Last year, before JJ came into our lives we took several trips. One of them was to a place we’d had on our “bucket list” for a while. The Galapagos. Being born and raised on an island, places like Easter Island have always fascinated me. So, of course we had to do the Galapagos. There were basically two ways to get there, it was either Guayaquil or Quito. After doing some research, I thought Quito would be a good starting point.
Well, getting there from San Diego was going to be interesting. We’d be flying Delta with Hartsfield as our transfer point. Man, Hartsfield….during the 90’s, I did consulting work in ATL, and Hartsfield was the airport….it’s always been crazy busy!
Well, at least we’d be flying domestic first, then international business, which means things were a bit elevated.
The actual lounge was a bit less crowded than I recalled.
With a decent selection of food.
So that made the three hour layover a bit easier to handle.
The flight from ATL to Quito was 5 1/2 hours and seemed to go by quickly.
I arranged for a private transfer from the airport to where we were staying the JW Marriott in Quito. I was using accumulated points for this and we had access to the Club Lounge which made things really easy.
It made arriving at 9pm at night and the check in a breeze.
Along with the lounge there was a rather popular restaurant in the hotel, though we never had to visit. The property was huge….like it’s own little city.
My guess is that it is set-up so folks wouldn’t have to leave the property.
The Executive Lounge was quite large and it was never full during our stay.
It had a nice view….
And made having a nice, light breakfast so convenient.
Since we had limited time in Quito; I arranged for a private tour….actually three private tours for our days in Ecuador. This would end up being such fun! I organized the tours based on what we’d be doing…in other words, first I’d want us to just get acquainted….then to expand our horizons so to say. On our first day, I booked us a Private City Tour of Quito, Teleferico, and the Middle of the World. We were asked about our interests and mentioned that we enjoy learning about food and cuisine. So, our first stop was the large Mercado Santa Clara.
Where we were able to taste some of the local products….
The most interesting was the Tamarillo aka “Tree Tomato”, a member of the nightshade family. It was quite puckery and acidic; the skin pretty thick.
Also quite interesting was what they called the “Taxo”, also know as the Banana Passion Fruit.
Slightly sweet, acidic, and mildly fruity.
This was a fun way to start our tour of Quito.
Mercado Santa Clara
RG22+473 Antonio de Ulloa
Quito, Ecuador
In any city, there are things that are every day occurrences and Quito is no different. While driving up one of the streets our guide pointed something out to us saying; “I don’t think you see this in San Diego, huh?”
Can you imagine someone walking goats here? Well, maybe in North Park??? jjk….
Next stop was on the western side of the city. Along the eastern side of Pichincha Volcano, would you believe that the western side…Wawa Pichincha is still active, is the TeleferiQo, a cable car.
Here the 20 minute or so ride brings you up to over 12,950 feet. Making it one of the highest in the world. Quito itself is at around 9,250 feet.
Needless to say, the views, even on a slightly cloudy day are outstanding.
And, it’s even dog friendly…..
There a famous six mile trail that goes to the top of Pichincha ending at 15,400 feet….I’m glad we didn’t have time to do this one! Whew…..
Once back at 9,000 feet elevation we headed off. We stopped near the north side of the city at this little shop; Panificadora Quito.
Where the Missus got a Helados break!
Panificadora Quito
Av. Manuel Córdova Galarza
Quito, Ecuador
After which it was time to head to…..”the Center of the World!”
Thanks for stopping by!
The filling was fairly tender, not overly sweet, very classic seasoning. The regular bao was a bit too wet and doughy. The "Black Bao", obviously made with activated charcoal had an almost gritty-crunchy texture, though the flavor was less sweet, but not substantially different from the "regular" one.
The Peking Duck was "almost there". The fat had been nicely rendered, but the skin was still a bit rubbery. The flesh was very tender, the flavors spot on, good gamey-earthy notes, five spice, a hint of sweetness. The dan bing weren't up to the task and tore easily. Still, the duck was not bad at all.
The bun is thin with a slight pleasing crispness to it. The filling was scalding porky heaven, with nice hints of black pepper, mild sweetness, and savory tones. This was delici-yoso!!!
