We started day 4 with a long bus ride into the hills to a volcano lake, and a boat ride with probably the greatest scenery I have ever witnessed in my life. The beauty of the mountains and volcanos was really something and we continued by visiting this awesome waterfall. At the waterfall there were…
Tag: Plus3 Ecuador
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On the Right Path
At this point I’ve lost track of the days but I think this is day 4 in Ecuador. We woke up nice and early like usual and had the same breakfast as well. At this point the neighbors chickens were really starting to annoy me at night, but I have been so tired I’ve been…
Five Days in One
I never thought I’d be able to get as much done as we did on day four of this trip. Our first stop after breakfast was Cotacachi where we boarded a boat and saw a small portion of the vast lake and some of the diverse wildlife. It was interesting afterwards to see a diagram…
Treasures of the Ecuadorian Market
To start off day three, we had a breakfast of eggs, rolls, strawberry juice, and coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker, but it was much needed after how little sleep I got. The hostel itself has beautiful architecture and greenery. The view from our windows includes the city and the gorgeous mountains behind it. There…
The Next Stop
Day 2 started with another unnecessary early morning breakfast without coffee, but I’m starting to accept that I will not be sleeping. I had my regular South American breakfast, coffee with bread and egg(s). Today’s plan was straight up CHOCOLATE. We had a scenic 2-minute walk into the city plaza where we went to the…
Adios Otavalo
The past three days in Ecuador have felt nonstop, but in the best way. Monday was essentially a full day dedicated to chocolate. The day started with a chocolate tasting at Yumbos, where we learned about the chocolate making process from start to finish. Here, I learned about how many different forms and flavors you…
Chocolate, Markets, and More (money)
Monday was another early morning, getting used to it now. We had our usual morning breakfast at the hotel, then hit the town to go on a chocolate experience by Yumbos, trying different flavors and learning about the history of chocolate and how they make it. We then explored Quito, getting lunch at a traditional…
Hola From Otavalo
2 days in and the adventures have commenced. Our second morning in Quito started with breakfast, consisting of eggs, fresh fruit, croissant-like pastries, and fresh juice but instead of strawberry it was tomate de árbol, which translates to “tree tomato”, I preferred the strawberry. after breakfast we had some time to pack our bags and…
A City of Chocolate
We woke up yesterday and had an exciting day of chocolate tasting ahead of us! We had breakfast and headed out to our first visit, which was to Yumbos right in the plaza. We had the opportunity to learn about the history of cacao and how they have come to source their chocolate. They had…
Chocolate Comas and Empty Wallets
Today I woke up in Quito and fell asleep in Otavalo, Ecuador! I had fruit, eggs, a croissant, and the best coffee for breakfast at the hotel. We only stayed 2 nights at the hotel in the historic downtown of Quito. I have never eaten so much chocolate in one day before. The first chocolate…
Feeling Like We Just Won the Golden Ticket
Day 2 was one of the days I’d been looking forward to most, chocolate! After a breakfast of fresh fruits and eggs, we headed to Yumbos Chocolate for our first tasting of the day. The different flavors were so rich and my favorite part was the hot chocolate and brownie they gave which tasted heavenly…
Real-Life Willy Wonka
Our second day in Quito contained our first introduction to genuine Ecuadorian chocolate. As we pulled out of the city’s old town, we drove north to visit the main site of Bios Chocolate. There, Davide, the grandson of the company’s founder, gave us an extensive history lesson on cacao. He explained the meaning of “fino…
Bartering and Bios!
Following our departure from Quito, the past few days have been tightly packed with fun and fleeting moments! On the outskirts of Quito, we first visited Bios, where we had the opportunity to taste test a variety of chocolate, and even explore the break down of the chocolate making process. David, the current director of…
No Mas Dinero
Hola mis amigos! It has been two very full days since I have last blogged. Yesterday, we woke up and headed out to Yumbos chocolate tasting and tour. The stories he told were very interesting about the origins of chocolate in Ecuador. I also think I had the best brownie I’ve ever eaten. We continued…
Sweet Adventures in Ecuador
On day two in Ecuador we woke up nice and early to the same breakfast we had yesterday: eggs, fruit, and croissants. We then walked a couple minutes away to our first chocolate tasting at Yumbos. We tried so many unique flavors that included lemongrass, ginger, coffee, mocha, sea salt and chile, mint, tangerine, and…
Days 2/3: Man I love food
Our second day started off with a similar breakfast before we headed out to a chocolate tasting. We tried everything from the bean, to the extract, to every type of chocolate they sold. At the end we had a small dessert which just so happened to be the greatest brownie I ever consumed in my…
Adios Hershey’s
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…
Chocolate, Bargaining, and Questionably Rare Steaks
Over the past 2 days, we did a LOT. We traveled from Quito to Otavalo, and along the way we had some really cool experiences. To wrap up our time in Quito, we visited Yumbos Chocolate for a chocolate tasting. The chocolates were very different, some tasted fruity, some were a little bitter, and one…
From Pittsburgh to Miami to Quito
Nobody tells you how brutal a 3 AM alarm feels when you’re running on excitement and not nearly enough sleep. I grabbed my bags, made my way to Pittsburgh International in the dark, and caught my flight to Miami. We landed with the sun up and made the most of the layover, heading straight to…
Goodbye USA and Hello Ecuador!
Well, this journey started off a bit chaotic with having to wake up at 2:30 in the morning to go to the airport, but it wasn’t too bad. We flew to the hot and humid climate of Miami later in the morning, and then went to Miami Beach for a few hours after that. Then…