The past 3 days on our trip have been filled with excitement, laughter, and new memories and friends! Our last day in Quito, Monday, started with our first chocolate tasting of the trip at Yumbos Chocolate in the heart of San Francisco Square. Our tasting included the history and science behind the cacao grown in Ecuador and their individual notes. The notes of the chocolate come from the plants and fruits grown near the cacao plants. We tried 8 different types of chocolate: Mint, Lemon Grass, Coffee, Tangerine, 100% Cacao, 80% Cacao, Chili and Salt, and Ginger. Out of those, my favorites were Tangerine and 80%. We also were served a rich, pudgy brownie with hot chocolate. The combination of the sweet brownie and rich hot chocolate made for a heavenly combo! After the tasting, I shopped for some chocolate bars for my family to try at home!
We then headed to eat lunch together near Hasta la Vuelta, Señor near the main plaza in Quito. Emi and I shared arroz especial (fried rice with chicken, shrimp, chorizo, and vegetables with plantain), locro quiteno (Ecuadorian creamy potato soup with cheese and avocado), and humitas de sal (traditional corn cake wrapped in corn husks and stuffed with cheese). Our lunch was filling and was a great opportunity to share stories among each other over a nice meal.
After lunch, we headed back on our bus to our next chocolate tasting at Bios Chocolate. David, the co-owner of Bios, shared the history of the company, its roots, and how Bios has transformed into the award-winning company it is today. He also explained more about how cacao gets its note palette and how they classify the different notes and aftertastes into categories. The chocolate tasting at Bios was very involved: each chocolate bar had a specific background on how the ingredients were chosen and what its specific palette correlates to. The flavors we tried were truly mind-blowing! After tasting the Bios chocolate, we walked through the making of the bars starting from roasting the cacao to packaging the bars. We even had our hand at wrapping small foil chocolates and dipping fruit straight from the source!
We sadly had to say adiós to Quito and made our way to the next region we were exploring, Cayambe. After a long and bumpy bus ride, we made it to our next lodge, Picalqui FBU. We had these delicious burritos for dinner and then got settled in our rooms. The lodging was very similar to a summer camp with cabins, a mess hall, and even a futbol field! Before ending our long day of travel, we built a fire and listened to music with our lovely host, Antonio.
The next morning started bright and early with the sounds of roosters and chickens as nature’s alarm clock. I got up early and got to see the early morning haze cover the town of Cayenne. The views from our lodge were unlike any I’ve ever stayed at. I called my mom quickly to make sure she knew I was alive and well, then headed to breakfast for the usual eggs, bread, and juice. Our first rose site visit of the trip was at Ecuaros Canada S.A. At this visit, we got the opportunity to see roses at all stages of growth and learned how irrigation and climate affect the cycle and health of roses. We got to walk the entirety of the site, from greenhouses to sorting areas. At the end of our tour, we got to pick out roses to take with us!
We stopped quickly at a gas station to grab more snacks and drinks to try out; who knew they sell Gatorade in glass bottles! Our lunch back at the lodge was a quinoa soup, pineapple-mango juice, chicken, rice, potatoes, peas, and carrots. After our meal, Kayhaan and I walked around the area to see some different views and say hi to the cows in the fields nearby! We then headed to the Picalqui Community House for an overview of the city’s history and how the smaller, local rose companies compete against bigger ones. Our visit ended with a quick ice cream stop and a view of a rainbow in the nearby mountains!
During our stay, we shared the lodge with a local 10th grade class from the Quito area. Before dinner, we had a wild match of soccer and volleyball in the rain! The kids here are so talented and were so much fun to play with. It was so interesting to learn their unique perspectives and how their schooling differs from ours in the States. We quickly changed out of our rain-soaked clothes and headed to our last dinner at this lodge before heading to our next location. Our meal was spaghetti with a spicy chicken and tomato sauce; it really hit the spot after a long afternoon of fun! We said goodbye to our new friends and headed on the bus to Otevalo.
Though the ride was short, it was no less bumpy or winding than our previous bus rides. Our driver truly has a skill for navigating the tight corners and steep mountainsides of Ecuador! We got to our next hostel, Hostel Curiñán. We got settled into our rooms and finished our day just hanging out before heading to bed.
The next morning, we had our typical breakfast yet again and headed off to the marketplace for some shopping! We had a local, María, explain how the market works and how you can bargain for prices of items. We put her advice to work and got to bargaining with vendors. It felt very strange at first as it’s not a common thing for us to do in the US. After 2 hours of exploring and negotiating, I ended up buying a necklace, ring, skirt, and turtle artwork! As we finished up in the market, we were stopped by local Ecuadorian students who interviewed us about our marketplace experience, how our time in Ecuador has been so far, and let us try some traditional Ecuadorian food.
We hopped back on the bus and headed to a waterfall in the nearby area. Before walking to the viewpoint, María presented the history of Otevalo’s culture and their beliefs and customs. She explained how they view life in a spiral way, where you’re born and return back to the earth; because of this, they place a huge importance on conserving and protecting the earth and their culture. She also explained her attire and how it connects to their beliefs. We then headed up to the waterfall as a group. We had such a fun time getting splashed and misted by the rushing falls; we also spent some time at the campsite’s playground area where they had fun swings and obstacle courses.
After a very busy morning, we headed off to have lunch at Mi Otavalito Restaurante. I ordered a fritada, a traditional Ecuadorian plate consisting of pork, potatoes, plantains, salad, white corn, and tostados (roasted white corn). Skip let me try some of his prawns that you can only get in Ecuador, and they were super tasty! We got back on the bus and took a long ride up to Condor Park. At the park, we saw a great collection of birds, including owls, falcons, and, as the name suggests, condors. We had a panoramic view of Otavalo from the park’s amphitheater.
Following Condor Park, we quickly stopped back at the hostel before heading to dinner back where we started our day near the marketplace. We tried guinea pig (known as cuy in Ecuador)as our pre-dinner appetizer and it has an interesting taste to say the least, kind of like a fishy chicken if you will. When we got dropped off for dinner, it was so crazy to see the whole square empty and rid of the vendors that filled it hours earlier. Ava and I tried chicken nachos and pesto pasta at this fusion restaurant, but ended up loving our frappes best out of the whole meal.
The evening back at the hotel was the most special part of our trip so far. The owner of the hostel and his family generously gifted us a traditional juice and bread, and played traditional music for us on their handcrafted instruments. They made all of us feel like a part of their family, and we spent the night dancing together and celebrating! These past few days have been filled to the brim with such great memories and moments that make me feel so grateful to have picked Plus3 Ecuador! Sorry for the long post, but I had to squeeze in every last detail. We now are headed into the rainforest for the next leg of our trip; stay tuned!
