El café en Latinoamérica

(Coffee in Latin America.)

One might expect that Ecuadorians drink fresh coffee every morning because most of the world´s coffee comes from Latin America (Brazil is the world's largest producer and Colombia the world's third largest). While Ecuadorians do indeed drink a lot of coffee, Ecuadorians rarely make coffee from freshly ground beans. Most of the coffee in Ecuador is freeze-dried. Almost all restaurants here only serve Nestle (or some other brand of) instant coffee.

What I have with my breakfast every morning. My host mom generally gives me a cup of scalded milk in the morning and then I mix this in to make a drink known as café con leche (coffee milk).

El sur de Quito

(South Quito.)

Economically speaking, Quito is a very divided city. Most middle and upper-middle class individuals live in north Quito, while South Quito holds people of lower socio-economic status. South Quito is quickly expanding, and thus the majority of its residents are not originally from Quito. Over the last ten years, Quito's population has nearly doubled from 1.3 million to 2.5 million (this last number is just an estimate, pending the 2010 census results). Much of this expansion has taken place in South Quito. Because South Quito is such a new and rapidly growing part of the city, it contains a far greater diversity of people, from former farmers to recent immigrants.

While I live and spend most of my time in North Quito, I spent some time in South Quito last weekend, and I thought I'd post some pictures:

 Livestock is not technically allowed within the city limits, but the government will generally turn a blind eye until the population becomes dense enough for it to be problem. Given how quickly the city has been growing, the government will likely evict this livestock within the next few years.

A cornfield on the side of the road. Migrants who used to own farms in the countryside generally try to keep part of their former identities for as long as they can.

Ashley and me with a few South Quito residents in a community center.

La Seguridad.

(The security.)

One interesting feature of Quito is that nearly every business has security guards, fully equipped with combat boots, bulletproof vests, and guns. Unlike in the United States, these guards are not there to protect the customers, but rather to protect the companies they work for. Robberies aren't actually all that common, but I guess most businesses think it's better to be safe than sorry.

The car lot near my house.

 The bank near my house.

The local grocery store.

Mindo

(The name of a small town in a cloud forest.)

The vegetation in Mindo is far more lush than that of Quito because it is at a lower altitude (although Mindo is still almost a mile above sea level).

Me on a hike to the waterfalls.

A cool abandoned house.

Mi aventura del volcán

(My volcano adventure.)

Me pretending I know what I´m doing while I ride near the volcano Tungurahua, also known as The Black Giant. Tungurahua is the largest volcano in Ecuador.

¡Cumpleaños!

(Birthday.)

I turned 21 yesterday. Here are a couple  pictures from our night in the Mariscal.

Mi primer fin de semana

 (My first weekend.)

Me at Lake Cuicocha. Lake Cuicocha formed in the crater of a volcano after an eruption four thousand years ago.

The equator, which is about twenty miles north of Quito.

Me feeding a llama at the pre-Incan Cochasqui pyramids.