Precipitation cm (inches)	11 (4)	12 (5)	15 (6)	20 (8)	17 (7)	12 (5)	4 (2)	2 (1)	2 (1)	7 (3)	12 (5)	10 (4)	120 (47)
Source: Weatherbase[11] 2007

        Due to its elevation and its proximity to the equator, Quito has a fairly constant cool climate year-round. The average temperature at noon is 19°C (66°F) with a normal night-time low of 10°C (50°F). The annual average temperature is 15°C (64°F). The city experiences only two seasons: dry and wet. The dry season, June through September (4 months), is referred to as summer; the wet season, October through May (8 months), is referred to as winter.

(Information From Wikipedia)

QUITO, ECUDAOR

          

          Quito, officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains. With a population of approximately 1,397,698 in the decadal national census of November 25, 2001, and, as estimated by the municipality, approximately 1,504,991 in 2005, Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil. It is also the seat of the Metropolitan District of Quito, the official name of the canton Quito is located, home to 1,842,201 residents in 2001, and the capital of the Pichincha province. Quito is also to be the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations from 2008.

         The elevation of the city's central square (Plaza de La Independencia or Plaza Grande) is 2,850 m (about 9,350 ft), making Quito the second highest capital city in the world. 

          Quito is located about 25 km (15 miles) south of the equator. A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator is known locally as la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world), to avoid confusion, as the word ecuador is Spanish for equator.

          Quito is about 40km (25 miles) long and 5km (3 miles) at its widest, most of the important avenues of the city extend from north to south. The two main motorways that go from the northern part of the city to the southern are Avenue Oriental (Corredor Periférico Oriental) on the eastern hills that border the city, and Avenue Occidental on the western side of the city on the Pichincha volcano. The street 10 de Agosto also goes north to south through most of the city, running down the middle of it.

           Quito is located in the northern highlands of Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin. The city has been built on a long plateau laying on the west flanks of the Pichincha volcano. Quito is flanked by snow-capped volcanoes that can be visible from the city in a clear day. Some of the volcanoes on the Central Cordillera (Royal Cordillera), east of Quito, surrounding the Guayllabamba valley are Cotopaxi, Sincholagua, Antisana, and Cayambe. Some of the volcanoes of the Western Cordillera, to the west of the Guayllabamba valley, are Illiniza, Atacazo, Pichincha and Pululahua (which has the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve).

(Information From Wikipedia)