Ten tips for Quito, Ecuador; dining on cui

Primero: The 10 tips

When traveling in another country, there are always things to keep in mind that are peculiar to that location. Here are some tips for traveling in Quito, Ecuador, the world's highest capital city.

1. Walk slow the first day.

2. Expect to be sleepy.

3. Your kidneys are natural barometers and they know you are at a very high altitude. Don't expect to sleep through the night.

4. Drink little alcohol and a lot of water. A lot of water!

5. Don't allow fatigue to keep you from paying attention; thieves are everywhere.

6. For Quito drivers, crosswalks are bulls eyes. Be either extremely cautious or fleet of foot.

The barriers are there for a reason -- to keep cars from cutting corners too sharply.

7. The coin of the realm is the American dollar, including the dollar coin.  Sacajawea awaits!

Americans hardly use the American dollar coin. But expect to receive it as change in Quito.

8. Don't expect to put toilet tissue in the bowl (it can clog the pipes). Look for the basket.

9. Sidewalks are uneven, with potholes and obstructions that include low wires, uneven steps, metal extrusions and low walls. Be responsible for your own safety.

Dodging cars in the street can prevent you from seeing this hole at the curb, or the bolts that can puncture the soft sole of a shoe.

This pipe wasn't cut off low enough to evade footgear.

10. Smile at the people you meet.

Well, I said 10, but after today, one more tip occurred to me:

11.  Any time you board a bus in Quito, have your hands free and HANG ON! And remember, regardless of the exciting method by which he navigates the traffic, you're going to arrive alive. The bus driver really doesn't  want to die. Honest!

Segundo: Eating cui

Today, when we showed up for class and our homework was reviewed, the teacher had a surprise for us -- let's skip school and go to a restaurant. We can eat cui!

Eat these? Well, yes.

Cui (pronounced "kwee," and so named because of the sound they make) are small animals indigenous to the Andes which are frequently part of a meal. When the Peru exhibit came to Seattle, Catholic paintings showed Jesus and his disciples at a meal with cui at the center of the plate.

You know cui as guinea pigs. They are neither pigs nor do they come from Guinea, but somehow these gentle creatures that are a favorite pet for many, acquired that name. When I visited homes in Peru, they were regularly under foot, and the family would gather grass to feed them. And I can attest to their tastiness, because that's what I had for lunch today in a restaurant which was just one exciting bus ride from the Simon-Bolivar language school I'm attending.

Exciting is not quite precise. It would be better to say rambunctious. The streets go up and down and they curve, and I had to hang on for dear life immediately after I climbed aboard the bus with fellow language students and my instructor, Mariana.

When we arrived at the restaurant, this is what we saw:

Cui are mounted on a round stake for cooking. Spanish language instructor Mariana hoists one for the camera.

 This is what it looks like on the plate. The meat is flavorful, but there's a lot of fat, and the skin is tough.

The entire cui can be served up, but it that would have been more than I could eat, so I just purchased a quarter of a cui. That's the leg, protruding out past the potatoes. Also on the plate is avocado and lettuce. The dish cost about $7--U.S., of course.

The potatoes were cooked on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant in the large pan on the right.

The proper way to eat this delicacy is with your hands. It wasn't easy, with only one leg to hold onto. The skin is tough and there's lots of fat, but the meat is very tasty. (Edited photo by Melanie Wood.)

The cui was tasty, but Melanie coudn't finish the half chicken she ordered for about $4, so I helped her out, And I liked it better. Less fat, and less guilt. Chickens aren't cuddly.

In the next blog, Melanie will tell you about the orphanage where she volunteered, and where she delivered two One World Futbols. Afterward we'll tell you about the Mayo Clinic surgeons whose work changed the lives of some young Ecuadoreans.

Love,
Robert, and
Wilson