"Café Guayoyo" - The Backstory and the Inspiration

Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador - May 2023

"Café Guayoyo" is one of the poems in the first book. This post will provide some details on how this poem came to life. Note, however, that when the events described below occurred, I did not have the slightest inkling that I would try to write poems or short stories a few years in the future. Still, it provided some fodder which would later evolve into a poem.

I moved to Costa Rica in January 2019. I had put together a birding tour in northern Ecuador with friends from Texas which began less than a month after I arrived in Costa Rica.

I decided to go to Quito a couple of weeks before the tour started to explore the city. I stayed in a private room in a hotel/hostel on the eastern edge of the historic center. It was nice enough, but I cannot recall the name. It was easy walking distance to and around the historic center. I also explored the area near the hostel.

I found a tiny coffee shop a few blocks away. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of this place either. Really, it was tiny, but it seemed inviting. At this point, I could only speak a few words of Spanish. I was so intimidated that I walked back and forth past it several times before I got up the nerve to enter.

Upon entry, I saw a small couch to the left with a tiny table in front of it. To the right a slightly larger table was surrounded by a few chairs. Straight ahead was a bar with three high stools, and behind that a large oven with a couple of burners on top. A women and a man were behind the bar. There was not another soul in the place.

They greeted me and I did my best to communicate. The man's name was Hernán and he could speak some English. The woman's name was something like "Leticia". I do not believe they were married, and I did not know if they were in a relationship or simply ran the business together.

I discovered that they were from Venezuela and had been in Ecuador for a couple of years. They only offered three kinds of arepas (made of maize dough and stuffed with either meat or cheese) and several kinds of coffee. That was the extent of the menu. They were both very nice. So much so that I returned several times during my stay in Quito. At times, neither Leticia nor Hernán were present, but a young man with a rasta hairstyle was behind the bar. I believe he was either Leticia's son or at least I decided that he was.

I left and never saw them again. At the time I shoved it to the corner but it was a very cool experience for me. One of the first in which I tried to converse in Spanish.

When I started writing poems, the images came back to me. I took from my experience and I embellished them considerably. I did more or less leave the little place intact, but I added a guitar player back in the corner playing a typical type of guitar which might be found in Venezuela.

Most importantly, I researched what was a common technique used to make coffee in Venezuela and discovered that it was "café guayoyo". I thought that it had a really unique sound and it became the title of the poem.

I created in the guy visiting the cafe an infatuation, or maybe an obsession, with the women. I think poor Hernán got booted out of the poem. Maybe he was the guitar player. I do not want to give away the story, so if you want to know more you will need to read it and come to your own conclusion.

After three months in Colombia, Isabel and I attacked Ecuador at the end of April 2023. Our first stop was Quito, and we immediately started exploring the historic center. We visited many churches and roamed the streets enjoying the ornate architecture. It was time for a bathroom stop. We wandered into a little cafe/restaurant without paying much attention. When I came out, Isabel was smiling and pointing to the sign over the bar.

Quito, April 2024

An interesting approach

Quito, May 2024