Exploration and Edible Enlightenment

Ah, what a fantastic start to my weekend adventure! I made it safely to Riobamba this afternoon; I spent several hours exploring (read: getting lost in) the city. My major goal for today was to find a spectacular view of the surrounding hills/valleys, as well as Chimborazo, an inactive volcano and the highest peak in Ecuador. Natalie and Chris had told me that the views from Riobamba were incredible, and that's pretty much the reason I came here. After some time, I finally found a suitable view from a viewpoint (go figure) in one of the city parks. It was fantastic. I really with I could have gotten closer/higher. I spent some time taking pictures, which I'm sure won't do it justice.

I wandered around for the rest of the afternoon looking for an even better view, but never really got one. I had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Abuela Rosa's, which came recommended by my handy travel guide. The restaurant served up tasty Ecuadorian treats a la carte; I ordered three dishes, each of which was absolutely fantastic, including a chicken tamal (very tasty -- it was the second one I have tried so far in Ecuador; both were unique and flavorful), humitas de sal (similar to a tamal and made from corn -- savory and delicious, it was probably my favorite dish I have tried so far), and a quimbolito (a sweet pastry also made from corn). All three were wrapped in some sort of husk or leaf. Oh yeah, they also served me a really interesting appetizer consisting of these small, seasoned nuts (I think) that tastely remarkably similar to the ceareal Smack's (the one with the frog on the box -- I actually had to Google a list of breakfast cereals to remember the name). All in all, it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I had been hoping to have a meal like this for a while now, actually. Like I mentioned before, the meals here are often very similar in type, though they do still manage to make them unique in their own ways. I never really get to choose what I want for breakfast or dinner, since it is cooked by the midwives. As for lunch, I'm always with the other students, so choosing for myself can be hard; we usually end up going to a place that serves "almuerzos" (this directly translates to lunch, but refers to the fact that they serve a single, set meal for lunch rather than having an a la carte menu -- the meal itself is as I described previously: soup, rice, meat, veggie. Tasty, but repetitive. Also, it is waaay too much food more me. However, the fact that almuerzos are super cheap and offer a lot of food is the big selling point for some of my compatriots). Long story short, I haven't had much opportunity to do much exploring in the way of local foods -- the foods they serve up at the street carts always catch my eye (and nose), and the few I have tried have been phenomenal -- or to get my hands on some of the local delicacies that come highly recommended from previous visitors of the wonderful land of culinary delights.

Ah yes, speaking of which, I also got to try something new on the bus ride over. I bought it from a stand at one of the bus stations (of which there are usually lots). I had seen this food before, but had yet to try it. They serve it in a little handheld plastic bag with a spoon. The one I got today had some sort of little corn-like kernels, potatoes, and a meat (beef?) that had an interesting crunch to it. They had sauces to top it off with, which made the whole dish quite delish.

After dinner I starting making my way to the hostel I had planned to stay at, which came recommended both by Natalie/Chris as well as my travel guide, known as Hostel Oasis. After a while it started to get dark, so I decided to play it safe and hopped in a cab for the rest of the way (I figured I could spare the $1). Right now I'm in the lounge using a laptop. The hostel is absolutely perfect; it is every traveler's dream. The rooms are centered around a little garden and located behind the owner's house. Just as I heard from the recommendations, she is a wonderful host. The rooms are small but wonderfully clean and tidy, and include a small TV and nice little bathroom. It is a super cute place that I would definitely recommend to anyone. It cost me $12 for the night.

One last thing before I sign off. I realized I forgot to talk about my 4th of July extravaganza in my previous posts. I wouldn't want you to miss out on even a minute of my wonderful Ecuadorian antics, so here it goes. Even though I was still recovering at the time, we decided to meet up with some other freedom-loving American's that Natalie knew for a good ol' fashioned BBQ. They work for a company here called Runa, which is run by American students, employees and interns. I still don't completely understand what they do, but I know that they work with a local tea known as Guayusa, which is really popular here, particularly among the Kichwa natives. Anyway, we went to their house in Tena. We were told to bring out our stuff to grill, so we started by buying some veggies and a pineapple. We were going to get some raw meat, too, but we ended up passing some street vendors selling precooked kebabs on the way, and we figured that would be a much easier (as well as much more seasoned, and thus more delicious) alternative. We were right on both accounts. I got a beef kebab and a mixed sausage one -- both were really good. I can't wait to (carefully) try my way around some more street food. The party itself was fun; we lit off some fireworks and had a generally good time celebrating liberty, justice, hamburgers, and all that jazz. Makes me miss home a bit -- I know by the end of my trip I will certainly be ready to return to the land of the family, friends and the familiar; as for now, let the adventure continue!