An A-Z Guide to Ecuador's Most Common Produce

Visiting an Ecuadorian mercado (market) for the first time can be quite intimidating. First and foremost, there are so many things you have never seen before.

I saw a link to this on one of the Facebook Expat groups and thought it was worth sharing. Two pages, so be sure to click the NEXT PAGE button at the bottom.

While not comprehensive, missing things like piña (pineapple), manzana (apples), more (blackberries) and frutilla (strawberries), it is a good introduction to fruits you might not recognize.

An A-Z Guide to Ecuador's Most Common Produce

Ciao for now!

Cuenca - it’s like the good ol’ days of the 1950’s

Guest Post courtesy from Dano of the AHHH CUENCA!! blog.

Cuenca - it’s like the good ol’ days of the 1950’s

Hola from my little town (400,000 people), high in the Andes (8,200 feet), of a Third World Country (Ecuador, South America).

I’ve heard it said many, many times over the 4+ years I’ve lived here, that living in Cuenca, Ecuador (South America) is like living in the 1950’s.  Why?

Is it because we don’t have internet?  No cell phones?  We watch TV in negro y blanco?  We drive 1958 Chevy Station Wagons?  

Mom/Dad actually had one of these, same color config, too.

Surround Sound - Cuenca EC Style

Living in Cuenca has given us a new appreciation for sounds. I've lived in a variety of cities, big and small, and while some of the sounds are shared, many are quite different.

Here are some examples of the sounds surrounding us in our Cuenca neighborhood, along with a little explanation of why they might be different than those in the US or why they are special to us.

• Spanish - This had to be first. While we hear Spanish in places in the US, we tend to ignore it. Here, not so much. We enjoy hearing it and seeing how many words we can understand. You do have to "tune" your ear.
• Weed eaters - Not so strange you say? Well here in Ecuador, weed eaters are used to mow the grass. Not just for yards, but we've passed half a dozen city workers mowing the grass along the river that way. (The other Ecuadorian lawn movers are cows & goats, staked and moved as needed.)
• Kids laughing - We are so privileged to have a day care center next to our apartment. They are usually outside, weather permitting, for 1-1.5 hrs sometime between ten and noon. We love hearing them laugh and play, rarely a cry heard.
• Running water - The two main rivers here (and we've lived close to both of them) are swift and loud. We love listening to the water as it comes out of the mountains and down through our neighborhoods.
• Barking dogs - This is a chronic issue in Ecuador. Dogs here are usually not pets, they are alarms. Some love to bark, some only alert. We have several dogs in our building but we only hear one bark when someone comes to the door, the others are usually quiet. But outside, in our neighborhood we have two German Shepherds. One only alerts when someone nefarious (or smells funny or talks wrong) passes his house. The other is younger and will bark because he's lonely, because it's raining, because...well, who knows. Fortunately this has only impacted one night of sleep - he was new, they weren't home, they hadn't built shelter for him it was raining. But barking dogs are the norm here....
• Car and building alarms - While we are on nuisances, this is another one that we've had to adjust to here in Cuenca. It seems as though ALL cars come with alarms and NO car alarms are ever adjusted for sensitivity. Thus the alarms go off frequently for no reason. Stu says the best place for a car thief or burglar is in the car with the alarm going off since no one pays any attention to them. The building alarms are less frequent and fortunately in our area, they are turned off pretty quickly.
• Traffic - When we have windows open (which is usually every night), we hear the buses as they grind gears, squeak their brakes, nail the accelerator, etc. The funniest are the buses with an air brake that sounds similar to a seal barking. I always break (no pun) out in laughter when I hear them. We also have one motorcyclist that LOVES to rev it up as he passes through between 11:30-12:30 each night. Less traffic = more speed.
• Hummingbirds - Yes, we can hear the hummingbirds. They are quite large here and you can hear their wings flapping as well as their chirping at each other. We love watching them visit our feeder twice a day.
• Propane delivery trucks - In El Centro, propane is often delivered by someone pushing a cart or riding a bicycle/cart combo. But here the propane tanks are delivered in the back of a truck. Some residents use a regular service and call them when they need a delivery. Others listen for the "honk, honk, honk" of the propane delivery truck in their neighborhood, then run out to flag him down. (Our building has a big tank on top, no propane worries for us.)
• Honking - Yes, there is honking. The typical stuff in traffic, taxis and busses in particular honk to get traffic moving. But you also hear a quick honk if you are about to step out in front of a car/truck. But the best honk is the quick one by the taxi about to pass you, letting you know he's available if you need him!
• Fireworks - We love this, fireworks of some sort almost every night. Why? Well, it's someone's birthday or anniversary or new job or engagement or maybe just because it's Tuesday. We have a great view from our apartment and although we often only hear the fireworks, other times we get to enjoy the light show.
• Police - We have two banks that we can see from our apartment. Both are located on very busy Av. de las Américas. People often can't find parking so the just barely pull off the street onto the sidewalk and run inside. The Transito Police come by in their cars, blip their sirens and announce over their loudspeakers that the cars need to move. Always gives us a giggle - happens several times a day.
• Serenades - Birthdays, Mother's Day and even Valentine's Day, it's not unusual to see a van pull out and singers or a band spill out to serenade someone. The van often has speakers to make sure EVERYONE in the neighborhood knows someone is being serenaded. Yes, we did have a Mariachi band once...
• Birds - No, not unusual. Well, except for the fact that there is one bird species that starts chattering around 4am and stops before sunrise, never to be heard again until the next early morning.

Ahhh, the sounds of Cuenca. What are the sounds in your area?

Ciao for now!

Walking in Cuenca

I know we've mentioned how careful you have to be when walking anywhere here in Cuenca. The sidewalks leave much to be desired, as you can see by the photos below.

Expats wear good walking shoes - sneakers, hiking shoes or sturdy sandals with straps (flip-flops are really dangerous here). But the local women seem to have no problem tottering around in stiletto heels. We've yet to figure out how they manage and never seem to lose their balance.

But even then, imagine our surprise when we saw these in a store window today. I can't seriously believe anyone would wear these - maybe a new kind of art?

Here are some photos I've taken over time showing the state of Cuenca's sidewalks - and some are worse than this!

Many of our friends have joined the "Cuenca Clutz Club", you can see why!

Ciao for now!

Role Reversal

Supermaxi is our local grocery store, although we sometimes go to Coral (sort of a super Walmart on steroids) when we need gallon jugs of vinegar, cases of water, etc.

When we first moved here, over a year ago, when I would hear someone speaking English in either store, I would walk up and introduce myself. (Stu says my internal extrovert went on high alert...) It was a great way to meet new folks as well as ask questions about products, what to use and where to find things. Now the expats I encounter are typically friends and although we stop to chat, at times we just wave and move on down the aisle.

Yesterday I was doing some last minute shopping before the holiday weekend. I had just finished in the produce department and had moved to the dairy aisle when an Ecuadorian lady stopped me. She had a recipe written in English and wanted to know what an "apple" was. In Spanish the word is "manzana". She pointed towards the apples while she spoke, in English.

She wasn't sure if the apples were what she needed and I told her, "Si." She then said "large" and I nodded repeating "grande". As we walked towards the apples I told her, "No mas grande. Mediano." She laughed and agreed.

It wasn't till late that I realized how different this was from my visits a year ago. Today I helped a local with her English. A true role reversal.
 

Ciao for now!

Spices in Spanish

morguefile.com

A friend here in Ecuador recently published a link to a page that listed the names of common spices in English and Spanish. I remember our first shopping trip when I was trying to find just salt and pepper, then some cinnamon and cloves.

So here it is for anyone who can use it!

Allspice / Pimienta Gorda
Anise / Anís
Basil / Albahaca
Bay Leaves / Laurel
Black pepper / Pimienta Negra
Capers / Alcaparra
Caraway / Alcaravea
Chamomile / Manzanilla
Chervil / Cerafolio
Chives / Cebolleta
Cinnamon / Canela
Cardamom / Cardamomo
Cloves / Clavo
Comfrey / Confrey
Coriander / Cilantro
Cumin / Comino
Dill / Eneldo
Fennel / Hinojo
Garlic / Ajo
Ginger / Jengibre
Marjoram / Mejorano
Mustard / Mostaza
Nutmeg / Nuez Moscada
Onion / Cebolla
Oregano / Orégano
Paprika / Pimentón
Parsley / Perejil
Peppermint / Menta
Poppyseed / Adormidera
Rosemary / Romero
Saffron / Azafrán
Sage / Salvia
Savory / Saturega
Sesame Seed / Ajonjolí
Spearmint / Yerba Buena
Tarragon / Estragón
Thyme / Tomillo
Tumeric / Cúrcuma
Vanilla / Vanilla
Wintermint / Axocopaque

That said, many folks like to bring in less common spices as well as mixes that they were used to. We brought in large containers (Sam's Club) of Mrs. Dash Original and Old Bay. You won't find chili powder or taco seasoning here, so we also brought a large container of dark chili powder. Because some of the spices are milder (blander), we also brought cumin (readily available here) and cinnamon (also readily available).

Salt is easy to get but it has no iodine in it so we also opted to bring in a container of Morton's salt with iodine. We don't use a lot but we also don't eat a lot of things that might provide the iodine. I have thyroid issues and felt this was the best thing for us to do.

Cuenca, Ecuador: Perceptions, Misconceptions and a Third Look

During our exploratory visit to Cuenca, we wrote a post about "Preconceptions, Misconceptions and New Viewpoints". In January 2014 we updated our thoughts in this post, "Perceptions, Misconceptions and Living Here". I thought it was time for another review so here is "Perceptions, Misconceptions and a Third Look".

1. Noise, pollution and traffic
   We notice the noise less and less all the time, I guess we have adapted to city life. The sporadic building alarm behind our new apartment bothers us the most (well, it bothers Stu).
   
   The traffic hasn't changed much, we still walk a lot as well as take the bus.
   
   Pollution is worse due to the construction for the Tranvia and our new location close to it. We expect 2015 to be the worst since construction will expand into El Centro.
    
2. Conservative dress
   I now feel quite comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt when going out but I have also added more solid color shirts (not blouses) and a couple pairs of Duluth Trading pants. Stu has done the same. We still wear athletic shoes most of the time although I love my Ariat slip-ons for days when I'm not walking a lot.
   
   We are seeing more and more casual dress in the teens, even shorts, so I anticipate the continuing trend towards this as those teens grow up.
    
3. Bad Coffee
   Very rarely do we get served bad coffee here. We love the coffee in the restaurants and love the dark roast beans we get at a local shop, Nucallacta.
    
4. Weather
   We still love the weather here and in our new apartment with almost wall-to-wall windows, even an overcast day doesn't seem gloomy. But we know the weather isn't for everyone. It can be a bit cool at times and of course the temperature FEELS warmer or cooler at times due to the altitude.
    
5. Stray Dogs
   Not much has changed here although there are several more rescue groups for dogs. Cats aren't seen as much...mostly with expats. We have seen more locals treating dogs as pets rather than an alarm system. We sometimes wonder if these are part of the influx of Ecuadorians returning from the US and Spain.
    
6. Finding our way around
   We're doing much better, the addresses make sense to us now and we can finally pronounce most of the street names. Of course, we still never remember the address of places we see...thank goodness we have friends that do!
    
7. Language Barrier
   This will be a continual learning process. Our two weeks of Spanish class helped and we both plan to keep working from our notes and workbooks (as well as using the online resources). I get compliments on my pronounciation, even when I'm not sure what I'm saying. So I guess that's a good thing.
    
8. Safety/Security
   We really don't worry about this, as we've stated before, we use common sense when we are out and about. Since we are now in an 8 floor building, we have security at the entrance 24/7. We still don't go out a lot in the evenings, but then we didn't do that in the US either.
    
9. Graffiti vs Street Murals
   We continue to see new murals around town and enjoy snapping photos of them. They are constantly changing. The tagging type graffiti continues but it also moves. Some of it has an artisitic quality, others, not so much. Part of city life...sigh.
    
10. Street/Road Condition & Pedestrians (Walking)
    Nothing has changed here, it's still dangerous to be a pedestrian and you have to continually watch where you walk as well as watch the traffic. But we have had several folks motion us to cross in front of their cars and we even had a bus driver do so. We thank them gratefully!

What we love about Ecuador...this list hasn't changed from our first post other than the addition of #10. Oh, and the list is in no particular order, that would be hard to do. There is something for everyone here in Ecuador whether you plan to vacation or retire. Give it a try!

1. The People 
2. The Greenery
3. The Climate 
4. The Fresh Fruits & Vegetables 
5. The Lack of Stress 
6. The Little Shops  & Markets
7. The Artisans 
8. The Family 
9. The Country 
10. The Diversity

Needless to say, we still love living here. This year we plan to take a mini-trip every month, out to a surrounding town or tourist attraction. We will continue to expand our Spanish vocabulary (grammar and tense are at the bottom of our list). We see something new and interesting daily, whether from our apartment window or traveling around town. Life is good! C'mon on down for a visit...

What a year it's been!

Hard to believe we have lived in Ecuador for a year now and what a year it's been. We've moved three times (counting the move to Ecuador), gone on a mini-vacation to Madre Tierra in Vilcabamba, taken two trips (for Stu, one for me) back to the US, visited some Inca ruins, welcomed a new grandbaby, visited local doctors and bought medications without any hassle (no Rx needed for most), wrote 128 blog posts in this blog (another 144 in my author blog and 28 in our US personal blog) and so much more.

My personal perceptions? I still love it. We have settled into a bit of a routine but that was to be expected. I've learned more Spanish than I thought I could and Stu isn't far behind me. I've started cooking more (Stu was doing most of the cooking), using natural ingredients and a few canned items. No, not the same as the US since there tends to be less sugar and salt in many things.

The city still intrigues me, there is always something going on when we visit. I hope we will visit more next year, now that we are a short bus ride away. In our first apartment it took more effort to get to El Centro so now we don't have an excuse.

I still have to be very careful where I walk, especially in El Centro. We warn all visitors and newcomers to be careful, don't look up and keep walking. Those taking photos are especially prone to falls. Here are a few photos I've taken of the sidewalks in Cuenca to show you why.

In addition, many are narrow, fitting one person at a time. When construction is done on buildings you often have to walk in the street. Yes, there are a few good areas but most of the time you have to watch for uneven surfaces, protruding metal objects and loose blocks.

When we came back from our trip to the US this past Sep-Oct, I realized how much I had missed the kids. They flip from laughing to serious and back again, but they are so adorable (spelled the same in Spanish but pronounced differently). Here are a few shots of children in Cuenca that I've taken over the last year, you can see more in my album:

There is still a LOT to do and see in the local area. We hope in 2015 to travel more outside the city and visit some of the surrounding areas. 2016 will be the year we can travel more than 90 days (actually up to 18 months out of country) outside Ecuador so we want to see a little more of South America.

We've made all our major purchases, the final being our washer/dryer. Okay, so if we find a really nice recliner...LOL! I will work on updating our budget page since it doesn't accurately reflect what we are currently paying.

New to our blog? You might also want to read:

• We aren't in BFE - honest!
• My Top FIVE List of Surprises
• Perceptions, Misconceptions and Living Here

Hardship? Round 3 - Shopping...

We are living in a third world country, right? That should mean a hardship when it comes to buying things, right? I mean, who doesn't think about trudging down a dirt road to a local market where we pick and choose between a small choice of fruits, veggies and live meat, right?

Well, maybe not so much these days. Yes, we can go to Feria Libre and buy live meat and freshly killed meat (including the head of the chicken as well as its feet). Whole hogs are easily purchased as well. We can stop in smaller tiendas (stores) or even specialty shops. Something for everyone!

While we enjoy the mercados for fruit and vegetables, we also enjoy our local supermarket, SuperMaxi. The only way to tell it's not a supermarket in the US are the labels - rows and rows of products with labels written in Spanish. When we first arrived, it was hard to figure out what was what but now I am accustomed to things, it's usually pretty easy. Okay, so I still rely on the pictures on the front...LOL!

The shopping malls can rival most in the US as we mentioned during our exploratory visit. So to give you a glimpse, here are some photos I've taken during various shopping trips, to the grocery store, to the mall, to the hardware store, etc. {remember, you can click any image for a larger view}

Of course things are starting to get decorated for the Christmas holiday.

Don't forget to check out this old post on our five biggest surprises! As well as our other two hardship posts: Hardship? Popacuchu Cafe ... & Hardship? Round 2 - Sojo Spa