At the invitation of our friend and fellow Buckeye, David, we went to see tonight's futbol match at El Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa. We found out that this one is a pretty big deal, a heated rivalry between two teams from Quito. David supports Deportivo Quito, and he and his girlfriend, Paola, explained the nuances of their team's relationship with the far more popular Liga de Quito. In sterling English, they told us how they have many special songs regarding the persuasion of the Liga fans (Ligistas) and that they would be singing them many times this evening.
After some thrilling sing-offs at the start of the match, Liga scored an early goal which quieted our portion of the crowd. Deportivo got back into the match after this setback, and they eventually tied the game with about 15 minutes to go. In between the two goals, we learned that although futbol here is not played with the American-style pig skin, it is a popular snack among spectators. When Deportivo Quito put the ball in the net, these people did their best to re-enact the 4th of July. They shot red and blue smoke into the air, and they sent up enough fireworks that I thought I was in Westerville for a moment or two.
Don't be disappointed, because they end of the game hardly brought an end to the evening's adventure. We had to wait in the stadium for the Liga fans to leave first (with some gentle encouragement from the riot police), so we were treated to more entertaining tunes about the Ligistas' lack of women and other related topics. Once we were allowed to leave, we received a lesson in Ecuadorian efficiency. For the 12,000 or so people seated on the east side of the field, there were an impressive two doors trough which we could exit. And to add further lubrication to their smooth-running operation, these crazy people parked cars bumper-to-bumper from the street all the way to within five feet of one of these doors!!!! So, needless to say, we were afforded a great opportunity to get up close and personal with many new friends.
All in all, it was a productive day. Chelsea met with two professors at Pontifica Universidad Catolica del Ecuador about her amphibian research, I got to enjoy a live game of my favorite sport, and we shared lunch at our favorite vegetarian restaurant in town, El Maple (yes, they display the Canadian flag in the window). We have some potential leads for obtaining a vehicle, but nothing concrete yet. Tomorrow, we depart for a couple of days with our friend Elicio at Otongochi, a place that is part of our host, Giovanni's, conservation work.
After some thrilling sing-offs at the start of the match, Liga scored an early goal which quieted our portion of the crowd. Deportivo got back into the match after this setback, and they eventually tied the game with about 15 minutes to go. In between the two goals, we learned that although futbol here is not played with the American-style pig skin, it is a popular snack among spectators. When Deportivo Quito put the ball in the net, these people did their best to re-enact the 4th of July. They shot red and blue smoke into the air, and they sent up enough fireworks that I thought I was in Westerville for a moment or two.
Don't be disappointed, because they end of the game hardly brought an end to the evening's adventure. We had to wait in the stadium for the Liga fans to leave first (with some gentle encouragement from the riot police), so we were treated to more entertaining tunes about the Ligistas' lack of women and other related topics. Once we were allowed to leave, we received a lesson in Ecuadorian efficiency. For the 12,000 or so people seated on the east side of the field, there were an impressive two doors trough which we could exit. And to add further lubrication to their smooth-running operation, these crazy people parked cars bumper-to-bumper from the street all the way to within five feet of one of these doors!!!! So, needless to say, we were afforded a great opportunity to get up close and personal with many new friends.
All in all, it was a productive day. Chelsea met with two professors at Pontifica Universidad Catolica del Ecuador about her amphibian research, I got to enjoy a live game of my favorite sport, and we shared lunch at our favorite vegetarian restaurant in town, El Maple (yes, they display the Canadian flag in the window). We have some potential leads for obtaining a vehicle, but nothing concrete yet. Tomorrow, we depart for a couple of days with our friend Elicio at Otongochi, a place that is part of our host, Giovanni's, conservation work.
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