The Road to Shell

Last weekend was Mother's Day and I wanted to spend it with my family, but in order to do so they had to take the trip down to Shell with me. I knew I would be working this week at the Hospital de Voz Andes del Oriente, so my family came with me to spend a relaxing day (or so we thought) in the jungle.

Let me start by saying that the rainy season is not the ideal time to take a trip to Shell. There are lots of derrumbes (mud slides) and the roads can be fairly treacherous when it rains. That withstanding, we were able to see many of the sites that in my mind are uniquely Ecuadorian. We have 3 favorite towns that we have given nicknames to. One is known lovingly as jean town. Here it is called Palileo, but ask any Ecuadorian where to go to buy any brand of jeans you want and they will tell you this small town located midway between Ambato and Shell.

Here they sell jeans in all styles, sizes, colors, etc... They also sell every brand of jeans, Lees, Levis, Gloria Vanderbilt, etc...Yep, for $10 you can get some GV or other designer jeans. Just pick out any of the many jeans they have to chose from, go to the counter and tell the salesperson what brand you want them to be. They will open a large drawer with hundreds of labels in it and then sew whatever label you want everyone to see on the back. Not bad if you don't mind the jeans only lasting about a year.

Another favorite place is called Baños. We like to call it Taffy Pull City. This little oasis is known for their thermal spas (It is located at the base of Volcano Tungurahua). They are also known for their homemade melcocha (taffy). What makes it unique is how they pull the taffy. They use large hooks in the doorframe to pull large globs of taffy right in the doorway of their stores. It takes over 20 minutes for them to pull it into the right consistency. This is both fascinating and slightly disgusting at the same time. They pull the taffy out in large bands and then slap it against the door frame. Having a male dog I don't think I need to explain the disgusting factor in all this...Anyway, I think I'll just take their word that it is delicious.

The town I still have not stopped in, but I want to is Salcedo. That is the ice cream town. For some reason every store in this town, and there are several, sells a certain type of ice cream. It is so popular here that they even have a monument to this particular type of "helado" made with anywhere from 2 to 5 bands of flavors. They have special cups they use to pour one flavor at a time and then allow to freeze, add a layer, freeze, etc... The most popular one has mora (blackberry), guanábana and piña (pineapple). Yummy! I have tried this helado in Quito, but I have been told it is even better in Salcedo.

The only downside to this trip is the long length of it. I have made it in typically 4.5 hours, but lately due to protests by the indigenous and more tourist traffic it is taking 6 to 7 hours. The poor kids were so tired of sitting in traffic and not going anywhere I almost suggested they get out and play while we waited for the cars to move. At one point I was forced to do the unthinkable in the U.S., but extremely common here. I think this photo pretty much sums up what they had to do. If any of you witness my boys doing this in the U.S., please forgive them. I'm trying to break them of it....

So if you find yourself on the road to Shell, get some ice cream in Salcedo, check out the jeans in Palileo, and watch some expert taffy pulling in Baños. I do suggest however, that you schedule those bathroom breaks!