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Title: [LWAN] Ecuador: Crime and Contrasts
Source:
LWAN
URL Source: http://www.cjmciver.org/cgi-bin/lwanread.cgi?2005-11-21
Published: Nov 21, 2005
Author: Neil McIver
Post Date: 2005-11-21 16:46:18 by Neil McIver
Keywords: Contrasts, Ecuador:, [LWAN]
Views: 532
Comments: 29
The Spanish classes have proven too much for too long and I discontinued them. It was great for the first few weeks but time is a good friend with new languages. Understanding others is difficult but I know enough to get around and ask for what I need. Just being here and letting what I got soak in is a good thing. Crime continues to preoccupy the mind in Quito. Here it is something to live with. In my own first few weeks here I heard only stories and saw "shadows" of crime, but has struck close to home. The internet cafe right across the street from where I live and where I take my laptop -- the one where I was always courteously shown to the back of the cafe -- was burglarized. Thieves bypassed the steel roll-up door and broke in through a side door which bordered a private yard, itself fenced in. About 15 computers were stolen. Computers and related electronic equipment are much more expensive here and can be a hot commodity. But the owner seems to have taken it in quality stride, and he's back up and running now retaining enough good nature to extend me credit when I didn't have correct change to pay, even declining my offer to advance $10, and declining to charge me for a short 20 minutes usage one day recently. Goodwill that's always good to find no matter where you are. The vast majority of crime is in the form of thievery and muggings, but it also extends to deception and lies. A guy begged a dollar off me with some sob story about his being robbed and needing to get out of town, swearing it was the truth. I figured he was probably lying, but I gave him a dollar anyway and he, without so much as a thanks, turned and left. Curious, I followed him to see if I was right and sure enough, he met up with his buddies 2 blocks away. Lies and thievery, when they are found, are shameless here. There are a lot of foreigners here and if you stand out as one it counts against you. One Australian student, here for only a week, nearly had her camera stolen her first day here. A retired but rather husky & bald Italian student, the first student I had met here and a fine & helpful gentlemen, was tricked in broad daylight into taking his backpack off and lost it amidst some orchestrated confusion by a gang of 4 or more conspirators. (If any stranger tells you your jacket is dirty or anything else that would encourage you to put stuff on the ground, your guard should immediately go up). Another blond haired German girl told me she was mugged by 5 men to the tune of $1.50. (She makes it a point never to be completely broke and always has *something* to give in such circumstances). No weapons were involved but with those odds, none were needed. All of these things have happened within the last 3 weeks. But I witnessed one tragic exception to the "normal" form of crime on my way to meet some friends at a bar. My path took me by a crowd of people and an ambulance, and what must have been 8 or 10 members of a family wailing in grief. A man had been killed. A few hours later I caught the news footage on the barroom TV. I couldn't understand the report and don't know the circumstances, but it appeared the victim was one of the city's many security guards. That was the first I had heard of any crime based death, much less injury. Was the homicide scene an unlikely run-in for me? I can hope that it's newsworthiness speaks to it's rarity. Curious, I checked on murder statistics. I could find none for Quito but a recent count put Ecuador as a whole at about 15 murders per 100,000 people, which puts it ahead of about 20 US cities. Of course the cities here would carry the brunt of the numbers and rank higher. Then again, about 25% of all Ecuadorans live in either Quito or Guayaquil (Ecuador's largest city) and the statistics are much lower than they were just 4+ years ago before the country dollarized and experienced serious economic woes. But is the crime as bad as I paint it? I should point out to critical readers that I am not traditionally a city guy. Suburban living is as much as I normally care for and as much as I've done in recent years. I've never before lived in the heart of a city so it's more than just a new country to which I'm adjusting. There are also brighter spots to Ecuador. Contrary to my earlier report, Ecuador does have modern commercial districts. Four story malls and a "Megamaxi" which approaches the selection of a Walmart with some 48 cash registers. Four dollars gets you a very comfortable seat in a first rate theater on par with the best in the USA. There is a small but modern amusement park which may be an exploratory operation by Disney -- small but big enough to draw Ecuadorans from afar -- and I attended a wine show in the "Palacio de Cristal", a completely enclosed pavilion or "palace" made of glass which was absolutely first class. Unlimited wine tasting for $15, not to mention samples of cheese, meats, fondue and other delicious restaurant samples. And yes, the food. Ecuador is far superior to the USA when it comes to food. Here it is plentiful, cheap, fresh and diverse. And it's not genetically engineered (the safety of which has gone unquestioned by the FDA, possibly due to it being controlled by Monsanto henchmen). And it probably never will be engineered since it's already cheap and plentiful. Corporate mega-farming is also less likely in this mountainous terrain than in the vast midwestern plains of the USA. There are many fruits here I've never even heard of before. I don't believe Ecuador will ever, at least in this lifetime, have a food shortage. Meats are proportionally more expensive here, but still less than in US retail markets. Lunches here start around a dollar. Oranges are a nickel each. A quality meal is about $4, but I splurged one evening at a Chinese restaurant with soup, an appetizer, the entree and 2 glasses of wine. Total bill: $8.30. And it was indeed good food in a fine atmosphere. All told, in spite of the crime, the decision to come to Quito to learn Spanish and do all I've done thus far was a very excellent one. It ranks in the top 5 best decisions I've ever made. It is great to be here and meet so many different people and experience so many different things, and meet many other foreigners here with similar sentiments. Some of them have quit jobs to spend time here to break a dead routine and have no specific plans for how they are going to return to their former lives. While there are obviously a lot of thieves and criminals here (someone has to be committing these crimes), the Ecuadorans I've met and gotten to know are wonderful people and their lives are full lives. Recently I heard the expression "third world country" innocently used to describe Ecuador, an expression I've used myself many times in the past. And though I've not discussed the term with any Ecuadorans, when I heard the expression it immediately struck me as derogatory. Sure there are problems here, but the USA has it's own dirty laundry and to imply that the USA has the best of everything is a flaming lie. That's just the way it is. Neil McIver
http://www.cjmciver.org
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#1. To: Neil McIver (#0)
Very typical of a 3rd world country.. and in europe.. watch the gypsies.... deception and theft..they're not well like in europe to say the very least.
very enjoyable report. i want to experience the food! i'm really happy that it's been a positive experience for you, Neil.
My horoscope for today. Daily bad news reminds you that there will always be a colorful array of potential catastrophes available for your panicking pleasure. How appropriate.
Be sure to try the roasted Gunia Pig, the national delicacy. And save some for Christine.
:P
My horoscope for today. Daily bad news reminds you that there will always be a colorful array of potential catastrophes available for your panicking pleasure. How appropriate.
Sounds like a business opportunity. What's the problem, are they expensive to import or what? Sounds like there's demand, Ecuador has to have some sort of seaport, what's the deal?
And I'm optimistic. See, I think you can be realistic and optimistic at the same time. I'm optimistic we'll achieve -- I know we won't achieve if we send mixed signals. I know we're not going to achieve our objective if we send mixed signals - gwbush
Neil's in Ecuador now?! Wow! The food part sounds great, I've thought of moving to a foreign country where the cost of living is cheaper and the food quality better and healthier, but I don't think I could deal with the crime. Very interesting Neil!!
True, also the north Africans are notorious pick-pockets who work together often in pairs.
I dont know anything about the north Africans.. but I do know that the gypsies are notorious as well as pick pockets and tourists are told to be on watch for them.. they'll go thru luggage.. I know first hand..
Tarriffs. The gov would rather let the citizens stay in the stone age rather than miss out a juicy cut on items they have to import. Same with mexico, electronics are very pricy.
That's kinda what I figured but thought I'd ask the man on the scene. It's absolutely pathetic how ignorant the govt of Ecu. must be to think so short term as to jack people trying to import 'puters. ...please, either shoot me or make me your monarch...
And I'm optimistic. See, I think you can be realistic and optimistic at the same time. I'm optimistic we'll achieve -- I know we won't achieve if we send mixed signals. I know we're not going to achieve our objective if we send mixed signals - gwbush
My experience is outside of the metro areas, there's not much crime. One big reason is your face is recognized by everyone. And then they go tell your mother what you did. Hardly a foolproof idea, but a rule of thumb. Some cultures just seem to encorage theft, Roma's for example. Arab culture was that of theft in recent eras.
No doubt about that. The peoples of Eq. would be vastly better off if the gov did all they could years ago to flood the country with puters, and let the folks figure out how to make them work - just like we did in the US.
It occured to me while I was doing a bong hit just now that maybe Ecuador doesn't particularly want to empower it's citizens. Is it a democracy?
And I'm optimistic. See, I think you can be realistic and optimistic at the same time. I'm optimistic we'll achieve -- I know we won't achieve if we send mixed signals. I know we're not going to achieve our objective if we send mixed signals - gwbush
Of sorts, kinda like the US. Has a bunch of parties, so it's hard for a non specialist to keep it all sorted out.
I find myself liking the parlimentary system more and more. Just think, if 5 percent of voters voted Lets Abolish IRS Party, we'd have 5 Senators. Wheeee!
And I'm optimistic. See, I think you can be realistic and optimistic at the same time. I'm optimistic we'll achieve -- I know we won't achieve if we send mixed signals. I know we're not going to achieve our objective if we send mixed signals - gwbush
I was working in the Capital (not Capitol) of the "Worlds Greatest Super Power" 11:00 PM Thursday night, stepped outside for a smoke and some urbanite demanded a cigarette. When I said "No" he demanded to know why. When I told him it was my nature he became irate and threatened to knock my head off if I didn't give him a smoke. I said "I don't think so scooter" and he went mumbling down the street. This was 19th @ M St between Smith & Wollesky's and The Palm, Limo's, valet parking, crowds in suits lined up 30-40 deep to get into the "clubs". Safety is an illusion! A few blocks this way or that and I'd be typing without a head. It's my nature. #;o)
Hey buddy! You got any spare change.
the visual...lol
My horoscope for today. Daily bad news reminds you that there will always be a colorful array of potential catastrophes available for your panicking pleasure. How appropriate.
Sometimes I wish I was more tolerant. Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Hey buddy! You got any spare change.
About ten years ago I was at a Paris train station waiting for a train, and I saw a band of gypsies, I stood nearby in a corner and watched them; the women wore very colorful skirts and that bunch was very loud, and very interested in the travelers passing by them. I stood at a safe distance, held on tightly to my stuff and watched them. They would go out to people and say stuff, probably did some pick-pocketing but they are very sly about it that it's hard to see. It was very interesting. In Holland my ex-husband and I were on our way to get telephone service connected, and a Morrocan pick-pocket team got his stuff which included all our documents as they were needed to get the telephone connection. One distracted him while another swooped behind him and grabbed his day-pack, I was in a store nearby when it happened. Lost birth certificates, passports, everything. The gypsies and others are very skilled at what they do!
They've had generations of practice..
I regret that I almost went to Ecuador when I spent some time in Colombia and didn't make it. You made me remember the fruits of Colombia which are probably the same or similar, "curuba, mora, lulo" were some of the names. Recently I heard the expression "third world country" innocently used to describe Ecuador, an expression I've used myself many times in the past. And though I've not discussed the term with any Ecuadorans, when I heard the expression it immediately struck me as derogatory. I agree. One thing I noticed about many "third world" countries. They don't put pedophiles back on the street like they do in the US so maybe we live in a first world country with a tenth world legal system. Who's to say Ecuador might be better to live in with the pickpockets and the marijuana users on the street but the child rapists in the prisons instead of vice versa.
......with many deep pockets. Don't ask me how I know.
Hey buddy! You got any spare change.
I once learned the hard way that a breif explanation of fungibility does not earn one the level of respect in those circumstances as it might otherwise.
And I'm optimistic. See, I think you can be realistic and optimistic at the same time. I'm optimistic we'll achieve -- I know we won't achieve if we send mixed signals. I know we're not going to achieve our objective if we send mixed signals - gwbush
Yeah, I know. We win some, we lose some. I watched Network (the movie) a couple of times last week, I think I'm afected.
Hey buddy! You got any spare change.
you're going to make us all jealous with these types of reports.
I've seen it deep fried, but not roasted. It's very expensive, with a whole GP running about $17 with the normal dishes only about $4-$5. A bunch of us ordered standard meals but we got one GP plate that we shared. The head was part of the meal and we could make out the eyes, curly ears and all. I don't get it. There's almost no meat at all on GP's, which is why I thought deep frying was the preferred cooking method. The hind quarter had only a thin layer of meat and that's it. They do taste a little different but nothing I'd ever miss.
I believe tarriffs are indeed the reason for the high price. Well.... I'm not so quick to judge negatively. The USA opens it's borders to a flood of imports and look where it's gotten us. What it does mean is that there's an opportunity to manufacture computers right in Ecuador. Labor is quite cheap here by US standards.
I was sort of assuming they were taxing imports as a revenue generating device, not to protect their own manufacturing. I guess I shouldn't do that, but it seems logical. They would still need to import the chips and other essentials, or wait a decade or so to get their technology on par with that of Taiwan and Indonesia, which seems really unlikely. It just seems to me that they would want to do whatever is possible to get computers into the hands of their citizens.
And I'm optimistic. See, I think you can be realistic and optimistic at the same time. I'm optimistic we'll achieve -- I know we won't achieve if we send mixed signals. I know we're not going to achieve our objective if we send mixed signals - gwbush
The corruption here does open doors for criminals to go back out on the street, but it's harder than with victimless crimes. I am told if you are at fault in a car accident and hurt someone, you go to jail.
The vast majority of crime is in the form of thievery and muggings, but it also extends to deception and lies.
#2. To: Neil McIver (#0)
#3. To: Neil McIver, christine (#0)
#4. To: tom007 (#3)
#5. To: Neil McIver (#0)
About 15 computers were stolen. Computers and related electronic equipment are much more expensive here and can be a hot commodity.
#6. To: Neil McIver (#0)
And yes, the food. Ecuador is far superior to the USA when it comes to food. Here it is plentiful, cheap, fresh and diverse. And it's not genetically engineered (the safety of which has gone unquestioned by the FDA, possibly due to it being controlled by Monsanto henchmen). And it probably never will be engineered since it's already cheap and plentiful. Corporate mega-farming is also less likely in this mountainous terrain than in the vast midwestern plains of the USA. There are many fruits here I've never even heard of before. I don't believe Ecuador will ever, at least in this lifetime, have a food shortage. Meats are proportionally more expensive here, but still less than in US retail markets.
#7. To: Zipporah (#1)
and in europe.. watch the gypsies.... deception and theft..they're not well like in europe to say the very least.
#8. To: Diana (#7)
#9. To: Dakmar (#5)
#10. To: tom007 (#9)
#11. To: Diana (#6)
but I don't think I could deal with the crime.
#12. To: Dakmar (#10)
t's absolutely pathetic how ignorant the govt of Ecu. must be to think so short term as to jack people trying to import 'puters.
#13. To: tom007, Jhoffa_ (#12)
#14. To: Dakmar (#13)
Is it a democracy?
#15. To: tom007 (#14)
#16. To: Neil McIver (#0)
but the USA has it's own dirty laundry and to imply that the USA has the best of everything is a flaming lie.
#17. To: Hmmmmm (#16)
A few blocks this way or that and I'd be typing without a head.
#18. To: christine (#17)
#19. To: Zipporah (#8)
I dont know anything about the north Africans.. but I do know that the gypsies are notorious as well as pick pockets and tourists are told to be on watch for them.. they'll go thru luggage.. I know first hand..
#20. To: Diana (#19)
The gypsies and others are very skilled at what they do!
#21. To: Neil McIver (#0)
#22. To: Diana (#19)
I stood nearby in a corner and watched them; the women wore very colorful skirts.....
#23. To: Hmmmmm (#22)
Hey buddy! You got any spare change.
#24. To: Dakmar (#23)
I once learned the hard way that a breif explanation of fungibility does not earn one the level of respect in those circumstances as it might otherwise.
#25. To: Neil McIver (#0)
#26. To: tom007, christine (#3)
Be sure to try the roasted Gunia Pig, the national delicacy. And save some for Christine.
#27. To: Dakmar (#10)
That's kinda what I figured but thought I'd ask the man on the scene.
It's absolutely pathetic how ignorant the govt of Ecu. must be to think so short term as to jack people trying to import 'puters.
#28. To: Neil McIver (#27)
#29. To: mennyiben (#21)
I agree. One thing I noticed about many "third world" countries. They don't put pedophiles back on the street like they do in the US so maybe we live in a first world country with a tenth world legal system. Who's to say Ecuador might be better to live in with the pickpockets and the marijuana users on the street but the child rapists in the prisons instead of vice versa.
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