OUR RETIRED ADVENTURE
qUEREMOS VIVIR AL SOL
KSha
Costa Rica is amazing! Beauty abounds.
Panama is "home" for now. Loving life!
South America is next! Columbia here we come.
Costa Rica is amazing! Beauty abounds.
Panama is "home" for now. Loving life!
South America is next! Columbia here we come.
We met a new friend on the second leg of our flight out of Santa Marta via Bogata to Quito; a twenty two year old videographer for Alberto Brasso. Who, we found out, is well known in Colombia and Latin America and is caled "El Titan de la Salsa." He and his band and crew (26 in total-not all on this plane) flew on our flight. A smooth hour and a half flight into Quito and into the endless snaking lines of Immigration and Customs we went. Before long we were getting a new stamp in our passports and meeting up with our driver to take us to the hotel. Quito Ecuador is located high in the Andes Mountains on the equator, yea, of the world. It's elevation of 9000 ft. above sea level; give or take depending where you are in the city, takes some getting used to. Checking in and walking the stairs to our room on the second floor had me winded and taking deep breaths to regulate my breathing! We brought (the majority of) our worldly possessions of 2 bags, a carry-on and 2 back packs into the room-man this tiny room is also going to take some time getting used to. All travel information to Ecuador declares that the tap water is unsafe to drink; so we needed a short delve into the neighborhood to find Tia's, a grocery store, to pick up some bottles of water and a few things. Neither of us slept very well that first night..frequently needing to take big deep breaths throughout the night, always feeling out of breath. Breakfast was included during our stay and as soon as we were finished the next morning, we found ourselves back in the room and needing to rest. I'm not sure who woke up first at 4 PM that afternoon. We felt much better and ventured out for a bit of exploring and locating a place for dinner. You may recall that Quito is in the Andes Mountains. So only the large town squares throughout the historic part of the city are flat; you are either walking uphill, or you're walking uphill (good thing we got prepped by walking the "mini "mountains of Santa Marta!). Quito is a beautiful and unique city that ebbs and flows within the hills and valleys near the peaks of the Andes. Renown as one of South America's most scenic cities. Quito, the busy capital of Ecuador, has a mix of the old and new. The historic Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site housing a bunch of monuments, churches, museums and colonial architecture; and all of it was built on the ruins of an Incan city. The three sectioned public buses are quite a sight to see make turns on the narrow hilly streets of Old Town! (Hit the play button in top left corner of the first picture for the slideshow.) We found the food in Quito to be flavorful and delicious. Foods were not spicy; but it was available to add in many places. At one of the neighborhood restaurants we had a typical Ecuadorian lunch that was $1.25 per person. We sat down at one of the five tables in the place and didn't even have to order. Within 3 or 4 minutes of entering, an nice lady brought us out a large bowl of soup (yucca pieces, a piece of pork and full of onions and vegetables) and a glass of fresh juice. Before we were finished with our soup, the second course came in the form of a plate of rice with beans and chicken, accompanied by a small salad and a tomato. In a small sandwich shop along one of the busy walkways around one of the public squares we had a $5 lunch that included 2 sandwiches, chips and a drink. We ate at a variety of restaurants which also included Chinese, Italian, and a fancy one for a great Valentine's Day dinner. Best lunch ever! Five egg rolls in an order! Sha had a carne noodle dish and look at the size of those shrimp in my shrimp noodles and rice combo dish! Sha found us a free walking tour around the Historic City; starting at the Community Hostal. The gathering place was at the rooftop restaurant; up some four flights of stairs. Finally making it to the top after stopping to rest twice, the view of the city was worth the climb. It was a short five minute walk from our hotel. We joined some American people and families (about 11 or 12) and a French woman living in Panama. Our english-speaking guide was so knowledgable throughout our nearly 4 hour tour about the history of his country, the churches, museums, and the people and individuals that significantly influenced the emergence and growth of Ecuador. We toured the outdoor fruit and vegetable market and then into the indoor market that spanned several city blocks. You could find restaurants, smaller food vendors, fruit stands, an herb and spice stand that was used to buy things to cook with as well as heal the body. "Butcher" stands selling most parts of the chicken, pig or cow; oh and, beautiful flower stands. We walked to the community Squares of the city and heard about the historic churches, monuments, museums and government buildings that defined each of them. We visited some unique local restaurants along the way and even had our own history of chocolate tour and tasting in one of them. (There will be a couple of slideshow boxes below; hit the play button in upper left hand corner of the first picture in the box.) In one of the Squares we passed through was the Sucre National Theater that would be hosting a free performance celebrating the festival of Carnival later that afternoon. This opera theater, one of the oldest and most prestigious in Ecuador, was built between 1879-1886. We were making sure not to miss that opportunity. After saying goodbye to new friends met along the tour, we headed home to regroup and went back out to take in the historic theatre and orchestra's music. It was a wonderful performance; beautiful music! (Play the slideshow below.) We also booked a half day tour to see the equator...both of them. The "first" one is where the original French explorers documented the equator to be in the 1600's. During the early 20th century, with better measuring instruments, the actual Equator is a few kilometers away. Our guide here was very informative detailing the historical and cultural background of the monument and area. The actual Equator was our next stop with its own tour through the history of its indigenous people and the uniqueness of the Ecuadorian Equator. (Play the slideshow.) NGG received her Egg Master certificate at the Equator by balancing an egg on the head of a nail at the Equator! We enjoyed our time in Quito; although we never fully felt like "yourself" the entire time at 9000 feet elevation. We always felt very safe and loved walking the streets in the historic city. Even though Carnival was all but cancelled this year, local dance groups and musicians performed in the squares throughout the Old City. Young and old still participated in the tradition of spraying foam (or water) on passing people; family, friend or stranger. Aerosol can refills were never hard to find or far away. We packed up the bags and braced for the 6 hour drive from Quito to Canoa. We had to climb even higher as we left Quito; and crossed over the peaks of the Andes Mountains before descending along the steep and winding road with unbelievable views to the coast.
I'll update from Canoa in the near future. Can't wait to see the ocean!! Ciao! Pura Vida!
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