Once again, the idea that we have only truly spent 3 days in Ecuador is insane to me. Life is full of so many experiences each day it’s getting difficult for my brain to process everything. Today, I received the Instagram Spec glasses – picture secret spy glasses that subtly record video or pictures. We started off the day ready to experience TWO chocolate tastings. The first, located in the heart of Quito, was called Yumbos chocolate. Here, we tried eight different chocolates ranging from coffee to lemongrass to ginger. Each one elicited very different reactions all caught on my fancy glasses. 

After our mouths couldn’t take any more chocolate, we went to a food-market-like building where we split off and all ended up eating at a restaurant called ¡Hasta la Vuelta, Señor! My empanadas were delicious! Our waiter was so sweet, and got some featured time on the glasses 🙂 

Once we packed the bus, we all headed towards a chocolate factory called Bios. This brand felt like the Louis Vuitton of chocolate. David, the owner, exuded passion as he told us the history of his company and the effort he had put forth to recover the chocolate quality his grandfather had produced before his uncle and father steered towards efficiency over quality. Just when I thought we tasted all of the chocolate he had to offer, he pulled out 9 more! I’ve never tasted chocolate like the Bios chocolate. He actually developed a way to recover the white skin around the cacao seed and freeze dry it to use as a superfood.  I would go into further detail with some of the company’s drawing points, but we were sworn into secrecy or else our heads would be shrunk like the shrunken heads his great-grandfather traded chocolate for hundreds of years ago. I felt honored to experience what David offered us including a tour of the production, hands-on packaging of chocolate, and a chocolate fountain with strawberries and bananas! Let’s just say I was the first to stick my head under it!

Now that we were actually going to explode with chocolate, we made our way to our new lodging for the next three nights. The bus ride was absolutely breathtaking. As we ventured through stunning mountains, I could feel the magnitude of the nature around me. Not to mention, the view of Quito’s lights from so high. Skip made sure we knew when we crossed the Equator!

Getting off the bus, we were immediately hit with smells of cows and sounds of chickens. The lodging in Picalqui felt just like home. Tucked away from the city, the community was comforting, and the view was amazing. We all quickly adjusted and started a campfire with the help of Antonio, who stuck around to dance with us. Tomorrow, we explore the roses industry!