Families remember their dearly departed by adorning themselves in their finest clothes and visiting their grave sites with offerings of food and flowers, etc. Most roads are closed and blocked off as long processions of people make their way to the cemeteries. The dead are visited and their graves are decorated with fresh flowers and food brought to them.

In the smaller more traditional towns, whole families reunite to clean the graves and then spend their day picnicking at the graves of their loved ones. Colada Morada, a blueberry- and blackberry-based drink, is paired with Guaguas de pan, a sweet dipping bread in the shape of babies, as the traditional food prepared on this festive & uplifting day (not depressing as you would think).

Recipes for Colada Morada will vary from family or region. Most versions will contain blueberries, blackberries, and pineapple. Others will contain naranjilla juice (an Andean fruit), babaco (champagne fruit), strawberries, and even raisins.

Serve the Colada Morada (translated as the purple colada, or oatmeal drink) hot or cold. Ecuadorians eat Guaguas de pan, soft bread loaves shaped in the form of babies [guagua (pronounced wa-wa) - means baby in Quichua] along with their Colada. These breads are filled with chocolate or jellies and decorated with frosting. If you have a problem eating dead babies (LOL) then dip any soft bread into the fruity drink.

One element of the traditional Ecuadorian recipe is purple corn flour. This item is not readily available in other regions of the world so cornstarch can and is substituted for the purple corn flour. Cornstarch will actually keep longer as the corn flour in the drink tends to ferment it. Another is oatmeal that is used to thicken it up, hence it’s translated name.

I have added a few different ingredients in this recipe. Depending on what you have on hand or what you can find, you can use whole spices or ground. If you wish to use fresh pineapple then cook down (approx. 20 min.) to soft but not mushy and substitute for crushed pineapple.

COLADA MORADA

1 1/2 lbs. of blueberries, be sure to rinse
2 lbs. of blackberries, raspberries or boysenberries (cooks choice)
1 lg. can crushed pineapple (if not using a fresh pineapple)
2+ c. sugar (depending on your desired sweetness)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. pineapple juice
1/3 c. cornstarch (depending on thickness desired)

1/4 – 1/2 tsp. allspice or 6-8 whole allspice*
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. cloves or 6-8 whole cloves*

If in Ecuador or a good So. American Market purchase these specifically for this drink:
1/2 bundle of spices for Colada Morada (5-6 orange leaves, 1 fistful each of lemon verbena and myrtle)*
1-2 ishpingo (Ecuadorian spice)*

4-5 Cinnamon sticks (optional)

Simmer berries in water. Let cool then mash and strain. Put berry liquid in a large pot. Add water at 1:1 ratio of water & juice. Add pineapple and pineapple juice. Mix well and heat thoroughly. Add sugar and spices or “spice tea” (adjust amounts to taste). Stir.

If using cornstarch place in a glass (I like to mix in a glass jar with a lid so I can shake it) of cold water. Stir and dissolve the cornstarch for about 5-10 minutes, allowing the Colada to thicken. When the juice mixture reaches simmer, add cornstarch mixture from previous step.

Mix well. Serve hot or cold. Serve with Guaguas de pan or soft dipping bread.
Makes 10+ servings.

Optional: Serve with cinnamon sticks (best if serving hot).

This is an Ecuadorian Recipe I translated from Spanish from GoEcuador.com:

INGREDIENTS (40 cups)

1 pound blackberries
1/2 pound of mortiño
10 orangettes
1/2 pineapple, chopped
1 pound strawberries
1/2 pound black flour
o maicena or cornstarch
3 sheets of orange
6 -10 leaves of lemon verbena
10 leaves of myrtle
6 cloves
10 sweet peppercorns
4 sticks cinnamon
1 ishpingo
1 1/2 pound of sugar
1/2 babaco

PREPARATION
Place in a pot with 2 liters of water all the spices (cinnamon, cloves, pepper, shiping). When water grass in about 15 minutes, add the lemon verbena leaves, myrtle, lemon, orange and leave for 5 minutes. CERN is water and carries it back to fire and without herbs.

Mix the cornstarch or flour 2 cups black in cold water until dissolved and mixed in the water in the fire, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Station

In addition, the mortiño cook in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes, hovering and liquefies, add the juice to the previous preparation.

Wash berries and liquefied with half a cup of water, getting a thick juice that is added equally to the laundry. Do the same with orangettes laundry and let it boil for 15 minutes.

Chop diced pineapple, strawberries and babaco the end, we put in the wash, add sugar to taste and leave for 10 minutes. To serve, you can use a cup or jar and place raisins to taste. The drink can be taken hot or cold.

The translation leaves a little to be desired LOL

Below are videos of some of the traditional recipes. I could NOT find any in English but you can watch the preparation & use either recipe above. Either that, just enjoy their festivities and language. Their passion in making these dishes comes through. I couldn’t find any Ecuadorian videos on their festivities either, so I added a Mexican one in the States.

There are 3 main airlines that fly to Ecuador on a regular basis. They fly to all 3 of Ecuador’s largest cities:

• Quito – Quito – Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO/SEQU) which was refurbished just a few years ago, however, a brand New Quito International Airport (NQIA) is currently being constructed 10 miles from Quito and the first phase is expected to open in late 2009 – early 2010. This new airport (video below) will be at a lower altitude and the NQIA will have a new airport terminal and 10 times more space than the existing airport (3,500 acres). It will be able to schedule more convenient take off and arrival times.
• Guayaquil – José Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport (GYE/SEGU) which opened in mid-2006 &
• Cuenca -Mariscal Lamar Airport (CUE/SECU).

The 3 Main Airlines are:

• American Airlines (http://www.aa.com)
• LAN (http://www.lan.com) – Site is in Spanish
• AeroGal (https://www.aerogal.com.ec) – Site is in Spanish

Flight options from the U.S. to Ecuador have recently expanded by AeroGal, an established Ecuadorian airline. They added Miami-Guayaquil and Miami-Quito flights. American Airlines and LAN (a highly regarded South American airline) have been flying these routes for years. AeroGal, the new kid on the block, is a good choice if you are looking to save a bit.

You have other options as well according to A-Z Airports:

Airlines Serving Quito Airport: Aerosucre, American Airlines, Arrow Cargo, Atlas Air, Avianca, COPA, Cielos Airlines, Continental, Delta Air Lines, Florida West, Iberia, Icaro, KLM, LAN Airlines, Martinair, SJM, TAME, Tampa, UPS Airlines, Vipair.

Once in Ecuador, you probably will want to continue on your adventure. Getting to the coast (la costa) takes approximately 20 minutes from Quito and flying to the jungle or Amazon (el oriente) takes just 30 minutes.

According to Ecuador Explorer:

TAME has flights to almost all destinations in the country including: Guayaquil, Quito, the Galapagos, Bahía, Esmeraldas, Manta, Portoviejo, Machala, Cuenca, Loja, Tulcán, Coca, Lago Agrio, and Macas. The up and coming Icaro now flies to most major destinations and is in the process of expanding its service.

While prices vary depending on the destination and the season, non-national tourists can expect to pay under USD 50 each way for mainland flights (with the exception of flights to and from jungle destinations in the Oriente which tend to be a little more expensive) and between USD 300 and USD 380 for a round-trip flight to the Galapagos from Guayaquil or Quito.

For the most up-to-date fare and scheduling information, it is always best to check with TAME and or Icaro. Also, don’t forget that students who have a valid ID card from their home university may receive a 10-25% discount. There is no departure tax on internal flights.

Tame.com.ec has a translator on their site for your convenience. I counted 16 different destinations in Ecuador they service. They had this under their current specials: “From now on all customers of TAME to present their boarding pass at any of the Hertz office at the national level will receive a 20% discount on their car rental services, among other important benefits.” Not too bad of a perc for taking a short trip.

Another Ecuadorian airline for in-country flights is Icaro. This site is in Spanish only. The site is nicely done, but if you can’t read Spanish yet, it might be a problem. I will give you some pointers on that issue in another post.

Distinctive forms of Quechua are found in the north of Peru (Cajamarca, San Martín, Loreto) and in Ecuador, where it is known as Quichua. I used the general term instead of the Ecuadorian version, just to avoid confusion as there are 2 other dialects of the same language in So. America.

These following videos give you an idea of what it sounds like and a little background of the Quechua peoples. These are not learning videos like the Spanish I grouped up for you:

There are NO learning videos that I have found. It is a spoken language carried down by generations of indiginous peoples of the Andes in South America. I have heard that is has a Sanskrit base but I am not positive. I found a site that gives free internet lessons on Quechua. If you have mastered Spanish and are ready for more, this would be a good addition to your language skill set in Ecuador.

Another resource I found is “Fun Facts to Know About Quechua.” On that site they say:

Here’s some English words derived from Quechua: coca, condor, guano, gaucho, guanaco, Inca, jerky, lagniappe, lima [bean], llama, pampa, puma, quipu, quinine, quinoa, and vicuña.

Quechua Phrasebook

I managed to find one book on the Quechua language. It doesn’t come up with “Quechua” in the search so use: ISBN: 9781740597708 in the search box. Click on this to enter site then put in previous search term: Lonely Planet Country Guides

I also found a few items on eBay for Quechua. These change all the time so check back if you don’t see anything.

I have loved this concept ever since I heard of it. I wasn’t sure if many, if any, wanted to swap in Ecuador. Lo and behold, yes they do. So, this is yet another way you can vacation in Ecuador and make your lodging as cost-effective as it gets. Even if you don’t vacation in Ecuador you can swap with someone else either in the same country or your dream spot.

From all the reviews I have read, tonight and before, the general consensus is that Home Swapping is a viable & rewarding way to tour the world. You may never have even thought about going to Taiwan, but someone there may have a “home to die for” and need a place in the states just when you have a vacation coming up. You never know what experiences life will throw at you and Home Exchange is a good way to get your feet wet.

One listing currently is a gorgeous home in Quito that says “Beautiful house in Quito Ecuador, quiet and safe residential area, 20 minutes from one of the most gorgeous colonial centres.” and another example is “Explore Ecuador from Quito for a great family!” – that home is to die for, OMG, stately and then some!

The site has a gallery/slideshow of the homes in detail, information about the owners, locations, amenities, directions, maps, and much more. Check them out today!

Ecuador Condos

When I searched for Ecuador on the home page I came up with quite a few hits. Beware of “Bella Costa” as it is NOT in Ecuador but on Ecuador Street – guess no way to prevent this. All in all, this site gives you some good choices ranging from $42,000 and up.

I believe this would be a good site to list your condo for sale, not just purchasing another. They are extremely professional and know their stuff. Below is a demonstration on how to use their site:

Use Condo.com to buy condos for sale and Ecuador real estate. Use our search tools to find condos for sale and real estate in Ecuador and research all aspects of the Ecuador condo market including prices, bargains, deals and cheap location condos for sale and rentals. Whether looking for new Ecuador condos or older condos in Ecuador, Condo.com can help.

Our Ecuador real estate market analysis gives you an average price and price per square foot so you can do the proper research necessary to find an affordable Ecuador condos for sale.