Unintended side trip: Costa Rica

On the way home on May 2nd, I was forced to make a small and unintended side trip.   The TACA flight I was catching to make a connection in Costa Rica was delayed on its way to Lima from Cusco.  Despite assurances to the contrary, that put us far enough behind schedule that I, and a number of other travellers, were not able to make our connecting flight to San Salvador.   

Luckily -it being their error- the airline put us up in a hotel near the airport and paid for dinner and breakfast.   Unfortunately, the hotel was near the airport. 

The international airport in San Jose is about 23 km from the city proper, and there didn't seem to be much around there other than our hotel, a small, univiting casino, a couple of chain restaurants, and the usual types of business that surround airports - shipping companies, rental lots, Denny's.

It was evening and by the time I got through taking care of all that I needed to in terms of getting ahold of those who needed to be informed in the US it was past 10 o'clock at night, too late to head into town and hope to find much of anything still open.    I had an unsatisfying dinner near the hotel, using the airline voucher, at a chain place called RostiPollo.   It was basically pollo a la brasa, but served with beans and tortillas instead of the French fries usual in Peru.

The next morning I headed off early to the airport, and in the daylight was able to get some of my first and only glimpses of Costa Rica.

One neat thing about the airport was that at the Britt stores -do they have at all of Latin America's airports?- there was a stand with a guy at each hand rolling cigars from Costa Rican tabacco.  Pretty cool if you ask me.

On the leg to San Salvador, to make a connecting flight to San Francisco, the plane was not very full, so I had three seats to myself.  Not having anyone to be disturbed should I get up, I sat by the window and was able to look down at the passing Central American geology below, something I don't usually get to do.

It was rather neat, for example, to be able to look down upon the volcanic islands and shoreline of Lake Nicaragua.

 

Fortunately, the rest of the trip passed without incident, even though the flight from San Salvador to San Francisco was completely full with Salvadoran families laden with bags of Pollo Campero chicken, and Peruvians grumpy at having been delayed overnight.

At one point the airline representatives offered overnight lodging and expenses, plus a $400 travel voucher, to anyone who'd volunteer to get off the flight and catch it the next day.    As much as I'd have liked to visit El Salvador, when the lady approached, I laughed and told her she was simply asking on the wrong day. Maybe next time?

Sidetrip Report: Ecuador, Days 3 and 4

DAY 3

We started our third day in Quito by having breakfast with our old friends Marleen and Fernando. We met them in 1990 when we traveled to Ecuador for a year-long study-abroad program and Marleen directed the program in Quito. It was wonderful to see them again after so long, and incredibly it seemed as if no time had transpired since we had seen them last.

In the previous post I mentioned that our hotel was fortuitously located, and so it was. The La Mariscal district of Quito is the tourist area par excellence of the city and, catering to travellers as well as being near the business and hotel district (along Av. Amazonas), it has lots of funky restaurants and cafes, and bars and nightclubs. I've already mentioned Mama Clorinda and La Boca del Lobo. Well, each of those were but three blocks from our hotel on Calama street. The Magic Bean, where we met Marleen and Fernando, was two blocks further down, and most of the places mentioned in this post are also within walking distance.

Anyway, from breakfast we caught a cab to one of Quito's "must do" attractions: the Teleférico. The Teleferico -or TeleferiQo, as they spell it- is a gondola cable car up the side of the volcano that abutts the city of Quito, the Pichincha.

When we got there line was long as the place hadn't yet opened despite it being an hour past the posted time. There were several busloads of young kids waiting and they were all very excited to be going. Clearly for most it was the first time, and was the adventure of their young lives.

The gondolas, which each hold six people, rise from 2950 meters (8850 ft) to 4100 meters (13,400 ft) in about 10 minutes. At the top most people are likely to find themselves short of breath, and there are signs warning visitors to not try to run and to take it easy.

The views are spectacular but the place can get quite cold and windy. Fortunately there is a large enclosed observation deck with a restaurant (which was closed when we were there). There are also coffee shops and souvenir stands. I can tell you a bit of caffeine and sugar did help with the adjustment to the altitude.

The view from the observation area atop Pichincha

The volcano itself has two peaks. The extinct Ruco (old) Pichincha which is nearest the city and to which the Teleferico climbs, and the ocasionally active crater of Guagua (young) Pichincha behind it. From the Teleferico stop there are trails that go up to the Ruco Pichincha, and perhaps beyond, but for most people 13,400 feet is high enough.

The Ruco Pichincha

After descending, we headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit, but feeling a bit restless I decided to walk three blocks up to Av. 12 de Octubre to visit the bookstore of the Abya-Yala publishing house. Abya-Yala is probably the foremost publisher on the continent of materials relating to indigenous communities and their issues. I always enjoyed browsing their shelves and this time was no exception and I came away with a few books to add to my shelves.

Liz and Susana had accompanied me, and while I browsed, they walked a block or two over to the Catholic University, where Liz and I studied. Susana, however was feeling the altitude, and quickly returned to the hotel to lie down.

Liz and I, meanwhile, took the opportunity to visit Abya-Yala's small but excellent Museo Amazonico. The museum houses a collection of artifacts, both ceremonial and utilitarian, from Ecuador's diverse jungle nationalities, such as the Shuar, Achuar, and Waorani, including a couple of real shrunken heads (tsantsas) produced by Shuar warriors.

Múseo Amazónico

Tsantsa

There is also a large display of photographs documenting environmental damage caused by petroleum drilling and transport activities in the Ecuadorean Amazon by Texaco.

All in all, the Museo Amazonico is well worth visiting on any stop in Quito.

That evening, we wandered around La Mariscal looking for a place to eat -none of us had had lunch beyond a couple of pastries shared atop Pichincha. We were having a disagreement as to whether to go Mexican, Mongolian BBQ, or Argentine steak, when we stumbled onto Plaza Foch.

Plaza Foch, named by being on the corner of Reina Victoria and Foch, is a lively little area with several 24-hr joints, and numerous cafes and restaurants, and -from what we could tell- frequent live music.

We had passed through Plaza Foch before and not paid it much heed, but now we were looking at it through new eyes and a place that caught those eyes right away was Latitud tapas and wine bar. For a prix fixe per head we surrendered ourselves to an unending sequence of tapas and wines. I think we sat there for close to two hours eating, drinking, and enjoying the atmosphere. We finally had to tell the waiter to stop bringing food as we were full. A little later we stopped the wine as well. I think it was the best meal we had in Quito and as we sat there we could think of a number of cousins and uncles in Lima who would've dug being there with us that that moment.

After dinner the kids headed back to the hotel and Liz and I caught a cab into the old city for a visit to the famous and charming Calle La Ronda. La Ronda, so named because it once followed the path of Quito's old city walls, has been cleaned up and restored to its old grace. There is a large police presence to discourage crime and automobiles are banned from it.

The street is lined with old-style shops and restaurants, some of which looked quite fun and made us sorry we'd already eaten our fill. Periodically, along the walls, there are signs detailing the history of the street, and noting important events and personages which have graced it over the years. For example, it once housed a "clandestine" speakeasy, El Murcielagario, frequented by intellectuals, poets, musicians, and other noted bohemians.

Following La Ronda we walked around and came out next to the Church and Plaza of Santo Domingo, where we caught a trole back to La Mariscal.

Not ready to go to bed yet, Liz and I then walked a few blocks down to listen to some live salsa and cumbia for a bit at a club on Juan Leon Mera. Liz was in the mood for dancing but, unfortunately, I was too afflicted by my still-going strong flu or cold to be much use in that department.

DAY 4

On this day we had but a few hours before we had to head to the airport, so we spent them on breakfast (back at the Magic Bean for pancakes) and then to an obligatory (for me, anyway) visit to Quito's foremost bookshop, Libri Mundi. I used to spend hours in Libri Mundi and I could still -even though they've gotten rid of their upstairs bargain section- but, I didn't have hours to spend. Nonetheless, and to no one's surprise I'm sure, I did walk out with several books under my arm.

We spent a few minutes browsing in an excellent craft gallery right next door which offered perhaps the most exquisite Ecuadorean and Peruvian crafts we'd seen (really!). Alas! we were heading in the wrong direction. If we had been going to Lima we'd probably have bought some to decorate the apartment.

Then it was off to the airport and home.

Sidetrip Report: Ecuador, Days 1 and 2

Probably from our trip to Huaraz, I acquired a tenacious cold that laid me out for the going away party we hosted at the apartment on the 26th. All the cousins and aunts and uncles showed up bearing cases of beer, and bottles of wine and rum, most of which they ended up taking home as the party died down and ended, uncharacteristically early for a Peruvian party on a Saturday night, by 10:30 pm. Well, while it lasted people had fun. We had hooked up Diego's new stereo which has a karaoke function and those with decent voices sang all evening.

Day 1

On the 27th we departed Lima en route to Ecuador. We landed in Quito in the early afternoon and as soon as we settled into the hotel we went out exploring. Quito has grown upward since Liz and I last saw it seventeen years ago. New and tall buildings abound, at least on the north end of the city. In that regard it is like Lima, but, unlike Lima, traffic is relatively light and drivers respect traffic signals.

One thing that hasn't changed is that the city more or less shuts down on Sundays. Thus, we found ourselves exploring mostly-empty and shuttered streets in the La Mariscal district, where our hotel was located. We had selected the hotel -Jardin del Sol- based on its location in that area, and it turned out to be a fortuitous selection, although it was not so apparent on that first afternoon.

We walked a few blocks down to Avenida Amazonas, which had been a center of activity and one our haunts when we lived in Quito. To our dismay, we found it torn up for repairs and devoid of activity.

Nonetheless, a few businesses were still open despite the disruption, including one that we had been wanting to return to: El Hornero pizza.

At El Hornero they cook their pizza in a big wood-fired oven, which gives the pizza a nice smoky background taste. The oven gives the restaurant its name, as its shape resembles the nests of the ovenbird (hornero) of South America, particularly the Argentine pampas. In fact, there is an ovenbird nest on display in the restaurant. The pizzas are quite good, large, and compared to pizza in the US, well-priced, and definitely hit the spot after a day of travel.


Day 2

Before we left the US we had hired ourselves a morning-long city tour of Quito for our first morning in the city. We were picked up a nearby hotel and taken by bus to the city's historic center.

The first stop on the way was at the Basilica del Voto Nacional. The Basilica stands out in the skyline of the old part of town because of its height (plus being built on a hill) and due to its architecture. The neo-Gothic structure stands in marked contrast to the colonial and neo-classical facades of the rest of downtown. It is alsno noted for its gargoyles. On the posterior end, they are traditional gargoyles, but along the more recent and front end, they take the form of Ecuadorean animals such as iguanas, Galapagos tortoises, Magellanic penguins, frigate birds, anteaters, or monkeys.

Begun in the late 1800s, construction was stopped in time for it's blessing by Pope John Paul II's on his visit to the city in 1985. The interior is lit through by stained glass panels brought from Spain and installed in time for that visit.

The next stop was the Plaza Grande, Quito's main square. Despite its name, which means "large square", the plaza is not particularly large (in fact it seems smaller than the nearby Plaza San Francisco). On one side of the plaza is the former Archbishop's Palace, and across from it, the cathedral. On the two remaining sides, facing each other, stand city hall and the Carondelet Palace, seat of the Presidency.

Because it was the 28th of July, there was a floral offering in the form of a Peruvian flag by the plaza's central monument to the heroes of independence.

The Plaza Grande with city hall in the background

The Quito Cathedral

Courtyard of the Presidential Palace

It being a Monday we were also fortunate to be able to observe the mid-day changing of the guard ceremony at the Presidential Palace with President Rafael Correa in attendance.

The Granaderos de Tarqui (Tarqui Grenadiers) during the changing of the guard ceremony

President Rafael Correa (center) oversees the ceremony from the Palacio Carondelet

Granadero and flag atop the Palacio Carondelet

Our last three stops downtown were at colonial-era churches: the Church of El Sagrario, at the west end of the Cathedral, the church of the Company of Jesus (i.e. the Jesuits), and the Franciscan order's Church of San Francisco. The latter two were undergoing repairs -the first from a fire, and the latter from earthquake damage, but were still well-worth visiting.

Burial in the entryway of El Sagrario Church

San Francisco Church (built 1536-1580)

One of the cool things about Plaza San Francisco is that there are tunnels under the church. On the right side of stairs (and visible in the image above) these have been taken over by a cafe and cultural center which sells native handcrafts from all over Ecuador. The tunnels run deep under the church and seem like great fun to explore while admiring the exquisite crafts for sale (they do have some of the best we saw in Quito). Unfortunately our schedule did not allow time enough to really appreciate the place and precluded a return visit.

The final stop on the tour was at the top of El Panecillo hill, a volcanic mound which overlooks the Old City and sits squarely amidships the city, separating the more prosperous north from the working class south. The Panecillo is made all the more visible by the 45 meter-tall aluminum statue erected on its summit in 1976. Though it is often claimed that the statute represents the Madonna of Quito, it is in fact a representation of the woman in Revelations 12:1-18.

Afterward, desirous of traditional foods, we headed to Mama Clorinda a restaurant the the tourbooks and our tour guide recommended as one of the best, if not the best, place to eat Ecuadorean cuisine.

I started off my meal with an Ecuadorian classic: cebiche de chochos. Chochos are lupini beans and are a characteristic of Ecuadorean cooking where they are used in cebiche (as they are also in Peru's Ancash region) and incorporated into aji sauces.

I followed up with the local version of chicharrones, fritada, which came with lots of corn -in the form of corn on the cob, cancha, and mote- and, this being Ecuador, fried banana. The rest opted for llapingachos, cheese-filled potato pancakes acompanied by fried egg and either sausages or a thin steak, and an old favorite of Liz's.

I don't know if their cooking was uninspired or whether that's the way Ecuadoren food is, but I wasn't very impressed. I think that Mama Clorinda, while a solid restaurant, is recommended to tourists more on the basis of being clean and in a decent neighborhood than anything else.

After lunch we hopped on the trole bus and headed north to wander around Parque La Carolina and our old neighborhood near the stadium. There wasn't much to look at there, so we ended up wandering inside the revamped Quicentro shopping center.

We finished off the day with dinner at a spot that Susana had wanted to go to since the moment she saw it - as I think did the rest of us: La Boca del Lobo restaurant on the corner of Calama and Reina Victoria.

La Boca del Lobo restaurant

La Boca del Lobo has got to be the funkiest and coolest restaurant any of us have ever set foot in. The walls of the converted house are decorated in vibrant tones and dozens of painted dythirambic sheep cavort across the ceilings, yet it all somehow managed to remain cozy and intimate. The food was as great and imaginative as the setting (just don't order a pisco sour), and although it was busy, we never felt crowded or rushed. It was a fun meal in a fun place, and a good way to wrap up the day.