With the help of a Boeing 757 delivered in 1992 and a Boeing 767 delivered in 1996, I finally made it down to Quito after a long day of flying. I had no expectations for the bus on the way to the hotel, but the bus absolutely exceeded expectations. It was way more comfortable than the buses in the United States, and I demand that the coach buses get replaced by the Ecuador buses. The hotel that we arrived at once again exceeded my expectations. It was a beautiful hotel that offered a great immersive experience and a great rooftop view. One we left we were met with the lively street life of Quito. Many people on the streets were begging us to buy their products even though we were the most stereotypical Americans, and we have no idea what they were saying. We ended up at a restaurant that offered a variety of food. I accidentally ordered a soup which I thought it was okay. A few members of the group ordered guinea pig, and I was the only one who voluntarily took a bite out of the head. It was an interesting experience until I kept on swallowing bones. And just like that that was day 1 in Ecuador.
Day 2 started out with a solid breakfast from the hotel and a tour of a local church. It was one of the most beautiful religious buildings I ever been in. The walls were coated in gold, paintings, and murals, and it was absolutely spectacular. Our tour included a walk beside the Sunday service and a tour of the art museum. Afterwards we walked to a restaurant in the middle of Quito. This is where I tried cow tongue for the first time, and it was interesting. We then arrived at a chocolate store and had some of the best chocolate I have ever had. I bought a pepper flavored bar, a coffee bar, and a mint chocolate bar. Next came the best part of the day- the free time. We hit up three places- an underground tunnel, a church, and a statue. The underground tunnels were approaching 500 years old, and they had many cool shops. The fun really started as we hopped into a taxi up to the Virgin of the Panecillo. We packed the taxi for only $6, as our driver named Fernando offered us a 6 star taxi experience. We talked about many things, and we had a great time. We arrived at the statue and took in the breathtaking views of Quito. Afterwards we took a taxi down to a church and took in more breathtaking views if Quito.
Day 3 broadened out horizons outside of Quito, as we traveled about an hour outside of the city. Our first stop was a beautiful rose plantation. Here we learned about the process of developing the flowers all the way up to packaging. We were greeted by a few animals that included a couple of geese and llamas. Throughout the tour we went through the greenhouses that house the roses. At the beginning we saw how they tested and grew the flowers which was really cool. Our group took off early in 1970’s VW van which we were fortunate enough to get a ride from one of the employees. It was truly a blast to ride. Because of this we missed a portion of the tour. We ended up playing soccer. I got a little too close to a goose and it ended up chasing me. We continued our journey through the plantation by looking at the finishing touches before the packaging. We learned about how the flowers get the color they do. We even received flowers with “University of Pittsburgh” printed on it. I was amazed about how many colors they can come up with. The packaging was very precise as the roses can’t be damaged while shipping. They were kind enough to give us a nice meal afterwards as well. We then drove down to a farm right near a 19,000 ft tall volcano. The farm included remains of Incan walls. It was wild how precise the stones were in the Incan structures. They were perfectly cut, and it didn’t seem real. They were kind enough to provide us with carrots to feed llamas. Unfortunately, I though the carrots were for us, so I ate a few. We even went to an addition chocolate factory, which provided us with great chocolate for the rest of the trip.
Bonus: A quick shoutout to our tour guide at the rose farm named Juanita. She was an amazing tour guide, and she really enhanced my experience at the plantation.
