Lunch with Vale
Today was a relatively non-eventful day, except for going to lunch with my really good friend Vale at her family's restaurant El Segundo Muelle (The Second Wharf/Pier/something like that). It's a high-end chain from Peru that does typical Peruvian cuisine, especially seafood dishes. They have fresh (never frozen) seafood shipped from the coast each day so the food tasted amazing. Unfooortunately (sorry!) I forgot my camera. The restaurant was absolutely gorgeous. I'll definitely have to bring Chino there to try it and I won't forget my camera then! I ordered a delicious passion fruit mojito made with pisco instead of rum. SO GOOD! Too good... I had forgotten that the effects of alcohol are multiplied in high altitude, so much that one drink here is equivalent to drinking three drinks at sea level! I came home with quite the headache....
We then got cebiche for an appetizer- it's usually made with shrimp or raw fish in citrus juice and onions... We got one with three types of seafood that came with sweet potato and corn (their corn here isn't sweet at all and has white kernels that are much larger than corn in the U.S.). As a main dish I ordered something called Tacu Tacu- a pan-fried mixture of rice and black beans, with seafood and squid on the side in a creamy orange sauce. It was incredible- I promise to post pictures of the food next time I go.
Earlier in the day... I thought I was acclimated enough to the altitude to take a walk in the neighborhood. I was SO wrong. They have a number of hills (practically mountains!) in the neighborhood, a particular one that is at least 150 meters at at least a 45 degree angle (see pic below)! I barely made it to the top- it was incredible. I slowly walked up it and it felt like my lungs were going to explode. Without exaggerating it felt like I had been sprinting! My friend Vale is planning a camping trip up Cotopaxi - the second highest mountain in the country- so I'd better keep up the walking every day or there's no way I'll survive.
Here are some better mountain pics I took from the neighborhood- isn't it beautiful?? I feel like I've been dropped in paradise here, pictures really can't do this place any justice.
We then got cebiche for an appetizer- it's usually made with shrimp or raw fish in citrus juice and onions... We got one with three types of seafood that came with sweet potato and corn (their corn here isn't sweet at all and has white kernels that are much larger than corn in the U.S.). As a main dish I ordered something called Tacu Tacu- a pan-fried mixture of rice and black beans, with seafood and squid on the side in a creamy orange sauce. It was incredible- I promise to post pictures of the food next time I go.
Earlier in the day... I thought I was acclimated enough to the altitude to take a walk in the neighborhood. I was SO wrong. They have a number of hills (practically mountains!) in the neighborhood, a particular one that is at least 150 meters at at least a 45 degree angle (see pic below)! I barely made it to the top- it was incredible. I slowly walked up it and it felt like my lungs were going to explode. Without exaggerating it felt like I had been sprinting! My friend Vale is planning a camping trip up Cotopaxi - the second highest mountain in the country- so I'd better keep up the walking every day or there's no way I'll survive.
Here are some better mountain pics I took from the neighborhood- isn't it beautiful?? I feel like I've been dropped in paradise here, pictures really can't do this place any justice.
Tomorrow we are going to have lunch with Chino's aunt and uncle in Quito who have the cutest boys, Pablito and Mateo, ages 9 and 6, respectively. Chino's brother Daniel originally told them I was Chino's "niñera" (nanny) when they asked him who I was, haha. Now I'm known for the cookies I always bring, so I'd better make some tonight so I don't disappoint. I'll post pictures for sure :)
Sorry for the long post with few pictures- I'll get better at this eventually ;)
Hasta luego,
xxoo
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