A Day In Quito

In-between day in Quito:

This day started with breakfast at the JW Marriott and then we loaded onto a bus for a drive to the older section of Quito. We were dropped off at ??? plaza where we met with a local guide for a walking tour. We learned about the church and overall history of Quito. From there we walked to the Iglesia de la Compania De Jesus.  This church has an interior of leaf and was very ornate in the Baroque style. 

From the church we made our way to the Independence Plaza where we watched the changing of the guard and the President of Ecuador was present. This was a very important location in Quito, for the fresh water and it was also the start of the first expedition to the Amazon. 

For lunch we went to a colonial residence which had been converted into a hotel in 2008. The name of this property was the Grand Plaza Hotel. We dined in the ballroom where a very nice lunch was offered. The dessert was a chocolate and vanilla ice-cream with a chocolate sauce served in brass cast bowls. The cast bowls were set in another bowl. The lower bowl had water and dry ice giving it a fog effect. Nice presentation. 

After lunch we made our way to La Ronda one of the well preserved areas of the old town area. Here we were met by a young lady who assumed the identity of a young lady who lived in the area in the early 20th century. She maintained her character as she informed us of the daily life of La Ronda. 

We next visited a wood carver who specialized in wooden boxes with hidden compartments and then a small chocolate shop. Here we learned about the processing of chocolate into the product we eat today. Most of the finer chocolate here is at least 70% or better. 

We waited in the rain for our bus to arrive as it was dealing with traffic. Our next stop was one of the markets where we were given $5.00 for a White Elephant exchange to be held on the Galapagos. 

We did some bargaining and found gifts for the exchange.  I enjoyed an ear of corn from a street vendor.  The bus the took us back to the hotel where we started the packing process for the next part of our Trip to the Galapagos. Again we can leave a bag here at the JW Marriott, this is a great amenity of this trip. 

We have an early wake up, 0500, to get bags out and have breakfast and get to the airport for our flight.