ECUADOR: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

In 1835, Captain Robert FitzRoy navigated the HMS Beagle out into the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles west of Ecuador to the Galápagos Islands. And on his ship was the famous naturalist Charles Darwin.  It was here that his observations in finding that certain birds and tortoises differed between the islands.  Much of his research here was included in his infamous work On the Origin of Species. (Fascinating book – I read it several years ago.)  Those tortoises, by the way, are the largest living species of tortoise in the world. 

This one named Harriet (which also happens to be my other name) lived to be 176 years old. 

Ecuador itself lies in the northwest corner of South America, surrounded by Columbia to the north, Peru to the south and east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.  The Andes Mountains run through the center of the country, separating the coastal regions and highlands in the west from the Amazon Rainforest regions in the east.  Ecuador gets its name from its location about a ¼ of a degree south of the equator.

Ecuador has a wide variety of climates: from temperate and dry in the Andes Mountains, to subtropical on the coastal and rainforest regions.  These vast changes in climate also contribute to a wide variety of flora and fauna as well.  Ecuador is considered one of the 17 countries who has the largest biodiversity – and per square kilometer, Ecuador has the most.  Because of its location close to the equator, the sun rises and sets pretty much the same time year round – around 6am and 6pm, give or take about a half-hour.

 The earliest inhabitants were the Incas.  They were actually several different tribes that came together from various areas of Central and South America.  While their cultures were similar, they all spoke different languages.  Compared with some of the nomadic tribes of the Amazon, the Incas developed into a hunting, fishing, farming, and gathering society.  The Spanish arrived, led by Francisco Pizarro, and tried to convert the Incas to Christianity, but that didn’t go over well.  Pizarro and his crew ransacked, pillaged, and burned down the town and killed many of the people.  Of course, the Spaniards also brought their own European diseases for which the Incas didn’t have any immunity to, causing a high number of deaths during the first years after colonization.  The city of Quito became an administrative city for Spain, later for the Viceroyalty of Peru and then for the Viceroyalty of New Grenada.  They did manage to break free from Spain and joined Simón Bolívar’s Gran Colombia.  In 1830, they broke away again and became its own independent country.  There was a lot of economic instability in the first years, and the government changed hands several times. But they did manage to abolish slavery in 1851.  At the end of the 1800s and lasting into the 20^th century, Ecuador engaged in several fights over land and other issues with Peru.  Even up until recently, border disputes and fighting between Ecuador and Peru continued, and in 2010, Peru shut its border with Ecuador. 

The capital city is Quito, or more formally San Francisco de Quito.  It’s considered the highest capital city in the world that houses the administrative, legislative, and judicial branches of the government.  (As opposed to the capitals of Bolivia, who splits those branches between the two cities.)  While Quito is the capital city, it’s not the largest city in Ecuador; that honor goes to the coastal city and cultural hotspot of Guayaquil.  Quito’s historic center is one of the best-preserved and least-altered cultural centers in the world.  It was also declared as the first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites in 1978. 

Ecuador’s economy has more or less risen consistently since 2000.  That was the year that Ecuador adopted the US Dollar as their legal tender, abandoning the sucre.  Even though there were some rocky times, especially during the global economic crisis of 2008, it seems to have recovered: unemployment was around 4.8% in 2012, and the extreme poverty rate went from around 40% in 2001 to around 17.4% in 2011.  Crude petroleum accounts for about 46% of Ecuador’s exports.  They’re also a major exporting country of bananas and plantains, flowers, and cocoa, as well as shrimp, sugar cane, rice, cotton, corn, palm, and coffee. 

 In Ecuador, about 8% of the people don’t have a religion (atheists and agnostics). Of those who do, about 80% of them are Roman Catholic, 11% are Protestants, 1% is Jehovah’s Witnesses, and about 7% are other religions (mainly Buddhist, Jewish, Bahá’í, Muslim, and Mormon).  In some rural areas, indigenous religions may be practiced side-by-side along with Catholicism. 

The official language is Spanish, and it’s the language that most Ecuadorians speak.  However, a large number of them also speak Amerindian languages, the largest being Quichua, part of the Quechua group of languages. 

The New York Times published their “52 Places to Go in 2014” recently, and Ecuador came in #7.  Their recently refurbished train called Tren Crucero is proving to be a new and awe-inspiring way to see the country.  It starts in Quito and winds its way through the Andes Mountains and past volcanoes to the city of Guayaquil.  Cotopaxi National Park is also a popular side trip for great opportunities to see a lot of the local wildlife.  I think Ecuador would make a great trip, and perhaps, one day I can make it down there. 

Up next: holidays and celebrations

COLOMBIA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

A little over a decade ago now, I read a story about a motorcyclist who wanted to drive from the United States to the tip of South America and back. In order to keep track of where he was, his family followed him through his credit card transactions. When he got through Panama and was driving through Colombia – his entry into the South American continent – he was kidnapped by Colombian rebels and forced to hike through the jungles in the rain carrying his gear with assault rifles at his back. After five terrifying weeks, they finally let him go, keeping the bike of course.  The embassy helped him get his passport and certain papers back, and his friends rallied together to send him a new bike. When asked if he was going to return back to the US, he replied (and I’m paraphrasing), “Hell, no. I’ve come this far, and I’m not letting those jerks ruin my trip.” Wow. Of course he’s an ex-Hell’s Angel. (Can you tell?)

Colombia is the only country in South America that touches both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It borders Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. Geologically, the land varies from beautiful beaches to Andean mountain views. Since Colombia lies on the famed Ring of Fire, it’s the home of active volcanoes and also frequent earthquakes as well. Columbia is one of the most ecological diverse countries in the world. Part of the Amazon rainforest extends itself into Colombia as well as being part of the drainage points for both the Amazon River and Orinoco River. (Every time I read about the Orinoco River, I think of that Enya song, “Orinoco Flow.”)

Colombia has some of the oldest artifacts and antiquities found in the whole world. The largest indigenous populations were mainly the Muisca (which is how I mistype the word “music/musica” all the time), Quimbaya, and the Tairona. The Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa was the first European to actually explore the area and see the Pacific Ocean from South America. While it was known by several names throughout its history, Colombia was essentially named after Christopher Columbus. Colombia (as part of the colonial name of New Granada) declared its independence from Spain in 1810 but wasn’t fully recognized until nine years later. The famous Simón Bolívar (and namesake of the country of Bolivia) became the first president of Colombia at this time. Colombian history from this point forward is marked by several periods of civil unrest and political fighting between rebel forces/vigilante groups and government forces. Of course, it hasn’t always been this way: there were periods of peace, too.

I love the windswept hair forward. A man ahead of his time. 

Colombia is ethnically diverse, with roughly a little less than 40% of its population coming from European roots, 10% from Africa, and the rest coming from indigenous peoples. And when you have such a diverse population, you also have large numbers of mixed and mestizo populations as well to consider. The national language is Spanish, spoken by over 99% of the country, but there are also 65 indigenous languages and two creoles that are also spoken. You’ll also find English spoken on the islands of San Andrés and Providencia Island. Like most Latin American countries, Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, but they also have followers of all of the major religions found as well.

The capital city is Bogotá, a city of about 7.6 million people (a little less than Chicago’s urban area).  Nicknamed “The Athens of South America,” this world-class city boasts many prominent universities, museums, libraries, restaurants, theatres, sports arenas, and historic architecture. Bogotá was named a World Book Capital in 2007, the second in the Americas (after Montreal, Canada). The city (and country) has really made a push towards decreasing violent crime and crime in general in hopes that this results in increased tourism, which has already started to rise.

There are some pretty famous things and people that have come from Colombia: Juan Pablo Montoya (race car driver), John Leguizamo (actor), Shakira (musician), and many other musicians, scientists, and writers who have impacted our world. Colombia shares its wonderful coffee with the rest of the world (remember Juan Valdez?). I’m pretty sure I have a special place in my heart for all of the coffee-producing countries. I just know I’m pretty sure the meal is going to be incredible, just like my Colombian playlist on Spotify. And my husband is going to teach me how to grill. (Again.) So this should be interesting all around.

Up next: holidays and celebrations

CHILE: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

When I was in high school, a friend of mine did a homestay in Chile. She told me that she absolutely fell in love with the fruit. It was so much fresher than what we can get in the grocery stores, far more succulent. And there were all kinds of fruit that we don’t normally have access to either.  Her host mom knew that she liked a certain kind of fruit so much – which one, I don’t remember; we graduated a bajillion years ago – that she secretly packed some in my friend’s suitcase to take back to the States so she could enjoy it when she got home – a surprise, so to speak. So when customs officials riffled through her suitcase and found the forbidden fruits, they certainly gave her a rough time, thinking she was some kind of exotic fruit smuggler. Needless to say, she was certainly surprised. (My customs official was much nicer coming back from Brazil – he saw I was heading back to Indianapolis and caught me up on the last few Colts games, scores and all.)

Chile is a long, skinny country on the Pacific side of South America, bordering Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. (And one of two countries in South America that DOESN’T border Brazil.)  It also includes a few islands, most notably Easter Island. Easter Island is known for the giant somewhat-square-looking stone-carved heads; or as my kids call it: Squidward’s house. It also contains Robinson Crusoe Island – Alexander Selkirk was stranded here as a castaway in 1704, where he lived in solitude for over four years. Inspired from this story, Daniel Defoe published Robinson Crusoe about 15 years later. The country is 2700 miles long and only 217 miles wide at its widest point. To travel from north to south is almost the same distance between Indianapolis, IN and Quito, Ecuador. And because it’s so long, the climate and landscape varies drastically.  The north contains the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. The southern areas are covered in jagged islands and fjords and claims to lands in Antarctica, although these claims are not recognized by all countries. Because Chile lies in the Pacific Rim of Fire, it has several active volcanoes and is subject to earthquakes and tsunamis. Not to mention that the Andes Mountains wind its way down the west side of South America, dividing Chile and Argentina. (Ironically, Andes mints has nothing to do with the Andes. It was created by a Chicago candy company, and originally named Andy’s mints after the owner. But people thought it was creepy to give candy with a man’s name on it, so he changed it to Andes mints. The End.)

This area has been inhabited for about 10,000 years. The Mapuche are distinguished from others for resisting assimilation into the Incan Empire. The first European to set foot on what is now Chile was none other than Ferdinand Magellan in 1520 (the namesake of the Strait of Magellan), and of course others followed. Spanish explorers landed there in search of silver and gold, and although they didn’t find any, they just claimed the entire place for Spain. (Sounds like “gold and silver” was their version of “WMDs”, huh?) It would remain that way until – several wars and skirmishes later – they would declare their independence from Spain in 1818. 

The capital and largest city in Chile is Santiago. Although this is the official capital of the country, where the executive and judicial offices are held, their Congress actually convenes in nearby Valparaíso (pronounced vahl-pah-rah-EE-so, as opposed to the city in northern Indiana, val-puh-RAY-zo).

Because the country was controlled by the Spanish for a couple of centuries, the established language is obviously Spanish, and like most other Spanish-speaking countries, most Chileans (about 70%) identify themselves as Roman Catholic.

Chile is one of the more economically stable countries in South America. One of the things that Chile is famous for – besides fruit – is wine. And I’m really excited about this. They aren’t far from the Mendoza region of Argentina which produces from very good wines (I just had a malbec from Mendoza a few weeks ago, very good.). I’m excited for the food; I think it may stretch my family’s tastes though. I have a feeling that there is a lot more than meets the eye to this long, skinny country – unless you’re coming in from the Pacific, then it’s short and fat. I think it’s all in perspective.

Up next: holidays and celebrations

BRAZIL: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

During the summer of 2003, I was working at a total immersion Japanese camp (part of the Concordia Language Villages spread throughout northern Minnesota), and I had chosen to work both the first and second sessions. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with all of the money I was making while doing both sessions (I say that as if I had stacks of cash. Anyone who knows CLV, knows we’re paid in experience rather than monetarily). I saw two options: use it as a down payment for a new(er) car or travel. I was confident that my 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity Caprice would make it many more years (it lasted five more months). The next big question was where… I chose Brazil, mostly since I had many English-teacher friends down there, and I thought if I went somewhere where I knew people, I could stay with people rather than in hotels or hostels. So, Brazil it was.

In the mountains of Parana.  Wow, what changes 10 years makes; this is before 8 years of marriage and two babies. That's not even my hair color anymore.  

Brazil is the largest country in South America, and not only the only Portuguese-speaking country on the continent, but the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world. For most people, Brazil conjures up images of the Amazon, gauchos, coffee, pristine beaches full of bikini-clad women, the wild throws of Carnival and samba, racing, and soccer (or fútbol as the rest of the world calls it). And while those things are popular, there is more to Brazil than that.

Brazil borders every country in South America, except two: Chile and Ecuador. And because Brazil is such a large country, not much smaller than the United States, the land is diverse as well. The Amazon rainforest spans across the northwest regions of the country, and its famous coffee grows in the coastal states in the mid- to southern regions. Brazilian coffee is among the best in the world, and prior to the Great Depression on the 1930s, Brazil provided 80% of the world’s coffee.  The southern part is an important agricultural region – famous for their gaucho culture. Part mountainous and part plains, this region is famous for its beef as well as its wine production, both of which are superb.

The country of Brazil is named after brazilwood, a type of tree that has a dark red wood found mostly in the northwest of Brazil, mostly from the state of Pernambuco. During the 15^th and 16^th century, the wood was coveted by Europeans for its ability to create dyes and for other uses, such as musical instruments (like violin bows). Ships carrying brazilwood were often pirated and had its cargo stolen. However, the tree is listed as endangered because of all of this.

An example of brazilwood. This is a viola bow. 

Brazil is just about as diverse as the United States. Because it was also a stop on the slave trade, much of the northern areas have many people of African descent or mixed African descent. Of course, you’ll find many people of Portuguese, Spanish and other European descent, and after WWII, there was a large emigration of Italians and Germans who fled to the southern parts of Brazil. Brazil also is the host of the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, one of the largest communities being that of Liberdade in São Paulo, Brazil's (and South America's) largest city. I was only in São Paulo for a day and didn’t get the chance to go to Liberdade, so it’s definitely a MUST-SEE the next time I go.

While most people know of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, neither of those cities are the capital. The capital is Brasilia, which lies farther inland and has the distinction of being one of the world's few "planned cities." (We talked about the capital city of Canberra, Australia also being a planned city.) And actually, it's the largest city in the world that didn't exist at the beginning of the 20th century.  The principle architect was Oscar Niemeyer (I went to one of his museums in Curitiba where the building looked like a big eye.), and if viewed from above, the city looks like an airplane or butterfly. 

The vast majority of the country claims Roman Catholic as their religion, although Protestantism has been gaining followers in the past decade. There is also a large population who do not claim any particular religion at all. Brazil actually has the world’s largest Catholic population.

In the past decade, Brazil has made strides in coming up as an economic power. It has a strong manufacturing, agricultural, mining, and service jobs sector that helps to drive its economy to make it one of the fastest emerging economies in the world.

Brazil still struggles with literacy rates among the poor areas and violent crimes in the larger cities; some areas still don't have adequate access to clean water and sanitation. The country is still trying to come up with solutions relating to its infamous favelas, the most famous ones in Rio de Janeiro.  These slum areas are occupied by the poorest peoples in the city, disproportionately minority neighborhoods. The literacy rates are lower than the rest of the population and certain diseases tend to be higher since access to health care is limited. These areas are often one of the central points for drug trafficking; Brazil is the second-largest consumer of cocaine and an illicit producer of cannabis as well. I imagine this will be an issue we’ll see more of in the news in the next few years since Brazil will be the host of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics.

I’m really excited for the opportunity to delve into Brazil’s cultural history to showcase a country that has been close to my heart for almost a decade now. (I was made an honorary Brazilian by my friends.) They take a lot of pride in their arts and history, from their literature to their music to their cuisine. Even though I have a lot of pre-knowledge about Brazil, I’m sure there are things that will still be new to me.

Up next: Holidays and Celebrations

BOLIVIA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

The snow-topped mountain peaks of the Andes arch its way across the land-locked country of Bolivia. Farms carve their way throughout the land, interrupted by pristine lakes, and rivers that flow off of the mountains. Bolivia shares control of Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake, with neighboring Peru. It’s also bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile.

Originally ruled by the Spanish, Simon Bolivar helped to lead the people in the fight for their independence in 1825. For this, they named their newly formed country after him. Bolivia has had a long history of coups, regime changes, the war on illegal drugs, and problems with racial and economic tensions. However, the country has been making changes towards remedying these problems for the better. The current president, Evo Morales, is in his second term as president of Bolivia and is striving to address some of the issues that has plagued Bolivia in the past.

Bolivia is one of those few countries (like Benin that we did earlier) that has two capitals. The administrative capital is La Paz, the second largest city in Bolivia (after Santa Cruz de la Sierra). There are actually more government offices and departments in La Paz than in the official capital of Sucre. So, you’ll find that some sources call La Paz a “de facto capital city,” and among de facto capital cities, La Paz is the highest in the world. (FYI: Quito, Ecuador is the highest official capital city.)  The odd thing is that water boils at 190F instead of 212F in La Paz because of the altitude. The city of Sucre is named after an important marshal in the Battle of Ayacucho of 1824, Don Antonio José de Sucre. One of the things about Sucre that makes it desirable is that it is situated in a subtropical highland climate. The temperatures throughout the year are fairly constant: average highs are in the upper 60s, average lows in the upper 40s. There are definitely months where it rains more than others, but otherwise it sounds perfect.

The official language is Spanish, although indigenous languages Quechua and Aymara are also listed as official languages as well. Bolivia takes pride in its many ethnic groups that comprises its population, even though it has been the cause of problems and unrest in the past. The dominant religion by far is Roman Catholic – some sources show as many as 95% claim to be followers – followed by a small percentage of Protestants. Outside of the urban areas, clean water and sanitation services are diminished, leading to a high risk of diseases such as bacterial diarrhea, typhoid fever, malaria, and yellow fever. Like most other Andean cultures, the most common identifier with the culture is the brightly colored clothes, blankets, hats, etc. 

Despite the economic and social problems that Bolivia has struggled to get out from under, there are a lot of redeeming qualities Bolivia holds.  I’m already hungry reviewing the recipes that I have lined up, spending my time listening to panflute music, and looking at pictures of the incredible views of the Andean landscape.

Up next: Holidays and Celebrations