October 29, 2010

We decided to go to the Museo National after breakfast and learn about the early development of the people, culture and their evolution.  The taxi driver was less aggressive than prior days or we were getting use to them.  We asked for a guided tour (entrance and guide were free) and he really made a difference in explaining the displays.  The following pictures were of some of the artwork on the grounds of the museum.  Cameras were not allowed in the museum, unfortunately.

When we finished the tour, we took a taxi to Marcado Artesanal de La Mariscal which is full of artisan handiwork.  Looked around the nearby area for a restaurant and discovered the Coffee Tree.  We enjoyed meat sandwiches and cerveza.

The adventure then began as we were confronted with over 100 shop stalls with items such as toys, leather goods, clothes, etc. all from Ecuadorian artists.  Gala was dead on her feet when we finished.  Hailed another taxi and returned back at the hotel for Gala's siesta and my visit to the cafe for cerveza.

Discovered that one of the exotic restaurants we wanted to try was 1/2 block away, so we wandered over for dinner.  It was Orisha, a mix of Afro-Cuban cuisine.  Gala ordered Risotto with asparagus, shrimp and saffron.  I ordered a caramelized steak with onions, prunes, and mushrooms in a red wine sauce, served with fresh cauliflower, broccoli and carrots.  Gala had a red wine from Chile and I ordered cerveza, por favor.  Great meal in an eclectic place and we booked a room for our return flight from Cuenca Nov. 7th when we needed to catch an early morning flight back to Seattle via Houston.

The neighborhood was lively tonight in anticipation of their upcoming holidays, a marching band went through about 10:00 PM and a party nearby broke up about 3:00 AM.  Dairy Queen close by was serving drive-through items at 4:00 AM!