Our tour with Alex and his driver William was very nice. We drove along the Pan-American highway that crosses Ecuador from north to south. We stopped at a viewpoint at Pisque River to see the greenhouses. Ecuador is the world’s major exporter of roses. (who knew?!) We went to Cayambe and had the traditional sponge fingers with cheese. Very good! We stopped for some “tourista” pictures with a llama and to take in the beautiful view.
giant water faucet?
the store where we had the sponge fingers with cheese
We
stopped in Otavalo to enjoy the market and their local weavers. Otavalo is one
of the greatest craft markets in Latin America. (that may have been a bit of an over-sell, but it was nice) Locals there still dress in
their traditional clothing and were very colorful and interesting. We bought
some of their beautiful scarves for friends and family.
Otavalo Market
Our
next stop was Cotacachi, the town known for its' leather. We
stopped at a nice little place for lunch and we ordered a platter with typical
dishes and I ordered the deep fried cuy. (guinea pig). Cuy tasted very much
like pork and crispy like “chicherones” (pork rinds) Everything was quite
tasty. Corn is a major staple in the country and they serve it in many ways.
They bring bowls of popped corn and bowls of fried kernels kind of like “old
maids” only not as hard to eat and very yummy.
lunch
inside restaurant
Cuy (guinea pig)
Plato Tipico
We
then went to Peguche village that is famous for their local musicians. A guy
performed for us and also made one of the wooden flutes by hand as we watched.
(that’s where we picked up the ones for the grandsons)
musician making wooden flute
Alex Lomax our guide
he tunes as he makes it
he performed for us
inside his house
his home & studio
back in car driving back to Quito
Then we finally checked into the JW Marriott and after
showering and sending out clothes to be laundered since we had been in them for
2 days now, we headed off to our dinner where we had reservations at Zazu,
which was as good as all the reviews on Cruise Critic said. It definitely felt
good to shower and sleep in a bed after spending more than 24 hours in planes
and airports. The JW Marriott was nice and beautiful flowers were everywhere
including a rose on our bed each night and 1 night a vase of roses.
Tomorrow, we have a city tour of Quito with Celebrity as part of their package.
Quito, Ecuador Day 1 https://photos.app.goo.gl/mfWbmGz436nhpNEj8
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