Month: February 2023

A Dry Journey to the Middle of the Earth

~ donquioaty ~ 1 Comment

Next stop on DonQui’s ‘round the world’ trip is Quito, capital of Ecuador. 

Quito is the only city on the world to more or less sit on the equator — its position marked by the Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world) monument. Unfortunately modern GPS readings show that the monument is a couple of hundred metres out of place! Although one of the closest places on the planet to the sun, the city’s location in the Andes at an altitude of 2800m gives a relatively mild temperature with frequent short afternoon thunderstorms blowing in from the surrounding mountains. 

Donqui has managed to find an excellent inexpensive apartment on airbnb in the old town with a fabulous view. It is close enough to the centre for him to walk everywhere and be where he wants to be in a matter of minutes.

The little package of coca leaves are a thoughtful gift from the host. They are said to help with altitude sickness as well as having other medicinal benefits. Donqui rather enjoys a tea he makes with them. Unfortunately thanks to the small cocaine content he is not allowed to bring some back to the UK. 

Wandering around the streets of the old city Donqui is amazed by the architecture…

There seems to be an over-the-top baroque church or colonial era palace around every corner.

The streets team with life and street vendors are everywhere.

Donqui does not quite have the courage to sample a bit of the pig’s head although he does try some fried corn from another vendor and it is very good.

With monumental poor timing, DonQui has arrived on the weekend of an election (voting is compulsory in Ecuador). There is a slight festive air on the streets and police are everywhere. All this is fine but the real problem is that an election law bans the sale of alcohol for the entire length of DonQui’s stay in the capital. He hopes he will be able to make it. The coca tea is certainly helping.

Everyone DonQui meets is very friendly and helpful. The city feels safe to wander around (although he is warned not to do this after dark). Not many people speak much English but DonQui’s rusty Spanish is getting polished and Google Translate helps a lot.

On the edge of time

~ donquioaty ~ 1 Comment

The first leg of DonQui’s trip around the world takes him, very briefly, to Tulum in Mexico.

Although only here for a couple of days he is suitably impressed. It helps that (thanks to Duchess) he has secured an invitation to stay at beautiful Temple of Light on the beach at Tankah Bay.

There are plenty of good (if slightly pricey) eateries along the beach. Most offer international fare but Donqui is determined to sample some proper Mexican food, especially as his time here is limited.  He settles on Tz’onot Restaurante and peruses the menu.

He thinks long and hard about ordering the Chapulines (toasted grasshoppers) but chickens out.

Instead he goes for the tamal to start…

…and Cochinita Pibil (slow roasted suckling pig marinated in bitter orange juice) to follow.

The tastes are quite unique and utterly delicious.  Yet Donqui feels a slight twinge of regret that he did not try the grasshoppers as he is unlikely to be able to sample them back home on the Suffolk coast.

Once a haven for hippies and backpackers, Tulum is now more than a little bit gentrified —  Instagram influencers pushing aside tie-dyed kids on a gap year experience. Donqui can still detect a bit of the laid back vibe amongst the divers exploring the Cenotes (underground rivers and sink holes) and the world’s second largest coral reef just off the coast. 

Despite gentrification Tulum remains an incredibly beautiful place. The tourist development is thankfully low-rise and the jungle-surrounded coast still retains a sense of adventure.

As his name implies, DonQui Oaty has a strong affinity with the past. He may not go off tilting at windmills in the hope of holding on to a lost sense of chivalry but he does like exploring old rocks. Tulum has some very good ones.

Mayan Tulum was a walled port city and the archeological park which preserves the ruins has plenty of impressive old rocks for DonQui to explore. 

He is very glad to get to the archeological park shortly after opening at 8am. The temperature is relatively cool and Donqui had the place almost to himself. By the time he leaves at around 9:30 a long stream of coaches are disgorging hundreds of new visitors.

Uncharacteristically DonQui is at a loss for words to describe his sense of wonder as he explores the Mayan ruins.  It feels almost like he is standing on the edge of time as he looks out over the Caribbean sea from the ruins of Mayan Tulum. It was here where the asteroid hit that killed off the dinosaurs and it was here where the Mayans would have seen the first Spanish ships approaching their coast heralding the destruction of their civilisation