Fakte Ecuadori kohta/Some facts about Ecuador

Ecuador on täpselt samasugune nagu teised riigid, aga ainult natuke eriline :)

-          Piim on siin ainult 12%ne, nagu jooks kohvikoort.

-          Luksusmaks on kuuldavasti 120%, see selgitab, miks Euroopaski kallimas hinnaklassis olev Ritter Sport shokolaad siin 3 dollarit maksab... Sama käib ka näiteks Nivea toodete ja autode kohta.

-          Ecuador toodab küll ise naftat, ent ekspordib selle USAsse ümbertöötlemiseks. Sellegipoolest maksab gallon(~ 4 liitrit) bensiini umbes 1.5 dollarit(diisel umbes 1.2 dollarit). Kohalikud väidavad, et see on kallis, aga mulle tundub, et jagatakse poolmuidu. Ka shokolaadi toodetakse väidetavalt välismaal, ehkki Ecuador on üks maailma suurimaid kakaoubade kasvatajaid.

-          Chiquita banaanid pärinevad Ecuadorist

-          Enamikel kordadest, kui küsin  mis puuviljaga tegu on, saan vastuseks sellise nimetuse, mida enne kuulnud pole. Lisaks avastasin esimest korda banaani süües, et tegu on ühega umbes neist kümnest banaaniliigist, mida Euroopas pole ja mis on sootuks küpsetamiseks mõeldud

-          Dušši all käimine on kui õnnemäng. Meil on majas kolm vannituba, neist ühes on ainult kuumaveekraan – pead pesta on võimatu! Lisaks on dušši alla minemisel pisikesed reeglid, mida tuleb järgida... Kui pesumasin käib on külm vesi garanteeritud! Kui keegi teine on parasjagu dušši all, siis vee survet nii palju pole, et saaks samal ajal dušši alla minna(milleks on kolme vannituba vaja, kui neid korraga nagunii kasutada ei saa?). Kui keegi on parasjagu vett tõmmanud, siis dušši alla minekuks vett pole – tuleb 10 minutit oodata! Lisaks tuleb meeles pidada, et paberit potti visata ei tohi.

-          Kõik praht visatakse auto/bussi aknast välja

-          Ükski bussisõit ei möödu ilma, et keegi midagi müüks, laulaks või muud moodi raha üritaks teenida

-          Siin on moes kõik see, mis umbes 10 aastat tagasi Euroopas moes oli

-          Sünnitusmajast bussiga koju minna on tavaline. Iga paari päeva tagant on mõni selline naine linasse mässitud vastsündinuga rahvamassi seas bussi trügimas

-          Liiklus on muidu parempoolne, ent trollid sõidavad vasakul pool (vähemalt osad neist)

-          Toas käiakse välisjalanõudes

-          Kohvi joomine tähendab siin enamasti seda, et 90% moodustab piim ja ülejäänud 10% on veidral moel pliidil keedetud kohv

jne.

L.

Ecuador is exactly like other countries, except it's a little bit special :)

-          Milk has 12% of fat in it. For the English: it’s like a mixture of blue milk and double cream.

-          I heard that the luxury tax is 120%, which explains why for instance Ritter Sport chocolate costs around 3 dollars, a small Snickers bar a dollar. It’s the same with for instance Nivea products and cars.

-          Ecuador produces nafta, however, it has to be exported to the US to have it purified for petrol. Nevertheless one gallon(~4 liters) of petrol costs around 1.5 dollars(diesel about 1.2). The locals say it’s expensive, but it seems to me they are giving it away almost for free compared to European prices. Chocolate is also produced abroad even though Ecuador is one of the biggest cocoa bean producers in the World.

-          Chiquita bananas come from Ecuador

-          Most of the time when I ask the name of a fruit  I get told a fruit name I have never heard before. Also, the first time I ate a banana here, I realized that it’s one of the ten kinds of bananas that we don’t have in Europe and that are meant for cooking.

-          Taking a shower is like playing a lottery. We have three showers in the house, however, one of them only has a hot tap – makes washing hair impossible! Furthermore, there are some rules that have to be followed for taking a shower... if the washing machine is on then there is only cold water. If someone else is taking a shower, then it is not possible to take a shower since the water pressure is very low (not quite sure why we have three showers...). If someone has flushed the toilet then there is no water for the shower for about 10 minutes.  Also, toilet paper has to be thrown into a bin.

-          People through rubbish out of the bus/car windows

-          There is always someone on the bus who is sells something, sings or tries to make money in some other way.

-          Fashion is about 10 years behind of Europe.

-          It’s common to see women, who have just given birth, taking a bus home from the hospital. I have seen quite a few women trying to get on a very crowded bus with their newborn babies. Also,  buses never seem to get full here.

-          Cars and buses drive on the right lane, but some of the trolleybuses drive on the left lane.

-          People wear shoes at home.

-          Having a coffe at my house usually means that you get a mug that consists 90% of milk and 10% of coffe that is boiled in a strange way.

etc.

L.