Going back in time to February as I catch up on my blog posts.
So we are off to the Cayambe Cheese Festival which produces some of the best cheese in Ecuador. So we load up our trusty Bronco Billy with friends and head to Cayambe which is a small farming community surrounded by flower plantations. We sample artisan cheese as well as specialty yogurt, craft beer, and Italian limoncello & mandarin liqueur. A great time for all and then off to a friend’s home that lives in Cayambe that our hosting birthday celebrations for February birthdays, which includes Billy Boy.
This is a photo from our friend’s house that happens to be in the middle of a dairy farm. On a clear day there is a magnificent view of Cayambe volcano.
Birthday celebration! Our friends make a point every few months to invite folks that are having birthdays with a wonderful potluck luncheon. Back in Texas we never had anything like this regarding making birthdays special and the feeling that you are not forgotten.
Thank you for following our adventures in little Cotacachi, Ecuador which we refer to as the Mayberry of the Andes.
The theme song I have chosen again this month for part two of the last posting is On the Road. If you have registered Texas Annie Ecuador please click on the red link to access the full blog including music and slide shows.
Willie Nelson
Where’s the Beef?
Pursuant, to my last blog post the following is an update all about foodie quest. Yes, Milton in his magical rabbit located beef markets with a huge selection from Argentina and Uruguay. So, along with some of our favorite gang of friends, we began our “where’s the beef” search. Now you might wonder why we are in search of beef in Ecuador. Well, as Texan Bill and I grew up on tender steaks marbled with fat. But in Ecuador, the cattle are lean with no visible fat. Hence, a tough as shoe leather beef. We heard rumors about meat markets in Quito having tender steaks from Argentina and Uruguay. So we went on two separate road trips one to the smaller El Cordobes, Quito, and then on to El Cordobes, Cumbaya the larger meat market. So how was the beef? Well, the first steak from Quito we cooked outside was a tomahawk steak which we have had a Bob’s Steak House in Texas. Oh no! It was tough but had good flavor. I had one left which I used to make Swiss Steak in my new electric pressure cooker and it turned out great but what a waste using steak for this recipe. The verdict is still out on the steaks from Cumbaya but they are well marbled with fat so we are hopeful. Milton then took us to the Quito Farmer’s Market and oh my we found sweet potatoes and more! Never thought I would get excited about sweet potatoes but we just cannot find them here. So I plan to bake them and then smother them in butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
We had a great time with our friends on our ” where’s the beef” search plus we made another stop at Baalbek Restaurant for lunch.
Our good friends from Land of the Sun Hotel invited us over to try out new steaks that they are going to start serving. Wow, what a special treat. The steaks were tender and fantastic! Of course, having an endless supply of tangy Lemon Drop Martini’s certainly did not hurt!
El Cafe de La Vaca
Our plans were to have breakfast at Cafe el Jinete for the traditional English breakfast but we were disappointed when they were not open at 8:00 am as posted. Ah, this is Ecuador and you cannot count on a precise time for anything. This is just all about learning to adjust to manana time. So, Milton told us he knew a great place in Cayambe. We certainly were not disappointed! Roses were everywhere and we had a great breakfast casserole. I highly recommend this restaurant and plan to go back.
Maracuya Daiquiri
So what in the world is a Maracuya? Passion Fruit! Yikes! I grew these in Texas with the beautiful white and purple spiked flowers trailing on vines. I never realized they produce wonderful fruit that is so yummy with a flavor similar to guava. Hint make sure your fruit is very ripe so it will be sweet otherwise it will produce a tart daiquiri.
Each week I buy 25 long stem roses for $2.50. The variety of colors is unbelievable. The only negative is that they do not have the rose fragrance which I think may be due to hybrids with a focus on color, strength, and durability which results in the loss of fragrance since the lovely rose scent does attract insects. However, I do have some lovely varieties that are very fragrant growing in my garden. Anyway, the following slide show from all the roses displayed at El Cafe de La Vaca restaurant demonstrates some of the different varieties and colors available.
Well, I think this pretty well summaries February adventures on the road again with our band of special friends. We are blessed to have so many new friends. Our social life has tripled since moving to charming little Cotacachi. All you need is Ecuador!
The theme song I have chosen this month is On the Road Again. Living in Cotacachi affords us a great home base to explore the other cities in Ecuador. If you have registered Texas Annie Ecuador please click on the red link to access the full blog including music and slide shows.
Willie Nelson-On the Road Again
Milton Andramunio Izurieta and his brothers own and operate Trans-Rabbit Cotacachi. Not only does he provide a nice comfy van or bus but he is an excellent driver. Milton is very knowledgeable about Ecuador since he was a history professor. His English is limited but when he brings his interpreter Bonnie along all your questions will be answered. Not only will your trip be educational it will be filled with humor and fun. Our trips are what I call magical.
We recently went on a tour with Milton to Pantavi Hosteria and Spa for breakfast. What a wonderful discovery this charming Hosteria offers. We had a full breakfast buffet for $8.00. Touring the grounds was exceptional with artwork tucked around every nook and cranny. I especially liked the wine bottles artfully displayed on the walls. The sunshine made the bottles shine. Now I know why I have been saving all my wine bottles much to Billy Bob’s reluctance toward a new project.
After our wonderful breakfast at Pantavi we were On the Road Again to discover the City of Knowledge which you could equate to Silicon Valley. We were offered a tour guide.
Most ex-pats living in Ecuador soon realize that this is not a third-world country but we are witness to a developing country. The government made investments in the public infrastructure by building new highways, airports, parks, hospitals, schools, a new light rail system in Cuenca, and the Quito subway. Even in little Cotacachi, the replacement of hazardous sidewalks is underway.
We were surprised to learn that among Ecuador’s public investments, is the initiative to improve its universities. According to President Rafael Correa, who earned his master’s degree in Belgium and a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois, building a world-class university system is fundamental to improving the lives of Ecuadorians.
The centerpiece of Correa’s plan is a massive education and research center north of Quito known as Yachay or City of Knowledge which is an 18-square-mile planned community that is the home to a large university campus complete with dormitories for students and facility. The students pay $55 per month for their housing. Currently, the students are all Ecuadorian and are required to speak English. Ecuador places a high priority on education in order to be a placeholder in future world research. In order to attract the best of the best talent pool, they must offer first-class facilities for learning.
During the Yachay planning process, Ecuador targeted the assistance of the best educational leaders from the United States, South Korea, Japan, China, and Italy. Ecuador foresees that investing in education is one of the best ways in creating human capital that will last long after the oil is gone.
Our next stop was in the little Highland village of Zuleta which is known for its traditional embroidery. We stopped at a shop that makes the beautiful artisan shirts that the President wears. Plus we stopped at a wood carving shop that makes beautiful furniture as well as decorative pieces. The highlight was listening to the woodcarver plays his guitar and then letting us pose with his water buffalo. We all wanted our picture taken with the water buffalo but first, the woodcarver had to comb his pet’s hair! You never know what you will stumble upon in Ecuador.
If you have time you might want to watch this short video of me and the water buffalo.
On another adventure, Milton and his magical rabbit took us to Cayambe to have lunch at a Cafe el Jinete that offered authentic British food. Chris our Wales neighbor said the fish, chips, and mincemeat pie brought back memories of snowy evenings in Wales. Turns out one of the owners is from England! Ecuador is indeed a melting pot of cultures. The food was wonderful!
Next, we were off to Quito to dine at Baalbek Restaurant which offered wonderful Lebanese food. The owner was so proud of his food that he served us himself and showed us which sauces to be paired with each dish. We shared a sampler for 6 people that must have included every dish that they served. We will certainly be going back soon.
Okay, it certainly was time for good old American Carnival Food. So we were On the Road Again for a return trip to Carsnack. We loaded up with chili, cheese, chips, popcorn seasoning, and flavored coffee syrup. Now it’s time for a parteeeee!
Where is the beef? Now the question is could Milton and his magical rabbit find a good meat market for ribeye steak and brisket? Stay tuned for part two to find out what we discovered.
