Third visit to Ecuador. This time with a text blog as well as videos. The video site had been removed due to lack of interest. All pages have at least one photo. If you don't see them you may have an ad blocker on or need a cache purge. (Firefox Win)
The United flight from Quito to Houston was uneventful. We arrived in plenty of time and worked our way quickly through to the waiting area. Of course they take all liquids away from you so once you get in you are forced to pay $2.50 for a bottle of water again. Ahh, security. But at least there was wifi.
Quito airport waiting area before boarding
They started out by passing out the US entry declaration forms. Don't even bother looking at it if you are going to Canada. The United ap showed this information about our flight although the direction was backwards.
When arriving in Houston they ignore the immigration paper and make you fill in the information on a touch screen. It even takes your picture that likely goes into a database somewhere. Then you progress further where you are allowed some kind of access to the US.
Then you proceed to pick up your luggage unless it is checked through
to a later airport. We were continuing with United so just after entry
we veered right and went up an escalator to the reentry inspection and
scanning. Now if you would like to have your lower half rubbed securely
by a burly person wearing a uniform, just leave a Kleenex or your
passport in your pocket. Kaboom you have been selected.
Houston Skyway trains between terminals
After passing through we needed to ride the train to move to a different
area of the airport where our gate was located. But the wireless at
this end was broken or useless. Nothing. Further down the hall was a
Wendy's restaurant and that internet worked for a while before it shut
off too.
The flight from Houston to Calgary left on time. We were told we were going to arrive about 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Food consisted of one thin cookie with a waffle texture. Any further food required a purchase by credit card.
Calgary airport has a large bronze of wild horses in the lobby
Check in at the Calgary airport was very quick as we were nearly the only flight. I had some leftover jam that I brought home and that meant that I had to check that I was importing something from a long list of restricted items. But that only meant an extra couple of minutes in another lineup to explain why I had checked that column. All the bags arrived without any inspection problems.
Our ride home arrived soon after and we were off on the hour drive home.
That was our last night here in Ecuador and we have paid to keep our suite at the Quito Airport Suites for the day. We walked around the town of Tababela for quite a while in the morning looking at fruit trees, adobe brick construction, modern construction, vegetable farming, dogs and statues. 4.6 km so far today by noon.
Here is a great crop of limes getting true tree ripening.
This whole house seemed to be made of sun baked adobe brick but had this one unfinished wall.
The photo of this life size yard ornament is a bit over exposed but you get the idea.
I spent an hour sitting beside a large tree with red flowers trying to get video of a hummingbird that came to drink every 15 minutes. It had tail feathers that were about 10 inches long. But I doubt I got anything worth keeping.
We took one of Dom's taxis to the airport. Five bucks and you are there in about 10 minutes. Once in we stopped at TGIF and ordered something to drink and appetizers. After the appetizers we ordered cheeseburgers and fries. The booth had WiFi and power plugs so a $90 bill for food was expected.
The flight leaves just before midnight so we headed for check in at about 9:45 and there was no lineup. Quick and easy. Then the security check and we were in the area with all the screaming and crying kids. Do it now guys. I hope the plane is quieter. BTW there is good WiFi in the gate waiting areas.
Yesterday I gave away my umbrella to John at the end of the tour. Never really needed it this year and didn't want to carry it around anymore. He called me some slang that meant I was a cheap bugger, because I was giving him something I had bought it in a Chinese import store and not a quality store.
Should have kept it I guess and saved hime the insult for someone else. Bad news too. It is 8 am and beginning a downpour. Natural street cleaning.
For those of you with a sense of humour I just had to put this picture in. It's an Ecuadorean wheel chair. The rest of you can scroll down.
After the rain quit we packed, paid our bill and went out for a last walk around Quito. We stopped and had a coffee and chocolate cake at one of the Republica del Cacao locations in the old city.
It's a decent cup of coffee with an amazing slab of desert made with some amazing flavours of chocolate. The one we were at is literally hidden on a boring street but has a wonderful sitting area surrounded by shelves of various chocolates.
Then we walked for a bit more, shot some video in the Independance Square of some musicians, and stopped for a light lunch of chicken at Caravana.
OK time to wear off the calories by walking some more. This time we ended at another coffee shop called San Mateo's Cafe. This time we sat outside and had another coffee to top up our caffeine levels.
Back to the Hotel San Francisco one more time to grab our suitcases and hop into our taxi.
The next stop will be Quito Airport Suites in Tababela.
4.6 km walking today
At 1:30 I took a taxi to the Estadio Olimpico (Olympic Stadium). This is the view (zoomed in) from the Teleferico.
Today was the FIFA World Cup qualification between Ecuador and Colombia in the race for the Russia 2018 tournament. I stood in the heat for an hour and a half before I managed to spend my last penny literally to buy a ticket off a guy so I could get in. The football match had just started when I found my $40 seat in the preferred seating area.
One suggestion, it is better to detour to the pee trough before the game if you are even remotely in need of relief. Waiting til after thinking you will do it on the way out will be an experience you won't soon forget. (Sorry, no photos!)
So there I am in my winter coat soaking wet from sweat. Everyone else is in a winter coat too so that was not an issue. Except I was hot and took it off for the game whereas most others wore theirs and wore scarves too in order to keep warm- or keep the sun off their heads.
Interesting game except that Colombia Azul y Blancos won 2:0 over the home country Ecuador Amarillos. So the only excitement was a few skirmishes between the locals and a few Colombian fans who were expressing their happiness.
Funny how when a problem starts, all the armored police head for that one spot. Nobody including the spotters are paying attention to the rest of the crowd where something could happen there. Oh well, if it works for them, fine.
Overall it was a great experience and I thought the fans were great. I would take more money next time. I would think if you took something like $50 for a $25 ticket and $80 to $100 for the higher ones then you would likely get into the seats quickly before the match starts. I only had $43 and change so I was very fortunate to get in at all and am thankful to the unknown guy who wanted to unload his extra ticket at the last minute.
It took me about 45 minutes to walk the 4 km to the Swissotel where my next stop was waiting. I had used my last penny to purchase the soccer ticket so walking was the only option. By the time I got to the hotel I was soaking wet again in sweat and stinking profusely. Nose pinch!
I had promised to go see my friends Fernando and Karina play in the bar of the Swissotel. Their group name is Una Buena Excusa and they are the President's favorite group- for another four days as he is not eligible for another term in the election. My friends are very good professional musicians. You can catch them in their own coffee bar or at various events. And also some songs on my own YouTube channel Una Buena Excusa
Made it back to the Hotel San Francisco de Quito at about 10 pm dead tired. Fortunately my brother met me at the Swissotel bar and he had money for a taxi.
Breakfast at 8:30 again today. I'm eating too much pineapple because my tongue is starting to burn from the excess vitamin C.
At 10 I was in the grand plaza waiting for John Henry to show up for my
tour. He arrived and we began the walking tour in the historic center of
Quito. I've gone on two of his tours in previous years so I wanted
something different. John is not new at the guiding game so you need to
be firm on how much money you are spending or he will extend the tour
for higher pay. But I'm no dummy when it comes to carrying only a
certain amount of money so there is only so much to get. I also gave him my umbrella at the end of the tour. However he complained that it was just cheap Chinese junk and not a high quality Ecuadorian product. Yep, it was from Dolarama back home.
YouTube clip number one with John Henry as tour guide.
Now that you have watched the clips from this year, here are some John Henry videos I made a few years back on a previous visit. They were made with a Panasonic TH-700 HD camera and a wired Radio Shack lav mic connected to the camera with about 20 ft of wire.
This one is a tour to Barrio San Marcos which is next to the Quito Central Historical district.
Here is one of the Iglesia de la Merced (Church of Mercy) in the Central Historical district of Quito.
This year the videos were made with a GoPro Hero 5 inside a water resistant box, handheld with a 3-Way Mount. I learned I need to hold it very
stable as I move around. Also it is very sensitive at picking up noise
as I touch the camera or handle. Total distance walked so far today is
6.7 km.
Lunch was at the Pizza SA across the street from the Bolivar Theater.
I don't know if it is the same company but it was a pizza place in
the theater building that caused the fire several years ago. The pizza
was good but the garlic bread left a bad after taste and salads I just
don't eat here anyway. I also had a coffee and a coke.
We then grabbed a cab to the gondola or teleferico on the side of the mountain. It was a partially cloudy day but we figured we had better take it. Tomorrow might be worse and it might even be raining.
After a quick bathroom break at the base we rode the cable car to the top. The ride is somewhere around 20 minutes. Being a Monday in the middle of the off season the lineups were non existent and the cars not filled to capacity. BTW bathroom use at the top is 50 cents and the bottom is free.
We immediately began hiking up the trail to get the valley views over Quito. When the compass app showed we were at 4000 meters altitude we stopped for some photos and video. Then pushing on we hiked over a couple of small hills and arrived at a place selling horse rides. I opted for an hour ride up into mountains for $10. Well worth the time. You get to ride some small, bored and often uncooperative horses up and up into the clouds. You can see a couple of volcanoes, a few condors and some other birds. Lots of vegetation even at this altitude as the rich topsoil is thick and black.
I'm not a horseman so riding up and down over the rough terrain with a GoPro in one hand and my HD video camera in the other was like trying to ride saddle bronc at the rodeo. Most of the time it was both hands and arms in the air with the reins tied around the horn. I might be sore tomorrow.
Eventually we finished with the sightseeing and headed down. At one point I asked the guide what the altitude was and he said 4050 meters. Although that is what the sign says right when you get off the gondola. Oh and he walked the whole way as our group of three used up all his horses so he had to walk.
We took the free shuttle down the mountain avoiding the taxis. Then at the base we avoided the taxis again and took a group taxi for only $1 to the Foch district to get something to eat. They let us off when we spied a place called Toro Carni. The name and the photos did well to attract our attention.
We took a look at the menu and each ordered the first item. It was a meat eater's sample platter. We each got a large steak, three pieces of chicken breast, large blood sausage, large ballpark frank, and a large pork chop. Also a lettuce salad with sliced tomatoes and carrots. Choice of drinks and fries. We had watched while the chef cooked our meat on his large coal fired BBQ grill. Then the meat arrived on small individual coals heated grills brought to the table.
This is by far the best tasting meal this whole month in Ecuador. The price was well under $20 each. It is a great place if you are a meat eater. Veggie people stay away. Two people could easily enjoy this one meal and by the raised eyebrows of the server when we ordered I suspect it is more often ordered that way. But hey, I'm a carnivore.
After a stop in the marsical market to buy an Ecuador flag we took a taxi back to the Hotel San Francisco de Quito in the historical area. Realizing we had not had enough coffee for the day we went up the street to Galletti Coffee Roasters for a cup of black coffee and a delicious cheesecake.
The city wifi reaches the coffee house so I sat and typed today's blog.
With this kind of dessert in the coffee houses I will not lose any weight even though I am walking much more here than at home.
In other news. They moved me again this morning. Something about the drain in my room leaking to a room below. I'm in a suite again. Comes with a jacuzzi tub. I did not bother using the tub as I do prefer a shower- especially in a stranger's tub.
But the room was nice except for the wifi which only worked in the bathroom. This large suite was just too far away to pick up the signal.
Slept in and then had the hotel breakfast. Headed to the Plaza Grande to
see the hoopla at the palace. The guards and their horses were prancing
about.
Dignitaries were on the palace deck overlooking the plaza. A huge brass band was seated below the palace ready to play.
I shot some video and then we had to leave. We were on our way to meet
John Henry at a location a couple of blocks away. He told us that every
Monday there was this same ceremony where the president would appear for
the people. By the way, this would be the last Monday appearance for President Correa as the next weekend was the election and he was unable to run again due to term restrictions. We set a plan to meet John tomorrow at 10 for a tour and
headed back to the Independence Plaza for more video.
I shot a bit more video and it was soon over. We then grabbed a cab to
the gondola or teleferico on the side of the mountain. It was a
partially cloudy day but we figured we had better take it. Tomorrow
might be worse and it might even be raining.
Breakfast first and it is included with your stay at the Hotel San Francisco de Quito. Scrambled eggs but you could ask for fried and the staff would get them right away for you. Toast, buns, rolls and breads. Freshly squeezed fruit juice that changed daily. Sliced pineapple, watermelon, passion fruit, and others. Coffee, tea, butter and jam. What you eat here can keep you going for a long time each day.
Went to church in the morning. It started at about 10:30 and went til after 12:30. A rather lively establishment of worshipers.
In the afternoon I wandered the streets for several hours, taking pictures and just looking. It was Sunday and the whole city it seemed had come to the historical area to spend the day. After four I stopped in at a grocery store to stock up on water, juice, apples and Doritos.
That was my supper for the evening along with a piece of vanilla cake with white icing and piece of strawberry soaking in milk I bought off a street vendor. The milk was not something I was excited about- not that it was bad tasting - just different and very sweet. Later a guy told me it was goat's milk and some other milk mixed.
Slept in a bit today. Up at 8 and should have got up at 7:30. So a bit rushed to get out of the rental and ready for our ride to Guayaquil. Juan Jose made up time in the driving. He describes the ultimate thrill of movement to be a fast motorcycle. We were just a liability like parasites as he was required to drive his pickup truck to carry us and luggage to the city. That meant lots of braking when approaching the many speed radar photo machines and then acceleration and weaving between traffic at speeds of 110 plus plus. The seat belts were useful in preventing too much air between the seats.
Just before reaching the airport he took us through an old area of Guayaquil where the architecture all looks like California in the '50s. Like looking at an old movie except for the addition of walls and gates.
Don't buy any airport food before the checkin. We did as we were ready for breakfast. But it was $10 for a panini and large coffee.
Pizza panini and (thankfully) unsalted chips.
Wait til going through security and the prices of several choices are much better.
We just noticed that our boarding passes are on South American time. The plane takes off before boarding opens. Que sera sera.
Maybe they are having safety meetings out there.
OK we are still sitting here at 3 pm. Announcements on the PA describe that our plane will not be landing here due to a lack of fuel. But don't worry as it will pick us up later. For more info please contact a clerk. Talking to an agent and indeed the plane has been circling and could not buy fuel here. So it is flying to Manta to buy fuel and will come back and we will be in the air by 4 pm. With all the safety meetings going on there must have been nobody to do any work here. Ha. Or maybe the price of fuel was a couple of cents cheaper in Manta and the guys here in Guayaquil would not budge.
Even the airport has digital speed indicators. I wonder if they get fines or reprimands.
Got to the Hotel San Francisco by about eight. Checked in and went around the corner to the Sheriff Colonel Restaurant. BBQ chicken was just a thin slab of chicken with BBQ sauce.
Hotel San Francisco de Quito. Nice hotel so far. Will sleep first and think more tomorrow. It is cooler here in Quito at about 12 degrees and heavy rain. Umbrellas and jackets tomorrow. Might be sleeping with a shirt on tonight.
