My Dog Bastard

Maybe over my two years in Ecuador I’ve grown accustomed to the funny way people pronounce English words. Maybe I’ve just not noticed. But last week I was reminded of just how hilarious it can be when languages mix.
As you know, I own a dog named Buster. Leaving him to travel is sometimes a guilt-trip (no pun intended), though the last time I left Nono I didn’t feel so bad because the new volunteer had come for a visit. She immediately fell in love with my dogs, and I breathed a sigh of relief as Nono disappeared from view when the bus rounded the first mountain.
And I didn’t have anything to worry about. I returned two days later to find my dogs sprawled contentedly at her feet in the kitchen.
“ I sort of took over walking them while you were gone,” She said. “Susana took them out the first day, but I decided they needed more exercise. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not!” I replied. “ How’d they behave?”
“Great! I kept Samina on a leash, and Bastard followed me everywhere.” . . .
“Yeah, he...wait, BASTARD!?!?”
What did she just call him? And she had seemed like such a nice person! I was about to come to the defense of my unjustly wronged dog when I saw the horrified look on her face.
“Wait, his name isn’t Bastard? I couldn’t remember his name the first day and Susana told me it was Bastard!”
We had a good laugh (while “Bastard” slept blissfully unaware) over that little misunderstanding. And I listened carefully for the next time anyone said my dog’s name. Sure enough, the next day Susana came for a visit while I ate breakfast.
“Buenos días Bustard” she said as she stepped over his napping form.
So, no worries if you slip up and refer to him as an illegitimate pup or his actual name.
My dog answers to both.

I Laughed, I Cried

I Laughed, I Cried

The fact that I haven´t checked in for several months (I am sorry about that) doesn´t mean nothing of note has happened here south of the Equator. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of the past five months.


I laughed when Seth experienced his first Ecuadorian fiesta.I knew he would be picked to participate from the moment the dancers sashayed past my house.


I nearly cried when after an evening of bad food and the following night spent in the bathroom,
Susanna made me spend the day soaking in the thermal baths in Pappallacta with her family.
I forgave her pretty quickly. I laughed at the hats we had to wear.



I felt like crying when Samina rolled in something nasty for the fourth time in a week. She decided to roll during our morning walk, which made me late for my first class. As punishment I gave her a cold bath and didn´t dry her with my hair dryer. The final result was a dog burrito.



I laughed when Carlos gave me a face full of cake as a Happy Birthday present.


I almost cried at the thought of losing a finger to an overly friendly parrot I met while visiting the family of my friend Margoth.



I cried when the electricity went out when I was cooking two chickens and had a roomful of people to feed for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks to my brother Will, and the fact that the electricity eventually came back, things did turn out ok.


I laughed when our three ¨ayudantes¨ turned the compost bins I built with a friend into a zoo, which brought me back to my younger days playing make-believe with my brothers.


I cried (literally) when my two cookie-baking helpers and neighborhood buddies emptied out their piggy bank to buy me a Christmas present. A week later they were gone, and I didn´t even get to say goodbye.

So, there you have it. The last five (or so) months of my life in a nutshell. Here´s to a new year as full and interesting as the last!

The Birds of My Backyard

Every weekend, and occasionally during the week as well, tourists flock to my little corner of the world to gaze through their binocs at the myriad of avian life. Some come in large groups and with fancy buses, others travel alone or with a guide, but all have one thing in common: they pay money to stand and gaze with no guarantee that they will actually see the birds they came to see. Which made me realize how incredibly lucky I am. I am paid to live 24/7 in one of the most bird diverse countries in the world. It doesn’t really matter if I don’t spot the sparkling violetear this morning- I still have roughly 250 mornings full of chances to see it. So, feeling generous, I would like to share with you the birds of my backyard. And I won’t even charge you for it.

(Obviously, the pics are pirated from the web. I hope the photographers don't mind.)


Tyrian Metaltail
As I am writing this, I can see Eloy, a local Metaltail, on the clothes line resting between trips to the fuscia bush. One morning I found Eloy on my doorstep, cold and nearly lifeless. I took him inside and placed him in a cardboard box with a cap full of sugar water. An hour later I returned and he was impatiently waiting for me to let him out. Now he hangs around my yard and watches me when I garden. I like to think we’re pals.


Sparkling Violetear
A larger hummingbird than the metaltail, this bird has a brilliant purple mask and belly. They like to frequent the fuschia bush outside of my kitchen window, and most mornings while I wash dishes I see one getting his/her early morning fix for the day.


Black/Glossy Flowerpiercer
This sassy bird is fairly inconspicuous save for it’s predilection to chase the hummingbirds from the fuschia bush by my clothesline. It also likes to hang upside down while it drinks nectar.


Masked Flowerpiercer
Related to the Black Flowerpiercer, the Masked Flowerpiercer is a bit more colorful, and likes higher altitudes. I see them feeding when I run to Nonopungo in the mornings.


Sword-billed Hummingbird
For a few weeks a single swordbilled hung around the pine tree that grows along the edge of our property bordering the river. I could just barely make out its ridiculously long beak from my window when it rested for the night on a pine branch. Occasionally I will see one feeding when I walk the dogs in the morning along the river road.


Southern Yellow Grosbeak
There is a pair of these birds that nest somewhere in our property. Right now they have fledglings and are wreaking havoc on our corn. Being large and colorful they are a favorite with the tourists. I see several pairs around town, usually not far from a corn patch.


Turquoise Jay
These birds usually travel in pairs or small groups, and, in the nature of jays, make their presence known. But I’m always glad when they do. Slightly larger than the American Blue Jay, they have lovely turquoise feathers with a roguish black mask.


Andean Pygmy Owl/Cloud Forest Pygmy Owl
I don’t see my owl pair much anymore, since the land where the owls roost has been barbed-wired off, and I usually do some damage to my pants when I try to slip through. But one of these days I’ll risk my clothes to endure the abuse of those two and try and get a photo. They don’t like visitors much, least of all my dogs, and a shouting match usually ensues between the two groups when we pass by.


Rufous-naped brush finch
I see these birds in the brush along the road I run in the mornings. They have a beautiful song, which always takes me by surprise. With their orange mohawk I expect something more harsh and reminiscent of a rebellious teenager.


Tropical Mockingbird
I just found out that a pair of these birds live in the park downtown. They are fairly rare and have only been seen in one other area in northern Ecuador.


Black-tailed Trainbearer
This unique hummingbird has a distinct buzzing call that is very useful in alerting me to the fact that one is nearby. How they manage to weave through tree branches without getting their tails caught is just another wonder of mother nature.

These are the birds I see on a semi-regular to regular basis. Here’s a few which I’ve only seen once, and treasure that experience!

Nono


Collared Inca


Buff-winged starfrontlet


Unicolored Tapaculo


Scarlett-Bellied Mountain Tanager


Spectacled Whitestart


Crimson Mantled Woodpecker

Guallabamba


Vermillion Flycatcher


Blue-and-yellow Tanager

Pappallacta


Shining Sunbeam

Rave Run

LOCATION: Nonopungo, Ecuador
PHOTOGRAPH BY: Lauren Thacker-Lynn
RUNNERS: Buster, Guayasamina, Lauren Thacker-Lynn
THE EXPERIENCE: The main road to the small Andean community of Nonopungo is a steady climb through thin air. The road is framed by a backdrop of Guagua Pichincha, an active volcano, and the Andean paramo. “The climb up can be a slog, but it’s worth the view while you fly down”, Lauren says.

New eyes

Even though I know I’m a month late, I would like to send out a message to my dear Dad for Father’s Day. Alas, there is no Father’s Day song here in Ecuador, and I’m not creative enough to write one. But I do want to recognize that without his support and love I would never have made it this far, in life or in the Peace Corps. So gracias, Padre, y te amo!

Everyday first thing after waking up, I slip on my running shoes or favorite rubber boots and greet the day with a run or hike, accompanied by my two loyal buddies and surrounded by the glorious mountains of the Andes. And everyday (at least in the morning) I thank my lucky stars that I get to live in and be a part of this beautiful place. But after living here for a little over a year, I find the fresh eyes which first greeted this country have started to grow cateracts (figuratively speaking), brought on by the routine of daily life and work. Which is one of the reasons why visitors are so wonderful: not only do I get to visit new places, but they help me shed my lenses and re-appreciate the little quirks of daily life in Ecuador.
The last visitors were no exception. During their first few days in Ecuador we explored Old Town, the beautiful historic center of Quito. I took them on my usual rounds; the Basilica, a few of the museums, Parque Elejido, but during the way we experienced so much more than what I had planned. On the way to the Basilica, Rose and Karl took me on a side trip to visit the bottle frog (a great idea for a recycling project):



and unique columns of the La Compania Church:



Rose and Karl also pointed out that, if one were inclined, one could replace a broken high heel spike, tan leather, or print out a book using the printing press we discovered housed in a hole-in-the-wall store.

Upon arriving in Nono, the often depressing afternoon fog was transformed into a beautiful photo opportunity:



and the friendly gentleman who owned the hostal down the street turned out to host a wealth of fascinating Nono history worthy of any adventure tale (and made fast friends with Rose and Karl):



Rose also shared her talent as a physical therapist, much to the enjoyment of my neighbors.



Rose and my's 6:30am jogs introduced us to a world we never would have seen otherwise: the early morning fish market. Though the market lasted until noon, the activity peaked in the morning, and we were able to wander among rows of marlins,



trucks piled with sharks,



mounds of octopus,



and the vendors who feed the crowd. (The sheer numbers of fish dragged onto this little stretch of beach-this is a daily event- made me wonder how long our oceans will be able to feed us...)



We concluded our journey enjoying the amazing sights of humpback whales (albeit far-off) and boobies (blue-footed, red-footed, and nazca...and quite close).





They returned to the states, and I to my little town, able to see with clear eyes once again.

To Every Mother

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCl1KWSDbd8
Or search "Nono Happy Mother's Day" in Youtube


In the silence of this beautiful night
I am singing to you from far away
sending you happiness
Forgive me mother
and thank you for your patience
My weariness is deep but I sing to you,
accompanied by my friends
Happy Mother's Day
(Approximate lyrics...)

And especially to my mother,
I admire you.
I miss you.
I love you.

Eat your heart out, Mr. Bourdain

Dear Anthony,
I just want to start by saying how much I enjoy your show, ¨No Reservations¨. Though I grew up on a mainly meat-free diet, watching you risk your digestive health by popping a chunk of wild boar intestine still flecked with partially digested herbiage into your mouth inspired in me a sense of adventure (as well as a slight gag relfex), which I try to live by as I encounter the foods of Ecuador. I realize you already did a show on Ecuador right before I embarked on my stint here, but after living here for a year, I would like to offer some suggestions for your next piece, if you ever decide to return.
The locals here proudly refer to themselves as ¨carnivoras¨, a word which is fairly self explanatory. After participating in the preparation of and sampling some of their dishes, I now include myself in that category, a fact which might shock some of the folks back home. Top of my list of best Ecuadorian foods is a dish called fritatta, a lovely concoction made by frying chunks of pork in their own fat mixed with green onions, garlic, and salt.



Though the street fritatta is tasty, I highly recommend the homemade version, prepared from pork bought at the local butcher shop down the street and so fresh the trichinosis parasites are still wriggling. The smell alone of the cooking meat will draw surrounding neighbors like flies, whom you can then put to work washing dishes or peeling habbas (after offering them a dish, of course).





A less tasty but still interesting dish is ´cuero´, which means ´skin´in english. The skin of a pig is boiled and fried, then served with an assortment of side dishes. My favorite accompaniments are chochos, tostada, and tomatoes and onions with lime and salt.



Chochos are a type of white bean, and tostada is toasted and salted corn kernels (made the same way as popcorn but using feed corn instead). As always, it´s better to share these experiences with good friends (you can make them take the first bite).



Yuagra locro is favorite with the locals, and is a soup with a fairly innocent appearance. But don´t let that creamy facade fool you. Hidden beneath the surface are chunks of cow intestine, and sometimes blood is cooked right into the broth, though there are also occasions when the blood is served on the side, as a sort of gelatinous powder.



I´m sure you didn´t pass up cuy while here in Ecuador, Anthony, but just in case I´ll give that a plug as well. The practice of eating guinea pig might be a little repulsive to the folks in the states who think of these critters as cuddly pets, but, as a former guinea pig owner myself, let me say they are also quite tasty critters. Uncooked (and cooked), they do resemble rats, but don´t let that phase you.



Roasted on a stick and served with potatoes and a peanut sauce, they could turn even the most devoted vegetarian.





I could go on, but I think you have enough material here to fill up the forty minutes of your show. And if you are lacking, don´t forget the abundance of fresh fruits which are available on every street corner. A dollar will buy you five or six of the tastiest mangoes you will ever eat, or maybe four chirimoyas, a fruit similar to an avacado on the outside but ridiculously yummy on the inside, a sort of cross between a banana and an apple.
I hope this helps, Anthony. Here´s to good eating wherever you may find yourself next!