Paro Nacional (Again) and an Active Volcano

It is ironically more difficult to keep up with current affairs the closer one is to the location of the events. Unknown to us, a volcano - Cotopaxi, one of the many volcanoes in the Ecuadorian Andes and the second highest in South America (at 5,897m) - started to spew ash into the sky in the early hours of this morning. The snow-capped, conical mountain destroyed the town of Latacunga in 1744 and 1768 but last erupted in major fashion in 1877 and has been relatively quiet ever since. Despite being only 30 miles from Quito, we were entirely oblivious to the recent activity, as the grey ash blended into the cloud that usually hangs low on the horizon, shrouding the surrounding peaks.

Unaware of the ongoing natural events, we took lunch at the Taiwanese restaurant, Formosa, which seems to serve up a fusion of Ecuadorian cuisine - in this case "lentejas con carne de soya" and "guatita" - spiced up nicely with sesame and chilli sauce.

Having arbitrarily chosen La Mariscal area of town for our midday meal, we had unwittingly turned away from brewing trouble in the historic centre. CONAIE (Consejo Nacional de Coordinación de Nacionalidades Indígenas) had been instrumental in organising protests and an uprising (El Levantamiento y la Movilización de los Ecuatorianos) against the president, Rafael Correa, which had begun yesterday while we were out of town. Today was the second day of a paro nacional (national strike) and the Pan American Highway - a network of roads that runs from Alaska all the way to the tip of the cono sur - was blockaded south of Quito.

Being only a kilometre or so from the centre of the action, life seemed to continue as usual, and we sat and peacefully ate our lunch. Meanwhile, in the Plaza Chica (near the Plaza Grande), confrontation between the protestors and police flared and turned violent as rocks and other projectiles were thrown and the police responded with batons and tear gas.

If we had been cognisant of these events, the ash or the uprising, we would have been paralysed by our impotence. As it was, we unconsciously responded in the only way that was appropriate... by having a beer.

In fact, it was a good opportunity to catch up with some friends from the UK over Skype, who were also enjoying a few beers. The selection they presented had my mouth watering, as the craft scene in Ecuador is still nascent, and the choice from local brewer Abysmo, while varied, lacked the quality or flavour of homegrown varieties.