Quito, Ecuador

                                                                  QUITO, ECUADOR

     I made my first visit to Ecuador in 1993. Then 23 years later I decided to take my granddaughters and their mother to experience the Galapagos Islands, but I wanted them to experience Colonial capitol Quito first. I hired a guide and driver for the Quito visit as I wanted to see as much of the city in a weekend as possible. The altitude of 9,350-feet slowed out pace a wee bit but not to any extreme.

    Quito’s historic center is one of the best preserved in the Americas. Most of the 8 active volcanos can be seen from most parts of the city. Spaniards constructed lovely colonial architecture over the charred remains of an   Inca city. But just north of Old Town towering concrete and glass structures show off modern business and tourists centers of the city. Quito’s unmistakable Old Town, covers over 790 acres and is hilly. The area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, Quito has taken great pride in restoring its colonial buildings and sprucing up its public spaces to ensure that both locals and visitors continue to breathe life into Old Town.  

     Our guide was great about rearranging our itinerary to avoid crowds. The Equatorial Monument is about 20 Kilometers out of the city. As we headed to lower altitudes in this short distance there was a remarkable change in climate and tropical plant life was flowering and healthy.

     Here I found some additions to the well-known area. Although one can still straddle   both hemispheres at the same time near the lovely museum these have taken a back seat to the new Mitad del Mundo, Middle of the World.  Although the equator runs through many cities in the world, Quito has become famous for it.   The equator was discovered and mapped in 1736 by a French geodesic expedition. This extraordinary feat at that time did end being off by about 250 meters. This site gave the girls an excellent overview of Ecuador and the views were spectacular. We all learned a lot and the girls had great fun  participating in many experiments as we visited the site. We were all fascinated by the story of  how a shrunken head is made! The girls protested the use of guinea pigs in ceremonies and the eating of them. They  were stymied how magnetism will not allow anyone to walk heel to toe at the equator; they tried hard to prove it wasn’t so. 

    After spending much of the morning here I asked our driver to stop at the tower monument so the girls could see where their uncle and I had spent some time years ago.

    Back in town at Independence Square  it was a surprise to walk into a lovely old mansion for a leisurely local lunch at Casa Gangotena. Our guide  joined us and was able to translate and describe the menu for us, as the coat-clad waiter didn’t speak English. Lunch included soup, entre, juice and desert. Somehow salad was also included but not listed on the menu..

     We started with a long divided dish of a half dozen salsas. Each was good and I was intrigued with the beet salsa. We all tried hard to not dribble salsa on the crisp white linen tablecloth.

    All but one of us ordered the pork. The boneless chop had been pounded very thin until it was the size of an open hand, It appeared to have  been grilled and the orange sauce was on the plate I took as a marinade. It was different but very good. A roasted bean about the size and shape of a lima bean is a poplar food item and they were on the plate with halved small quarter-sized roasted potatoes and a salad. Also on the plate was a white popcorn-like corn kernel which reminded us of hominy—very bland. The meal ended with a guava-like ice cream frozen desert,

    After a delicious lunch it was time to get out and walk for some exercise.

Seven churches surround or near the square give it its name. The Centro Historico hosts a diverse and rich colonial history with beautiful plazas, churches, museums and pedestrian walkways.  I am not going to dwell on the many large, beautiful plazas, nor on the many churches, We entered many, learned history about each and the notable effects of each were pointed out to us. If you are really interested in the differences of the churches  and squares just google Quito’s churches and you’ll find all the info you want. After threeish hours we were all churched and plazaed out. It was a very warm day and it was time for something to drink and some ice cream!.

    After some discussion and learning the market closed at 5PM---give or take---we asked the driver to drop us off there before it closed. I knew the market was only  a very  short walk from our hotel. As it turned out that was a good choice, as it turned out to be the only time we had to do any shopping.

    After staggering back to the hotel we  dropped our purchases and while resting discussed the day. Later at the hotel restaurant we indulged in some of the city’s famous soups. We all tried a different one and no one was disappointed.

   

A BIT ABOUT CORK

                                     CORK FROM THE TREE TO THE BOTTLE

      After reading about this trip in the New York Times a couple years ago I knew it was a trip for me. It didn't take  long for me to get to the computer to start some research which eventually led me to the Cork Alliance website and it's Executive Director,  Patrick Spencer, with whom I made contact and later watched his TED Talk.

    We visited 4 of Spain's 17 autonomous communities (states), and learned a lot of Spanish history along the way. Cork is harvested in June and July so there are ony four tours a year and because of the unique and small accomadations this company limits each group to only ten people. The first night we stayed in a 16th century palace, a couple of times in the forest, once close to the Portugal border and another time in an apartment on a large estate. In Andalusia we spent seeral days in a old hospital that had been converted to a hotel.

    This trip absolutely fulfilled my preference for getting out into the countryside and mingling with the people. Lunch in the forest with the workers was a delight both times.

     Seven million acres of cork forest stand in 7 countries that have oak cork trees: Spain, Portugal, France, Tunsia, Morocco, Italy, and Algeria; 91% of cork forests are family owned. Bark  is  harvested by hand every 9 years. It is the  only tree that bark can be removed from  and  conitue to live. With an axe, the experts detach the grey bark from the oaks. The trunks of the trees then turn orange, yellow or red.  No mechanical tools have been used in these forests for 2000 years. The workers are the highest paid agricultural workers in world.

      The industry is the  3^rd highest biodiversity industry in the world; 13,000 plants grow in the areas while animals, many endemic, live in the forests.

     Trees are protected in all 7 countries, and it is illegal to cut them down. The Industry, a 0% waste industry is  fully sustainable.  Each year 12 billion corks are made.    

   In spite of the misconception, the cork forests are in jeopardy because of under use not overuse .

    A fun little known factoid: the inside of the shuttle fuel tanks are lined with cork protecting the shuttle on re-entry as cork will not burn below 1000 degrees.

CORK STOPPERS

THE CORK IN THE BOTTLE

        

After reading about this trip in the New York Times a couple years ago I knew it was a trip for me. It didn't take  long for me to get to the computer to start some research which eventually led me to the Cork Alliance website and it's Executive Director,  Patrick Spencer, with whom I made contact and later watched his TED Talk.

    We visited 4 of Spain's 17 autonomous communities (states), and learned a lot of Spanish history along the way. Cork is harvested in June and July so there are ony four tours a year and because of the unique and small accomadations this company limits each group to only ten people. The first night we stayed in a 16th century palace, a couple of times in the forest, once close to the Portugal border and another time in an apartment on a large estate. In Andalusia we spent seeral days in a old hospital that had been converted to a hotel.

    This trip absolutely fulfilled my preference for getting out into the countryside and mingling with the people. Lunch in the forest with the workers was a delight both times.

     Seven million acres of cork forest stand in 7 countries that have oak cork trees: Spain, Portugal, France, Tunsia, Morocco, Italy, and Algeria; 91% of cork forests are family owned. Bark  is  harvested by hand every 9 years. It is the  only tree that bark can be removed from  and  conitue to live. With an axe, the experts detach the grey bark from the oaks. The trunks of the trees then turn orange, yellow or red.  No mechanical tools have been used in these forests for 2000 years. The workers are the highest paid agricultural workers in world.

      The industry is the  3^rd highest biodiversity industry in the world; 13,000 plants grow in the areas while animals, many endemic, live in the forests.

     Trees are protected in all 7 countries, and it is illegal to cut them down. The Industry, a 0% waste industry is  fully sustainable.  Each year 12 billion corks are made.    

   In spite of the misconception, the cork forests are in jeopardy because of under use not overuse .

    A fun little known factoid: the inside of the shuttle fuel tanks are lined with cork protecting the shuttle on re-entry as cork will not burn below 1000 degrees.

MORE ABOUT AIRPORT

On my way to Churchill, Manitoba. I was meeting my New Jersey friend in Indianapolis. From there we were flying to Churchill together on a Northwest flight.

My original flight was racing down the runway all ready to lift off when suddenly the pilot slammed on the brakes! What a jolt that was. I didn’t know a plane could stop that fast. Coming on the speaker, the pilot said some kind of a red light had come on and we had no lift power, so we were returning to the terminal to have the mechanics take a look at the problem.

Parked back at the gate, the pilot said they were calling Atlanta for instructions on how to fix the problem. That really makes one feel confident !

But a little less than an hour later we were again taxiing down the runway. I actually crossed my fingers and closed my eyes as we lifted off.

Nearly everyone on the plane was making connections in Atlanta. I just figured I’d miss my plane and was thinking in my head how I was going to get a message to my friend that I had been delayed. As we started our descent into Atlanta, the stewardess announced connecting gate info. The good news was that I only had about 10 gates to go on the same concourse. Normally Atlanta is so crowded that I literally ziz zag down the concourse to avoid running into people. I deplaned quickly as I had less than five minutes before my connecting flight took off. I still think I sent off an aura that said get out of my way, because I belined it down that concourse in a straight line arriving at the gate, out of breath, just as they were about to close the plane’s door! I was the last person to board the plane---but I made it, and now did not have to worry about trying to contact my friend.

That leg of the trip was uneventful and I arrived at our Northwest departure gate first, having about 40 minutes to wait for my friend.

     When my friend and I were going to Mexico to the Sea of Cortez we 


 made arrangements to meet at  LAX and have lunch before our trip south. 


 I left early and made my connecting flight with no problem. We no more 


than reach cruising altitude when the pilot came on the speaker asking for

 a doctor.

 

      When it was confirmed that a fellow had had a heart attack the pilot


 informed us he was jettisoning fuel and that we would be returning 


to the airport. We made an unscheduled flight  somewhere so the fellow 


could be off loaded where medics and an ambulance were waiting. The 

plane refueled but I was a good three hours late arriving in LA.I hustled 


from one terminal to another and all along the way people said to me, 


“Your friend is waiting at your departure gate.”

 

  

      It seems she waited at my arrival gate as long as she could and then 


told people that when the saw an older woman in a maroon running 


suit to give me her message. I arrived at Aero Mexico gate with only

 five minutes to spare before they would let my seat go to a stand-by


 traveler. We hadn't had our lunch but we spent a delightful week 

on a deserted island in the Sea of Cortez and another few days 

traveling home on the Copper Canyon Railroad.

       When I came back from China I came through Chicago's O'Hare airport. 


Weather had closed the  airport for a couple of hours before we landed. 


After I had gotten through customs, I put my bag up on the security belt

 enroute to my connection gate. It had been a long day and I was tired and


 a bit cranky, but certainly not prepared for the nasty female attendant 


who decided she needed to open my carry-on bag, then proceed to open 


every box that I had carefully packed to see what was in them. I noted

 that the scanner had no problem with anything. After she opened the


 boxes it was up to me to repack them and eventually repack the bag. 


Maybe she was bored with nothing to do for the preceding couple hours.
 

      When she got to the two TP cardboard inserts that I had taped end to end I


 had had enough. Inside the rolls was a rolled up fragile scroll that our guide


 had made for me. I insisted that she stop right then and call a supervisor. 


Reluctantly she did and I explained the situation. By looking in the end of the


 roll she could see there was nothing of concern and she told the attendant


 to let me go. BUT I had the whole bag to repack and we all know that there 


was no way it was going to end up the neat way it had originally been. My


 two-hour transfer time  now had been narrowed down to 10-minutes!

Lastly in the summer of 2007 I had 22 flights. All went well except on


 one flight in Salt Lake City  for a three-hour delay for an engine problem.

 

Flying to one's destination these days is seldom fun and often filled with delays and inconveniences, but what delights and adventures await at the end of the passage!

TRAVEL WREATH

When traveling I like to bring home a neat souvenir of my trip. Years ago I hit upon an easy way to be able to decorate my tree at Christmas time. But finding Christmas deorations is not always an easy thing to do. Besides they are often big and breakable. My 22' rollon has limited space.

It is easy to find keychains that remind me of the trip. They are small, durable, colorful  and meaningful. When I get home I remove the keyring and in its place add a gold or red ribbon.

As the years went on and  grandchildren grown it was a really big chore to have to dig out the tree and the big box of ornaments  from years past. I bought a full green wreath with  a hanger attached to the back. On went all my keychains. During the year it hangs in the closet and mid November comes out to hang in my hallway for a couple of months.
I love being able to look at it and remember all the wonderful trips and people I've met along the way. I enjoy showing it to friends and answering their many questions. It is a big hit and fun for all.

Happy Holidays to all of you out there in blog land!