In the 1980s, when I planned my first trip to Europe, I can’t remember which Frommer’s travel guidebook I brought along. It might have been “Europe on $25 a Day” or “Europe on $40 a Day.” Either way, I had Arthur Frommer by my side.
Baltazar Ushca, Who Kept Andean Ice Harvesting Alive, Dies at 80
09.11.2024 - 23:27 / nytimes.com
For 60 years, Baltazar Ushca worked a rare but rigorous trade: ice merchant. Once or twice a week, he climbed snow-capped Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador’s highest peak, to hack ice from a glacier with a pickax, wrap the 60-pound blocks in hay and transport them on the backs of his donkeys. He would then sell them to villagers who did not have electricity and needed refrigeration to conserve their food.
It started as a family business. Mr. Ushca’s father, Juan, was an ice merchant, as were his brothers, Juan and Gregorio, and they made their very modest livings off the Chimborazo ice.
But Mr. Ushca, who was 4-foot-11, chipped at the ice decades after modern refrigeration came to his village, by which time his job was nearly obsolete. He gradually became known as the last of his breed, selling his blocks of ice for a few dollars each largely to vendors in a market in Riobamba, Ecuador, for use in fruit drinks and making ice cream.
“The natural ice from Chimborazo is the best ice,” Mr. Ushca said in a short documentary, “El Último Hielero,” or “The Last Ice Merchant” (2012), directed by Sandy Patch. “The tastiest and the sweetest. Full of vitamins for your bones.”
Once he reached the market, he delivered the blocks of ice by carrying them on his back.
“My kids would say, ‘Why suffering so much?’” Gregorio Ushca said the documentary. “‘Being so cold, walking far, if you almost make no money?’”
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
insider.com
26.11.2024 / 19:45
A McDonald's superfan who's dined at over 100 of its restaurants around the world says these 5 are the most unique
Most McDonald's locations around the world follow a familiar design: red and white branding topped with golden arches. But some stand out for their distinct architecture and unique backstories.
euronews.com
26.11.2024 / 02:01
Iceland volcano 2024: Is it safe to travel and is the eruption affecting flights?
A volcano in Iceland has erupted for the seventh time since December, spewing red lava through a 3-kilometre fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
nytimes.com
22.11.2024 / 23:27
Harold W. Sims Jr., Whose Museum Honored the House Cat, Dies at 89
Harold W. Sims Jr., a fanatic for all things feline, who poured his life savings into his own no-kill animal shelter and then took his passion a step further by founding the American Museum of the House Cat, displaying some 10,000 cat-themed artifacts, including antique windup tabbies and an ancient Egyptian cat mummy, died on Nov. 17 in Sylva, N.C. He was 89.
insider.com
22.11.2024 / 13:27
6 tourists who died are believed to have drunk tainted alcohol in Laos
Several tourists who died in Vang Vieng, Laos are believed to have drunk tainted alcohol.
insider.com
22.11.2024 / 00:31
I spent a week in a hospital in Ecuador when my lung collapsed. It confirmed that moving here was the right decision.
I was lying wide awake on a hospital bed in Ecuador, hoping for sleep yet fearful that if I dozed off, I'd miss something crucial.
cntraveler.com
22.11.2024 / 00:15
Women Who Travel Podcast: Ashley C. Ford Explores America's Landmarks
You can listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify each week. Follow this link if you're listening on Apple News.
travelandleisure.com
21.11.2024 / 17:01
American Airlines New Tech That Shames Passengers Who Board Out of Turn to Expand to More Than 100 Airports
American Airlines is expanding new technology that ensures travelers board with their designated groups ahead of the busy holiday travel season.
insider.com
19.11.2024 / 14:21
The 5 best states to visit on your first trip to the US, according to a traveler who's been to all 50
From lush forests to scenic seaside drives and iconic skylines, the US has something for every type of traveler.
insider.com
17.11.2024 / 14:21
I'm a single mom who suddenly became an empty nester. I decided to give up my home and travel full-time.
My youngest daughter was approaching her senior year in high school when she announced that she wanted to live with her dad. I was shocked.
cntraveler.com
15.11.2024 / 20:09
On the Spanish Island of Lanzarote, High Design and Natural Wine Pair Nicely
Even six or seven years ago, the whispers about Lanzarote still came with an element of implied surprise. “It's actually really cool,” I remember a photographer friend telling me before I went with my partner in 2018. We ended up staying among the palms and black-ash vineyards at Finca Malvasia, part of the first generation of cool boutique hotels, and falling for the island's big skies, duotone volcanic landscapes, and singular brand of nature-facing modernism.
