People of Ecuador

Time has flown by since arriving in Quito on Monday.  All three of us have been pleasantly surprised by how much we have enjoyed our time in Ecuador's capital city.  The people we have met and spent time with have truly made our time here memorable and have brought us so much joy these past few days.  Here's a glimpse into their stories and our past three days exploring Quito...

Meet Christina:

We love her.  Daughter of a Swiss chocolatier and Ecuadorean entrepreneur.  We visited Chez-Tiff, their family's chocolate shop, twice this week, always greeted by Christina with free samples and a warm smile.  Her homemade truffles and dark chocolate bars are the best we've ever tasted and are traveling with us to Peru (apparently one of the best cures for altitude sickness?).  We've decided that Ecuadorean cacao + Swiss chocolate artisanship = a killer combination.

Meet Missy and Pancho (not pictured), and their adorable 1-year-old, Amelia:

Missy is a Charlottesville native and we were connected with her through Trinity Presbyterian Church.  She kindly welcomed us into her home to have dinner with her family.  Her husband, Pancho, is a Quito native, and they met while Missy was teaching abroad through a local church in Quito.  They made homemade pizza, chocolate chip muffins, and coffee for us a few nights ago.  We have loved getting to know their family, and they have been such a wonderful resource for us while in Quito.

Meet Gabby, Luis Banda, Graciela, and the women of Don Juan Panaderia (the foodies of Ecuador):

Yesterday our foodie hearts (and stomachs) were so full.  So, so full.  We had the privilege of our own private culinary tour and cooking class in Quito, led by our knowledgeable local guide, Gabby.  First stop - the bakery - an old, family-owned establishment, hidden on a quiet side street, where locals go for the best baked treats in the city.

That's us preparing authentic Ecuadorean quesadillas with the women at Don Juan.  Please note, these are NOT the greasy cheese-filled gut bombs (that's for you Dad. -Lizzie) that you find in the USA.  Rather, they are decadent little sweet treats made by hand (no cheese or tortilla), and we enjoyed both making them and eating them with a hot cup of coffee.

Next stop on our tour: Luis Banda's sweets shop in Old Town.  While many of his brothers have relocated to the U.S., Luis remained in Quito to take over the family business.  We loved sampling his famous candies: peanuts surrounded by layers of a dried cane syrup coating, a slow process done by adding sugar layer-by-layer over a large bowl of burning coals.

And now for the highlight of our food tour: the home of Graciela, which happened to be right around the corner from our hostel.  Graciela welcomed us into her home to learn how to make traditional Ecuadorean cuisine, including empanadas de morocho, tamales, and pristinos (a flaky treat topped with homemade sugar syrup).  This has been the best food of our trip so far, and it's going be hard to top Graciela's cooking and warm heart.  She is famous in Quito and has made empanadas for many special occasions, even for the President of Ecuador.

When Graciela realized that we hadn't yet tried Ecuadorean humitas, she graciously invited us to return today for homemade humitas and coffee. It was such a treat to spend more time in her home and enjoy her cooking a second time.

After our food tour, we hiked to the top of the Basilica, which provided a beautiful view of Old Town and el Panecillo (the hill with the statue of a winged Mary).

We ended the day with dinner and festivities with our new Irish friend Peter and his girlfriend Karol, a native of Quito.  We met Peter on our first day when he led our free walking tour.  The five of us ventured to La Ronda, a quaint and lively street in Old Town (though only inhabited on Thursday and Friday evenings).  We shared a good meal, a pitcher of Canelazo (traditional drink made with sugar cane liquer, served warm), and dancing to live merengue music with a fun Ecuadorean family.

Today, we woke up early and ventured two hours north of Quito to Otavalo for the largest market in South America.  We walked the colorful market aisles, bargained hard for a few items, ate fresh plantains and lychee fruit, and returned to Quito exhausted and sad that our time in this city is coming to a close.

(Rachel and Mallory practicing their Spanish and bargaining.)

That's all for now.  We leave our hostel at 4:20 AM (yes, 4:20 AM) to fly to Cusco, Peru tomorrow!  Buenas noches, familia y amigos.