Friday I went out with some school friends to a bar downtown as literally the entire nation was abuzzin´over the Olympic´s 20k race walk, Ecuador´s best chance for a medal. Every bar, club and restaurant had screens projecting the race, as a nation´s hope's rested soundly on the shoulders of one very fast walking man. The country erupted in one collective hurrah as Jefferson Perez walked briskly past the finish line claiming the sliver and proving Ecaudor´s status as the second fastest walking country in the world (behind Russia). Being here and seeing such excitement over a sport like fast walking makes you realize what an acomplishment it is for Ecuador, a country with so fewer resources than the US, to compete and win on international circuit.
On Saturday I went to Otovalo, a town 2 hours outside of Quito best known for it´s indigenous outdoor market. It´s one of the few places in Ecuador where the poor indigenous population has achieved a modicum of middle class success. Many of the hand crafted goods are quite lovely, but most of the stands are selling the same stuff over and over again and it gets slightly repetitive. I enjoyed the standard market experience though, including lending my hat expertise to a school mate in order to pick out and bargaining down an Ecuadorian sombrero. On the outskirts of the market are food stations where entire pigs lay cut open and cooking for all to see and those whose appetites remain intact may delight in the local cuisine. The bus ride, which felt more like being on a vibrating hotel bed with wheels, was one of the most enjoyable parts as it gave me a taste of the sweeping mountainous landscapes outside of Quito. It was very refreshing to leave Quito for the first time since my arrival.
At the urging of Domiana, my friend Paul´s Ecuadorian girlfriend who was insulted by my rather harsh and arogant rebuke of Ecuadorian art, I checked out the Museo Fundancion Guayasamin. It features an extensive collection of the art of Ecuador's most famous painter, Oswaldo Guayasamin and I must say, it was one of the greatest collections that I´ve seen (despite a hilariously translated informational flyer). It´s true, I do not pride myself on a keen sense of artistic appreciation, and when it comes to art, well, I don´t know shit about shit. However, I found his paintings both instantly accessable and profoundly engaging. As a painter with indigenous roots, many of his paintings deal with the struggle and injustices of Ecuador´s past and the emotions are so clearly represented in his work. Thanks Damiana for showing me the light and I apologize for my rushed generalization of Ecuadorian art.
On Saturday I went to Otovalo, a town 2 hours outside of Quito best known for it´s indigenous outdoor market. It´s one of the few places in Ecuador where the poor indigenous population has achieved a modicum of middle class success. Many of the hand crafted goods are quite lovely, but most of the stands are selling the same stuff over and over again and it gets slightly repetitive. I enjoyed the standard market experience though, including lending my hat expertise to a school mate in order to pick out and bargaining down an Ecuadorian sombrero. On the outskirts of the market are food stations where entire pigs lay cut open and cooking for all to see and those whose appetites remain intact may delight in the local cuisine. The bus ride, which felt more like being on a vibrating hotel bed with wheels, was one of the most enjoyable parts as it gave me a taste of the sweeping mountainous landscapes outside of Quito. It was very refreshing to leave Quito for the first time since my arrival.
At the urging of Domiana, my friend Paul´s Ecuadorian girlfriend who was insulted by my rather harsh and arogant rebuke of Ecuadorian art, I checked out the Museo Fundancion Guayasamin. It features an extensive collection of the art of Ecuador's most famous painter, Oswaldo Guayasamin and I must say, it was one of the greatest collections that I´ve seen (despite a hilariously translated informational flyer). It´s true, I do not pride myself on a keen sense of artistic appreciation, and when it comes to art, well, I don´t know shit about shit. However, I found his paintings both instantly accessable and profoundly engaging. As a painter with indigenous roots, many of his paintings deal with the struggle and injustices of Ecuador´s past and the emotions are so clearly represented in his work. Thanks Damiana for showing me the light and I apologize for my rushed generalization of Ecuadorian art.
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