The negotiator

I'm a much better negotiator today than I was a few years ago.

When I was in Israel at the age of thirteen, my mom was bargaining a yarmulke salesman on Ben Yehuda Street. She wanted to get him down to about 10 shekels. He was asking for 20 shekels. I didn't understand the idea of bargaining and thought that my mom didn't have enough to buy the yarmulke and told her and the vender that I had enough shekels to cover the difference.

Twelve years later, I can say that I am much better at this whole bargaining thing. I'm not the best, but I have a better sense of what I'm doing.

This brings us to an elevated wooden shack off a mud path in Nuevo Rocafuerte, the last Ecuadorian town before the border with Peru. On one side of the table are two American backpackers who just realized that they are stuck in this town until a ride to Peru appears. On the other side of the table is a Peruvian tour guide, his driver, and his cook.  The guide had brought a pair of Mexican backpackers up The River two weeks ago and was waiting for some profitable reason to return downstream.

Begin the negotiations.

The guide and I shmoozed for a while, trying to feel each other out. I dropped a lot of Ecuadorian slang, making me seem like a man of the people. He did what he could to talk about his knowledge of The River.

He asked for a map of The River, but the guy whose house we were in didn't have a map. So he asked for a piece of notebook paper to draw an epic map of The River. He ended up drawing the stick-figure equivalent of the map of the Napo River. The River is so immense, with so many curves and intricacies. He left these out in his sketch.

He pretty much drew a line with three points on it: Nuevo Rocafuerte, Pantoja, and, a little further downstream, Santa Clotilde. He used this map to explain that he could transport us from Nuevo Rocafuerte to Santa Clotilde, where there are boats to Iquitos every day.

After about ten minutes, we stopped messing around. The guide, Pepe, said that it was time to start talking numbers.

I didn't want to be the one to set the starting value. I wanted to put the ball in his court. He took a pen and slowly wrote a dollar sign in the notebook. Then he paused for drama, I believe, and etched 750 onto the paper.

I knew that price was a few hundred dollars more than anything I would find close to acceptable. He knew this, too. I tried to do as little as possible to show this.

I took a deep breath before telling him that the number seemed a bit high.

"How high?"

"Probably about twice as much as we would we willing to pay."

"I can't cut that number in half. I won't make a profit. I can potentially offer you $400, but you have to wait until tomorrow."

"That's fine. We can wait."

"Great. We'll talk in the morning."

We saw him at his boat the next morning. He said he was waiting to see if some other passengers would arrive from Coca that afternoon, but that our $400 price would be fine. If no one came on that boat, we would leave early the next morning.

We asked him if it would be possible to leave that same day in the afternoon. He said that we could.

Irrational thoughts

In the previous post, I broke down the economics of our decision whether or not to charter a boat from Nuevo Rocafuerte to Santa Clotilde.

But I'm not a completely rational actor and feel the need to justify my actions in other ways.

The boat on the right is the one that would take on the next leg of  The River.

So here is how Avery and I justified spending $400 on the boat ride, aside from the previously explained economics:

We just had a feeling that this was the right decision by continuing along The River. This adventure was about being on The River, not stuck in some town along it.

After talking to people in Nuevo Rocafuerte, it became obvious that no one knew when the next boat would leave Pantoja.

The hostel owner in Nuevo Rocafuerte told me on the phone that a boat was on its way to Pantoja from Iquitos. He didn't tell me the truth and would make a profit off his lie. If we were to sleep in Nuevo Rocafuerte, he would earn $10 a day. (He owned the most economic hostel option in town)

Avery and I didn't get a very friendly vibe from the tourism community in Nuevo Rocafuerte. The hostel owner had told us a boat was on its way when it wasn't. His wife had told us that we could use the kitchen at the hostel and then recanted. The tourism guy who we were directed to seemed like he wasn't being very forward with information. It all combined to create a rather cold environment.

The people on our boat from Coca to Nuevo Rocafuerte were really nice, though. I had gotten the phone numbers for some of the other passengers on the boat, and we would have connected with them if we were to stay in Nuevo Rocafuerte longer (We were told that a Michigan ecology professor was working with a reserve in the area, and we could try to connect with that project if we had stayed).

Each day that we stayed in Nuevo Rocafuerte was one fewer day we could spend in Brazil.

A Klump moment

Normally, I like to blog in chronological order.

 This is an extraordinary event and requires immediately blogging.

Avery and I were at a manatee rescue center this afternoon when we noticed an obvious North American tourist.

 Tourist: Where are you guys from?
Avery: Detroit. Where are you from?
Tourist: Chicago.
Ian (with Klump intonation): Oh, Chicago. We have family there.

 I look over at Avery after dropping this line, and he is cracking up. I forget what she said next. One thing that is obvious is that she is not a huge The Nutty Professor fan. At the very least, she probably didn't DVR twice on her cable box so she could fast forward to the dinner table scenes.

Backpacker becomes an economist

After learning that there would not be a public boat to Iquitos in the near future, we were left with some decisions to make. Namely, the big decision was "what do we do next?"

We saw this boat being built in Nuevo Rocafuerte.  This was never considered seriously.

After asking around town we had learned that a Peruvian guide had driven two Mexican tourists up from Iquitos to Pantoja a week and a half ago and was waiting in Pantoja until he had passengers to return to Iquitos. We were told that it could cost as much as $420 to go from Pantoja to Santa Clotilde, a town three days downriver that has daily boats to Iquitos.

We assumed that the next public passenger boat would be in Iquitos 15 days after the previous one had left. In this case, it would be 11 days from the day we arrived in Nuevo Rocafuerte. We know there is no schedule for these boats, but we assumed that this was the earliest that the next boat might arrive.

From here, we engaged in a detailed economic analysis to see whether it made more sense to pay the guide to take us to Santa Clotilde, to stay in Nuevo Rocafuerte or to pursue another option.

Begin analysis:

Boat cost from Pantoja to Santa Clotilde: $420

Hostel cost in Nuevo Rocafuerte: $10/ day * 11 days = $110
Jungle excursion budget allotment to be used for jungle adventure somewhere between Ecuador, Peru, Colombia or Brazil: $180
Utility of our time (note to potential employers: please don't take this as an idea as to our expected remuneration): a modest $20 / day  * 11 days = $220
Boat to Pantoja from Nuevo Rocafuerte: $50
Other expenses: $20

Total utility= $580

Our utility would decrease by $30 each day because of the hotel and overall utility costs that would decrease. Using these calculations, we reasoned that we would take up the driver on his offer to take us to Santa Clotilde as long as we would leave Nuevo Rocafuerte before Tuesday (June 5th). (We arrived in Nuevo Rocafuerte on May 31st).

Please critique our economics, but note that any time spent toward another conclusion is a sunk cost for us because we already made the decision to leave. This information, however, could benefit other backpackers in similar circumstances in the future.

Keep in mind that the information in the post is the extent of the information we had. We have since learned other details that might have allowed us to complete a more in-depth analysis of the situation, but the conclusion would have stayed the same.

Travel logistics: Coca to Nuevo Rocafuerte

Getting from Coca to Nuevo Rocafuerte is relatively straightforward.

This is the view of The River from our hostel in Coca. This is the last bridge we saw that crosses the Mighty Napo.

Boats leave from Coca to the border almost every day (at least every other day) and cost $15.

The boats leave from the docks in Coca right behind the Naval station. You need to get there before 7:00 a.m. to reserve your seat and make sure there is space for your bags. If you bring rice sacks full of food, they will charge you $2.50/ bag.

We went to the docks the night before our boat left and bought our ticket from a heavy-set woman who was selling them. She worked for the Cooperativa de Transportes Fluvial Orellana (062882043 or 090488570).

Getting from Nuevo Rocafuerte to Pantoja (the first town on the Peru side of the border) is also relatively straightforward.

This is the chariot that took us from Coca to Nuevo Rocafuerte. Notice the boat to the left that supplies the beer to Nuevo Rocafuerte.

Once you are in Nuevo Rocafuerte, you will be approached by any passerby, asking you if you would like a ride to Pantoja. The boat costs $50. It's always best to find other people heading that way to split the costs. There is a migrations office in Nuevo Rocafuerte located next to the Municipio. There is Ecuador cell reception with Claro, and we were told that you can go to the local high school to use the Internet.

This shows Parque Nacional Yasuni in Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. There is more biodiversity in the photo than the entire state of Michigan.

There are a few hostels in town. The price is about $5-6 per person. We were originally told it would cost $7 per night for a private bathroom but were able to bargain the woman at Yarug Wasi down to $5.

They sell all the basic essentials in Nuevo Rocafuerte, except a bit more expensive than you'd find in the city. This is to be expected because of the cost required to transport goods.

Getting from Pantoja to Iquitos is where this journey becomes a true adventure.

No matter what anyone else says, there is no schedule for boats from Pantoja to Iquitos. The local government sends a boat there about once a month, but there is no schedule as of our travels.

We had called Nuevo Rocafuerte from Coca to see if there was going to be a boat coming soon. Francisco, the guy on the other end of the line, said that a boat had recently left Iquitos for Pantoja and should arrive in 3-5 days. I had gotten Francisco's number from the boat company that operated the Coca-Nuevo Rocafuerte route as someone who knows the boat schedule to Iquitos and thought that he would know. With this information, we decided to head straight to Nuevo Rocafuerte to await our imminent departure to Iquitos.

When we were on the boat to Nuevo Rocafuerte, I decided to ask a few other people about the boat from Pantoja to Iquitos. Everybody told me that a boat had recently left Pantoja for Iquitos on Sunday and that nobody knew when the next one would head upriver.

It turns out that all the people on the boat were right and the guy who I was told knows about the schedule as well as anyone else was wrong.

Lesson of the story: there is no schedule.

Travel logistics: Quito-Coca

We left Quito on Tuesday afternoon.

After completing all the necessary close of service paperwork and tears at the Peace Corps office, we took a cab to the Supermaxi in Cumbayá. It cost us about $6.00 more than public transit would have, but we didn´t want to shlep all of our bags onto two buses to get to the Rio Coca Terminal, where buses to Cumbayá leave every two minutes.

When we arrived at the bus stop in Cumbayá, there was a bus leaving for Coca. We hustled up to see if there were seats. The ayudante (assistant) said there weren´t.

Ten minutes later a bus heading to Tena pulled up. Tena is about five hours from Quito in bus and is a city I know relatively well having visited there several times. An hour outside of Tena is the intersection that separates the road to Coca from the road to Tena (Km. 24 via Hollin-Loreto).

We hopped on the bus the bus heading toward Tena and weighed our options. There are buses leaving Tena every hour and half for Coca, and all these buses pass that intersection. We could have gotten off at the intersection and picked up the next bus to Coca. If we had done this we would have arrived in Coca at around 10:00 p.m.

Coca has a relatively shady reputation among Ecuadorians. I was talking to a friend the other days who said he has heard more stories of people getting robbed in Coca than fingers on his hands. He also said that most of those stories started with "I was drinking in Coca...," but the point remains the same. The only reason that Coca emerged as a major city is the oil industry.

I called the boat company in Coca and learned there was no benefit to arriving in Coca early Wednesday morning or Wednesday afternoon because the boat left early Thursday morning and there was no need to book your ticket ahead of time.

Given the available information and my previously comfort level with Tena, we decided to take the bus all the way to Tena ($6) and head out on a bus to Coca early Wednesday morning.

We stayed a Hostal Austria in Tena ($11 /person) and had hoped to use the evening to catch up on email and eat burritos. Unfortunately, there was an unexpected power outage, so we couldn't do anything but sit in our hotel room under candlelight.

We took a bus the next morning to Coca ($7) and got into town a little afternoon. Having not spent any money on dinner the night before, we decided to treat ourselves to maito for lunch. Maito is a delicacy of the Ecuadoian Amazon. It is also known as ayampaco. If you want to learn how to make them, check out this YouTube video I made.

We found a simple hostel near the boat docks and will be out there are 6:00 a.m. in the morning to reserve space on the boat.

The next post will give boat logistics for Coca to Nuevo Rocafuerte.

Bus movies strike back

The bus movie is an aspect of Latin American culture that I almost forgot about while living in Quito.

Because my job didn't require me to take long-distance buses very often, I had fallen behind on the bus movie culture. When I was last riding in buses, the most popular movies on them were Fireproof and 2012.

The last few days have allowed me to get back in touch with what's popular and what will always be popular on modes of transit.

On the ride from Quito to Tena, the first movie screened was Colombiana, which is about a female assassin of Colombian heritage. This explains its obvious appeal in Ecuador. (I had actually watched this movie on a bus when I was in Colombia).

After that film finished, the driver put in the most-played disc in Ecuador in the last decade: the Fast and the Furious series. Unfortunately, the ride was only long enough to watch the first two installments of what I consider the greatest five-movie series ever produced. (Once they get to seven movies, we can talk about whether it's better than Land Before Time.)

The ride from Tena to Coca went inspirational five-pack, of which we could only get through two and half. The first movie was Courageous, a Christian film about police officers in Albany, Georgia. Although it doesn't make any direct references to Fireproof, this is obviously the sequel. The last two-plus hours were spent on Bucket List and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. But the bus's DVD kept crapping out, which made it difficult to follow along.

I don't think they are going to show any movies on The River. If they do, I expect it to be the entire Anaconda series on repeat.

Provisions

When Francisco Orellana and Gonzalo Pizarro set out for El Dorado and the land of Cinnamon, they left Quito with 220 soldiers, 200 horses, 2,000 pigs, 2,000 war hounds and 4,000 native porters. When my younger brother and I set out for the Amazon River, we had considerable fewer provisions. Granted, times have changed. We do have sheathed machetes, though.

These songs have defined my time in Ecuador (20-1)

The truth is that I could probably write a master's dissertation about each of these songs in the top 20. They have all, in their own way, helped shaped my experience in Ecuador.

20. A dormir juntitos - Eddy Herrera y Liz



In addition to the bachata that I talked about in yesterday's installment, the technocumbia is a staple of late-night, small-town dances. When you listen to this song, they might be singing about durmiendo juntitos, but you are probably a meter and a half away from your dance partner, with whom you aren't making eye contact.

19. Te amo - Makano



If there was one defining artist of my first two years in Ecuador, it had to have been Makano. The soothing beats from this Panamanian pop singer took over the small towns of Ecuador. This was one of his biggest hits.

In the States, I don't really sing along with pop music, but I really get into in Ecuador. This is one of the best songs to really belt out like you mean it.

18. Mr. Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan



Mr. Saxobeat has shot up the charts in the last year or so. You'll hear it on the bus. You'll hear it again walking down the street. You'll hear it again when your roommate decides to play it on loop on iTunes. Then, before you know it, you're listening to it on your own volition and singing along.

17. Te amo tanto - Nigga



This song is in the same category as Makano's hit that came in at No. 19. I would say that these songs are the Latin American equivalent of R & B. As great as Makano's hit is, Nigga's just one ups him.

16. Te regalo amores - Rakim y Ken-Y



You cannot deny the greatness of this song. Once it really gets going, there might not be a more addictive and enjoyable song to listen to.

15. Moscau - Dschinghis Khan



I had never heard this song in my first two years as a volunteer. It was much more popular in the jungle. But my roommates, who both spent the first two years of their service in the jungle, brought this gem up to Quito with them. If we ever have a dance party in our house, this is the song that typically kicks it off.

We don't really have any idea what they are saying, but I'm sure it's great.

14. Niña bonita - Chino y Nacho



I´m going to allow my roommate, Meaghan, to insert a guest commentary on this song because my best memory of this song was when Meaghan and another volunteer immitated the music video at our close of service conference.

"This song really speaks to the heart of the Latin people."

13. ¿Qué tengo que hacer? - Daddy Yankee



Daddy Yankee is one of the pioneers of hip hop, at least in my mind. This song came out at about the time I started service, and it was a hit with all the kids in my youth group.

12. Pa Panamericano



There was a time last year when every single person in Ecuador had this song stuck in his or her head.

11. Cuando me enamorao - Enrique Iglesias y Juan Luis Guerra



Si pudiera bajarte una estrella...

From those first words, you can tell that this song is coming straight from the heart directly to airwaves throughout Ecuador.

A veces desespero cuando me enamoro.

I didn't even realize that the video is a school assembly. Outstanding.

10. Calle ocho - Pitbull



I was walking through the store with my roommates the other week. Out of nowhere, we started singing this song's chorus.

One, two, three, four. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro.

A group of elementary-school aged girls overheard us and started giggling. It was outstanding.

I can't tell you how many times I have been asked "what do "You know I want. I know you what me" mean by Arenillas youth?

This song has pretty much everything you could look for in a reggaeton song: a catchy chorus. a little bit of English, large sections of the song that you don't understand, Pitbull.

9. Tsunami - Bayron Caicedo



Bayron Caicedo's nickname is "El duro, duro, duro de Ecuador."

James Brown was often referred to as the hardest-working man in show business. Well, Bayron Caicedo is the hardest-working man in Ecuadorian show business.

The man is always on tour. He must have played live in or around Arenillas four times in my service. I spoke to friends who lived in the jungle, and they said the same thing. The man loves to put on shows and collect pay checks.

He loves it so much that he puts his phone number at the beginning of his music videos.

I've spent this whole time just talking about the man himself and haven't even touched on the epicness of this song. The dance scene that plays out in this video is pretty much what happens every time this song is played in Ecuador - all-out dance party.

8. Na de na - Angel y Khriz



When I hear this song, I think discoteca

The beat was probably forged in the depths of Latin America's sleaziest clubs. The words, or syllables because there are very complete words in this, were composed in the graffiti on the club's bathroom walls. Its bass has blasted the innocence from many a young Ecuadorians going to the discos.

Notice the use of the reggaeton horn in the background. Love the horn.

7. Cara guay



I have spent more than a year in the Ecuadorian sierra. The go-to song for any traditional social gathering in this part of the country is Cara Guay. I don't know if anyone knows what it means. All I know is that everyone loves it.

I have a distinct memory of walking down the street in my training community three years ago when a local dance group was dancing to this one in the street.

This video was already high on the list before I saw the beginning of this video. Simply outstanding.

6. Tu nombre en mi cuaderno - Makano



Why is this the most played song in my iTunes?

Could it be that it was the most requested song by the youth in the newspaper club when they came to my house to work?

Could it be that I then played it on repeat after they left?

5. Tres notas - Au-D



Hearing this song's opening notes just makes me nostralgic for pre-service training.

One of the staff members put on a memorable performance of this vintage Ecuadorian pop song. Needless to say, it brought the house down, and people are still talking about it.

4. Lagrimas - Aventura



I swear there has never been a studio played of this song in Ecuador. The only recording you will ever hear has the crowd in the background, which makes it that much better.

While "Tu nombre en mi cuaderno" might be the most played song on my iTunes, this is probably the song that I have heard the most in my three years. It is stil regularly played and sang along to on the buses.

3. Como hago - Eddy Herrera



Every volunteer has a techno cumbia song at the top of their list. And every one of those songs has a story behind it.

I remember hearing this song for the first time at a fiesta during my first week at site.

For some reason, the "como hago ahora para no llorar..." line was already stuck in my head the next day. It's been there for three years and counting now.

2. Waving flag - K'naan



Along with Waka Waka, this was one of the theme songs for the 2010 World Cup. I don't know if there has ever been a more uplifting, positive song ever written. When you hear it, you can't help but feel inspired.

Even after the World Cup ended, I would keep hearing this song for months afterward. Although I don't hear it as much these days on the airwaves, I wish I heard it more.

Is there a more feel-good video than a bunch of happy kids running, playing soccer, and waving their hands in the air?

You can also check out the Spanish version of this song by David Bisbal that is pretty great, as well.



1. Danza kuduro - Don Omar



If you are ever feeling a little down, if you feel like Ecuador is out to get you, there is one sure-fire way to pick your spirits up. Open up iTunes and put on this song (Or open your windows because, odds are, your neighbors are playing it). From its first notes to its unforgettable chorus to the mix of Spanish-Portuguese to the time when the artist yells out "sexy," you just can't help but feel better after hearing this song.

There are so many aspects of this song that put it at the top of this list:

• The great English dialogue between Don Omar and Luczenzo at the beginning of the video. They sound a like a couple of Ecuadorian high school students practicing for an English test.
• The fact that the video is presented by "Machete Music"
• The high ratio of yachts per minute
• The high ratio of bikini-clad dancers to artists
• The split-screen technology.
• Don Omar's ridiculous dance at the steering wheel
• The fact that nobody really knows what the song really means.

One of my friends plays an acoustic version of this song that I hope to get on YouTube very soon.

These songs have defined my time in Ecuador (40-21)

The countdown continues today as we pass the midpoint of the songs that have defined my time in Ecuador. I know that there were some pretty extreme commentaries on the first installment, but I stand by where I put Gerardo Moran.

Now, let's get things going.

40. Chica virtual - Don Omar y Arcangel



The song doesn't actually start until 1:11 of the video. But the anticipation is outstanding. You can't help but shake your body when you hear the first notes.

39. El dengue - El loko



This mix has so much going for it.
The name
The DJ's name
The only words in the song are "Drop it like it's hot, baby."

This is enough to put it at 39 on the list.

38. Stand by me - Prince Royce



There are about 15 seconds of silence before the video starts. Don't worry. You'll start snapping right away.

We should create a computer program that can automatically transform Motown sounds into bachata. I can't wait for My Girl's bachata version. It would an automatic top-10 hit.

My roommate pointed out that we are some of the only people in Ecuador who can sing these entire half-English, half-Spanish (miti-miti) compilations.

37. Si no le contesto - Plan B



This is one of those songs that when you first get here, you hate it. But as the months pass by, you notice your tapping your feet at first. Then the next month the head starts bobbing. Before you know, you're dancing with the other Ecuadorians on the bus and singing along.

36. Ai se eu te pegou - Michel Telo



If you were in Omnibus 101 and didn't extend your service, this song alone will make you regret that decision.

You might be wondering why this Portuguese song showed up on this list. But after hearing the thirty seconds, you can imagine how it caught fire like a gasoline-laden pile of garbage.

35. Celos - Fanny Lu



Whereas "Es un secreto" drives you nuts and then you start to like, this one just drives you nuts.

34. Amor de contrabando - Jenny Rivera



When I told my roommates that this song is in the 30s, they were blown away that it wasn't in the top 20. Keep in mind that my roommates had 40 songs in their top 20.

As soon as you hear the first notes in this song, the hips just rise and start moving.

33. El doctorado - Tony Dize



Like many other reggaeton songs, this one gets off to a slow start. But before you know it, your mind is on a yacht dreaming of bikini-clad women.

32. Estos celos - Vicente Fernandez



I couldn't tell you where this song is played. I guess it's one of your more up-beat dancing songs. A little more uplifting than Julio Jaramillo. I can't tell you how many times I've yodeling "Ayyyyy, ayyyy amor."

31. Es tan dificil - Zacarias Ferreira



Wait until you hit the chorus at 1:05, and tell me that this tune isn't already stuck in your head.

30. Baila moreno - Zuccero



The intro sounds like it is out of the late 70s, but then the rock hits and you are belting the lyrics by the chorus. You know you are going to scream "What you say?" My roommate clarifies that at least every gringo is going to scream it.

One of my friends plays an outstanding acoustic version of this song. I'll try to record him next time his brings his ax to my apartment.

29. De rodillas de pido - Luis Miguel de Amargue



This song is vintage bachata. Bachate is a musical genre that is really popular in the jungle. When a coastal PC staff member heard volunteers singing along to these songs, he said "on the coast, only prostitutes and brothel-goers" listen to this music. I've never been to a brothel, but I did live on the coast, so I can't confirm that report.

28. Llamado de emergencia - Daddy Yankee



The music doesn't really get going until 43 seconds, but by 50 seconds you are already grinding up against the closest available woman or wall.

27. Waka waka - Shakira



For one month in 2010, you could be awake without hearing this song. It permeated every aspect of life. I think I remember hearing my neighbors playing while I was in the shower. Maybe I was just singing it, though.

26. Me estas tentando - Wisin y Yandel



This song doesn't stand out from the other reggaeton songs, but it belongs this high up in the list for how often it is played.

25. Juramentos - Kaliente



It was Dec. 25, 2011. I went down to the jungle to visit my roommate's old site, and his community had a baile next door to his host family's house. I called it an early night because we had a full day of digging holes, chipping teeth, and making muchines ahead of us. I was awaken at around 3 a.m. but this song. As much as I wanted to go back to sleep, I like this song so much I didn't even feel bad that it was keeping me up.

I actually kind of starting dancing in the bed.

24. Lamento boliviano - Enanitos Verdes



These guys are the definition of rockers. Check out their biography on wikipedia.

23. Loca - Shakira



This song speaks for itself - and the video even moreso.

22. Changueria - J King y Maximan



When you hear this song the first time, you wouldn't even think it's a song. Rather, you'd think it's just a couple of Latin youth screaming the same word over and over. Then you find yourself singing along. Then you find yourself singing this song to yourself as you walk down the street.

21. Guardaespaldas - Lucho Panic



The thing about this song is its versatility. It can be a great drinking song if you want or a great dancing song.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we reveal 20-1.

These songs have defined my time in Ecuador (60-41)

I have been in Ecuador for more than three years now.

In this time, I have been exposed, willingly and unwillingly, to a wide variety of songs and musical genres that have come to define my experience in Ecuador.

As I start to wind down my time here, I have decided to share with you a slice of my daily life in Ecuador. These are the songs that I have found emblematic of my service. Some of these songs were popular on buses. Some of these songs were played over and over by my neighbors in Arenillas at 6:00 a.m. I play some of these songs for my neighbors at 6:00 a.m.

I enjoy some of these songs. I detest others. But I can´t escape the fact that they are part of my Ecuador experience.

Obviously, others will have their own opinions, and I'd love you to share them in the comments sections. I've probably left out some classics. Please let me know which ones.

Thanks to the wonders of the YouTube, you can enjoy all of these. Keep in mind that I haven't seen most of these music videos because I mostly just hear these songs on the bus.

60. A mi lindo Ecuador



This is a classic folk song in Ecuador. Everyone knows it and loves it. We were first exposed to it during pre-service training, and trainees continued to learn for every time the ambassador would visit training. I can identify it by the first notes coming out of the wind pipes.

59. Noviembre sin ti - Reik



Radio la Voz de Arenillas, the small radion station in my site, would play this one a lot. It a mixture between pop and the love ballads that are so popular in Ecuador.

58. Angel de amor - Mana



Since moving up to Quito, I have been much more exposed to the Latin rock scene. Mana is the defining Latin rock band, and this is one of their hits.

57. Fuera de mi vida - Makano



This is one of those classic songs that you would hear when you are walking down the street, and it would get stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

56. Porque es tan cruel el amor - Ricardo Arjona



The women in my counterpart office in Arenillas loved belting out Ricardo Arjona songs. This is one of their of their favorites.

55. All up to you - Aventura (ft. Akon and Wisin y Yandel)



This is become a staple on the buses in the last year.

54. Lady - DJ Mendez



A dance party favorite.

53. Dile al amor - Aventura



This song cracks the list mostly because of the first two words. From there, Aventura churns out a great bachata song. Just a great song to listen to.

52. Una vaina loca - Fuego
Yeah, I realize there is a lot of reggaeton on this list. But those are the songs that get stuck in my head, and they are the songs that the jovenes (youth) listen to. This is one of them. Much like hip hop, the beats are catchy even when the words aren't that clean.

51. On the floor - Jennifer Lopez



A dance part favorite in Ecuador.

50. Calabria 2007 - Enur



A catchy dance song that gets stuck in your head all day if you hear it once on the bus.

49. Avispas - Juan Luis Guerra



A classic salsa song, not that I learned to dance salsa.

48. Nuestro lamento - Julio Jaramillo



Nothing says Sunday like men sitting in a circle, drinking Pilsener, listening to Julio Jaramillo, and crying.

47. Sexy bitch - David Guetta



For some reason, this song reminds me of the bus from Arenillas to Machala. Why? Probably because it seemed this song was played on repeat.

46. Taboo - Don Omar



I don't have any specific memories of this song, but it has been pretty popular for the better part of a year now. It's pretty popular on your local buses and at your dance parties.

45. Aire al respirar - Au-D



Au-D is one of the pioneers of Ecuadorian pop music. He has two really popular songs that I often confuse - one of them is much more emblematic than the other. This is the less memorable of the two.

44. Es un secreto - Plan B



This Venezuelan reggaeton group has really come in in the last year or so. This song reminds me of the bus from the Peace Corps Training Center up to Quito.

43. Rain over me - Pitbull



As you can tell, Pitbull is quite popular down here. This is another common song on the bus. My roommate really likes this for the part in this song when Marc Anthony yelps.

42. Cuando es - J King y Maximan



The youth groups that I worked with in Arenillas loved this song, which meant that I heard it a lot.

41. En vida - Gerardo Moran



This song is played at every campo baile (small town community dance).

Stay tuned for the next installment of the songs that have defined my time in Ecuador.

How to Make Muchines

Muchines are a traditional dish in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Every time I go to visit Cesareo and his family, they make this special meal.

Some say that I hold the record for most muchines eaten in one meal at Cesareo's house. Some say that the day that the Brothers Robinson ate more muchines per person than any meal at Cesareo's house. Some say I am stretching the truth, namely Pedro.

Regardless, the muchin is one of my favorite Ecuadorian foods. The ingredients are very simple (yucca, cheese, salt, vegetable oil, unrefined sugar, and some water). The process is a bit arduous (peeling and grating yucca). But the results are simply out of this world.

Not only did I learn to make ayampacos when I went to the jungle over Christmas, but I also learned how to make muchines. The issue has been making time to put this video together. With a four-day weekend in Ecuador this week, I finally got it together.

More photos from the road

As I looked through my pictures from a recent trip, I realize that a photo montage post is in order. I took these pictures on a recent trip to the province of Esmeraldas to develop sites for new Peace Corps volunteers. Esmeraldas is located in the northwest corner of the country and is home to much of the Afro-Ecuadorian community.

It is awesome.



Fish and coconut are two of the biggest industries in Esmeraldas. They have managed to combine these two into one fine plate: encocado fish. They even make the white rice look good.



In this family's house, there is only one place to get cell reception. You will notice that they have made a pocket out of tape on the window and placed their phones in it.



This "For Sale" sign has four misspellings and should have one more word than it currently does. Only one of the words is spelled correctly.



The province is famous for its beaches. We were working the whole time and didn't get any time to enjoy the beach, but I did get to snap this pic of the view from Mompiche.



They were selling mangoes by the bucket on the side of the road for one dollar per bucket.



So we bought three buckets, which amounted to at least 60 mangoes.



"What men have on their mind." - Freud. We saw this sign at the restaurant we were eating at. It says something about a culture when they have a picture like this on the wall at a family restaurant.



Check out this guy just laid out on top of some bamboo on the back of this truck.

Fun with murals

I was on the road a couple of weeks ago and came across some fun murals.



The World Map is one of the more common Peace Corps projects. It is an opportunity for Host Country Nationals to get a sense of where their country is in relation with the rest of the world. In this community, the Hulk has already taken over Australia and is threatening Madagascar and Africa.



X-ray vision Jesus

Quito's Jewish pork restaurant

Fritada is deep-fried pork.

Los judios means "Jews."

I don't know how this place got its name or what the owners know about halaja (Note the Spanish spelling).

This would obviously require some follow-up reporting, but I have never gotten off the bus in the neighborhood. Ironically, it is on my way to synagogue.

Submerged in el milagro de la naturaleza

In most countries in Latin America, you have two categories of water: "agua con gas" and "agua sin gas." The products are relatively uniform. Agua sin gas is purified drinking water. Agua con gas is water with bubbles.

In Ecuador, however, there is a different class of bubbly water: Guitig.

What makes this product so special is that it comes out of the earth in its effervescent state. It doesn't undergo any process to make it fizzier. The company that sells this product bottles the water that comes out of its spring just south of Quito where it has been sold since 1906.

The naturally occurring state of this glorious beverage leads to its marketing slogan "A miracle of nature." Now I don't know much about the science behind springs and the kind of water that comes out of them. What I do know is that nothing quenches my thirst on a scorching hot day like an ice cold Guitig.

For two years, I enjoyed the goodness that is Guitig, thinking that life could not get much better than the sensation of this miracle hitting my tongue. Then someone told me that you could visit the Guitig spring and swim in a pool of it.

As soon as I heard this, I resolved to visit this promised land of carbonated beverage.

Today, I baptized myself in this miracle.



It was a religious experience. It tingled all over my body, especially my face. It was a little uncomfortable when my eyeballs started having that same sensation, but I wanted the full experience.

The pool itself didn't have the same level of fizz that a freshly opened bottle does, but I figured that swimming in a pool of Guitig was the equivalent of drinking from a Guitig bottle a half hour after you open it. It loses some of the fizz, but you can still recognize that unforgettable texture.

For the first time, the rest of my body got to enjoy something that only my mouth and throat get to to.

It wasn't a really warm day, and the Guitig water was rather chilly. So after doing a lap and fully immersing myself a few times I headed to the lukewarm pool next door to heat up a bit.



If anyone ever tells you that Guitig is like any other "agua con gas," you can point them to this website that explains that health benefits of Guitig.

First off, it contains so many minerals that normal sparkling water doesn't. It contains calcium, magnesium, sulfates, sodium and nitrates.

According to a study on Guitig's website, people who drink mineral water have fewer incidents of osteoporosis. The water's natural salt content means its better for rehydration than normal bottled water. The naturally occurring CO2 in Guitig prevents cystitis by killing bacteria in your bladder.

In addition to the benefits of consuming Guitig, it also has many beauty-related uses. If you want your make-up to look more natural, mix in a little bit of cold Guitig with your make-up. Let it dry before applying it. Also, you can rub Guitig over your body after a day at the beach so that you have a more vibrant and lasting tan. It is also apparently helpful for many kinds of skin conditions and irritations.

I can't believe it has taken me this long to fully profile Guitig in blog form. In addition to the chocobanana, it was one of the primary ways I recovered from the heat while living on the coast.

Harvesting Papaya

In this video, Cesareo shows the proper form for harvesting papaya.

Step 1: Find a papaya that is ready for harvest
Step 2: Find a big stick
Step 3: Using big stick, gently lift upward on bottom point on the papaya.
Step 4: Let papaya fall against the tree. This will cause it to separate from the tree.
Step 5: Catch papaya in free hand.
Step 6: Repeat until quota is filled.

Cesareo says his wife is much better at harvesting papaya than he is.

How to make ayampacos

Ayampacos are a traditional dish in the jungle province of Morona Santiago (In other jungle provinces, they go by the name "maito"). (If you watch the video on full screen, the words won't get cut off)

Every time I visit my friends in jungle, they make ayampacos. I've never been able to eat them because the chicken isn't kosher. Instead, I've eaten a massive plate of rice and vegetables. While that is good, I have heard that it doesn't hold a candle to the ayampacos.

I needed to try these. So when my friends in the jungle invited to spend Christmas with them, I brought a kosher chicken from Quito so I could finally try them. They were delicious.

I had seen so many volunteers in my time enjoy these ayampacos, but none of them learned how to make them. I decided to make this video so that others can enjoy in this goodness.

A strong "dios les pague" to Cesareo and Inez for hosting me for Christmas weekend and letting me make this video.

Contrasting Styles

On one 15-minute bus ride last week, four different vendors got on the bus.

I like to divide these characters into two categories.

You have someone who comes on with a product and sells without explaining why they need you to buy the product. These ones typically sell fruit or biscuits.

The other class of vendors are the ones that get on the bus, get everyone's attention, and explain that this is how they try to make an honest living. These guys normally sell candy, DVDs, inspirational cards, or — most likely — fear that if you don't give them money they will turn to a life of petty crime.

On my bus ride last week, I had four of the latter variety.

The first guy got on the bus, was a little disheveled, and looked like he might not have been sober. He gave a shpiel about how he is just trying to make an honest living to get bread for his family. Then he walked up and down the aisle, giving out inspirational cards to all the passengers. After giving them us a moment to look at the cards, he walks up and the aisle again, asking people for their collaboration. Other passengers on the bus got a pictures of Jesus with some religious message. I got a picture of an adorable kitten. A bunch of other people on the bus paid 25 cents for their piece of paper. I don't normally support the vendors to begin with and didn't really see any utility in a pocket-sized picture of a kitten.

After this vendor completed his rounds and got off the bus, another one took over. This one was a loud guy with an obvious coastal accent. Instead of selling any specific product, he went with a sob story about how he was mugged and didn't have any money. He also said that at some point in the past he was shot four times in the stomach. He lifted up his shirt to "show" but then covered his stomach up before anyone could notice whether or not he was lying. He went up and down the aisle collecting contributions before getting off the bus.

Another vendor immediately got on. This one was talking about how by selling Christmas CDs to put bread on his family's table. He repeated the same routine as the previous two, except that most people had exhausted their loose change at this point and didn't have much to contribute.

Another guy got on the bus selling little candies, but I had to get off before he finished his routine.

Neither of these vendors were particularly extraordinary. The volume of vendors in such a short ride — it was only a mile and half make excrutiatingly long by Quito's rush hour traffic — and the contrast in sales pitches (cute kitten followed by bullet wounds) made this a blog-worthy experience.

Caption Contest

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