Brrrrr …..

For the past week or so it has been rather cold here in Loja. Those of you in the northern hemisphere - where it is the middle of winter and freezing - probably wouldn’t think so, but for those of us who are used to temperatures that reach about 70 to 80 degrees F (~21 to 27 deg C) consistently, every day, it has been feeling pretty cold lately. It is hard to say what the actual temperatures have been here – there are no weather reports on TV, and the internet forecasts don’t seem to be very accurate (right now they are saying that it is 82 deg. F [27.7 deg. C] in Loja and I’m sure that’s not correct because I’m wearing a sweater and my nose is cold) – but it has been overcast and rainy for several days and it is definitely colder than usual.

I was hoping to write a little blog entry with some interesting facts about weather in Loja and the surrounding area, but after a not-so-exhaustive internet search I came up with very little real information. It appears that the rainy season in this region lasts from about January to around April. It has been raining a bit more since the beginning of the year, and I remember that last year around this time there was some heavy rainfall and flooding that occurred. August and September are supposed to be periods of high winds and colder temperatures and that was true last year and the year before. Also, according to local lore, it rains during the new moon and not during a full moon (I haven’t tried to check that one out, though).

Many years ago I took a physical geography class and I dimly remember learning about weather in the tropics. From what I recall, altitude has a bigger effect on the weather than season (i.e. the higher you go the colder it gets and vice versa). This is definitely true around here. During the 45 minute drive ‘down the hill’ from Loja to Vilcabamba (a difference in elevation of about 1,600 ft [500 m]) the weather changes from mostly cool and spring-like to generally hot and tropical. I’m sure that prevailing wind patterns (either from the ocean to the west or the Amazon basin to the east) also have some effect on the weather, but I’m going to have to do a little bit more research to figure that out. (btw – if anyone knows of any resources in this area please drop me a line in the comments section)

When I first got here I wrote a short blog post about how how variable the weather is here on any given day. But the recent cold weather seems to be more consistent and longer-lasting than any other weather pattern I’ve experienced here. Usually no matter how cold or windy it is on a given day, eventually the sun will make an appearance and (since we are in the tropics) it will get really, really, really hot; this means I must follow my dad’s old clothing advice – which at the time was meant for San Francisco – and always “dress in layers”. But for the past several days it has been windy and rainy almost all day long and the sun has barely peeked out from the clouds. I keep wanting to turn on the TV and watch minute-by-minute commentary on the ‘storm’ until I can’t stand it anymore. But, alas, I can only stare out of my window and watch the clouds go by.

Crime and Safety

Last week a friend of mine was robbed in Guayaquil.  She and her travelling companion were taking a taxi back to their hotel and after a few blocks two men got in the car, started waving guns around, and demanded money, credit cards, ATM cards, passports, etc.  Fortunately they were not hurt, they only lost their money and passports.  The robbers eventually dropped the two women off in a remote neighborhood and they were able to find someone to help them get back to their hotel.

I’ve heard a lot about these types of robberies here in Ecuador.  They are more common in the big cities like Guayaquil and Quito, but have occurred in Loja as well.  When these things happen I start to wonder, how safe am I here in Loja? Is it more dangerous here than in the United States?

I’m not sure if I know the answer to that question, but I do know that some the risks are different here than they in the U.S.  For example, cell phone thefts – almost unheard of in the U.S. – are extremely common here.  One way that they steal the phones is to slash your hand with a razor blade when you are talking on the phone in a public place.  You drop your phone in pain and they grab it and run away.  I’ve heard of this happening in broad daylight on a crowded street in Loja.  So for that reason I have one of the cheapest phones available, something so basic that it isn’t even worth the effort to steal. 

For the most part I feel safe here.  I take all the precautions I would take in any city (don’t walk around alone at night, etc.).  It is a little disconcerting when I know that I stick out as a foreigner, but maybe it helps.  Everybody is already looking at me anyway so if something happens there’ll be lots of witnesses, right?

And one thing I’ve never heard about here in Ecuador is someone going nuts and killing people for no apparent reason.  I’m not sure why it doesn’t happen here, but maybe it’s partly because the family structure is so strong here that people never get as forgotten and isolated as they do in the States.

Christmas Gifts

Our Christmas Eve/Christmas Day celebrations with family this year were pretty much the same as last year.  The turkey turned out a little better this year and I made my mom’s world famous stuffing again which, along with the candied sweet potatoes and the pumpkin pie, got rave reviews. 

This year we did something new the day after Christmas.  Lucho’s friends asked him to help them deliver some Christmas treats to children in a small village in the mountains, about a 2 hour drive from Loja.  Christina and I came along for the ride.

The community is inhabited by members of the Saraguro tribe, one of the indigenous groups of the area.  They make their livelihood by raising cattle and using the milk to make cheese, which they take to Loja once a week to sell in the market.  They also grow a lot of their own food.  Most of the community is quite poor and the little bags of cookies and candy that we gave the children really seemed to brighten their day.

According to this website, the percentage of people living below the poverty line in Ecuador is 38.3% (as opposed to 12% in the US).  Many rural residents are extremely poor.

During this trip I was able to take a lot of pictures.  It was beautiful country, and unlike my previous trip through the indigenous community of Saraguro, the people in this isolated area – especially the children – were delighted to have their picture taken.  Here are a few photos:

 

Laundry hanging from the balcony of someone’s house.

On the road, yes we crossed that bridge below and made up the hill.

 

More beautiful views.

 

A view of the community from the road.

   

Our lunch was cooked over a wood fire.  It was very smoky inside the ‘kitchen’.

Some of the kids waiting for their goodies.

 

I had to take a picture of this young girl who was carrying her baby brother on her back.

 

 

This woman was serving little cupfuls of “chicha” a mildly alcoholic drink made with milk, sugar, spices and homemade cane liquor. (Fortunately it wasn’t the traditional version of this drink which a corn-based beverage fermented with saliva.)

Another beautiful view – the road down to the river.

Mom and daughters heading home.

A woman from the community waving good-bye.  We bought 5 pounds of homemade cheese from her.