ClairesTravel

We had a lazy morning because here in Quito, depending on the last number on your license plate, you might not be able to drive from 6-9 or 4-8. The car Ellen is driving had the last number for today. After the restrictions lifted for us, we headed to the downtown market. Oh my, the traffic was the worst I’ve ever been in. We finally arrived. The market had a ton of small stores. We each found a few items. We couldn’t get much because our suitcases are stuffed from previous items we’ve purchased. We then headed to the mall for a late lunch. You say, the mall? It’s not like our mall’s food court. Yes, there is a food court like ours, but there also some killer restaurants. We would have loved to have eaten ... read more

Monday’s adventure was to the Middle of the Earth. It was not too far outside of Quito. The Middle of the Earth is where is 1736, the French sent a team of scientists to determine the location of the equator and prove that the planet bulged at the equator. They choose Ecuador because of its altitude and temperature. The government built the current monument in the late 1979 and it was completed in 1982. When more instruments, GPS, were used the location turned out to be 790 feet to the North. The monument is several stories high and has a globe on top that shows the equator line. Leading up to the monument, there are statues of the men that helped determine the approximate location. We took many pictures and went up to the observation deck. ... read more

We started our journey around 10:30. We left in the car with Esteban, Ellen, Simone, Henry (Ellen’s dad), Susan and I. Ellen’s dad lives in the house. He has a separate suite off the upper-level terrace. Her dad is 89 and is in excellent health. Our first stop was to Ellen’s brother’s place. Simone was going to stay with them for the day. We got to meet her brother and her niece. The 5 of us then took off to the markets in Otavalo. The traffic was slow but the drive there was beautiful. Otavalo is about 1.5 hours away but with the slow traffic and 3 stops it took us longer. The views during the drive were dramatic. Our first stop was for views at Mirador El Pisque. We saw a canyon and took pictures. ... read more

After Ellen’s nice breakfast, we got to tour her business. She has a small business, called Laurelis, and makes food for some grocery stores and restaurants. It started out with Danish pickles but has expanded to many different foods and juices. She has 3 employees and the facility is located on the first floor of the house. It has been upgraded to full commercial standards and is continuing to grow. Some of the products are different kinds of pickles, pickled zucchini and jalapeno peppers. The company also makes many kinds of juices using local produce and some recipes are made by specific restaurants and she is not allowed to share them. We were very impressed. After short break she drove us to the food market. Oh my, where did they get all this fruit? I’ve never ... read more

We started our morning in a ghost café. Nobody was out, but us, and it was 6:30. We came back to the room to check on the times and saw the schedule 6. 9. Ok, we were there at 6:30. Turns out I looked at the dinner times, which I thought were the all-day times. Ooops, it didn’t open until 7. What? we are old people; we like to eat early. Ok, this is our first breakfast out since we had done room service EVERY day (not necessarily or choice). But we were not the only confused people there because when we went back up there were 5 other couples. Following breakfast, we took a bus tour of Stockholm. Our guide seemed to have issues. Alcohol? We were glad to figure out and do the town ... read more