Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Chilling in Quito, Ecuador

Quito is a city nestled between two mountains. It is a long and narrow city that runs principally north and south. The Pan American Highway runs right through the middle.

A friend of mine named Vinny from Austin is originally from Ecuador. He had arranged for me to meet and stay with his father.
I drove through the city and eventually found the house of Dr. Miguel Vinueza. He wasn't at home, so I let the doorman know that he was expecting me and that I'd be having lunch in the restaurant across the street. I ventured over to the restaurant and probably no more than two minutes after I ordered, Dr. Vinueza walked in. We greeted each other then proceeded to his house.

Turns out that he also owns a finca (farm) just outside the city. He inquired if I'd like to visit it. Sure!
We drove to the finca which was located in the town of Alangasi. Once we arrived he showed me around.
He has constructed a few houses and buildings on the property.
This is the house my friend Vinny grew up in.
Miguel grows a few vegetable crops.
Plants flowers.
Built this little pond.
Built these cobblestone pathways.
It's a nice little retreat from the city. A pretty amazing place with some great views of the surrounding valley.
I stayed at the finca for a few days and helped Miguel with some tasks. We cleaned the pool, fixed the pool pump, did some shopping, sold some rabbit cages, fixed a few clocks and picked up a dog from the local pound and trained it. It was a relaxing time that I really enjoyed and truly appreciated.

Thanks Miguel and Vinny.

4 comments:

  1. wow, that sounds great! the pond is beautiful. this post reminded me of how nice the personal connection is during travel. i remember having a meal in the suburbs of vienna at my roommmate's aunt's house. it was something i would have never seen otherwise (nor was i expecting to eat such yummy bengali food in austria).

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  2. Troy. I hope my Dad didn't work you too hard ;)
    He wants you to call him before you leave Mindo to Banos. Take care . Make sure you zip line in Mindo.

    Vinny

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  3. wow, so beautiful!!

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  4. I found that tourism often highlights the extraordinary or best of an area. But sometimes the ordinary happenings are often the most interesting things.

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Thanks for visiting my website and for leaving a comment. - Troy

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