After a very long flight from Vancouver, through Mexico City and into Quito, I arrived in Cotacachi around 8:30 AM on Friday. This is the first time I have flown in and arrived in the morning. Usually the flights with Aeromexico tend to land around midnight. The sunrise from the airplane was beautiful.
I arranged ahead of time to have my favourite driver, Guillermo Buitron, pick me up at the airport to bring me back to Cotacachi. He was not available, but sent his brother Fenando instead. He was waiting for me when I came out of the customs area and we quickly left the airport and headed back to Cotacachi.
A quick check-in to my usual apartment and a long nap before heading out to several pre-arranged activities. Athena Homebrew was my first stop – Roger and Malena have done an awesome job with their micro brewery. Friday afternoon they were hosting a BBQ for a select number of people. Their Argentinian handyman/artist/chef prepared an awesome feast of different meats cooked Argentinian style. Along with generous helpings of potato salad, and of course Athena beers, it was a fantastic start to my stay in Cotacachi. I left there absolutely stuffed!
Next on the agenda was a party at a local restaurant/bar called La Tola. I had never been there before, but it was easy to find. They had a live band – Shades of Grey. The group is made up of a bunch of local expats that play for special events with a variety of traditional rock and roll. They are very good! I met so many friends there that Giselle and I have seen over the years on our visits here. It kind of felt like a homecoming. Everyone had a great time. The margaritas were very good, I think I might have had one or two too many!
After the party, I stumbled home with a short walk through the park in front of my apartment. There were a bunch of workers out hanging Christmas decorations. Saturday Evening there was to be a large event in the park with the official lighting up of the park for Christmas. That will be my next post….
