Finally after what seems like an eternity of long flights and no sleep I arrive in Quito, Ecuador. Flying into Santiago, Chile over the snow-capped Andes mountains was spectacular and I am now pleased I came that way. Arrive 7.30am go to ATM to get some local currency (American dollars), get taxi to Hotel Cayman where I have 1/2 hour wait for my room. I get to meet some of my tour group and also our guide Carla while waiting and trying to stay awake. Carla informs me she will take us on a walking tour at 2pm if I want to get some sleep before, this sounds like a good option. Carla leaves us after tour and I have lunch with Rebecca from Canberra. Our pre-tour dinner is 6.30pm where I will get to meet the rest of the group and we commence tour tomorrow at 8 am.
Quito at 2850 metres is breathtaking in more ways than one. Situated as it is 22 miles from the Equator, a visitor would expect extremely hot weather but the altitude tempers that. There are no extremes in temperature and year-round it feels spring-like. Quito is surrounded by natural beauty, by the mountains ringing the city, some volcanic, some with snow capped peaks, lushly forested hills and a fertile valley. Long before the Spanish arrived, Quito was a busy place. It was a major Inca city and was destroyed by the Incas in a scorched earth policy that only briefly halted the Spanish invasion. Sebastian de Benalcazar recognized the city's location and founded San Francisco de Quito on top of the ruins left him. The founding date Dec 6 1534, is celebrated annually with the Fiestas de Quito.
Ecuador:
is a representative democratic republic bordered by Colombia in the north Peru in the east and south and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America (with Chile) that does not have a border with Brazil. The country includes the Galapagos Islands about 965 km west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the Equator from which it takes it's name. Ecuador's natural resources include petroleum, fish, shrimp, timber and gold. It has rich agriculture, bananas, flowers, coffee, cacao, sugar, tropical fruits, palm oil, palm hearts. rice and corn.
Culture:
The first thing to realise is that it is not one single culture. Instead it is a whole range of cultures mingled together. The official language is Spanish but ten native languages are also spoken and English is the most spoken foreign language. The Ecuadorians have a distinctive dress code and people that are familiar with the code can often tell roughly where an Indian is from based on what they wear
Food:
Ecuador has some very tasty and very strange combinations in their cuisine. You can expect to find some lemon marinated shrimps, toasted corn on the cob and a huge variety of pastries filled with all types of different stuffing.
The cuisine is diverse varying with altitude, pork, chicken, beef and guinea pig (cuy) are popular in the mountain regions with a variety of grains especially rice and corn or potatoes. Fanesca, a fish soup including several types of beans is a popular street food. A wide variety of fresh fruit is available at lower altitudes including granadilla, passionfruit, naranjilla, bananas, uvilla, taxo and tree tomato. Seafood is of course very popular near the coast, where prawns, shrimps and lobster are key parts of the diet. Plaintain and peanut based dishes are the basis of most coastal meals which are usually served in two courses. Tostado is a type of corn toasted that goes very well with ceviches, it is also the best to take out the alcohol smell from the breath.
Quito at 2850 metres is breathtaking in more ways than one. Situated as it is 22 miles from the Equator, a visitor would expect extremely hot weather but the altitude tempers that. There are no extremes in temperature and year-round it feels spring-like. Quito is surrounded by natural beauty, by the mountains ringing the city, some volcanic, some with snow capped peaks, lushly forested hills and a fertile valley. Long before the Spanish arrived, Quito was a busy place. It was a major Inca city and was destroyed by the Incas in a scorched earth policy that only briefly halted the Spanish invasion. Sebastian de Benalcazar recognized the city's location and founded San Francisco de Quito on top of the ruins left him. The founding date Dec 6 1534, is celebrated annually with the Fiestas de Quito.
Ecuador:
is a representative democratic republic bordered by Colombia in the north Peru in the east and south and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America (with Chile) that does not have a border with Brazil. The country includes the Galapagos Islands about 965 km west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the Equator from which it takes it's name. Ecuador's natural resources include petroleum, fish, shrimp, timber and gold. It has rich agriculture, bananas, flowers, coffee, cacao, sugar, tropical fruits, palm oil, palm hearts. rice and corn.
Culture:
The first thing to realise is that it is not one single culture. Instead it is a whole range of cultures mingled together. The official language is Spanish but ten native languages are also spoken and English is the most spoken foreign language. The Ecuadorians have a distinctive dress code and people that are familiar with the code can often tell roughly where an Indian is from based on what they wear
Food:
Ecuador has some very tasty and very strange combinations in their cuisine. You can expect to find some lemon marinated shrimps, toasted corn on the cob and a huge variety of pastries filled with all types of different stuffing.
The cuisine is diverse varying with altitude, pork, chicken, beef and guinea pig (cuy) are popular in the mountain regions with a variety of grains especially rice and corn or potatoes. Fanesca, a fish soup including several types of beans is a popular street food. A wide variety of fresh fruit is available at lower altitudes including granadilla, passionfruit, naranjilla, bananas, uvilla, taxo and tree tomato. Seafood is of course very popular near the coast, where prawns, shrimps and lobster are key parts of the diet. Plaintain and peanut based dishes are the basis of most coastal meals which are usually served in two courses. Tostado is a type of corn toasted that goes very well with ceviches, it is also the best to take out the alcohol smell from the breath.
2 comments:
Hi Wendy,
Hi hope you are OK???
Oh I have just figured out how to reply... clever Jules ! Hope you are having fun ... enjoy!
Post a Comment