An update from Ecuador (2.12.07):
We landed in Quito last night at about 10:45 p.m. After breakfast this morning, which along with eggs and sausage, included a type of barbecue beef in a spicy tomato sauce served over rice, fried plaintains, popcorn, roasted hominy, shrimp cocktail and local fruits like papaya.
We landed in Quito last night at about 10:45 p.m. After breakfast this morning, which along with eggs and sausage, included a type of barbecue beef in a spicy tomato sauce served over rice, fried plaintains, popcorn, roasted hominy, shrimp cocktail and local fruits like papaya.
We then headed to the World Vision office, the agency that brought us here. They gave us a presentation about Ecuador and the work that World Vision is doing here. We learned that 80% of Ecuadorans live on less than $1 per day, among other things.
After that, we bought some bags of paper thin slices of fried plaintains and some drinks to start our road trip. The plaintains chips were crispy, salty and delicious. They will hold us until lunch.
The five guys from Big Daddy Weave, their booking agent Greg, me, a World Vision rep from the head office in Seattle, a videographer, three local interpreters and two drivers climbed into two vans and headed south. We're headed for Riobamba, about five hours south of Quito. About two hours into the trip, we stopped for lunch at El Café de la Vaca. It is in about as picturesque a spot in the mountains as you could want. The food is also very fresh, as the specialty is steak and the cows are fed and mlked right by the front door! They started us with some fresh cheese
made on the premises, something similar to fresh mozzerella. The cheese is served with a very hot, creamy pimento and peppers sauce to put over the top - a very good starter. That was followed by a tasty, creamy plaintain soup with potatoes and cabbage. The main course was a filet mignon in a pepper mushroom sauce and fried potatoes. Everything was very, very good. To give you an idea of the economy, that steak and fries was about $4.00. I finished with a cup of chocolate especial, which is hot chocolate with cinammon, marshmallows and fresh cheese in it! Definitely a first for me, but it was surprisingly good.
As I write this, we have been on the road to Riobamba for two more hours and still have 44 kilometers to go. The trip is slow with many steep inclines and passing through many towns and villages, but there's not much better way to see the country. It is beautiful and simple. The dwellings where we are right now are generally small block buildings, many without windows.
We have seen cows, sheep and alpaca driven along the road, people washing clothes in the river, and many people waiting along the mountain roads for the buses that pass by.
We're excited about what is in store for us this week. More tomorrow!
The five guys from Big Daddy Weave, their booking agent Greg, me, a World Vision rep from the head office in Seattle, a videographer, three local interpreters and two drivers climbed into two vans and headed south. We're headed for Riobamba, about five hours south of Quito. About two hours into the trip, we stopped for lunch at El Café de la Vaca. It is in about as picturesque a spot in the mountains as you could want. The food is also very fresh, as the specialty is steak and the cows are fed and mlked right by the front door! They started us with some fresh cheese
made on the premises, something similar to fresh mozzerella. The cheese is served with a very hot, creamy pimento and peppers sauce to put over the top - a very good starter. That was followed by a tasty, creamy plaintain soup with potatoes and cabbage. The main course was a filet mignon in a pepper mushroom sauce and fried potatoes. Everything was very, very good. To give you an idea of the economy, that steak and fries was about $4.00. I finished with a cup of chocolate especial, which is hot chocolate with cinammon, marshmallows and fresh cheese in it! Definitely a first for me, but it was surprisingly good.
As I write this, we have been on the road to Riobamba for two more hours and still have 44 kilometers to go. The trip is slow with many steep inclines and passing through many towns and villages, but there's not much better way to see the country. It is beautiful and simple. The dwellings where we are right now are generally small block buildings, many without windows.
We have seen cows, sheep and alpaca driven along the road, people washing clothes in the river, and many people waiting along the mountain roads for the buses that pass by.
We're excited about what is in store for us this week. More tomorrow!
Photos from 2.12.07. Roll your cursor over them for labels. Click on them to see them larger.
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