Travel – Page 13 – Todd and Cindy's Travel Blog

Quito Ecuador Adventure Post 1

Day 1

We had tried to check-in for our flight the day before, but were unable to – AA had my birthdate wrong on their file. At the airport, auto check-in still didn’t work, so we were taken over to the priority lane for the attendant to go through the process. It took a while (huge line up followed us), but all worked out. The flights from Toronto to Miami and Miami to Quito were fairly uneventful. For whatever reason, on the leg to Quito, we were not booked to be sitting beside each other, so when the young man came on who had the seat next to me, he gladly switched with Todd. We struck up a bit of conversation. He (found out later his name is Lee) was on his first ever “adventure” away from his England homeland.

We were met at the airport with a rep from Silver Sea and learned a bit about Quito and our upcoming Galapagos cruise on the hour long drive from airport to our hotel. Too bad we didn’t come a day earlier – Sting was performing in the city AND the concert was free – paid for from the City to celebrate the Fiestas de Quito – a celebration commemorating the foundation of Quito.

Day 2

We slept well and both of us experienced little effect from the high altitude. After breakfast (papaya, kiwi, gooseberries, egg dishes, etc.), we headed out to get the Hop On, Hop Off bus – a bus that would take us to the main Quito highlights with commentary for $12 each. We wandered about to locate the stop – there was no “distinctive” stop and then we ran into Lee (English lad from the plane). He too was waiting for the bus; said he just missed the last one and that this was the stop. Well….an hour plus later – no bus, so the 3 of us hailed a cab to go to the Basilica in Old Town. The cab ride was not even $2 to go a distance that back home would have cost close to $20.

The Basilica was amazing. We spent a couple of hours touring.

The Basilica is the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas and is modeled on Paris’s Notre Dame.

Work began in 1883.

Gargoyles shaped in Ecuadorean icons like pumas, iguanas, and tortoises guard the outside of the church.

The Basilica was blessed by Pope John II in 1985.

Some of the best views of the city can be seen from climbing a steep 90m metal stairs/ladder to the top of the towers. (Yes, we did the climb….)

We had lunch in the Café located high up in the Basilica – great views, great food. We all had different (huge) sandwiches – fresh bread and tasty fillings for only $5 each.

The atmosphere throughout the city was carnival-like as people celebrated Fiestas de Quito – musicians, dancers, and puppeteers entertained the crowds. The festivities begin on December 3rd and culminate on December 6th.

We parted ways with Lee and came back to the hotel for a bit of a rest before heading out again. We walked down to Plaza Foch – a huge gathering area full of bars and restaurants.

For dinner we ate at Q – a great place to sit outside and people watch. We shared an Ecuadorian platter of empanadas, plantain canapés, cheesy potato patties, and fried pork with corn.

After a day of walking and climbing multiple stairs in the altitude, we were ready for an early night in to relax before our planned walking tour tomorrow morning.

Day 3

We took a cab into the Old Town to the Community Hostel for a Walking Tour of the Old Town. Because today is a national holiday, the tour was shorter than usual because many places were closed.

We headed back to the Basilica for a brief visit and to learn a little bit more. Every president of Ecuador is buried here.

We walked to the Jesuit church and saw a glimpse of the interior (closed to the public today). Apparently it contains enough gold to more than pay off the national debt of $30 billion.

Next stop was the President’s office/home (although this president opted to live in a more modest dwelling away from the city centre).

We were warned not to provoke the guards (as some do with the guards at Buckingham Palace), as the consequences would be severe.

Seven (huge) churches are within a short distance of each other in Old Town. We entered the San Francisco church during a service, so didn’t stay too long, but the ornate decor was outstanding.

Tonight we were planning to dine in a recommended Ecuadorian restaurant, but opted for a nearby pub instead (easy walking distance from the hotel). Turtle’s Head was great for people watching, good beer, and so-so food.

Observations in Quito

Not a lot of overweight people (must be all the steep roadways that they have to climb)
The girls and young women love their spandex – over 90% wear spandex or skinny jeans
Gas is so cheap – $2/gallon
Healthcare is free (even for tourists!)
They have $1 coins here; and at the hotel, they were so apologetic when we asked to change $5 because they only have $1 coins. We told them not to worry – in Canada we have $1 and $2 coins…..

Louisiana Adventure Final Post 8

Day 14

This morning we checked out the recently opened Whole Foods Market. Todd was on the hunt for filé powder (ground sassafras for his gumbo; can’t find it in Canada). Whoa – this is the 1st time we have seen this – a bar in the middle of a grocery store!

Next up – Swamp Tour! We boarded a Cajun crawfish skiff powered by an extremely quiet, environmentally friendly, 4-stroke outboard motor.

We spent the next 2+ hours touring the swamp waters of Lake Martin.

We examined Cypress trees, pieces of Cypress drift wood, and Cypress roots (Cypress Knees) in their native environment, the swamp.

Many duck blinds ( this is known as “The Hilton” on the lake) are located in the swamp. Duck hunting season here is the month of September and November to December. Dogs are only allowed in the latter months because the alligators aren’t a threat to them at that time, because the dropping temperatures are moving them into a state of hibernation where they do not eat anymore.

Lake Martin is a bird sanctuary and boats are not allowed in some of the areas during nesting season. It is home to over 200 species of birds and thousands of wild shore birds and migratory songbirds build their nests each year.

We saw Great Blue Heron,

Egret,

and Anhinga, this one is swallowing his catch, se the bulge in his neck !

We saw many Yellow Belly Turtles enjoying the sunny skies. They are also known as “Alligator Popcorn” because of the sound they make when getting eaten !

The highlight, of course was seeing the alligators.

The gators we spotted ranged from 3 feet to over 12 feet.

Alligators are not typically aggressive (not that we would challenge this), but nesting females are an exception to the rule. Below is an alligator nest.

Feeding the alligators is illegal. Here, in their natural environment they are “king” once they are 4 feet long. They feed on various fish, birds, turtles, and rodents, raccoons and each other.

We had a great couple of hours enjoying this swampy ecosystem full of wildlife and native plants.

Dinner was at Chris Po-Boys and Todd got to try another Louisiana treat – an Oyster Po-boy

Day 15 (final day)

Sadly, our Louisiana Adventure is coming to an end; we could not have asked for better weather, and we have seen and done a lot of things….

Before returning to NOLA for our flight out, we stopped at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens.

In 1770, 300,000 acres of land that was originally owned by Houmas Indians, was sold in exchange for $150 worth of goods to two American men.

It was one of the largest sugar plantations in America in the 1800s.

Over the years, Houmas House has seen many owners. See the common household remedies of those days !

One notable owner was John Burnside who purchased the home, land, and 1,000 slaves for $1 million in the late 1800s. Sandy our tour guide is holding an old gun which doubled as a cane if you removed the stock…very handy feature for trudging through rugged terrain!

Most recently, the home and property were purchased in 2003 by Kevin Kelly for about $3 million. At that time the house and property had become run down.

Kelly restored the home and property, and has amassed over $10 million in furnishings for the house including priceless antiques and art.

A 1901 David Grand Steinway piano from Hamburg sits in the parlor as paintings by Edouard Monet and Paul Gaugin hang on the walls.

A priceless sculpture of Abraham Lincoln made out of silver sits on the shelf designed by Gutzon Borglum – the man who sculpted Mount Rushmore. (It’s supposed to be good luck to rub the nose – ??)

A clock owned by Marie Antoinette and Napoleon sits on the mantle.

The grounds are beautiful. Fountains, ponds, and gardens are spread amid 38 acres. The lily pads in the picture are about 4 feet in diameter.

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Live Oak trees surround the home. These trees range from 100 to 600 years old. Unfortunately they had to cut down 24 old Oak trees when the Levee was improved several years ago.

Lunch at the restaurant on the property was one of the best we have had while in Louisiana. We started with Caesar salads, served with warm buns, biscuits shaped like a dragonfly and corn butter.

I had an appetizer size of gumbo and Todd ordered the Seafood Po-Boy. Wow! It was a huge plate. (No, he didn’t finish it).

The Houmas House visit was a great way to end our Louisiana Adventure.

Stay tuned for our next adventure, a trip to Galapagos Islands in December !

Louisiana Adventure Post 7

Day 12

Late morning, we headed to downtown Lafayette for the Boudin Cook-off festival (Seriously, there are numerous festivals for whatever reason just about every weekend here in the south). The Boudin Cook-off is a one day, yearly affair in Lafayette.

Simply put, boudin is a combo of pork, cooked rice, onions, green peppers, and varying amounts and types of seasonings. The ingredients are put in a meat grinder and then stuffed into a sausage casing.

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People here are passionate about their boudin.

The day consisted of activities for the kids, ten boudin booths serving various variants of boudin, music, and a boudin eating contest.

The winner was the one who could finish the 1 ½ lbs of boudin first. (The guy who won finished eating it all in 1 minute, 56 seconds).

Video footage of contest !

After the Boudin Cook-off, we drove to Parish Brewery for a tour.

The brewery has been around just over 3 years and distributes to areas within Louisiana. They just installed an automated bottle filling machine so they can start distributing more product in standard size bottles.

Demand is high and they struggle to keep up. The day we visited only 3 of their 7 beers were available.

For dinner, we walked to Nimbeaux’s – a local seafood restaurant. I ordered grilled chicken (one of the very few non-seafood options) with smothered okra (see – outside the comfort zone a little) and potato salad.

Todd ordered the Crawfish Etoufee served with rice and a side of potato salad. He said it was really good (I will take his word for it).

Day 13

Today included a trip to Vermilionville.

This is a living history museum and park that preserves and represents the cultural resources of the Acadian, Native American, and Creole cultures – from the time period 1765 to 1890.

Various houses,

a church (note – 2 Sundays in a row that we have been in a church LOL)

and a school make up the village.

Todd maneuvered the “ferry” across the river.

Also included in today’s admission was music and dance at the Performance Center.

We had a lot of fun listening to the music and “people-watching”.

When we got back to the hotel, we began to research possible places to eat for dinner (celery and hummus made up lunch); turns out all restaurants around us (and some further) are closed on Sundays (sure a lot different from what we are used to….). So I guess it will be a night in nibbling and watching The Saints game on TV….