Ecuador – Otavalo – Day Three

Otavalo to Quito

After a quiet breakfast, we decided to take one last walk around the wonderful town of Otavalo.
Parque Bolivar was bustling with locals going about their days business. School girls giggling as they crossed the square carrying boxes of cakes, sleeping dogs ignoring everything and old couples in national dress off to who knows where. It was peaceful yet busy. Behind us a few workers from the civic office were goofing around with two giant foam hands, enjoying some comedy moments between them.

Bang on time Luis showed up, smiling and jolly, and once again with Mrs Luis riding shotgun taking us all the way to Quito.

For us, reaching the edge of Quito was a bit of a shock. Coming from sleepy, quaint Otavalo and suddenly being dropped back in to the hustle and bustle of a huge city was a bit of a shock. We seriously doubted we’d made the right decision.
Due to some road closures Luis couldn’t quite get us right to the door of our next hotel, but hopping out of his taxi he walked us there and let the staff know we were there.

The Portal De Cantuna is located at the end of a short alleyway, a former convent it is quirky but charming. Stuffed with artefacts no nook or cranny remains unstuffed. Sofas, chairs, chests of drawers, hat racks, potted plants, you name it, it’s probably in there somewhere. All of this is topped off, perhaps crowned, with an amazing stained glass and wrought iron glass ceiling.
Our room over-looked the courtyard and alleyway. Large and amply furnished it was to be our base for a few days.
Once unpacked, we headed out in to Quito to get our bearings.
First impressions were WOW, it’s busy, so busy and the people didn’t smile like in Otavalo and therefore didn’t feel as friendly.

First stop was the Iglesia de San Francisco a church and monastery. The church was typical of the Catholic tradition and was massively ornate. Very busy with worshippers and beggars too. Some interesting art work and sculpture. One incredibly hairy Jesus in a glass case and a stunning figure of Christ on the cross.

After a short but hilly walk across town we found the Gran Plaza, or Plaza de la Independence, which was relaying a live church service from the adjacent Cathedral de Quito to a huge crowd on a giant TV screen. We managed to get in to the Cathedral, packed wall-to-wall due to the almost continuous Holy Week services. Quite a few black robed monks in the crowd, made more conspicuous by the heavy black motorcycle boots.

Looking for some peace and some refreshment we found a juice bar, with a very miserable looking woman on the till, but the Maracuya juice was fresh, tasty and cheap too.

A short walk along the same street we found a small cafe where we enjoyed a bowl of Quinoa soup. A huge bowl, very tasty and crazy cheap too. The cafe was full of locals too. We ordered two coffees and a tray arrived with two mugs of hot milk and a jar of Nescafe !!!

Picking up two bags of fruit from the end of alley leading to our hotel, we grabbed a siesta.

Back out in to the evening to find food we planned on visiting a local brewery, Bandido, that made artisan beer along with serving good grub. Following the address we found ourselves walking through a street lined with prostitutes and a very busy bus stop, but no sign of the brewery. Not feeling like it was a safe area of town, we turned around and headed back.

To us the city seemed without a centre and somehow mixed up with no obvious restaurants or bars to eat. Searching and searching we eventually found a local place serving a traditional Holy Week dish called Fanesca. This Lenten dish is amazing. Made with twelve beans and grains representing the apostles and containing a boiled egg, fish, plantain and an empanada it was hearty and filling to say the least. Truly a wonderful dish.