Country Mouse in Quito, Ecuador

You may notice something alarming in the title here, "Country Mouse" and Quito. A bit bizarre, right? What is the country mouse doing in the city? Well I am following my dear friend and leader Allison in dodging cars, catching taxis, and trying out the local cuisine. So country mouse has arrived safely and has managed to not get hit by a car for two days.

I feel I must make a comment about air travel and how bizarre it is that we wander around in masses from one gate to another and although we know that we are being flocked down this tiny tunnel just to sit longer on an already longish flight most people rush and are in a hurry to get on the plane and then they're in a hurry get off the plane to stand in line at customs. We are odd creatures. I arrived after a great flight, despite the child behind me throwing tantrums and kicking my seat, to Allison waving roses at me. Flowers are a bit cheaper here in Quito and I saw some calla lilies at a flower stand today that were blue and green. And in another side note- calla lilies grow here. In the yards. Anyway, I am staying with Allison is this beautiful apartment with a beautiful view.

Sunday morning we went to the older part of the city and saw a Palm Sunday parade. People were carrying around these baskets made of fronds of some sort and in the parade, they were waving cornstalks and rosemary behind a statue of Jesus. And they were singing. I liked it. I also liked the architecture in this older part of the city. But alas, for safety reasons I did not bring my camera so no one will see any pictures of it. Just imagine in your minds, masses of people carrying and waving cornstalks and singing to God. Families and little kids.

Although it may be a little bizarre, I like that the streets here have an incline a lot of the time. Just visually it's something I like vs. the flat streets of Indiana. Walking up them is a bit challenging but. . . it's awesome to look back down the street and see the city laid out in a way you couldn't see a minute before.

Then we took a bus to the artist market- something like an art fair where they sold jewelry and textiles. I think it's good that I don't wear jewelry because I might be tempted to buy a lot here. Then we took a cab to Guapulo, I'm mainly including names here for Gretchen who is from Quito. If I understand correctly it's on the other side of the mountain and it's on very steep roads and has beautiful views. I guess last week sometime a plane failed to make the ascent back into the Quito airport and crashed into some buildings in Guapolo. We tried my first Ecuadorian meal, ceviche. I loved it. It's a soup made of citrus juice and oil, cilantro, onion, tomatoes and shrimp and topped with popcorn and plantain chips. It's served cold which alarmed me at first because I'm not so much a cold-food-that-should-be-hot type person but it was good. I guess sometimes the seafood is not even cooked beforehand but the citrus in the soup "cooks" it.
Then we went to the grocery store- inside the mall! Super maxi it's called. They have so many fruits here that we don't. And they're much smarter about the environment. Instead of doing the huge plastic containers for everything, they have smaller packages that are cheaper that you can use to refill the big things. And the milk and eggs are not refrigerated. The milk comes in cardboard containers.
Then we went to Corfu. I'm so sorry Gretchen to rub it in, but they have so many fruit flavors and it's just lovely! I tried a passionfruit flavored one. It just makes me wonder why we have so many sugar sweet flavors instead of these awesome fresh fruit flavors.
Then we watched some Fairie Tale Theater, Now I don't remember many of these little classics but they're pretty corny. Thumbelina. . . sister? Do you remember that one?
Then we went out for mexican. I think tonight we're going out for Indian- isn't it bizarre that I go to Ecuador and mainly eat international foods? I guess that's one of the benefits of living in a city. (Yes, country mouse did just imply that there were benefits to living in a city.)
I have to say that it's great to be in the spring weather. It's not really too hot- although I did burn a little yesterday, and it's not too cold. And everything is green and flowery. They never have winter or fall here, it's always this same springtime weather. The bad thing is that the clouds roll in in early afternoon and then it's rainy looking and dark. At least it's been that way for the past two days.
We watched Benjamin Button last night. It's not out on video, you might point out. . . but it is here!

Today, we went and had a breakfast of pastries and lattes at Cyrano. Sat outside. Really, breakfast should be savored more, instead of downing a bowl of cereal and running out the door. We went to the fruit market to pick out several weird fruits for me to try. More on that later.
Then we climbed another steep street hill to a Guayasamin museum. He was an artist and in addition to having his own works on display his collection of pre-columbian artifacts was also there. Quite a difference from museums in the States- the artwork and artifacts were just on the wall- not in glass cases, there was someone there wondering if you have any questions. In the States, people are just mainly there to yell at you if you get too close. And we could take pictures- not with a flash but normally if you want a picture of the artwork you have to pay for it. It was a refreshingly open little exhibit.
We set out to have a picnic lunch but the clouds rolled in so we ended up eating out picnic in the apartment. Here are the strange fruits we tried:
Pitahaya- an orange spikey fruit with a grey gel inside with little black seeds. This one was probably the best of the ones we tried.
Granilla- a harder exterior orange fruit with a brainy looking inside with what looked like sunflower seeds in tapioca.
Taxo- a long skinny fruit with squash like interior and it was not good.
Tuna- a green oblong fruit that was gellike with the seeds on the inside like the other fruits but it was harder to get the fruit.
Allison wasn't even sure about some of these fruits- how to eat them so maybe we're going about it the wrong way? Any advice Gretchen? I also tried Naranjilla juice today- you can get just pure fruit juice for like $1.50 and it's so good and refreshing. Then the grey clouds really rolled in which inspired naps and blogging.
I would like to say that I like Tobey, Allison's cat. He's just entertaining and pretty well behaved. I'm not saying I want a cat- just if I had to have a cat, I'd want it to be like him.
That's all for now, I know it's not as exciting as City Mouse's account of South America but just wait. . .
Also, here is Alison's blog so you can see her cool pictures of some of the fruit we tried and pictures of Quito and her apartment- they're back a few months but pretty cool. . .www.greycatadventures.blogspot.com