Quito, Ecuador - Days 2 & 3

Monday, March 7

Today’s adventure in Quito took us to an artisan market in the Mariscal neighborhood. Andi has had his mind set on buying an alpaca sweater since we first arrived in Ecuador and heard this might be a good place to buy one, so off we went to the market.

Like most things in Ecuador, items for sale at the artisan market were very cost effective. Most stands offered a selection of ponchos, sweaters, blankets, bags, Panama hats and jewelry priced anywhere from $5-$20. Sellers were showcasing their wares as we passed by each stand, trying to get us to stop and look at their merchandise.

Andi tried on several different sweaters before settling on this pattern for a cost of $23. He was really happy with his purchase & said his sweater felt very warm.

Next, Andi wanted to buy a wool blanket to take home with us. The blankets were quite the steal, costing between $15-$25 depending on the size and pattern. This is the one we ended up buying.

Everyone says you can negotiate pricing with the market vendors in Ecuador, but Andi and I had a really hard time doing that. Already, the pricing is so affordable that it seems unfair to nickel and dime the vendors any further. Plus, we’d have to speak better Spanish than we do to have a conversation like that!

This wood, called Palo Santo, is sold everywhere in Ecuador. Locals burn it to keep mosquitos at bay.

Next, we set off to reclaim Aden’s hat which he left behind at a hotel the second week of our trip. One of the employees of the hosteria kindly brought his hat to a travel agency in Quito weeks ago & it has been waiting there for us to pick it up. We walked about 8 blocks from the artisan market to the travel agency to get it. Aden was so happy to finally have his hat back again!

Since we were in the Mariscal neighborhood of Quito, we decided to walk around the area to see it. Everything we’d read about La Mariscal said to avoid it because there’s a lot of crime (especially after dark) and the district is known to have a lot of noisy bars & restaurants not suitable for a family. La Mariscal didn’t feel unsafe as we walked around on a Monday afternoon though. In fact, the streets were practically empty except for a few unassuming shoppers.

It was raining pretty steady at this point in the afternoon, so Andi and I decided to grab an Uber and find something else to do indoors. There’s quite a few museums in Quito we could have visited, but a lot of them are closed on Mondays. Instead, Andi decided we’d go to the shopping mall closer to our airbnb in the La Carolina neighborhood. At least the mall gave us a dry place to wander around.

Wander around the mall for an hour is exactly what we did. Tory and Aden shared a cup of espumilla (a creamy mousse flavored with fruit) and Andi and I bought some tea to take home.

We decided to walk the rest of the way back to our airbnb which was only a few blocks away. On the way, we saw a variety of street food vendors selling kabobs, salchipapas, and other treats. We also stumbled upon an IMAX theatre and thought about stopping in for a show, but none of the movies were in English.

Earlier, Andi made a reservation for the kids to swim in the airbnb pool from 5:00pm-6:00pm, so we changed into our swimming suits and hurried down to the main level for our appointment time. It is nice having the pool & hot tub all to ourselves for an hour. Bonus points for the pool being heated.

We returned to our condo & showered. Then, Andi and I tuned into a special Lenten service broadcasting online from our church back home. We ordered food delivery from UberEats which was ready for us by the time we finished with church. Andi finally got to eat “Chifa” which is Chinese food in called in Ecuador & I ordered a quinoa bowl from a restaurant called Power UP. There is literally every type of food you could imagine within a few block’s radius of our condo building & it’s all available for delivery from UberEats. Big city living is pretty sweet!

Tuesday, March 8

Early this morning, Tory, Aden and I did school while Andi worked on his computer for a while.

Mid-morning, we decided to venture out in Quito and check out a new neighborhood called La Floresta. This up-and-coming neighborhood in Quito is an artistic hub for many beautiful murals painted along city streets and the home to many shops & galleries. We weren’t much interested in the art itself, but wanted to get lost in a trendy area with interesting things to see.

Andi bought an espresso at a coffee shop called Cafe Lab, then we wandered around the busy streets for an hour taking it all in. There wasn’t one particular place of interest that we visited, just a mix of artictecutre, murals, restaurants and shops to see.

Around Noon, we were all hungry for lunch so we stopped into the first place that looked appealing. Dough was warm & inviting. We sat at a table by the window and ordered fresh-blended juices, eggs, bread, pancakes, and a salad. The food was delicious.

We came back to our airbnb mid-afternoon and lounged around, then took the kids swimming in the condo pool at 5:00pm. One of my favorite things about this high-rise condo is the view & watching the clouds roll in across the city.

For dinner, we didn't feel like going out so we ordered UberEats once again. It’s so convenient to order take-out instead of having to cab somewhere. Andi picked a restaurant called Pinchos & we all split a few meat kabobs, potatoes, corn on the cob and fried plantain.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Quito.