Chocolate Tour in Mindo, Ecuador

There were a few things we wanted to do in Mindo, that we had heard were very interesting and fun activities.

After we went Zip lining through the forest canopy in Mindo, we decided to walk around the town and get to know the place a bit.

We ended up having a batido de fresa (strawberry smoothie) at an all organic cafe called El Quetzal. El Quetzal is actually a hostal as well.

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Zip Lines in Mindo, Ecuador: The Canopy tour of Mindo

In Mindo, Ecuador, there are two different companies that will take you on zip line tours through the cloud forest.

The cloud forest in Mindo is something very similar to jungle, just wasn’t quite as hot (at least on the day we were there).

One of the canopy tour companies charges $10/person, and the other company charges $13/person. The canopy tour for $10 has 12 zip lines, the canopy tour for $13 has 13 zip lines.

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From Quito, Ecuador to Mindo, Ecuador

Today, Carrie and I were supposed to go to Mindo, Ecuador.

Apparently, there are lots of fun things to do in Mindo, including:

• Take a tour of a place where they make natural chocolate
• Glide through the forest canopy on zip lines (for just $10)
• Go to a butterfly farm
• Go tubing down a river
• Take a coffee tour

That’s why we wanted to go to Mindo.

We got a late start though, and after doing some research online, we learned that at least from Bus Terminal Ofelia (in the very north of Quito), there aren’t that many buses going to Mindo.

We left our apartment at 3:15PM, figuring we’d get there in time for the 4:00PM bus to Mindo.

Long story short, it took a long time to get to the Ofelia bus station, and we arrived about 10 minutes AFTER the 4:00PM bus to Mindo had left.

So, we bought our tickets for tomorrow (Palm Sunday).

I took a few pictures at Ofelia bus station, (posted below) because finding the office at Terminal Ofelia to buy the tickets to Mindo wasn’t easy or obvious.

If you take a taxi, it costs $0.25 to enter Ofelia bus station, in addition to whatever bus you decide to take.

If you take the blue or yellow city bus, it will drop you off inside of the station.

Go through all the main terminal area (with the Quito area buses).

On the other side, you will actually exit the main terminal area (even though you just paid $0.25 to enter the bus station).

From there, go up to the stairs and look for the sign “Coop. Flor Del Valle”  coop. stands for “Co-operativa”

All of this is, I’m sure, subject to change, but as of now, this is the way to get your bus tickets to go to Mindo from Ofelia bus station.

We’re back at the apartment tonight in Quito, but we bought our tickets today for the 9:20 AM bus to Mindo.

We’ll be leaving our apartment at 8:15 to be sure we get to terminal Ofelia in time.

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Making pizza for 20 people

Jonathan and I wanted to make dinner one night for our teacher, Maribel, and her family. When we offered, she asked if we were sure we wanted to do that.

“You know my family is large, right?” she asked.

“Well, yah, there’s you, your husband and your three children.”

Not true.

“Family” has a different meaning in Ecuador (and in many Latin American cultures), than the smaller, nuclear families we’re more used to in the US and Europe.

Maribel suggested that we come to her home and make the pizza there.

It was a good idea you know, since there were going to be 18 people there.
(Our apartment only has 4 plates.)

Jonathan gave a presentation on pizza a few weeks ago. Maribel took the pizza home to her family. Apparently, everyone in Maribel’s family has been asking for the recipe for the dough (la massa) ever since.

We grabbed the bus, changed to another bus, and after 1 ½ hours (it was rush hour), we made it to the nice and new bus station/shopping center near Maribel’s.

Her home is beautiful. It’s in the south of Quito. And, guess what. It’s quiet there!

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Patacones (fried plantains another way), perfect with a mug of coffee

The next step down the Ecuador green plantain trail is: patacones.

Patacones are kind of like plantain pancakes. By this I mean flattened chunks of fried plantain. They are absolutely delicious. They are best enjoyed with a nice cup of coffee. At the same time. Yep, take a bite of patacone, and before you chew it take a sip of coffee. Enjoy together.

I know that might sound strange, but it’s really very good.

Patacones are very similar to chifles. Both have the same 3 ingredients. Yes, that’s right, there are only 3 ingredients: green plantains, oil, salt.

First step, wash the plantain. Then peel it. This time, instead of slicing the plantain as thinly as you can, cut it into chunks.

Fry these chunks in hot oil. But, remove them before they’re completely cooked.

When they’re still warm, grab a glass or a coffee mug, and flatten them into pancake shapes. Be gentle, and turn the glass a bit as you flatten them. (If you just smash them directly down, they’ll break.)

Return them to the oil and fry again. Remove them when they’re beautifully golden yellow, drain on paper towels and add salt.

You’re done. You’ve just made patacones.

You know living here in Ecuador is a bit dangerous. Everything is fried. Seriously, it’s almost impossible to go a whole day without eating something fried. But, hey, at least everything is natural and there are no preservatives or chemicals. It’s just good, fresh, food plunged in very hot fat.

Which is better, patacones or chifles? Well, for me, it depends…on the day, my mood, how hungry I am. But, with my late morning coffee, nothing goes better than patacones.

Recipe

Do I really need to write it down for you? It’s so easy, and there are no “real” proportions. You can do it. You don’t need a written recipe.

How to make Patacones (at YouTube)

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Ecuadorian food: Chifles (fried plantain chips)

I have seen chifles all over.  And not just in Ecuador.  We saw chifles in all of Central America, but especially in Costa Rica.

Today our Spanish teacher asked us if we would like to learn how to make chifles.  Of course we said yes.

After all, who can turn down a plantain “potato” chip (even if just for the experience)?

Our first stop was to the little corner store to buy a green plantain (a special type of plantain, not just an unripe yellow plantain).  This cost us $0.30.

Then we had to pick up some vegetable oil.  A half liter cost us $0.75.

We had a great break from class, and learned how to make something quite delicious and traditional.

Chifles

• 1 green plantain
• .25 L of vegetable oil
• Salt

First, wash the plantain.

It has a kind of sap on the outside of the skin that will turn your hand black if you don’t wash it off.  There’s also a glue”ish” substance, like with a banana, but more intense, between the plantain itself and the skin of the plantain (inside).  It can leave your hands quite sticky if you’re not careful when peeling. (They call it the milk of the plantain in Spanish.)

Peel the plantain.

Cut two parallel scores down the length, and peel the

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OK GO does it again

I’m not much one for music videos.  But a while back I saw “OK GO”‘s “Here It Goes Again”, in which its four band members execute a tightly choreographed dance routine built around a handful of treadmills, video. I thought it was absolutely amazing!

They had to top that one with their next song, “This Too Shall Pass”.  You have to see their result:

Not one to shy away from a challenge, the band set about constructing a painstakingly executed two-story Rube Goldberg machine, set to trigger in time to the music for its latest video, “This Too Shall Pass.” Although it starts out small, with a toy truck knocking over some dominoes, the contraptions that make up the machine rapidly get larger and much more complex — pianos are dropped, shopping carts come crashing down ramps, and one band member is launched headlong through a wall of boxes. After assembling a team of dozens of engineers to construct the set, more than 60 takes were needed to get everything working just right during filming.
–NPR

And just in case you somehow missed it, or just

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It rains every day in Quito?

I love that my dad added Quito weather to his Pocket PC (Phone).

He did that so that he can

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Sharing my passion by blogging

I’m sure that most of you already know this, but I love cooking.  And not only cooking, but baking as well.

When I was in grad school, and had had a bad day, Jonathan would offer to make me dinner to ease the tension a bit.  Sounds great right?

Well, for me, the problem was that after a hard day I wanted to de-stress.

Some people take a nice hot bath, others have a glass of wine.  Me?  I chop vegetables.

Fresh Farmers' Market Produce in Boquete, Panama - ALL of this cost $2.50

I decided that I might as well share.  I do have about 20 food blogs in my Google reader, so it’s high time I started sharing what I’m doing.

So, here goes.  I will do my best to be a food blogger.  My biggest challenge: renting and moving from furnished apartment to furnished apartment.  I never know what kitchen tools I’ll have and which ones I won’t.

My current challenge: no oven!  All things made here in Quito, Ecuador are made without an oven.  This makes them perfect for summer days.

Stay tuned…

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Otavalo Market, Otavalo, Ecuador

By now, Jonathan and I have been to a few markets (Chichicastenango, Guatemala, as well as Saquisili here in Ecuador).  But, it has been said that Otavalo is the most famous market in South America.

Since it’s only 2 hours from Quito, we had to check it out.

From

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