Last Day in Quito - Caffeine Power Tour

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

Luv 'n' Oven

If you go on Trip Advisor to read reviews of Luv 'n' Oven you will be sent all over the map on opinions. We decided to try as we had walked by a few times. The first time by a week ago we had said no because we had remembered a meal there four years ago where the street sellers would not leave us alone. 

No different this time. A Jamaican speaking good English wanting handouts, three different sunglasses sellers, basket weaving sales, and necklaces. Dang I missed the lamp and hammock guys from past experiences. 

Well we ordered the grilled chicken with fries and the filet mignon with fries. Beers to drink. Both meals were very good. The mushroom sauce with mushrooms and bacon on the beef was good. The beef did not have the wild cow flavour of much of the meat here. The chicken was a large portion and good but only slightly more salty than comfortable. No sauce but ketchup and mayonnaise worked fine. The fries were good and not cooked in old oil. Other patrons nearby were chowing down on huge platefuls of giant prawns. Overall the Luv 'n' Oven gave us more than we were expecting. Worth the visit yes. 

5.7 km today walking

Monday is Quiet in Salinas

The weekend is over and a walk up the Salinas malecon proves that the vast majority of people have left. It is much more quiet. We sauntered to the far end- towards the peninsula. At the far end is the bar called Manaba'r that I had visited a few days ago. We stopped for something cooling to drink and also ordered some light dishes that included chicken wings, fried banana, deep fried shrimp, rice and fries. Most of it was eaten. 

One of the best features here is the free wifi. Relax and send your email and have a beer.

On the way home we stopped at mi comisariato for groceries. We purchased a lot more extras that allow for home cooking. 

This evening we enjoyed a chicken dinner called Peanut butter curie chicken. The chef in our midst actually said Pollo con salsa de mani. Whatever. We had a choice of rice or spaghetti. Enough rice lately so we chose spaghetti and it worked well together. Finally a place in Ecuador that did not kill the food with salt during cooking. So we actually added a pinch on top as well as some fresh ground pepper. Side salad of course. 

Desert was a red wine mixed with choice of fruit flavoured yogurt topped with whip cream. No photo as they did not last long enough to pose for photos.

Yes, it was all our own cooking. That is why we rented a condo through AirB&B, so we could do this if we wanted.

3.7 Km walking

Another Hot and Sunny Day in Salinas

Up to the roof terrace again today to relax and use the hot tub. It's the weekend so there are many more people around than during the week.

I walked the Salinas malecon again today. This time with sun screen and long pants to avoid burns. Quite a warm day with lots of activity in town.

We cooked in again this evening. It's a good method of avoiding disappointment from unrealistic expectations of the food here in Salinas.

This is a chicken in homemade teriyaki sauce with zucchini vegetables and rice.

2.4 km walking

Doin' Nothin' on the 7th Floor of the Ediface Ibiza

Monday is quiet. We woke up in a classy rental overlooking the ocean. Most of the day is spent listening to music on Stingray, making and eating snacks and watching people on the beach.

Around 2:30 the sky darkened and the rains blew in over the bay although it didn't seem to hit the shore. Divers with scuba gear spent a few hours each morning diving for octopus.

When we arrived we were told that the washer dryer was slow- maybe 4 hours or more. We got one load washed and it would not dry. Then finally there was a loudish pop and nothing worked. There was no power at the machine.

After a bit of prying with a screwdriver we got the plug to come out of a small power sensing device that plugs into the wall. Now it works fine. It says 10 amps on it. We are thinking that the machine dryer mode must be too much for it and has burned it out. I'm guessing the device is to shut off your appliance if the power source is too high or too low. Also I think the interior of the dryer needs a clean. Likely there is a lot of lint buildup in the mechanism and the dryer sequence is no longer working correctly. The self contained units are very picky compared to the ones that exhaust the hot air outside.

Here's the view of the deck rail when you have no dryer.

Younger brother and self-made chef brewed up supper tonight. This is far superior to most of the food offered in the local restaurants.

The starch was white rice. Vegetable was lightly cooked long green beans. The main dish was chicken cooked in a mixture of green and red sweet peppers, onions, carrots, garlic and herbs, then all slow cooked in a mixture of spices and yogurt to create a yellow curry sauce. The result was better than most of the local cuisine available. And that is why we rented an apartment. We can eat in by choice.

Oh yes. I did get the staff to fill the hot tub up on the 14th floor terrace so I could sufficiently change my digits into clean looking but prune shaped objects. It's a nice way to relax after doing nothing all day.

.3 km walking

Real Quick Trip Into Quito

Went into Quito to pick up two suitcases which had been left in storage for a month. Before the pickup we walked around in the Foche area. Of course we had to visit the market place selling the tourist knick knacks.

Then we had fish, chicken and ceviche at a place called the Yasuni Cafe Bar. OK I did not have any ceviche. But I had the chicken steak or whatever it came as. This would not be the first place that served flat tasteless breast meat as a chicken meal. I was always hoping for a chunk of thigh or leg to give some flavor. But everyone thinks breast is the best. Nope, at least not on a chicken.

Then took a three dollar taxi to the historical section to pick up the suitcases. Also ran over to the Central Mercado to try out the GoPro in taking pictures of cow stomachs, tongues, fish and other regular food items the mall had. None of the pics worked as I had not figured out the GoPro yet! It started raining extremely hard just as we got there so the mall was a good location for protection. Took a non-legit taxi back to Tababela.  It rained or poured most of the way. Rush hour traffic and constant broken down vehicles made for an erratic trip.

Quito Airport Suites (TripAdvisor photo)

Quito Airport Suites (TripAdvisor photo)

Back in Tababela at the Quito Airport Suites the sun was shining and it had not rained. We walked the few blocks to the store and bought bottled water and snacks for the evening.

5.6 km walking