When in Rome.... err, umm... I mean Quito

Those of you who know me well know that one of the things I truly believe about travel is that the local food tastes the best where it comes from, and is best enjoyed in local surroundings. The ingredients are fresh, and the locals really know how to cook the food properly.

I have eaten food abroad that I would never eat at home... e.i. the herring sandwich with pickles and onions, with a side of marajuana in Amsterdam.

With that in mind, I went out to a local restaurant specializing in cuisine of the Ecuadorian High Sierra, and it was just around the corner.

It must be all my travels, plus years of watching Anthony Bourdain on television, but on my very first night I ordered a local dish of tripe stew with potatoes and peanuts, served with rice, avocados, tomatoes and onions. I started with a cheese empanada with hot sauce, all washed down with sparkling water. Yummy and filing.

All this for only $12, including tax and tip!



It is now the next day, and as with my Around the World trip, no stomach problems at all! More from Quito and surrounding area soon!

Sunday in Quito

Awoke refreshed, energized and ready to explore a new city. The sun was shining, but at 9,300 feet in altitude, it was not hot, just warm and comfortable. Down to a pleasant little dining area for my free breakfast. It was very nice, fresh fruit, juice, coffee with milk, fresh buns, and eggs made to order by a lovely lady serving us.














Checked with the front desk guy, who was very helpful and friendly. Safe to walk around during the day, and evenings until about midnight. OK, great, but I will be careful, but can relax a little bit. Started, as I always do, by walking around, and just exploring. As I said in my previous post, I am in the heart of the Mariscal area (New Town). It is very trendy and nice, lots of bars, clubs and restaurants in the area, but as today is Sunday, dead quiet. Another nice thing about Sundays is that many streets are blocked off from cars, and the people of Quito take to the streets on their bicycles - great! Made my way to a big park, which had more bicycles, lots of paintings and handicrafts for sale, and was chock-a-block full of Quitenos families enjoying themselves. Bumped into a couple from Calgary I met in the airport, and briefly compared notes.


























After a very brief siesta, I headed by taxi over to El Centro Historico, Old Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. First impressions - it is huge! I was expecting about 10 square blocks, but I would estimate it is more like 20 X 30 blocks. It is superbly done, only old buildings, some old, some paritally restored, but most restored and painted to their former glory in the 16th century. The scale and beauty of it is overwhelming - it is so well done. Cannot believe in Vancouver that heritage preservation is chopping the front 6 feet off the front of an old building, and attaching it to a 30 story building we allow the developer to build (stop ranting, Neil, you are on vacation!).

I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.






















Oh yes, I am at 9,300 feet, and as you can see, Old Quito is very hilly and steep. I walked for miles, up and down steep hills, exploring every nook and cranny. I did not have quite the stamina I have at home, and was a little more out of breath, but certainly not a problem at all. Must be the yoga.

Safe and Sound.... and Happy!... in Quito

How does one get their "Travel Mojo" back? Well it seems you just get on a plane and go somewhere exotic, interesting and beautiful.

Left Vancouver early on Saturday morning for three legs to Quito - Vancouver-Calgary, Calgary-Houston and Houston-Quito. Executive Class ensured the trip would be low stress, and the fact that all three flight left right on time helped.

I knew the approach to Quito would be kinda scary, as the airport is right in the middle of the city. Sure enough, the plane´s wheels appeared to be skimming the tops of roofs as we approached. Although Quito and Vancouver are nothing alike, imagine an airport runway just south of Hasting Street, starting at Clark Drive and ending at Main Street. You approach from the east, skimming over hilltops of Burnaby and East Van, barely missing houses, factories and some low high rises. As you barely clear Clark Drive, you drop onto the runway, and hit the brakes hard, lest you plow into Chinatown. Getting the picture?















Got out of the plane, and walked into the terminal building. You could just taste the air of Quito - thin and somewhat polluted. Customs was easy, then proceeded to baggage claim, which was pure bedlam. The agent in Houston mentioned that all seats could not be filled on the plane, due to the weight of the cargo. This was now evident, as people unloaded 5, 6 or even 10 huge suitcases each, stuffed with goodies from America.

Not this traveller. Carry on bad in hand, I breezed through baggage, and joined the line to have by bag X-rayed as we left the terminal?????? Noticed a taxi booth over to the right, and pulled out the address of my hotel that I had written in large, clear letters that morning, and put in my back pocket. $7 to my hotel by prepaid taxi, grabbed my voucher, zipped throught the hordes of people waiting in arrivals, and spotted a line of cabs. Showed my voucher to the driver, and off we zipped thru a very ugly part of Quito, very industrialized and scary.

Got to the Mariscal area (nicknamed Gringolandia), and it was a total change of pace. Saturday night, near midnight, it was traffic gridlock, with the streets packed with locals and some tourists. And yes, they do Halloween here! Got to my little hotel, Hostel Jardin del Sol, which is right in the heart of this area. They had my reservation, and showed me to my room. Much larger than I had been to believe, simple but very clean, nice clean tiled private bathroom. All this and a free breakfast for $30 per night... this would do!


























By the way, like my Around the World trip, these keyboards have symbols in all the wrong places, so please excuse my grammar/spelling

The Journey Continues

Well, it was over two years ago that I returned home safe and sound, settled back down in the West End, found a job (finally) and returned to a "normal" routine. Well, it is long past time that I hit the road again, and continue the great adventure...

So, is it a continuation of the original Around the World trip? Well, kinda... it does have the same sort of "feel" to it. Once again, I am travelling Business Class, this time thanks to cashing in 75,000 Aeroplan points - yah! Part of the trip is on my own, part is a GAP Adventure (new name G Adventures), so again, much like the RTW trip. Oh yes, for those of you who don't know, I am heading off to Ecuador in a couple of days.

The G Adventures part of the trip can be found at:
http://www.gadventures.com/trips/inland-amazon/EIA/2011/

So, I pull out the travel backpack, carry on size as you recall. Dig up and wash all the lightweight, quick dry travel clothes. I smile as I notice the hole in the leg of my favourite shorts - torn while getting on a camel in India! I organize all the paperwork, get the proper travel medications, locate all the handy things that one must have for travel, blah, blah, blah... done this before.

It is funny, though, that I find myself both excited, yet a bit aprehensive. Because of limited airline options, I am in Quito on my own for a full week. It is supposed to be a beautiful and historic city, but all accounts say it is quite dangerous at night. So the guy who wandered the dark and scary streets of Budapest, who was mock charged by a lioness in Africa is a bit worried. Oh well, that is probably a healthy thing, much better than being overconfident.

And as I did during the RTW trip, I will do my best to keep readers of this blog updated. Please feel free to send comments as I travel. Welcome back!