Cuy: After our last day at Q. Sanchez, Silvia (the 6th grade teacher), kindly invited us back to her house in a barrio (neighborhood) called Guapalo. After visiting the famous church and a few famous lookouts, she bought us back to her house where her mom prepared cuy (guinea pig) for us. I have to admit that it wasn’t very good. It was dry and had very little meat… Just the same, it was very nice that she let us try it.
Mindo: On Saturday we took a trip to Mindo, a cloud forest about 2 hours outside of Quito. The road to get to Mindo was very windy but the view was beautiful. The most notable parts of our adventure include zip lining through the forest, visiting a butterfly farm, and riding in the back of Pablo’s truck (the Ecuador way) through the jungle. Although the zip lining was scary to say the least (we were hundreds of feet in the air!), it was by far my favorite part of the trip. After lunch, we went to a store where the owner taught us how to make chocolate (mmmmmmmm!).
Mitad del Mundo: On the way back from Mindo, we stopped off at Mitad del Mundo (also known as the equator!). We visited the museum there and took part in various experiments (trying to balance an egg on a nail, seeing which way the water flows down a drain, etc). On the way out of the museum, we stopped by a pen with guinea pigs. I’m not sure if it was the sight of my lunch the day before that got me or something else… but I ended up getting sick… on the equator… HA.
Old City: Sunday was a free day for us. We decided to go to a place called Crepes and Waffles for lunch. The food looked amazinggg… although I was still feeling pretty awful from the day before. After lunch we headed off to the old colonial part of the city with Pablo. We visited the famous church The Compania as well as the Virgen de Panecillo (A very large structure that sits on the top of a hill). From the Panecillo, you are able to look out over the entire city of Quito. The Virgen was apparently given to Ecuador as a present from the French. Even today there is a controversy surrounding why she is facing the north (the richer part of the city).
Boiling Wine: On Tuesday (which was David’s birthday) we went to a hookah bar where we tried boiling wine. It was pretty good, although it tasted more like hot grape juice. I’m not sure that I will be bringing this drink back to the United States…
Banos: On Wednesday we left for Banos with our two Ecuadorian friends, David and Pablo. Banos is an adventure town where you can participate in activities from bungee jumping, to rafting, to off-roading. We got a very early start in the morning (6:30) because apparently in Quito, every car has a day where it is restricted for you to drive after 7 am. On the way to Banos we stopped off in a town that is apparently famous for its tri-layered ice cream (A great breakfast if I do say so myself). Our first stop at Banos (after the $8 hostel of course) was one of the many waterfalls in Banos called el Diablo. It was about a 20 minute hike to the falls, but it was definitely worth it. We were even able to climb right underneath it!
Our next stop was a Teribita (which is basically a basket that takes you from one part of the mountain to the next). The Teribita took us to two waterfalls that sit side by side (called Manto de la Novia).
Two other highlights of our trip to Banos include a city tour, going out at night in the town, bungee jumping (just Sarah, haha), and horseback riding up the (very active) volcano.
Karaoke: Our last night in Quito was very bitter-sweet. We spent the night with our favorite Ecuadorian friends. Sarah (who is only 17) wanted to do Karaoke before she left for the U.S. since she still has 4 years until she can legally drink. The Karaoke bar was quite hilarious. All of the Ecuadorians present, kept choosing the saddest, slowest songs to sing. I, however, kept choosing the only songs I knew… Pitbull, Bacilos, etc. At about 4 a.m. we said goodbye to our friends… It was very sad.
And now I’m in Cusco, Peru…
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