Today (5/11) was my birthday, so that’s pretty neat. Today started with breakfast, then we went to Yumbos Chocolate in the plaza in Quito. The guy at Yumbos explained the origins of chocolate in Ecuador and allowed us to sample all the different kinds of their chocolate, from the actual fruit to exotic flavors that he incorporates into the chocolate. This taste testing really opened my eyes to what real chocolate should actually taste like. I grew up only eating Hershey’s as my chocolate of choice. But this chocolate actually satisfied my hunger instead of me wanting more after eating a standard Hershey’s bar. We then got to buy their chocolate products. I immediately ate one of my bars, of course, right after buying them. We then explored a little bit more of Quito before heading to Bios Chocolate. Here, we gained insight into the different species of the cocoa plant itself from the owner. We also got to try a lot of the varieties of chocolate that the company makes as well. After that lesson, we got a tour of the factory itself, which was very cool. We really got to see the “bean to bar” process that we learned about in the classes leading up to the trip. But, the coolest part of the day was when we got the opportunity to make our own chocolate and wrap it up and put it into a baggie to take home. We got to purchase some bars after the tour and then headed up to Otavalo to finish our day.

Today (5/12), we woke up and had breakfast at the Hostel that we were staying at in Otavalo. We then went down to the Plaza, where we got a presentation from some of the local restaurant owners about the culture of Otavalo, as well as some information about the Quichua people who live in the area. We learned that they really value community instead of a self-focused mindset. After that, we journeyed into the market, where we saw some of the most unique items I have ever seen. We also got to see how trade goes on in the market as well. Negotiating is an expected way of trade, so it was pretty fun to try to haggle with the vendors there. I ended up buying 2 shirts and an Ecuador Magnet. We then had lunch at a local restaurant, and then went back into the market to get some last-minute buys in before the market closed at 5pm. Then, we went back to the hotel to recharge before we were greeted by a surprise from the owners of the place that we were staying at. The owners put on a musical show with these pipes that sounded like a recorder when you blew into them, as well as a mini guitar. We also had this hot, thick jam that was served with bagels, which was also pretty good. We had a good time dancing before we went to dinner at a place near the plaza. We ordered, and some of the food was great, and some of the food, specifically the steaks, were rather interesting to say the least to cap off the night. I can’t wait to see what happens next in Ecuador.