Ecuador: Well-Remembered for it’s Vibrant Artistic and Cultural Life, History, and Taste of Elegance
Quito, the Ecuadorian capital, is the second highest administrative capital city in the world, following La Paz, Bolivia. The elevation of Plaza de La Independencia (the city’s main square) is 2,800 metres (9,200 ft). Quito is another city surrounded by mountains.
On Thursday, April 14, I was welcomed at the airport by Ramiro Astudillo, the appointed tour guide from my hosts, Metropolitan Touring. Clearing customs and immigration formalities at the Quito airport only took me 15 minutes. It was indeed hassle and stress free and definitely the best and fastest that I have encountered.
The first travel advisory I learned from Ramiro was ‘en Abril, lluvias mil’ (It rains a lot in April). It was apparently a wet rainy season.
In this article, I am delighted once again to feature Metropolitan Touring, the leading destination management corporation operating since 1953, focussing on Galapagos, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brasil, who sponsored my visit. For more details about their products and services, visit www.metropolitan-touring.com and for Ecuador specific travel, go to www.metropolitan-touring.com/ToursinEcuador.
Ramiro is very conversant in English and very proud to be affiliated with the most respected travel corporation in Ecuador. Luis was the designated driver and within 15 minutes, I was transferred in a clean minivan to my hotel, the JW Marriott which is centrally located, close to many of the city’s attractions.
The first person to welcome me upon my arrival at the hotel was Dominic Hamilton, Metropolitan Touring Head of Communication. Both Dominic and Ramiro walked me through the stunning foyer of the hotel and towards the counter for the check in process. It was certainly a nice meet and greet!
The reception staff was efficient and friendly, even the bellmen were outgoing with guests and have warm personalities. I believe that hotels everywhere should have staff with these friendly traits. They are the first persons you meet and have the ability to make your stay memorable. After the check-in process, Dominic and I went over my proposed travel itinerary which had been organised by them for me. I was impressed with what they had prepared for me considering that this visit was on such short notice.
The room assigned to me was large enough to accommodate 2 families. It was equipped with a modern flat screen and I-Pod/Phone docking station for an opportunity to listen to your own selection of music from your own iPod.
The next day, April 15, at exactly 9am, just right after I finished packing for my overnight trip, Ramiro and Enrique, the driver arrived to pick me up for the first leg of my trip, the Otavalo region which is located north of Quito. We started the trip with a drive along Pan Americana Highway, to reach our final destination, it would have only taken us 1.5 hours, however, it took us much longer as we spent almost the whole day stopping to enjoy and appreciate the landscape along the way. The route along the Pan Americana Highway is full of eateries, selling fried pigs (‘fritada)’ and stalls of tropical fruits and flowers vendors are common scenes. We stopped for a taste of the delicious fruit ‘cherimoya’ (custard apple) which is native of the Andes region.
Our first stop was a market in a small town called Calderon. Here, you can buy fruit and vegetable at a bargain prices. If you are a little daring, try the remedial warm drink made from Aloe Vera mixed with all sorts of natural and organic herbs and ingredients such as beeswax, lemon grass, chamomile, etc. A glass of this concoction, is supposed to help cleanse your system. I also tried ‘sapote’ (a species of persimmon) another native fruit with a similar size to a tomato but taste like mango.
Calderon town is also famous for its bread dough figurines, which are made in many shapes and sizes. ‘Masapan’ as this art form is locally called literally means dough (masa) and bread (pan). The figurines are beautifully sculptured to make almost anything from nativity sets, Christmas decorations, fridge magnets, fruits for key rings. You can even place a special order for a figurine as decorations for special occasion cakes, like birthdays or weddings.
Not far from the town of Calderon, I had a chance to visit the‘Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World).’ This “Equator Monument” is certainly one of the must see places.
Our next stop was to the biscuit factory, San Pedro Bizcochos, famous for its light flaky pastries and cookies. It was fun watching how they quickly produce everything manually. Don’t leave the place without either tasting or buying their delectable pastries and biscuits.
If you are a rose lover, only in Quito, you can buy 24 long stemmed roses at US$2. This is an absolute bargain! On our way to Cayambe region (also known for being the biggest producer of dairy products in Ecuador), we had a chance to visit Rosadex, the best Ecuadorian rose farm. This 22 acre rose farm produces superior roses for exportation. Ecuador is the second largest exporter of flowers in South America, next to Colombia. The visit to the plantation was a fascinating experience. I had the opportunity to walk through the shipping track and observe the production process of over 50 varieties of roses carefully picked, cut and packed and ready to be exported to US and Russia, two of their biggest clients. My favourites were the artificial deep blue roses and the traditional red.
The exciting part of the trip was the visit to the family-owned historic Hacienda La Compañía located not far from the Rosadex plantation. I was fortunate to meet up with the most hospitable hacienda owners, Francisco and Maria Gloria. In front of their house was a water fountain with floating rose petals. The visit to the hacienda was a step back in time. Maria Gloria’s father built the house and it has been in the family for generations. You will find 3000 fresh roses displayed in all rooms in this white-painted house. The hacienda’s original furniture, wallpaper, carpets and rugs, and even the grandfather’s journal are well preserved. Each room is full of antiques, family photo frames and personal artefacts. Massive vases of roses carefully arranged to match the room décor, and Maria Gloria’s own painting collection are some of the attractions in the house.
A step away from the house sits the Jesuit chapel and granary. It is in this chapel where Maria Gloria’s grandparents, parents, and she and Francisco got married. Next month, one of her daughters is getting married in this chapel. It is an absolutely perfect venue for weddings. Lunch at the Hacienda was superb and I was fortunate to dine in this place as lunch invitations are only extended to selected operators. At the end of our visit we were presented a long stemmed red rose.
‘Semana Santa’ (Holy Week) is traditionally celebrated throughout Ecuador, street processions are organized in most towns. Our drive continued towards Otavalo region, and the busy streets were noticeable, especially in the small towns of Eugenio Espejo and Gonzales Suarez. The streets were crowded with local people vibrantly dressed up in their traditional costumes, floats that were decorated in all sorts, and live band playing funeral marches. We set off on foot to wander around and be part of the crowd. It was indeed unexpected entertainment, a celebration and an authentic cultural experience.
At around 6pm, we made it to our final destination, the elegant historical Ecuadorian Hacienda Cusin. This elegant Ecuador hotel is only 20 minutes south of the famous market town of Otavalo. The hacienda has 43 rooms are relatively big and individually decorated with fine antique crafts adding good ambience and comfort to the rooms which have garden cottages and snow capped mountain views . Hacienda Cusin is an oasis for a weekend and short stay offering elegance and style.
Dinner at 7pm was served in the main dining room. This is an elegantly decorated space with antique chandeliers and wall tapestries. The tastefully decorated and comfortable lounge and the bar areas are within the main dining area, perfect for pre/post dinner drinks.
The hacienda is staffed with the welcoming and friendly people. Most of the staff members in this historic hacienda have worked here for many decades. The longest serving staff is Esther, the housekeeper, who has worked for them for almost 45 years. Starting at the age of 10 when she could hardly reached the sink. I was also fortunate to meet and chat with Luis, the gardener; Leonardo, the carpenter, and Pablo from the main dining room. Luis showed us around the organic fruit and vegetable garden and the ever blooming flower garden.
It’s advisable for you to stay in the Otavalo region on Friday. This gives you the opportunity to visit the Saturday market in the town of Otovalo. We also had the chance to stop for a panoramic view of the Sacred Lake of San Pablo and Imbabura volcano. The famous crafts Saturday market was also a very interesting place to visit. You will not just see the typical market crowd but also the native inhabitants in their traditional costumes, which signifies Otavaleño’s passion and pride for their history, tradition, taste and colour.
Preservation of Otavaleños culture and tradition are apparent in their distinct clothing, where women, young and old, are typically dressed up in ‘zuleta’ embroidery. These outfits are intricately made costing to at least US 150 per piece. The dresses perfectly match their long black ‘anaco’ wrap around skirt. The outfits are not complete without the bright red glass beaded ‘huascha’ both worn as necklaces and bracelets, and a pair of comfortable traditional sandals. Men’s costumes consist of calf length white comfortable cotton trousers, sandals and blue/grey ponchos and a hat, perfectly signifying their masculinity. For Otavaleños, a new outfit is like having a new car, they proudly display their new clothes during market day, and at their hang out places.
We started our walk from a street corner crowded with vendors selling palm branches with basil and floral arrangements for the Palm Sunday event. Do not forget to bring your fully charged camera to get candid shots of a variety of street activities. As we strolled along the busy market, we found all sorts of items: from paintings, musical instruments, silver wares, ceramics, woven textiles, knitted jumpers, fresh fruits to grains. You can even have a taste of cooked chicken hearts from the sidewalk food carts. I bought a bagful of tea tomatoes for 50 cents.
Lunchtime came and Ramiro and I headed back towards the parking lot where Enrique, our driver, was patiently waiting for us inside the car. We had lunch at Hacienda Pinsaqui located in the base of Imbabura Volcano, which is the principal location of Ecuador’s Lake District and about 5 km north from Otavalo market, or 2 hours from Quito.
Hacienda Pinsaqui is another interesting place to visit for its elegance and historical value. As you enter the house, you will be exposed to the history of once a textile estate elegantly furnished with European antique pieces and chandeliers, and even some Japanese pieces of paintings. Along the hacienda’s hallway is a massive table where a copy of the original map of South America is displayed. We were seated by the window, which overlooks the aging yet fertile trees and gardens, a perfect spot on that day as it just rained and the water drops added ambience to the place. There was also a live band playing and entertaining the diners, table settings were all made of silver and stainless steel. I had trout which was absolute divine.
Marcelo, the Hacienda manager, showed me some of the rooms, all featured a fireplace. The first room he showed was the room where former Venezuelan General Simon Bolivar, the brilliant liberator known as ‘El Libertador’ used to stay during his nights at the hacienda just after his trips to and from Bogota, Colombia. The room kept in its original character, including the old style wash basin. The site visit ended at the adjoining house, where there are two massive fireplaces, which were used in the textile drying process, which used to take place.
Ramiro was right about ‘en Abril, lluvias mil.’ The rain persisted after lunch but we decided to head back to Quito after a quick drive through the mystic community of Illuman, the witchcraft ‘shamanic’ neighbourhood. My Ecuadorian adventure has just began and looking forward to sharing more exciting and unforgettable tales in the next article.
© 2012 by Michelle Riel, retains sole copyright to her contributions to all the contents of this site.
