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Published: March 3rd 2023
To be honest, I am 9,350 feet above sea level in Quito, Ecuador the second highest capital in the world. La Paz, Bolivia takes that honor at around 11,975 feet above sea level. Happily, I did not encounter the effects of altitude sickness in Quito, like I did in La Paz, and Cusco, Peru. Small victories make me happy and my trips so much more enjoyable. Quito is the starting place for my vacation in the Galapagos Islands. I will later learn that it is called an experience in the Galapagos Islands, because as you will see, it was no ordinary vacation. I hope this is enough of a tease that you will check back to read more about this truly beyond extraordinary trip.
Flying from Seattle to San Francisco, then overnight to Panama City, with a 5-hour layover and finally onwards to Quito, I arrived in the evening after 23 hours of travel. I am not prone to exaggerations (see, I exaggerated there because I love to embellish stories to make them more interesting), so please know that I am serious when I say this. Copa Airlines had the audacity to serve me the worst airline food
I have ever tried to eat. I mean, ever. When I chose the eggs and vegetables, I pictured a flubbery omelet type dish. This perfect square of yellow was so far beyond flubbery that I was afraid if we hit turbulence, these would be bouncing throughout the cabin, and could possibly be a safety risk. Fortunately, that did not occur, but the thought was there.
D MJ Binkley were already in Quito and waiting at the hotel as my advance team. Finding my ride to the hotel was easy; I had to look for the person with the sign with my name on it. I did have to email the hotel back to clarify that it was Brendan, not Brenda who was arriving, but that was easily corrected. That being said, it was an easy trip from the airport, although at around 45 minutes, it was longer than I had anticipated. Watching from a car window is something that I enjoy and distracts me from being a back seat driver so time passes quickly. When I visited Dave and Merry Jo in Florida last October, we took time to research, plan and book our hotels and activities. Our Galapagos itinerary had
been in the works since March of 2022, so that portion was locked and loaded. The hotel we chose for Quito is located in Old Town and is an old private residence with a beautiful central square for sitting. Plants drape over the balconies and patterned tiles line the floor. My room had wooden beams on the ceiling probably 15 feet above the floor. It was perfect. The host was knowledgeable, accommodating happy to set us out on our search for dinner.
After being sternly warned to be careful, keep our cell phones in our pockets and our money even closer, we went out into the evening. Being in old town, the streets were cobblestone-esque and architecture charming European style. When we found the restaurant, it was everything we wanted. Well, all we really wanted was food and drink, so the bar was pretty low. Still, it was quaint, the food was very good and of course the company was top notch. Especially for D and MJ, for they were getting the chance to dine with me. This is our 3
rd big trip together an it is great to have the band back together. Finding good travel partners is
not easy, so I really value our friendship and how easy they are to travel with on these adventures.
Way too early the next morning, we met in the third-floor breakfast room. Coffee, scrambled eggs, fresh tropical juice, breads with cheese and jam made the morning more palatable in more ways than one We needed to find our way to a meeting point for a walking tour of Quito and were quite confident in technology and our navigational skills. Big fail. Huge! Siri would not talk to me. I am not sure what I said to her, but she put her metaphorical foot down, and would not give me directions. She put a blue dot on the map, but that was as far as she would go. Sweet talk didn’t help, cajoling, some light threatening took place, yet nothing. Finally, I showed her who was in charge, and grabbed a taxi cab to take us where we wanted to go. With Siri sulking in the background, we took in the views of the city while waiting for the tour to begin. A huge group was gathering, which led me to wonder if we would be considered a school of
tourists? A gaggle A flock? A congress? (I sure hope not.) So many questions, but it was time to start the tour for real.
Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable as heck and knew how to handle our large group, or whatever term we landed upon. If you know me, you will get this. If you don’t, you will now know more about me. I hear, building, blah blah blah, landmark, blah blah blah, Central Market, and I am back. We entered the market on the ground floor, walking past stalls selling chickens with the feet still on, calves feet, tripe and various animal parts I did not even want to think about. Sure there was some refrigeration, but many of the items were simply hanging from hooks. Yum. The fruits and vegetables were vibrant and colorful. Fresh fish smells filled the air, and I was connected and back in the game. Who knew that in Ecuador ceviche is a soup with cooked fish? Even more interesting is the fact that they put popcorn and fried plantain chips in the ceviche. It blew my mind. We didn’t have time to try it, but you know I am going to be
writing about how I tried it later. She showed us a fruit that looked like a small banana but is similar to a passion fruit. I will put some pictures up, and hope you check them out. This was a great portion of the tour. I was all set for more blah blah blah, but I heard the words “chocolate tasting”, so kept my focus. The chocolate tasting was just what I needed. I didn’t realize that so much of the world’s chocolate is sourced from Ecuadorian cocoa beans. For a fun tour piece, they had an opened cocoa pod for us to look at. I have never seen one before. I picked up several bars for gifts, although I can’t guarantee they will make it back home. Darn mice. After the chocolate tasting we visited some buildings (blah blah blah) and were set free to do as we chose. This was a good tour, and I would do it again.
Our plan was to go to a pizza/brewery near the beginning point of the tour. Siri was still displeased, so we grabbed a taxi and had one of the worst taxi rides we have had. True, language was
a barrier, but there was a bigger disconnect. After much unhappiness, I ended up following the blue dot on my map and trying to help. At the end, he had no change, so he said. That meant no tip. We got out and found the pizza place was closed. Seriously?? Another, but better taxi took us back to the hotel and on the hunt for another elusive pizza place. No luck on pizza, but we did happen upon a very nice place with traditional food. Merry Jo chose the best meal, a quinoa crusted Corvina Bass. My pork with hominy was tasty, though a bit dry. Overall, it was a nice lunch and good rest after the busy morning. A quick nap and some down time listening to a torrential downpour were followed by dinner. This was the best meal so far. Within the hotel, but with a separate entrance is a nice little restaurant. Dave and Merry Jo did not want dinner but joined me for some beer and company. I had Arepa Parrillera with Black Angus Picanha. It was delicious and ended my first day on a perfect note. Unfortunately, it was off to bed early to prepare
for a 7 AM taxi pick up for the Cotopaxi Volcano climb and horseback ride. Spoiler alert, I climbed like a mountain goat. Check back and see how the day went.
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
The Band is Back Together Again
Nice one Brendan. Quito as an Ecuadorian meet up point with the Dangerous One & the Magnificent MJ. May the high altitude increase the highs as you climb the volcano. Best wishes from the Dancing Duo.