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Published: June 12th 2017
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Geo: -0.223151, -78.5127
The mood at breakfast was a bit subdued, as this was to be our final formal day of the tour. We were headed back to Quito, where the afternoon was on our own and members of the tour would beginning heading home at various times the following day. We had extended for another full day, but most others were leaving the following day -- Friday. In the case of Sunny Sally, she was flying to Lima the next afternoon to meet up with another Gate1 tour and a week-long visit to Peru and Machu Picu.
It was not rainy, but clouds had settled in. We were to have lunch at the famous 17th century Hacienda La Cienega, which is one of the oldest in the country. We were traveling through an area known from flower production, with acres and acres of greenhouses as far as the eye could see. As Ecuador has no seasons, it is ideal for flower production, and they are known for their roses. The area is close enough to Quito that flowers can be picked, sorted, packed, and then flown out of the country on the same day. Almost all of the flowers end up on
flights to Miami, Amsterdam, Madrid, or Moscow. There evidently is a lot of competition among the various growers to protect their methods and their unique varieties. We were told how "fortunate" we were to be able to visit one of the farms, and I will admit to being very impressed. We walked through several acre-sized greenhouses and saw how the different varieties are grown to meet market tastes for shape and color. Evidently Americans prefer tight and closed flower heads, whereas the Russians want fully open blooms. Things like that. We followed roses from being picked over to a sorting center where they were packed for flights leaving later in the day. The scale and efficiency was impressive.
It was a short drive to the hacienda, which we had time to explore ahead of lunch. The meal rivaled our dinner the night before and the ambiance was more regal than I would have expected.
It was another hour and half to reach downtown Quito and our hotel. Folks were now scrambling to exchange e-mails and contact information, and the mood was somber as we'd be saying goodbye to our faithful guide -- Pato -- and driver, Jose Pepe. The sun was coming
out as we reached the Hilton and then said our goodbyes.
Anna's top priority was another very long shower at the hotel. K and I went down the road to a huge artisans market. We thought we'd seen every possible thing there was to buy in Ecuador, but we managed to see a few new things. We were not very hungry after the huge lunch, so we stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken and picked up some food to eat back in our room. We were all very content to curl up in bed, watch a movie, and unwind.
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