Fun Facts about Ecuador!

1. Sunrise/Sunset times hardly fluctuate at all, much different from Maine!
2. Up at this altitude, it’s not scorchingly hot, even tho we’re at the equator.  But the sun is close!  So you still burn even if it’s cold out.
3. You can’t put toilet paper in toilets, the plumming system can’t handle it…kind of weird to get used to!
4. In Quito, dogs are typically not your friends.
5. There's policía everywhere.  Earlier today I came out of a grocery store and saw a guy standing in the parking lot with a rifle, just hangin out.  Then stopped at a bakery, another police officer there.
6. You have to saludar (say hello/goodbye) to everyone, always.
7. Until a few years ago, vehicles legally had the right of way over pedestrians, and that still is the case even though the law doesn’t technically exist.  Makes crossing streets interesting...
8. People love to watch TV here.  In Plaza Gutierrez, the small town in the Cloud Forest, the family I stayed with had a TV and DVD player, but no refrigerator.  At the homestay family in Quito, it’s midnight and the TV has been on since lunch…
9. Pretty much don’t drink the water unless it’s been boiled.  Apparently it isn’t necessarily bad or sickness-causing, but you can’t always count on it to be good.  Regulation seems to be lacking in general.
10. In 1859, there were 4 presidents simultaneously!
11. People don't wear flip flops here!  I think I've seen one pair of flip flops since I've been in Quito.  Shorts are rare too.
12. You can often see people breath fire and juggle machetes in the middle of streets
13. During the 1940s, US military occupied bases in the Galápagos!
14. Cuy, or guinea pig, is a traditional staple food here...
15. Between the super dry air, low oxygen levels, and the pollution, my lungs aren't happy.  Also, apparently it's harder to digest food at high altitudes.  Lunch is by far the most important meal of the day here.
16. Growth rings pretty much don't exist in trees here, since there aren't drastic seasonal changes!  So the only way to find out the age of a tree is to chemically test it
17. El Parque Nacional Yasuní in the Ecuadorian Amazon is considered the most biodiverse area in the world!  It has the greatest diversity of trees and amphibians in the world.  One hectare in Yasuní contains as many tree species as all of North America.  This area has unfortunately been threatened by petroleum companies, and it's future is still up in the air.  The Ecuadorian government decided not to allow oil exploitation in Yasuní, asking for international financial compensation for the profits they would be making from the oil.  It's a very forward-looking action, so hopefully the international community will support it!  http://www.sosyasuni.org/en/
18. Corn here has HUGE kernels, and isn't sweet like corn in New England.
19. Parasites = not fun.  Found out giardiasis is also called 'beaver fever!'  The doctor I went to see said almost everyone here has parasites at some point, but their stomachs are more used to it.  Having parasites has definitely been one of the weirdest sicknesses I have experienced.
20. Some words and phrases from the indigenous Andean language Quichua have been integrated into common language here in Quito.  You can often hear "Mande?"  (What?)  or "Achachay" (I'm cold!)  "Arrarray" (I'm hot) and "Ayayay!" (ayayay mi cabeza = my head hurts!)