Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Ecuadorian Bits and Pieces
Police action and Piccachu
I spent longer in Quito than expected, but this is was so I could meet up with Carrie, (aka Grommet), who I had previously travelled around Uruguay with, for a couple more weeks on the road together. But it also meant I had time to sort out new rain-cover for rucksack made by a street tailor - that has already proved it's worth!
Before leaving Quito I witnessed the main square being cleared of protesters. As the 50 strong crowd of women, shouting "asesinos", were charged out of the square by military police in full riot gear, it struck me the police had two lessons to learn. Firstly, don't shove protesters down a road where there is building work going on, your apparel gives the invitation and the material to hand the opportunity for you to be showered in bits of brick and wood. And in the consequent effort to disperse the crowd more rapidly, if you will use CS gas, don't spray it and then charge the crowd, you will succeed in gassing the first row of the officers too.
As far as I can make out there are countless variations to the Ecuadorian Police - with uniforms all obviously designed by a man taking too much testosterone on his cornflakes. There is a whole swathe that come in military style camouflage uniforms, but the divisions within these are unclear except for the variation in colour. They come in a range of grey-blacks, grey-greens, dark blues, light blues and pinks, none of which look like they the would camouflage anyone from anything really, but all of them have been designed to fit an athletic Ecuadorian youthful standard, and look rather comical on the more portly older constabulary. The metropolitan police forces have a more formal, khaki dress. However, the women wear knee-length skirts and impractically high-heeled boots, where as the men have some elements that are clearly a throwback to days gone by: in addition to their stab-proof vests they wear cavalry boots and on occasion carry sabres.
Bad stuff on buses
In every country of South America the buses and trains are boarded by men women and children hawking all manner of stuff, from food and drink to q-tips and needles and thread. Some times there are some less standard articles such as computer manuals and miracle cures which I've always assumed were picked up cheap at markets and then sold on for some kind of profit, but perhaps the worst I've come across is the Piccachu toys that, when squeezed, mysteriously played "I'm a Barbie Girl" - the guys wasn't shifting them.
Best collective noun:
"A Wallet of Gringos"
- This was originated by Adam, a man with an encyclopedic knowledge of music and football, and a life like something from Jerry Springer.
I spent longer in Quito than expected, but this is was so I could meet up with Carrie, (aka Grommet), who I had previously travelled around Uruguay with, for a couple more weeks on the road together. But it also meant I had time to sort out new rain-cover for rucksack made by a street tailor - that has already proved it's worth!Before leaving Quito I witnessed the main square being cleared of protesters. As the 50 strong crowd of women, shouting "asesinos", were charged out of the square by military police in full riot gear, it struck me the police had two lessons to learn. Firstly, don't shove protesters down a road where there is building work going on, your apparel gives the invitation and the material to hand the opportunity for you to be showered in bits of brick and wood. And in the consequent effort to disperse the crowd more rapidly, if you will use CS gas, don't spray it and then charge the crowd, you will succeed in gassing the first row of the officers too.
As far as I can make out there are countless variations to the Ecuadorian Police - with uniforms all obviously designed by a man taking too much testosterone on his cornflakes. There is a whole swathe that come in military style camouflage uniforms, but the divisions within these are unclear except for the variation in colour. They come in a range of grey-blacks, grey-greens, dark blues, light blues and pinks, none of which look like they the would camouflage anyone from anything really, but all of them have been designed to fit an athletic Ecuadorian youthful standard, and look rather comical on the more portly older constabulary. The metropolitan police forces have a more formal, khaki dress. However, the women wear knee-length skirts and impractically high-heeled boots, where as the men have some elements that are clearly a throwback to days gone by: in addition to their stab-proof vests they wear cavalry boots and on occasion carry sabres.
Bad stuff on buses
In every country of South America the buses and trains are boarded by men women and children hawking all manner of stuff, from food and drink to q-tips and needles and thread. Some times there are some less standard articles such as computer manuals and miracle cures which I've always assumed were picked up cheap at markets and then sold on for some kind of profit, but perhaps the worst I've come across is the Piccachu toys that, when squeezed, mysteriously played "I'm a Barbie Girl" - the guys wasn't shifting them.
Best collective noun:
"A Wallet of Gringos"
- This was originated by Adam, a man with an encyclopedic knowledge of music and football, and a life like something from Jerry Springer.
# posted by Barney @ 7:06 pm 
