As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
Our first day was supposed to be spent exploring Genovesa Island, famous for the abundance of birds and the Prince Philip’s Steps. The island however, was closed due to a outbreak of Avian Flu. So, the Evolve instead headed first to Santa Fe Island.
I woke early and got a nice cup of coffee on the deck. I started getting a hint of “who ran things” around these parts!
After which we got our gear on and boarded the Zodiacs.
And we headed to Barrington Bay. Santa Fe Island used to be named Barrington Island after Admiral Samuel Barrington. During our briefing the night before, we were told that the island is considered the oldest by many at over 4.5 million years old, and there’s a specific species of Land Iguana only found on Santa Fe Island.
Fabrizio, the Naturalist in our Zodiac mentioned that there’s a large colony of Sea Lions in the bay and also pointed out the first Blue Footed Boobies of the trip!
They are so cool looking, huh?
We did our wet landing and being told that there’s a large colony of Sea Lions in Barrington Bay was a bit of an understatement!
You are not allowed to touch any of the wildlife and not approach and try to stay 2 meters away from them. It was amazing to visit a place where the wildlife has no fear of humans.
The sea lions would look at you and then “bust a pose”.
And having no fear of hoo-mans meant that if you weren’t paying attention, sometimes they’d catch you in some interesting situations.
We started our nature walk and Fabrizio quickly pointed out some lizards.
These were Santa Fe Lava Lizards. The ones with the bright red throats are the females.
The island is small, just 24 square kilometers and yet, it is an amazing place to visit.
Walking along the trail we came across a Mockingbird. It was just not phased by our presence. This is of a distinct sub-species endemic to Santa Fe Island.
Can’t you just see how Darwin would have been affected by this?
And then Fabrizio pointed what we’d been waiting to see.
This is Conolophus Pallidus, more widely known as the Santa Fe Land Iguana. Endemic to Santa Fe Island……which covers just about 9 square miles! Amazing!
It just stared at us; knowing it ran the place. You know, like “get off my front lawn?”
It was so amazing to see creatures totally not fearful of humans. This male Lava Lizard was doing “push ups”, trying to attract a possible mate.
We boarded our Zodiac and headed back to Evolve, where lunch was waiting for us.
Tables set, the Concierge, Joselyn, introduced us to the Chef, and lunch.
Which we enjoyed.
After which we headed back to our room for a break before our next stop.
**** I realize that I’m waaaay behind on these posts; so I’ll try to minimize the verbiage after this post.
Being born and raised on an island is something that has stayed with me. Islands and island life fascinates me…..and of course there are those amazing places to visit. We’d already done Easter Island like almost a decade ago now. There are places that this bookworm had always dreamt of visiting. And one of them was the Galapagos. With wildlife found nowhere else in the world, where a young Charles Darwin‘s observations would lead to the theory of Evolution. Well, ’nuff said, right?
While looking at different ways of visiting, it became clear that being on a cruise would work out the best for us. The problem being that the Missus is not into cruises as a whole. Then I did some research and discovered Ecoventura, a company that does “luxury cruises” with no more than 20 passengers on board! The reviews I’d read were mostly super positive. Yes, it’s not cheap…like 10k per person double occupancy…but you only live once, right? One we decided to go with Ecoventura, we had to choose which seven day intinerary we wanted. Was it the Southern Route, with beaches, bays, and water life. Or the Northern route, the volcanic soul of the archipelago? You know which we chose, right?
We were met at the airport and transported to the dock where we to meet our Zodiac to the Evolve. Check out the Sea Lions hanging around the harbor.
This one is having a nap!
Once on board, we were greeted and shown to our suite…and yes, it was a suite. Very comfortable, with nice amenities.
The views from the room was amazing. We got our own personalized water bottles and there were kettles and Nespresso Machines in the room as well. The dining area also had all these amenities. We were also provided binoculars.
Even better was that good WiFi was also provided. Rooms were also made up each day while we were out on our tours.
Everyday, there would be an itinerary posted.
This being the first day, folks would be arriving at different times, so there was a buffet lunch available.
And the view was wonderful…..
And it gave me time to explore the yacht a bit.
It turned out that there were 17 passengers on this voyage of the Evolve. There were 13 crew. The standard tour ratio of Naturalists to guests in the Galapagos is 16 to 1….we had two Naturalists on this cruise.
Soon enough we were underway. We’d find that there was always more than enough space for one to relax and contemplate the beauty we’d see.
We had requisite emergency drill and protocols reviewed and then were fitted for our snorkeling gear.
Soon enough, our destination for the evening was in sight. And the Naturalists met the guests at the rear of the yacht.
And the lessons would begin! Man, I could written like several volumes for this trip!
That’s Leon Dormido aka “Kicker Rock”.
It’s name; Leon Dormido means Sleeping Lion which is said to resemble. Others say it resembles a foot, thus the name Kicker Rock.
It’s a volcanic Tuff Cone that has been eroded thru time, thus there’s that little channel in the split area.
FOY’s might know of another tuff cone…..named Diamond Head?
It was awesome sailing around Leon Dormido. From the sheers walls…..
To the little bays…..
It’s supposed to be a rather popular diving spot; but we’d be doing that several times along other islands during our trip. It’s quite stunning to watch as the sun sets…..
It was a great way to start our adventure!
After sunset, all the passengers met in the lounge and the crew was introduced to us by the Captain and we had a cocktail. Then we had a briefing of our destination the next morning.
We would have a briefing on our upcoming destination every evening.
And then it was dinner time. So, this being a “luxury” cruise, with under 20 people, there would be an ever changing menu each evening.
How was it? It was a mixed bag; though we appreciated the effort. With two choices for appetizers and mains, the Missus and I would get one of each every evening.
Nice presentation, but nothing particularly stood out to us during this dinner. Still, this was not typical cruise dining, right?
Tomorrow we’d be visiting Santa Fe Island and Plaza Sur.
I usually try to plan at least one memorable meal when travelling internationally. This strategy has really opened our minds…exposure to different tastes, creativity, culture. From the first time back in Lima at Astrid & Gaston, to Tamarind in Luang Prabang, and Azurmendi, Osteria Francescana, and Maido. We may not have enjoyed every dish; but it sure does open your eyes and mind. Heck, I even forgot what is our favorite restaurant, Suzunari in Tokyo, which we’ve been to three times!
When it came to Quito, I actually picked Zazu, before booking our stay at the JW Marriott. It seemed to be in walking distance. I thought having a nice meal before we flew out the next morning would be fun. And it seemed like just a 15 minute walk from the hotel.
The doorman at the hotel looked quite worried as we started to exit. He asked us where we were going and I told him. He asked if we wanted a taxi and we said we’d be walking….he looked quite concerned. He asked us to wait and brought over this serious looking young lady; turns out she is the head of security here. It became clear that they were worried about our safety, which I really appreciated. She handed me a “safety card” and we promised that we’d be taking an Uber back. I had researched visitor safety in Quito, which was relatively safe in comparison to other areas. And it was still fairly light out.
We found the restaurant with no problem; the staff were quite friendly and we were guided to our table.
As we’d often do; we went with an appetizer focused menu; 1 ceviche, 3 apps, and 1 main.
I tried the Quito Mule, which is presented deconstructed and you can adjust it to your taste. It was very refreshing with a touch of smokiness.
First up was the Ceviche Mixto. The leche de tigre for this version was made with Aji Amarillo.
This also came with camote – sweet potato, starchy, sweet, and earthy. The shrimp was the best of the seafood, plump, sweet, and tender. The leche de tigre had some complexity, not only the sour-citrusy-fruity tones, but also some smokiness. We were told that the aji amarillo was roasted in the wood fired oven before adding it to the marinating liquid.
No, this is not bone marrow….it’s actually the Beef Tartare, which is served in a bone.
Wonderful presentation; but quite ok tartare, nothing special; the beef was more chewy than I prefer. The most interesting ingredient in this was the addition of pungent, almost horseradish like Mashua.
Of course we had to have Cuy, right? After all, I do love me some cuy. Of course, this was quite fancy…..
I swear, that cuy could have passed for mild roasted duck! Loved the crisp skin and the beer jus was lovely. The cuy had been confit; so it was so tender! The mini tostadas were also delicious. What threw me off were the little pastas, which were filled with peanut cream…which tasted like peanut butter!
Next up; the Suckling Pig Taquitos; these were so tasty and the texture was fabulous as well.
The “porky pig” had been confit as well, so wonderfully tender and swiney. That dollop of avocado cream, a hit of smokey spice from chipotle, and the pico de gallo balanced out the richness. The crisp and rather light wrappers were excellent as well.
For our main to share; we went with the Catch of the Day; which in this case was Seabass.
The fish was perfectly fried; the coating crisp, very moist and tender, though the flavor nothing to write home about. It was the aji manaba, very distinct, slightly spicy, mildly fruity, good acid that really made things interesting. That black garlic aioli was a bit too sweet and overkill.
It was a fine dish; though not as interesting and tasty as the apps….which is why we’ll often have an entire meal of starters!
Service was excellent, very professional and warm.
A good example of how wonderful the folks working were happened as we were heading out. We’d gone ahead and requested an Uber….which did a strange thing. The pick-up point they set was basically half way back to the hotel? What the heck? The host came over to check on us and told us to cancel the Uber; it would be better with a taxi….they then went and called us a cab. The host even waited with us for the taxi and spoke to the driver just to “check” and make sure he knew exactly where to take us! Outstanding service!
We got back to the hotel and one of the security persons came over to check on us! Such great folks here!
We went to our room and packed a bit. We had already arranged a driver to the airport for the next morning. Our flight to San Cristóbal Airport wasn’t until 11, so we would have breakfast in the lounge before heading to our next stop! Can you figure out our next stop?
**** No food in this one; so if you’d like to return tomorrow…..
I had another private tour scheduled for our second full day in Quito. This time we’d be heading North to Otavalo. Like on our previous day, we had a light breakfast in the Executive Lounge of the JW Marriott.
We enjoyed the view from the lounge as it seemed that the clouds and weather was constantly changing in Quito.
Our guide arrived right on time and then we were off. We took a short coffee/bathroom break in the town of San Joaquín.
Which seemed to be at the crossroads of two highways.
And then we were off to Muelle Flotante de Cachiviro on the shores of picturesque Lago San Pablo, the largest natural lake in Ecuador. The lake is resides at the base of Imbabrua Volcano.
A lovely little town with a “muelle flotante” a floating pier.
There was a curious pooch who followed us around.
The view from the pier is stunning.
We were told that even though Imbabura Volcano has not erupted for over 7,500 years, it is not considered “extinct”!
In spite of residing in the shadows of a non-extinct volcano; things were so peaceful and calm here.
Though we were told that just up the road was an area very popular with ex-pats who have started moving here.
We were given some bizcochos and Queso Ecuatoriano, basically stringcheese to snack on.
The next stop was one we really enjoyed. We parked and walked thru a city gate.
This is the village of Peguche, which is famous for weaving and the music; though there were two other things the hamlet is known for.
The Quichua (Kichwa) are the largest indigenous group in Ecuador. Those people, like the Incas whose influence spread into the area in the 15th century celebrate Inti Raymi which celebrates the Sun God (Inti). And to be able to determine dates, there’s Inti Watana; the solar calendar.
It’s pretty amazing!
There’s also some neat acoustics going on as when I stood in the middle and whispered, you could hear me clearly anywhere in the structure!
From here, it was a nice walk to our next stop.
We were told that next to the market in Otavalo, Cascada de Peguche (Peguce Waterfall) is the second most popular stop.
This is where; during Inti Raymi, one would “cleanse your soul”. In fact, it is something that is still done today and access to the falls during Inti Raymi is limited to locals.
The falls are 60 feet high. Can you imagine “cleansing your soul” here?
We returned to the village where things were very quiet on this day.
And there was a reason for this. It was a Saturday. And though Otavalo’s Plaza de los Panchos is always busy; Saturday is market day , when all the indigenous craftsmen are present. It really didn’t seem overly busy.
And the Missus enjoyed shopping.
And even bought a couple of things…..
After which we headed on back to Quito. We had decided to get a light lunch in the lounge of the hotel.
Where we could take in that ever changing view of Quito.
We had dinner reservations at a highly regarded restaurant, so we thought we’d save our appetite for dinner.
We were having a fun morning exploring Quito and our next stop would be quite entertaining. Of course one keeps hearing about the “Center of the World” here. And after all, the name of the country is Ecuador, which in Spanish literally means “equator”. And this is where Charles Marie de La Condamine part of the French Geodesic Mission to the Equator from whom he split after disagreements and differing beliefs and methodologies, tested out the hypothesis of Isaac Newton and his work in Principia, that the Earth is not a perfect sphere. And that place where Charles Marie de La Condamine determined was the equator is where Ciudad Mitad del Mundo is located. Where the monument to the Equator is located.
Cool, right? But like a rather famous actor said “Hang on there, pilgrim”. His measurement was off. The “actual” location is about 250 yards away, which is where the Intiñan Equator Museum is located.
It’s a kind of kitschy , fun place….
The fella’s above’s name is…well Inti of course.
We did enjoy the exhibits of the Native Tribes and former residents of the area. One even had Cuy running around! Dinner bells must be ringing somewhere!
And yes, that’s a real shrunken head on the right in that glass case.
And there’s a pole to mark Latitude 0. Of course, I’ve read that this location is also a bit off; but not by that much.
Not that this sweet little one cares about it. He just wanted to be pet…..
There are some interesting activities as well. There’s a movable sink which shows how water drains from one side of the equator to the other.
And then there’s balancing an egg on top of a nail. It is said that it is easy at the equator which I’ve read is a myth. But of course, the Missus had to try, right?
Well, so much for that one…..
Regardless of if this is really the center of the world; we enjoyed this stop!
Intiñan Equator Museum Manuel Cordova Galarza Quito, Ecuador
We then headed back to the Old Town, stopping on top of a hill was this huge, imposing Gothic Cathedral. This is the Basílica del Voto Nacional.
You can actually pay to climb to the top of the towers for an extra fee.
And of course the Missus just had to do it. I think I’ve mentioned before….I’m not a fan of heights. Not that it really mattered to the Missus.
The views from the towers were wonderful.
I later mentioned that the Basilica reminded me of Notre Dame and was told it was modeled after it.
Of course, what goes up must come down….which was more scary for me…..
Yikes….
Look at the lovely stained glass window!
After our visit to the Basilica, we headed into the Old Town.
This lovely building was the home of our destination for lunch. We were told that it used to be the Archbishop’s Palace, but now houses shops and restaurants.
La Vid Restaurant is located on the second floor.
A lovely and classy dining room with a view of Plaza Grande.
The menu had a combination of various Ecuadorian dishes which I was really looking forward to, along with western dishes like Carpaccio, Beefs dishes, and pastas. Of course we stayed with the Ecuadorian dishes.
I’d been wanting to try Ceviche Ecuatoriano – Ecuadorian Ceviche ($11.95) – I think I’ve forgotten to mention; Ecuador uses the American Dollar for currency. We cracked up when the “side dishes” for the ceviche arrived……popcorn anyone?
We were told that Ceviche in Ecuador is commonly served with “Canguil”…..basically popcorn, unsalted to provide textural contrast.
We chose to go with ceviche pescado; in this case sea bass for our ceviche. This was almost like a soup. The fish very plump and instead of being “cooked” by citrus, it seemed to have been precooked? The liquid seemed to be big on “shrimpiness”, though lacking in acidity and spice.
We also got the Bandera Ecuatoriana ($8.95), a platter of two types of Ecuadorian Empanadas.
The Empanadas de Verde; green plantain empanadas were a surprise as it was not sweet as expected; but the cheese made it rich and savory….it also really stuck to the roof of your mouth! It was enjoyable. The Beef version made with white corn was crisp, with a wonderful texture if a bit on the salty side.
I was interested in trying the Seco de Chivo La Vid ($17.95); the Goat Stew.
Which came with plantains, super delicious avocado, tasteless steamed potatoes, and yellow rice. I liked the rice; but the Missus isn’t a fan of tumeric, which is one of the ingredients in the rice. Loved the gameyness of the goat, which a bit on the chewier side. Kind of strong in terms of clove tones; with a hint of cumin. Fairly rich and pretty good.
This was an interesting and enjoyable meal, which gave us a look at what Ecuadorian cuisine was like.
La Vid Restaurante Venezuela Oe4-56 Quito, Ecuador
Where our final destination of the day is located. As you know from previous posts; the Missus loves Her chocolate. And across the street from the Basilica resides Yumbos Chocolate.
Which is an artesenal chocolate maker. We were given a short tour, then directed to a table.
Where we were given a tasting. We were the only customers in the place, so it really felt like a private tasting.
Man, that 90% Cacao was potent, a bit too intense and bitter for my taste. The Missus preferred the 60% which had a nice balance of rich and sweet, with a hint of bitterness. I guess we’re kinda wussy when it comes to chocolate?
We did manage to get a few gifts even though we’d be lugging it around for the rest of the trip.
And we’d be having an even more interesting chocolate “meal” later on during our stay.
Yumbos Chocolate Sebastián de Benalcázar Quito, Ecuador
From here we headed back to our hotel. It had been quite a day! And since we weren’t very hungry and had access to the Club Lounge at the JW Marriott, we just had a light dinner there.
We had another private tour coming up the following day, plus reservations for a more “fancy” dinner. So, I thought we’d rest up.
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!”
Whew, ever had a trip that was so amazing that time flew by and having done so much, when thinking an experience that happened just a few days ago it seemed like weeks ago? Well, we're back from that amazing trip. In spite of the combination of flight time and layovers taking 15 hours plus each way, this one was one of those once-in-a lifetime experiences, from the time we landed in the country's capital at 9300 feet we were entranced.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Capital.
To the even higher surroundings.
The diversity is amazing. In fact, there are 4 different geographical regions in this fairly small country!
Another interesting fact, the Country is named for the imaginary line that separates the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and takes great pride in being called the "middle of the world".
And yet, things really got even more incredible when we did our cruise. To an archipelago I had always dreamed of exploring. And now have a better understanding of how a famous Naturalist became enchanted and inspired by his visit here when still a young man. And whose most well-known publication is inextricably linked to the islands.
Our 7-day cruise explored the Northern portion of the archipelago and in all we visited 7 islands. And amazingly, the terrain of each one was different.
And the Captain even took us on a spur of the moment visit to see nature in action as well!
Even more impressive was the wildlife.
And each island had unique variations of species.
There are strict rules in place on the islands, thus many creatures displayed no fear of hoo-mans.
Some were even quite curious.
And it was amazing to see these creatures in their natural habitat.
It was an enriching experience and we learned so much.
And yes, this is still a food blog…..so we have that covered as well.
So let me recover from jet lag and get back to posting!
