Door-to-door Salesthings

Jonah and I are making a list of door-to-door sales vehicles (and people) that we have seen rolling past our house because. . because, well, why not? It is interesting to live in a world in which not everyone has a personal vehicle with which to acquire goods and services. In a way, it is like going back in time (Laura Ingalls Wilder's books are filled with door to door sales and service people). In another way, it is not that different from online shopping with same day home delivery, except that you actually get to touch and see the product before you buy it.

Here is our list so far:

1) The Gas Truck is definitely the vehicle we see the most. It drives around with a hefty supply of orange and blue propane tanks that are used to cook with (not sure if there is a difference other than color). The gas truck comes every morning around 7:00am and then again late in the afternoon. Sometimes it just beep-beep-beeps as it tootles through town. Other times, it plays a weird song about a vaca, a gallina, and something else. It often is our morning alarm clock, especially since we all seem undisturbed by the early-rising roosters. We haven't needed to trade out our kitchen tank quite yet, but I anticipate that we will be pretty soon, and we will be grateful for the gas truck's quotidian presence.

2) The Junk Truck comes almost as frequently as the gas truck. It has a pre-recorded message that goes something like, "Compro cocinas viejas, refris viejas, botellas viejas, baterías viejas" (I buy old kitchenettes, old refrigerators, old bottles old batteries. . .). The voice speaks so quickly, it took us listening hard several times before we figured out what it was saying. I suppose in a place where most people don't have their own transportation, it's particularly important to have someone hauling away old junk. And, while I have no idea how much they buy these things for, I am sure people appreciate the cash.

3) The dude on a Fish Motorcycle sometimes comes more than twice a day, depending on how much fish he needs to sell. He has a regular moto with a blue crate tied on the back and yells "Pescado! Pescado!" in a booming voice. I remember the fish guy from living here before, though we haven't bought any yet from him. Most of the fish consumed in these parts are river fish, so they are pretty small with lots of bones. I enjoy eating it, but haven't convinced my family yet of the inherent deliciousness.

4) The good old Ice Cream truck rolls through most afternoons. It doesn't look anything like the ice cream truck of your dreams, but it is well-loved. In fact, it is an old white truck with a soft serve ice cream machine in the back and big black tarp on top. It has a catchy song that sounds like a 1950s jingle. The song goes through a bunch of ice cream flavors that aren't actually available (e.g. naranja, cremosa, fresa, etc) ends with "Nadie, nadie, nadie me va a ver." ("Nobody, nobody, nobody is going to see me." These lyrics were verified by a native, not sure why it says this). The two available flavors of soft serve ice cream it sells (chocolate, vanilla or twist) are really good. Cones start at $0.30 each, including chocolate syrup and sprinkles on top.

4) The Drinking water truck: La Josefina has pretty decent water. We are the first town on a mountain spring. But it is technically not potable. As I have mentioned in a previous post, Paul installed a super cool filter that has two parts (sediment filtration and UV), so we drink water straight from our kitchen sink. When I lived here as a Peace Corps volunteer, I boiled all my water. It seems plenty of people are now accustomed to buying large bottles of potable water for drinking, but the kids that come over to hang out at our house seem perfectly happy with tap water, so I am not really sure what average practices are. This truck has a cute jingle too.

5) The Pizza Truck seems to come about once a week. We haven't tried it yet, but it advertises pepperoni and Hawaiian style pizza by the slice. I find it amusing that in a country filled with scrumptious pineapple, ham and pineapple pizza is still somehow Hawaiian-style.

7) The Pots and Pans door to door salesman: every weekend, one or two traveling salesman like people (usually a man, he is different each week) rolls through selling basic kitchen supplies carried high on his neck, usually on a long pail. This includes pots and pans, spatulas, mixing bowls. You get the idea.

8) Vaccine Health Promotoras: a few weeks ago, two young women (one a promotora, one a nurse) stopped in doing house calls with particular attention to children under 5 and vaccination, as well as COVID vaccine. They were carrying a cooler and only had the synovac (Chinese vaccine) with them, but said their supply varies. We talked for a long time about health, health promotion, and everyone in Ecuador's favorite subject (speaking English). It's so great that Ecuador is investing in sending people door to door!

9) The Potatoes and Onion truck. Potatoes and onions are definite Ecuadorian staples, but since my kids basically won't eat potatoes (except in the form of French fries), we haven't purchased from here. Plus > > >>. But I do like the call of "Papas, papas, papas y cebollas" rolling past my door. And, I am pretty sure they have some other fruits and veggies too.

10) Internet guys, yup, even in Ecuador. A pair of guys that could've been Comcast guys stopped by last week, flashy brochure and all.

Our buddy Leandry told me there are a few other folks that we haven't seen/heard yet, including the repair guy (he repairs blenders and washing machines), the pot cleaning guy (he literally makes pots shine), the clothes salesperson, and a few others I cannot remember. We will be keeping our eyes out for more!