After a few good hours of sleep in our cute and modern AirBnb on the 14th floor of the modern “Edificio Efyra”, we woke up, showered and got ourselves ready for our 11:00 AM checkout and to meet up with our friends for some lunch.
Marco runs a local wushu and Tai Chi school in Quito and Efrain was our Tai Chi instructor when we were here for a month back in 2023. Efrain and his (now) fiancee, Coco, just came back this summer from a year in China. Unfortunately Marco’s partner, Alé, couldn’t make it.
Originally we wanted to take them to a restaurant they introduced us to back in 2023, but it was now closed so they made a recommendation for another place they liked. It was called Antojo Manabita and they specialized in traditional Ecuadorian food, specifically encebollado, which is a type of fish or seafood soup.
Here are some of the amazing dishes we ate. If you weren’t hungry before, you might be soon.
First we had the Patacones con queso y maní (also called plátanos con queso y maní molido) which was fabulous. I could have just had this and would have been super happy. But there was more in store.
This is fried and smashed green plantains with queso (cheese) and mani molido (ground peanuts).
We were already familiar with Tigrillo, which is another fried and smashed plantain dish mixed with veggies and/or meat. This one was topped with an egg, had some meat broth for dipping, and queso on the side.
It was the best Tigrillo I’ve ever had.
Because of my inability to eat shellfish and Ruhi’s seafood allergies I had never had encebollado before. It is a traditional Ecuadorian fish stew considered a national dish, made with fish, yuca (cassava), red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and spices, often served with pickled onions, plantain chips (chifles), and lime.
The name “encebollado” literally means “onionized,” referring to the generous amount of onions in the dish, which you can see in the picture.
I did have a bite and it was fantastic. The yuca really soaked up the rich fish broth from the soup.
After we finished eating, we all piled back into Marco’s car and he took us to check out the new location for his Wushu school, called EnerQi. It was bigger than the last location and had a lot more rooms. He said the grand opening will be October 28th, which is the day after we will be back in Quito at the end of the month. But I hope it goes really well.
I didn’t get many pictures of the school (it’s still under construction) but here is a picture that Ruhi took of Marco and myself.
After the school visit they took us to Cumbaya, which is an affluent suburb of Quito, somewhat on the way to the airport. You have to drive through a tunnel and over the edge of the ridge surrounding the valley, which means you get some really spectacular views which do not translate at all on my iPhone camera.
They first took us to Jerez, an ice cream store that specializes in local styles of ice cream, made in a bowl. Think: Stone cold creamery, but with a cold bowl instead of a cold flat stone.
Many of the flavors are drawn from local fruits and plants. Ruhi had a fig ice cream which was really good. I was still full from lunch so I didn’t partake, but everyone enjoyed themselves and we had some stimulating converations.
It turned out that Marco had a drink that he really wanted us to try, and it was located in one of the most beautiful cafes/bakeries that I’ve ever seen. It was called Corfu (like the Greek island) and one part of it had a bakery and the other part had an ice cream and drinks area. All around were amazing plants and greenery where you could sit and enjoy your food.
The drink they wanted us to try was called “Colada Morada” which was essentially a ton of different fruits put into a liquid compote and then heated up. If you can imagine what would happen if they replaced the cocoa in a hot chocolate with all the berries and tropical fruits in Ecuador, then you get the idea.
It was delicious, but probably a bit high in the sugar content. But pairing it with the bakery items helped a lot.
My original plan was for us to take an Uber from the city to the airport to catch our flight to Cuenca. But it turns out they decided to drive us there anyway. So, we made our way through a bit of traffic and they shuttled us to the airport just in time to be a little early for our flight — just the way I like it.
It turns out our flight to Cuenca was delayed, possibly due to a massive thunder and lightening storm that came through the valley. It didn’t last long but it was LOUD and the rain was intense. Fortunately our flight only left about an hour late and pretty soon we were up in the air.
Cuenca is a small airport — just one floor — so everyone who flies in has to deplane via stairs. But that also means you get to take a nice picture of the plane on the tarmac.
Cuenca airport is really unique in that they are able to get all the bags into the baggage claim area in record time, so it only takes about 10-15 minutes for that entire place to be completely empty. It’s a little eerie to be honest, but also quite impressive.
We caught a taxi to our AirBnb located near Parque de la Madre, one of our favorite parts of Cuenca. It was dark and late so I didn’t get any photos so you’ll have to wait for the next installment.
After a quick unpacking (we’re staying here for 3 nights) and a bit of working on this blog, we hit the hay.
A Song for Day 2: Quito!
And, I had a bit of time at the airport, so I made another song celebrating our time with our friends in Quito. Enjoy!
Lyrics:
Chorus
Quito! Quito! A day in Quito! The capital city
Quito! A day with nos amigos! So great! Que bueno!
After waking up in our Airbnb
Lounging around and being free.
We checked out and went downstairs
And who did we see?
Our good friends came to pick us up
And we headed out to grab a bite
Some of the best food I’ve ever had
Tigrillo will change your life
Chorus x2
Haven’t seen our friends in over two years
It’s been way too long (so long!)
Marco and Efrain and Coco
But Alé couldn’t come along
We trained Tai Chi together
Back in 2023
Creating a true bond (so strong!)
We are like family (mi familia!)
Chorus x2
After lunch we checked out a space
Where their new school would be
Lots of room for wushu or sanda
And get busy with some Chen Tai Chi
Then we drove to Cumbaya’
Just over the hill (so chill)
Got a few Ecuadorian treats
Until we had our fill (so real!)
Chorus x1
After spending time at Cafe Corfu
They took us to the airport
Off to the next leg of our trip
As we caught our flight to Cuenca
We’ve left Quito but we are so
Grateful for the time with our friends
Can’t wait for the next time around
When all our paths will blend, Oh!
Chorus x 2