Ecuador, Mi Ecuador (Days 6 and 7)

Day six was exclusively a travel day! The first five days of the tour were spent in Peru. However, the remainder of the tour was in Ecuador and its province - the Galapagos Islands. The group woke early to bring all their luggage to the lobby to transport to the Cusco airport. We had to take three different flights to make it to Quito, our ultimate destination. We were to fly from Cusco to Lima in Peru, then from Lima to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and finally from Guayaquil to Quito, also in Ecuador. Most had never flown on three flights in a day. In addition to taking multiple flights, traveling from Peru to Ecuador meant reclaiming our luggage in Ecuador, proceeding through Immigration control, and then returning to the airline to have our luggage connected to our flight to Quito. The airline, LATAM, was exceptional in allowing our group to be checked in at a most expedient manner.

After departing from Cusco at 12:20 p.m., we did not arrive in Quito until 7:45 p.m. After acquiring our luggage, we had a two-hour drive to our hotel in Imbabura, Ecuador. We did not arrive at our hotel until 10:30 p.m. Anticipating our hunger from our long day of travel, the hotel prepared a spread of local food for our arrival. Luckily, we were the only group in the hotel. Although this was a very fine hotel by Ecuadorian standards, it was much more rural in feel than the other hotels where we stayed. Despite the limitations of this hotel, we were all pleased to find a bed to recover from the day.

Our third concert was scheduled on Sunday, marking the seventh day of our trip, in Cotacachi, Ecuador!  After breakfast, the choir went to one of the largest open markets in South America to spend our dollars in their local economy! Although the dollar was much stronger in Peru, we found the prices to be similar in the market.

In Ecuador, the equator dissects the country. In fact, Ecuador means equator. At Noon, as the sun is directly above the earth, shadows are completely invisible for a few minutes. On the equator, the earth is much closer to the sun, which means that the sun’s rays are much more intense!  Although we have not seen any temperature above 65 degrees since we have arrived in South America, the sun is so intense, one can get burned in a matter of minutes. I never get sunburned in the states, however, after a couple of hours in Machu Picchu, the top of my head was scorched. Many people in Ecuador show evidence of sun damage on their faces due to the intensity of the sun. Hats are a must in this region of the world. During our visit to the market, I broke down and purchased a hat for some protection. All the choir members purchased ponchos made of beautiful alpaca material, under twenty dollars. When we return to campus, we will proudly adorn our new South American ponchos.

After the market, the choir visited a local farm. The family of the farm hosted us for our group lunch. This was not just an ordinary lunch, as the food was cooked in a very indigenous manner—on the ground. A deep round circular pit in the ground was dug out. Hot rocks (coals) were placed in the ground, to cook the fresh local produce and meat. The group saw the entire process of making our meal. In fact, the group participated in placing the food in the Ecuadorian oven in the ground. While we were waiting, we were served a delicious dish of hot roasted corn with salt and garlic. This appetizer tasted like naturally made Fritos, which are just corn chips—very tasty!  The meal was very delicious, all cooked in a very indigenous manner.  We all enjoyed the meal, especially knowing we were part of the cooking process. We then had to quickly travel to our concert site only ten minutes away.

The concert was at a Catholic Church called Iglesia de la Dolorosa, meaning the church of the suffering. The church was on the main square in Cotacachi. Although the church was filled to capacity, the doors of the church remained open for anyone in the community to hear the concert. Our presentation was preceded by an exquisite local children’s choir who sang quite beautifully. We sang a selection of songs from our repertoire, substituting a local Ecuadorian favorite, “A Mi Lindo Ecuador”, rather than our Peruvian encore. This was an immediate success when everyone in the church began singing with us.  

The Morgan State University choir had another successful performance. After the concert, several individuals commented: “I have heard many choirs before, but never heard a sound or spirit like you have. Thank you for making the long trip to Ecuador to bless us.”  What a comment of appreciation!  

We returned to our ranch hotel for dinner and were treated to a couple of local performers who sang indigenous music from the region.

Days 1 and 2 / Destination: Sold out Performance in Lima, Peru

Days 3 and 4 / High Altitudes

Day 5 / Guinea Pigs, Alpacas, and a Sold-Out Concert!

Day 8 / The Land of Volcanoes

Day 9 / Concert in the Clouds