Happy New Year (Part 3) - Is this the Sinister Shape of Things to Come?

Well, well, well.  We are still alive. Our body parts or organs were not harvested.  No one mugged us or molested us in unimaginable ways. Okay.  Not completely true.  We do still have every body part we brought with us, but we are changed.  In a very good way.  We realized after our first New Year post there would have to be more.  There is no way to explain everything we experienced, even with three posts. We learned so much in five days it is unbelievable.  Upon our arrival in November, I had a preschool level Spanish vocabulary.  I now have a first grade level Ecuadorian Spanish vocabulary,  Yes, there are differences between Ecuador's language and Latin American Spanish.  There are different dialects between Crucita and Portoviejo, only 30 kilometers away.

Leo and Maria.  

Let me make one thing very clear.  Mi Esposa (my spouse) speaks way more Spanish than I do.  I must look to her so much when trying to understand.  She is amazing but it takes its toll.  It is exhausting for her. She is amazing.  El mejor.  Look it up. I cannot do everything for you!

Feliz Ano Nuevo!  Our neighbors, now friends, tried to explain everything that was going to happen on New Years Eve, Eve.  They tried and tried.  They plied us with Auguardiente (homemade sugar cane moonshine; translation - Fire water!) while explaining.  This was all prior to the celebration. We thought we had a good handle on everything. We were invited to the neighborhood party.  A party with hard working fishermen, construction workers, and their familia (family), We drank with them, danced in the calle (street), and said "no comprendo" a lot. They drew pictures in the dirt.  We did too.  We had fun.  What we thought we knew was inconsequential really,  We learned.

Me, my wife, and monigotes!

First off, New Years Eve day, nothing happened.  Business as usual.  Swimming in the Pacific, food at home. It was largely uneventful.  The familias spent time together and so did mi familia. We kept looking  to see when the party would start. We put on our yellow underwear (for luck and prosperity), we prepared our monigotes (stuffed them with explosives), and we waited.  We went out at 21:00 and walked to the town square. We met the viudas del nuevo ano (widows of the New Year).  We saw huge monigotes.  Ecuadorians took our picture with them. We went back home to sit a spell.

At about 23:00 we decided to go ahead and walk to the Malecon.  Our new friends were all there awaiting us,  They sent us back home for our monigotes.  Upon our return the Patriarch of the Gomez familia welcomed us with shots of Augardiente.  It is the custom for the Patriarch to dispense the liquor.  It is a great honor and it means we are accepted as familia.  They have our backs.

Leo and I with our manigotes.

As we took our initial shots the younger crowd (and it was a crowd!) were cheering the gringos on.  "Los gringos estan bebeindo Aguardiente!".  "Los gringos hicieron!".  The Americans are drinking fire water!  The Americans did it!.  Yes we did.  They praised us for our monigotes.  Peppa Pig y (and) El Toro de Pilsener (the bull of beer, Pilsener being the local beer).  Our neighbors and amigos, Maria y Leo had chairs for us. The Gomez familia was also there.  Leo offered me his drink.  It is called Agua Loca (crazy water).  It is almost the same as the Aguardiente however, it also has lime in it.  Rico (delicious) and peligroso (dangerous) in the wrong hands.

People are dancing on the Malecon.  Traffic is at a standstill.  Fireworks are everywhere. You all remember M-80's?  Whatever. The explosives are insane. We are introduced to so many people I will never remember their names.  Much familia.  Many amigos and compadres.  Leo tells me we are his extended familia and that he has let the town know we are under his protection.  Maria is telling Tamera the same.  I am overwhelmed by their generosity. Then he asks where our grapes are (12 must be eaten in one minute).  I run back to get them.  The Patriarch offers another shot (impolite to refuse).  It is close to midnight.  The people are dancing and yelling.  There is ZERO violence.

Beach side of the Malecon.  Ready and waiting!

Leo and Maria tell us to run to the beach (five feet away) with our monigotes.  We pile ours up with a multitude of others. We are then told to pay attention to the beach in both directions.  The fireworks from the towns of Manta, San Jacinto, San Clemente, and of course the locals, will be visible all at one time.

Doce (twelve)!  Fireworks start. Eat the grapes!  Make the wishes!  Fireworks everywhere! Leo grabs me, Maria grabs Tamera!  To the beach!  Leo beats the monigotes with a stick. This is tradition. Next year we will have our own big stick!  He then douses them with gasoline.  FIRE! Fires all up and down the beach as the population beats and burns the bad of 2015 away. Explosions everywhere as all the monigotes explode.  Now the fun part.  A drink of Agua Loca then, jump over the exploding fire!  Three times is necesario (necessary).  Tamera does it, Maria does it, Leo does it, I do it.  The main celebration is over, or is it?  We hang out on la playa with our friends.  02:00.  Tamera and I are tired.  We think it is over.  No.

Leo beats them silly then lights them on fire.

Maria and Leo make it clear (after 15 minutes of explaining) that we must come back to their casa for the traditional New Years Day dinner.  It is 02:00.  They want to cook for us.  We learn that this is what is done for familia and amigos close to the hearts of the people of Ecuador.  We are being honored.  We go.  Maria makes a traditional meal of arroz (rice), pollo (chicken), ensalada de vegetales (vegetable salad) and Coca Cola (perhaps not traditional).  It was rico (delicious).  Maria cooks so well she makes me look like I know nothing. Maybe because I know nothing.  When I can cook pollo y arroz like that I will believe I can cook again.

We say thank you.  We are tired.  We think it is over again.  Again it is not.  In the morning we awake to musica.  Loud.  It has been going all night. They have not slept.  Maria and Leo's extended familia is arriving in a bus.  A private bus.  Plus four trucks.  They still have not slept and Maria is cooking for them.  Out comes the PA.  The PA's are out everywhere.  Musica!  Each household has them.  The party continues.

The love of my life jumping through fire!

One of the Gomez familia, Christopher, tried to tell us.  Mañana, mañana, mañana, mañana!  He is trying to tell us "next four days". The celebration lasts four days.  Four days of the Malecon being packed, no vehicles allowed on Sunday.  Four days of musica day and night.  Four days of drinking and eating and drinking and eating.  We made it one and maybe one half days.  It is not drinking to excess.  It is drinking to have fun.  It is not eating to excess.  It is eating with the familia.  On January 5th everything was closed.  On the 6th, open again.  We had the most amazing experience of our lives.


Now we find out Carnival is coming.  February 9th to be exact.  Apparently we have not seen anything yet.  The fiesta starts on Saturday February 6th.  We will see as much as we can.  Oh, yes we will.  Is this the sinister shape of things to come?  I seriously hope so.  Adios!

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Tamera's Take: Auld Lang Syne, Cats, and Año Nuevo (Part 2)

Tamera's Take is about being here.

Are you ready?  I am.

Does anyone really know the words to Auld Lang Syne?  Or the tune for that matter?  I have to admit, I do not.  Of course I know the condensed version sung in the U.S. at midnight on New Year's Eve (Año Nuevo). The version everyone remembers at the end of the movie, It's A Wonderful Life. George and Mary Bailey.  Zuzu's petals.  The "every time a bell rings, an angels gets his wings" version.

One of my favorite Monigotes.

There is a little more to Auld Lang Syne.  Inspired by fragments of traditional songs from earlier times, the Scottish poem was written in 1788 by Robert Burns, with all of the melancholy and nostalgia that it still evokes today.

However it was not intended as a New Year's Eve song, any more than It's A Wonderful Life was intended as a Christmas movie.  Such as life, things have a way of finding their place and settling in. 

Three days ago, our friend Tamy took us on a tour of Portoviejo.  We were joined by two others, Bonnie and Luc, who we met at the Navidad Fiesta last week.

Bonnie and Luc arrived in Crucita a few weeks before we did. 

This was no ordinary excursion.  Nothing Tamy does is ordinary.  She puts a lot of thought and care into everything.  Our goal for the day was to view themed displays for the Año Viejo contest.  That was just the beginning.

The theme? Save It or Lose It.   I say Right on!

A map of the displays was in the local newspaper,
El Diario. With map in hand, the five of us were off for another adventure.

First stop was the home of Tamy's mother & father in law. Not to view a display, but for the first of many treats. Mangos!  Ripe, sweet and delicious mangos from their farm.

With map AND mangos in hand, the five of us were off (again).

Tamy drives us through the city of Portoviejo and some of the surrounding parishes.  She does not simply point out areas of interest.  She gives us details about the buildings, people, and economics.  But more importantly, she gives us the respective cultures of each area.  I am amazed at the diversity.


As with any city, there is wealth, there is extreme poverty, and there is prejudice between those "classes".  A product of all that diversity.  It is human nature I suppose.

Mamey Mata Serrano

If you really want to get to know a culture, you have to look past some of those things.  You have to look past your own comfort zone.  You have to set aside the things you know, to make room for the things you do not know.  If you can do this, you will almost always have an experience to remember.

Representing the Rural Life of Ecuador

Continuing on our tour, we stop at several displays to take photos.  I should mention that the judging of the displays took place on December 31st.  First prize is $3,000 USD, second prize is $1,500.

Photos of all 24 entries were printed in the Año Nuevo edition of  El Diario.  I think we saw about half of them during our tour.

Time for another treat!

Mamey Mata Serrano!  In Ecuador, this fruit does not occur on a large scale, but it is found in small farms on the coast, mainly in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Manabi.

It has the size and appearance of a small cantaloupe. We live in the province of Manabi.


Tamy sees Mamey being sold at one of the street vendors and tells us that we "must try this".   We will hear that phrase a lot.  We are told that this fruit is in season for a very short time, and it is not available everywhere in Ecuador.  We happen to live on the coast.  Lucky us!

Portoviejo El Centro

Since we have already passed the vendor, we have to make a few turns to get back to him.  This is another opportunity to absorb more culture.  We drive through the fabric district.  I had been wondering where to buy material.  I am not sure why since I left my sewing machine back in the U.S.  We are told that the fabric district is safe during the day, but not at night.

Not our cat.  Our cat's local friend.

And...the electricity is out again.  This does not happen too often, but it does happen.

I am usually totally unaware of it unless I happen to be using WiFi at that time.

I was using Wifi to write this segment of our blog.
Now I am using Notepad so that I can continue.
As soon as the electricity is back on I will copy and paste.

A few extra steps, but it is all part of the way of life here in Crucita.

I also take the time to say hello to a white cat who frequently stops by to visit.

He poses for a photo.


We make our way back around to the busy street.  There are a lot of tall buildings - tall for Ecuador; many vendors set up all along this street; but NO street parking.

Tamy pulls up to the vendor and through the window asks the man something in Spanish.  I catch a few words.  Not enough to know exactly what she asks him.  But in her normal style, she turns to us and translates. She then goes on to explain that Mamey can be difficult to peel and cut away from the large seed. The man is doing it very skillfully and quickly.  Apparently if you do it wrong, the fruit will have a bitter taste.

A few cars honk their horns at us.  The man says something to Tamy and she tells us that he said "do not worry about them, it is fine to stay where we are".  We do.  It is not.

We are greeted by a police siren and flashing lights.  Apparently the No Standing law applies here as well as New York City.

Recognize Anyone?

Another circle through the fabric district and back to the vendor, where our Mamey has been peeled, sliced and put into bags for us to eat.  It appears to be about 3 or 4 pounds of fruit.  Total cost = $2.50 (50 cents per person).  It was rico (delicious).

I cannot begin to describe the taste.  I will not even try.  If you find yourself in Ecuador, along the coastal area, in December - you must try this!

After we take photos (fotos) of more displays, my husband asks Tamy about something he read in a blog about "the largest flea market in Ecuador located in Portoviejo", and does she know where it is.

Puzzled look.  What is a flea market?

We explain.

No. There is no flea market.

We are told that Ecuadorians do not sell used clothes, household items or furniture.  They give these things away to people who need them.  Silence from the gringos.  I cannot speak for the others, but for my part, this is another lesson on how things should be.  I will not forget it.

The mood is suddenly lifted as Tamy asks us if we like coconut milk  Now I have the puzzled look.  I thought it was called agua de coco.  It is.  But this is not.

Now you have the puzzled look.

Ecuadorians are concerned too.

Agua de coco is the clear liquid inside the coconut.  As I have mentioned in earlier blogs, the top of the coconut (husk on) is cut off so you can use a straw to drink the agua.  Coconut milk is white because it is made from the pulverized coconut meat.

A street vendor is selling ice cold coconut milk.

Yes.  Of course we want some.

Apparently this woman makes the best coconut milk in the city.  It is important to only buy from vendors who make sure everything is clean.  We are told this many times.   Our Ecuadorian friend will not be with us all the time.  We have to learn these things.  It is not offensive to walk away if you think a restaurant or food cart is not clean.  But do not mistake worn for dirty.  I cannot stress this point enough.  If you do, you will probably miss out on a lot.

That will definitely be your loss.

As we drink coconut milk, we turn a corner and find ourselves in Portoviejo El Centro.  This can only be described as THE shopping district.  Located at "9 de Octubre e/ Chile y Ricaurte" is the store Super Exito.  I promise, there is an address in that sentence.  I will explain how addresses work in another segment of Tamera's Take.

Superheroes everywhere.  Emelec!

Super Exito seems to be the landmark of this outdoor shopping and food extravaganza.  Take a cab or a bus to get there.  To experience and take full advantage of El Centro, you will have to walk it.

Lalo's in Portoviejo El Centro

In front of Super Exito are two restaurants that look like outdoor lunch counters.

They are identical except that one sells sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers (Lalo's); the other sells more traditional Ecuadorian food.

Flea Market - No, but yes.

Remember that "flea market" we asked Tamy about?  I think El Centro is what that blogger was trying to describe.  Yes, we found it, but no - it is NOT a flea market.

This is not a shopping day though.  Jason and I have already made plans to go back to Portoviejo El Centro on our own for a day of shopping and eating.  After we go, we will tell you all about it.

Electric Mosquito Racquet

At this point we have spent hours taking photos of displays for Ano Viejo; we have had mangos, mamey and coconut milk.  We have to find a restroom!

SuperMaxi is just around the corner.

SuperMaxi break done.  We could not leave there without buying a rechargeable Electric Mosquito Racquet.  I love this thing.

A lot of fun for $5.83 and no mosquitos. 

As we give out a few more coins to the Widows of Ano Viejo, we come to the final part of our tour of Portoviejo.  The World of Monigotes and Fireworks!  It is not called that.  But it should be.

Some coins for this Widow of Ano Viejo!

Thousands of paper mache Monigotes.  Thousands of Fireworks.  A landing strip between them.  You do not want fireworks sold next to monigotes.  Especially since the fireworks are constantly being demonstrated for potential customers.

Just think about it for a minute.

Paper mache.  Fireworks.  Paper Mache.  Fireworks.

Got it?  Okay.

These are not wimpy wambly wombly fireworks.  These are badda big badda boom fireworks.  All legal - here. 

Although we have already bought two monigotes in Crucita - the Pilsener Futbol Toro & Peppa Pig, we see Sylvester Cat and buy him for $5.00 USD.

Tamy has taught us a lot about the bargaining ritual, and I have observed her enough times that I think I got the best deal on our Sylvester monigote.  It turns out that I did.  Practicing a few more phrases in Spanish before we got there did not hurt.

Special Fireworks for Sylvester!

As Jason mentioned in New Year's Eve Part 1, we have to wear yellow underwear (bragas amarillas) for good luck on New Year's Eve.

You cannot buy them yourself.  Someone has to buy them for you. Jason and I buy for each other.

I would be remiss if I did not remind you that the Ecuadorian people are generally smaller than us Gringos.  Keep that in mind when shopping for clothing.  Enough said.

Fotos, fotos and more fotos.  Monigote and yellow underwear in hand.

Shoppers in El Centro.

On to Fireworks.

There is a very specific type of firework used to blow up your monigote on New Year's Eve.  You will need several for each monigote, depending on its size.  They are craft paper colored triangles with a fuse on one corner - four for $1.00.  We bought eight of them, along with some regular size roman candles (25 cents each) and mega size roman candles ($2.00 each).

The man we bought the fireworks from gave us a bunch of jumping jacks for free.

We are now as ready as we can be for Año Nuevo.   (That is code for come back for Part 3.  You will not be disappointed.)

Feliz Año Nuevo

After our trip to World of Monigotes and Fireworks, we intended to take the bus back to Crucita.

Tamy insisted on driving us home.  I should have known she had a surprise for us.

Bam Bam Dulceria in Rocafuerte.

But that story, my cyber friends, is for another day. 

We hope you all had a Safe, Fun & Happy New Year.  We did!

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