Reposted w/ permission of Margarita Goodhart

Reposted w/ permission of Margarita Goodhart - Otavalo, ECUADOR Resident for 35 yrs - 10 APR 2013:
 
This is something that I have posted about 10 times, but I see there are new members and readers here all the time....I shall post it again....the truth rings here....please try to understand it!

There are certain things about Ecuador that have gone on for decades and perhaps centuries. We gringos cannot change these things, they will always exist. Noise, Trash, Corruption, bad biz ethics, lack of being on time, and many other things. 

This is Ecuador, South America. Do not think that any one of you can come here and make changes, the country will resent it. And once again, I will reprint an important passage from an important book.

This very poignant quote, that Nicholas Crowder has used in the introduction of his book, Culture Shock, is taken from Walker Lowry's "Tumult At Dusk: Being an Account of Ecuador," written in the early '70s and is unfortunately out of print at this time.

..I shall copy it here for all to read, as I believe it is good 'food for thought.'

"During his visit to Ecuador, he and his companions became aware of a murder at a ranch named Ila. They were concerned, as many North Americans would have been, and thought something had to be done.

 But a Colonel offered this advice:
"That is right, Senores. Whatever you do you will only make things worse. Forgive me for saying it but you do not understand this country. You do not understand its people. You think that because we have houses, cars and clothes like yours, because we talk of democracy and freedom, because we read your books, borrow your money, buy your goods, we are like you.

 "But we are not. We look like you, sometimes we talk like you, but we do not think like you. The difference, Senores, is not great but it is important. If you do not see it, the things you do in this country will be wrong. 

You will only make trouble. Your motives will be good but you will always be misunderstood. You will try to make friends and find only enemies. You will be disappointed. You will condemn this country. Or you will make fun of it. You will go home and say this country is ridiculous, that everything is hopeless.

"But who are you to say, you who have never understood us? Senores, try to understand. Look at this country with open eyes believing only what you see. Look at our people. Look at our history. Look at our land. Do this, Senores. Do not worry about Ila. Ila is not your affair. Adios, Senores." 
(Reprinted from "Culture Shock! Ecuador", Nicholas Crowder). 
 If you are going to Ecuador and you want an insight into the hearts and mind of the Ecuadorian culture be sure to get a copy of Nicholas Crowder’s book (Culture Shock Ecuador: A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) ..also, be sure to visit with the owners of Ali Shungu Mountain Lodge, Frank and Margarita.

Ecuador, escape to the top of the world at Ali Shungu Mountain Top Lodge

  ...I once was on assignment in Ecuador and this fellow Nicholas Crowder the author of Culture Shock Ecuador, helped me out of a few jams. We have stayed in touch over the years and he recently shared with about the beauty of Ali Shungu Mountain Lodge. He won’t admit it to anyone but he knows some aspects of Ecuador that very few outsiders have knowledge of.  One thing he taught me was that not all things in Ecuador are as they appear on the surface.  When he tells me something about Ecuador, I listen and I listened about one of the most beautiful places on earth. He highly recommended that I get in touch with the owners of Ali Shungu Mountain Lodge, Frank and Margaret who took very good care of my wife and I while we were there. There is no question they know how to operate a first class operation in an absolute paradise on earth....



....I have so much respect for  this fellow Crowder I asked him before I shared this beautiful mountain lodge with you called Ali Shungu. My recommendation is if you are going to Ecuador and you have thought of staying at a breathtaking and magical place which extolls the beauty of this earth then read below. If you read no further that is OK, but I am telling you from a fellow traveler to another, Ali Shungu should not be missed by any visitor to Ecuador. One kernel in the secret recipe, Ali Shungu is magical and mystical but it is the owners Frank and Margaret who have provided the spirit in constructing a comfortable lodge where nature and spirit can be celebrated....


...Sitting at nearly 10,000 feet, tucked up on top of a mountain in the Andean mountains is the hidden jewel which is called Ali Shungu Mountaintop Lodge. My wife, Mercedes Keene who is from Ecuador and I made the trek up a bouncy road where the lodge is isolated just fifteen minutes from the center of the Andes town of Otavalo, Ecuador.



If you take any recommendation from an old travel writer, and you love serenity, peace, comfort, and not to leave out fantastic food, you should not miss a visit here. I am telling you that you will write and thank me. Oh one last thing, pricing is about $85.00 a night per person including meals – it is a bargain at this price. You can visit their website at: Ali Shungu Mountain Lodge.
Also, if you are going to Ecuador and you want an insight into the hearts and mind of the Ecuadorian culture be sure to get a copy of Nicholas Crowder’s book (Culture Shock Ecuador: A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette)
He and the book saved my ass a few times. By the way I asked Frank and Margaret if they knew Nicholas Crowder and if he had stayed at Ali Shungu. They had a smile on their faces and would not confirm or deny if he had stayed there.  However, I did see his book on their bookshelf in the main house.
Regards, Brandon Keene – Author, Professional Dragoman
P.S. and please keep my secret about Ali Shungu between you and me. (1*) BRANDON KEENE IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER CREATED BY NICHOLAS CROWDER
http://latinamericacurrentevents.com/ecuador-escape-to-the-top-of-the-world-at-ali-shungu-mountain-top-lodge/11633/

I Want More Spanish!...by Ecuador George

I Want More Spanish! 
Ordering food will be the first thing I learn. This will be very easy because ordering food does not take a lot of words. It can be as simple as one or two phrases. Then I can get down to the basics, but food comes first.
 Here are two of my favorite words… In fact this is also my favorite phrase… Learn this along with a few nouns and you will be speaking Spanish.

Quiero mas… Quiero mas… Quiero mas…

I want more… I want more… I want more….......................

ECUADOR DIGEST Quito's new Metro light rail system will open in 2016

ECUADOR DIGEST
Quito's new Metro light rail system will open in 2016

Posted By Admin | Published: April 3, 2013 23:23

Cuenca isn’t the only city in Ecuador building a light rail transportation system.

Quito’s Metro Tram project broke gorund in March and is scheduled to open its first metro line by mid 2016. A total investment of $1.4 billion USD, the project will be financed by the City of Quito, the Ecuadorian Government and several international financing sources.
http://www.cuencahighlife.com/post/2013/04/03/ECUADOR-DIGEST3cbr3eQuitos-Metro-light-rail-system-will-open-2016.aspx

eddsaid----cuenca---ready or not, here i am!!!: Mashpi Lodge

eddsaid----cuenca---ready or not, here i am!!!: Mashpi Lodge: Mashpi Lodge
A private driver picked us up from our friend's house for an early morning drive to Mashpi Lodge. Mashpi has ushered in a new level of tourism in Ecuador. It's an extremely high-end ecolodge hidden in an amazing cloud forest northwest of Quito.....

Ecuador, Venezuela Trade Using New Virtual Currency:

Ecuador, Venezuela Trade Using New Virtual Currency:
QUITO – Ecuador sent Venezuela an initial shipment of crude palm oil under a new trade currency regime known as the Unified System for Regional Compensation, or Sucre, the Ecuadorian government said.
Ecuador’s state-run National Development Bank, or BNF, said Tuesday the shipment carrying 5,000 metric tons of crude palm oil – part of a bi-monthly export agreement between firms in both countries – left for Venezuela on Dec. 31.
The oil is used as a raw material for the food industry.
The medium of exchange was the Sucre, a virtual currency adopted by the ALBA bloc, whose members are Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

ALBA was conceived of by leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as an alternative to the now-defunct U.S. plan for the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

The transaction was executed via the countries’ central banks at a rate of $1.25 per Sucre, the BNF said, adding that it corrects distortions that multinational companies have generated in the palm oil refining chain, “which traditionally has exploited and undervalued the work of Ecuadorian producers.”

Dincodex S.A., in partnership with several other Ecuadorian companies, exported the crude palm oil to Venezuelan state-owned firm Industrias Diana, which will refine the raw material, the bank said. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=14089&ArticleId=383777

John Desmond Ott, Succumbed to gunshot wounds inflicted by robbers 16 OCT 2008

The Following Death Notice was printed in the local papers.

John Desmond Ott, son of M. Gerald and Virginia A (Desmond) Ott died unexpectedly on October 16, 2008 in Quito, Ecuador. He succumbed to gunshot wounds inflicted by robbers in mid-afternoon. He had owned a business in Quito since 2005. He was born in Midland, Michigan on January, 2, 1969. He graduated from Greenwich High School in 1987 and from New York University in 1995. Besides his parents, he is survived by his beloved wife of two years, Andrea Castillo de Ott, a daughter Joana, who turned one year old on October 22, sisters Julie Farris and Jana Ott, brother James Ott, brother-in-law John Farris, nephews Joseph and Jacob Farris, nieces Hayley Ganslaw and Anna Farris, and many, many friends throughout the world. A celebration of his life was held in Quito on October 19 and another will be held in New York in late November. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The John Desmond Ott Memorial Fund for the benefit of Joana Ott 
http://johnottmemorialfund.blogspot.com/