I was feeling well enough to do some light sightseeing today.
We had breakfast at our hostel. I must confess I prefer the breakfast at our first hostel. It’s funny, but although Carpedm is half the price, it has a better breakfast and doesn’t charge you $2 US for the tea. The other thing is that Masaya sells bottles of water for $1.50 when just outside the entrance, the bakery is selling the same water for 50 cents. It’s a small thing, but I hate it when there is a “dumb tourist” price.
We first checked out the Casa Del Alabado Museum. I enjoyed all the ancient Ecuadorian artwork.
Rendition of me having digestive issues
We next walked to the National Museum of Ecuador. This large but free museum had a real eclectic mix of artifacts, artwork and modern pieces. They also had some fun interactive art displays.
They had an interesting sign in their washroom.
We walked back to the old town through some attractive parks and past some interesting buildings.
We had lunch at the Mercato. Ecuador is known for their tasty soups. With my recent digestive experience top of mind, I had the potato soup which did not disappoint. John had a mixed plate with lots of veggies, egg and sausage.
The market also has a flower market component. Ecuador is known for its beautiful roses. You can buy two dozen for $2 US. At that price I would expect John to buy me flowers twice a week!
Some of the streets were soooo steep.
We stopped at a church attached to a convent on the way back to our hotel. There sure are a lot of religious buildings here.
In the evening, we walked around the old town. I love to see the buildings lit up.
We made our way to La Ronda (a street known for great restaurants and night life). Many restaurants and bars were filled with loud music. Fortunately, the restaurant that was recommended on Trip Advisor was quieter. Restaurante Los Geranios was a lovely restaurant with interesting decor and a great view of the Winged Mary.
We ordered just one guinea pig between the two of us. We were really glad that we didn’t order two because there was a lot of meat on this thing. At $35 US, guinea pig was the most expensive thing on the menu.
Our waiter, Irving was really good. He brought our guinea pig out whole so that we could take pictures, then took it back to the kitchen to have it cut up. He brought it back to us and explained how to eat it. He also gave us plastic gloves because you eat it with your fingers and it is quite greasy and messy.
It tasted like chicken with a bit of a difference. As mentioned, it was greasy. You eat both the skin and the meat. The head and little feet were somewhat distracting but It was good though I found it rather heavy. The two of us were unable to finish the guinea pig. I was glad we tried it.