I love cheesecake!

Saturday. 3 p.m. A sudden craving for cheesecake strikes. A text message to two willing accomplices...Return home 24 hours later without cheesecake in my tummy. But oh so fun for an unsatisfied craving!

My friends Angel and Marcelo had to set up a fireworks show at a friend's party in a small town called Machachi about an hour away and somewhat near Cotopaxi National Park. They assured me that we would drive there, set off the fireworks, and get some cheesecake on the drive back, returning to Quito by 9 p.m. Ok. I naively trusted that we would return at the specified time. We embarked on our mini-road trip at about 5:45 p.m. and bathed our eyes in the beautiful landscapes.

We were grateful for Angel's Land Rover as we turned off the paved highway and onto a cobblestone and dirt path to get to Angel's friend's friend's house in the countryside.

IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER! Ok, so it wasn't a van and it was only a few inches deep, but the boys sure enjoyed themselves during our off-road adventure.

We lined up the fireworks along the road near Angel's friend's friend's house once we arrived and then stabilized the tube for the big boom fireworks. Looks totally safe, right?

The pyros at work.

The fiesta was very fun with a lot of locals and their families. The live band was pretty good and people took to the dance floor like wildfire when a few specific songs came up.

Half of our dance troupe.

This dance was most peculiar. Someone placed a bottle in the middle of the floor and each person took a turn dancing and gyrating (rather suggestively at times) above the bottle. I danced around the bottle instead of squatting above it as I had never seen this not-so-folkloric dance before and didn't quite know what to do at first.

Believe it or not, we DID do the Macarena! And it was MAGICAL! :)

After eating some yummy hot chicken soup to warm ourselves after arming the fireworks in the frigid night and after dancing for a bit, we decided to hit the road again around 9:30. However, instead of heading back north to Quito, my dear friend Angel casually mentioned that his friend was cooking dinner for us. What he failed to disclose at first was that his friend lives hours away from Machachi in Guano (to the south near Riobamba). Ay ay ay. Ok, so our return to Quito would be delayed a bit. No worries. Go with the flow.

Angel's friend Pablo was such a sweetheart! When we arrived at his home around midnight, he had a scrumptious dinner prepared for us: marinated and roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, and some veggies along with lovely sauces like aji.

Pablo, Marcelo, and Angel...full bellies, happy hearts.

After dinner, we went for a hike...in the dark...at like 1:30 or 2 in the morning. Good thing we were in a small and safe town with lots of human-free nature around. :)

Our first mini-hike was along a well-lit path and we met some interesting folks as we wandered.

(The rocks were the interesting folks, btw.)


We sat above the calm illuminated town for a spell just chatting in between grumbles from the Tungurahua volcano nearby. We headed back toward Pablo's property and walked around for a bit in the dark on a hill among the rocks, plants and trees. Inspired by the volcanic rumblings, we removed our shoes, stood on some big rocks, stretched our arms to the heavens and tried to feel the earth's energy engulfing us. Angel and Pablo led us in this intriguing ritual and afterward, we lay on the rocks and continued to listen to the exchange between the silent night and the restless volcano.

After merely a few hours sleep, I awoke the next morning with a desire to explore Pablo's weekend retreat property a bit more. The light of day exposed some very interesting buildings and eclectic decor.

A separate building to honor the Virgin Mary. Wow!

Unfortunately, with the dry conditions in the area, Pablo can't have water running into this artificial stream and pond. So it just looks a bit eerie instead. :)

Breakfast time! (Marcelo doesn't want his picture taken before he has his coffee I think ;) ). Hard-boiled birds' eggs. Yum!

Pablo and Angel told me that this mound was an ancient burial ground. Angel said that he and Pablo had even found some bones while wandering around the property. Spooky!

Ceramic pot remnants were scattered all over the lot.

Swirly designs on the rocks...suggestive.

Sierra plants...lovely!





Big bug in the bathroom! Just what I want to see when I have to tinkle.

Literally, patches of green rolling hills on the drive home. I tried not to blink as I soaked in all the beauty before my tired eyes.

It always makes me nervous to see so many people precariously resting above the bed of a pickup.

Quick pit stop in Salcedo for an helado. This town is well-known for its delicious ice cream treats. We opted for the multi-flavored one which, I think, had vanilla or a sweet cream on top with some fruity flavors at the bottom like blackberry and naranjilla (which is like an orange, but not quite...very common flavor in Ecuador).

So cool! (Awful pun intended) ;)

WHY?!?!?! Just because you can buy ice cream in every other store in this town doesn't mean you should have a creepy clown trash can in front of all those stores! Creepy clown town!

Lunchtime in Latacunga! We stopped here for a traditional Latacungian (sounds like the appropriate adjective, no?) dish called chugchucara. To the left we have some delectable morsels of hominy and I think some meaty salty scraps that I dribbled some aji salsa onto for an extra kick. To the right is the main plate with a piece o' pork cracklin' atop some popcorn, potato wedges, pork bits, the Ecuadorian version of "corn nuts," plantain slices, and sweet mini empanadas. Yuuuuuuuuuuuum! I had to take half of it home to devour for dinner later.

ALPACA!!!

In the distance, you can spy a white mound that is one of the many inactive volcanoes in Ecuador. Unfortunately, the name escapes me at the moment (and will most likely continue to do so).

The buildings perched atop the hill along Gonzalez Suarez Avenue signaled that we had arrived in the sprawling metropolis of Quito. For once, I was actually glad my craving for cheesecake remained unfulfilled!