Kate and I, both being self proclaimed "foodies" welcomed as much of our trip revolving around food as possible. We became accustomed to snacking between meals and looked forward to the pick-me-up of trying new and unique flavors between our excursions. I’m fairly adventurous when it comes to new food and live by the “gotta try it once” mentality, which has lead me to eat things such as tree grubs, elk tongue, guinea pig & fermented soybeans to name a few. I was open to whatever was thrown at me, or on my plate.
Plantain chips and delicious sauces. (Molly Stanko)
On on our first full day in Ecuador we spent the morning driving to Otavalo to visit the famous artisan's market and the local food market. Giovanni made sure to stop in Cayambe AKA the bizchochos town. Giovanni explained how the flaky biscuit, similar to a savory shortbread, was a popular Ecuadorian snack commonly accompanying coffee or hot chocolate, and typically dipped into dulce de leche. Kate and I loved this authentic Ecuadorian snacking experience.
Kate and I enjoy our snack of bizchocos. (Molly Stanko)
The Ecuadorian cuisine is full of a variety due to the unique geography. With the ocean to the West and the Andes and Amazon Rainforest to the East, comes an abundance of fresh seafood, fresh water trout and more fruit than one could imagine. And of course the potato. There are 4,000 different species of potatoes native to the Andes. and you’d better believe they have found equally as many ways to prepare them, soups, fried, roasted, diced, sliced and so on.
Potatoes at the Otavalo market. (Molly Stanko)
Ecuador is also known for their bananas. In fact, the next time you indulge in this popular fruit take a look at the sticker, I will bet that it was grown in Ecuador! The banana’s cousin, the plantain is equally used in savory dishes such as empanadas, fried as cakes, or simply sliced and fried up with some chili powder and cumin.
I was blown away by the amount of fruit in Ecuador. I shouldn’t have been so surprised, considering the diversity of the neighboring Amazon rainforest and the plant friendly climate. Our wonderful guide, Giovanni, was determined that we try every fruit we came in contact with. And that was A LOT. Most all of them had the same slimy viscosity, usually with large seeds inside. We quickly learned that the proper way to eat them was a quick slurp. Seeds and all. We tried a potato shaped fruit called taxo, a relative of the passionfruit and sometimes referred to as a banana passionfruit because of it’s shape and color. We tried a spiky pink fruit called achiotillo, a fruit that tasted like cottoncandy called chirimoya, and a fruit that looked like a pinecone called pitahaya.
Enjoying an Achiotillo for breakfast. (Molly Stanko)
Being able to sample unique cuisines from each region of Ecuador was a real treat. I will never forget the watching the street vendors of Baños making Melcocha (sugar cane taffy), enjoying the canelazo tea in the chilly highlands, slurping seeds from the freshly picked taxo fruit, or crunching away on hot out of oven bizchochos while sitting in bumper to bumper traffic in Quito. Each of these memories will stick with me and probably make my stomach pang for some delicious Ecuadorian food!
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
