'Light is Right': What to pack for a month long backpacking trip across South America???

On way to your next big vacation, when you find yourself at the airport and spot that one lame person trying to juggle 2 big suitcases, 1 laptop bag, 1 carry on bag and a hand bag walk over and say Hi to ME. Yes, it most probably would be me. I am a bad packer, or at least till few months ago- I was one. I could not decide what I needed to carry and in what quantity. Whether it was a 2 day trip or a 2 week one, I would most probably have packed the exact same stuff i.e. all of my closet. My exact thoughts would be- 

"What if I have to go for a super classy dinner? Let me take my long, flowy silver gown."

" What if I have to go the beach on two consecutive days?? Let me pack an extra swimming costume."

" What if my heels don't match the dress I want to wear?? Let me take an extra high heel pair." and so on..

But this trip was different. I decided to be different. After all this type of trip, was the first of it's kind in my life and thus was the perfect time to make a change in my set travel packing routine.

I was going BACKPACKING. The literal definition of a backpacking trip as per dictionary is- 
"The ​activity of ​travelling or going ​camping while ​carrying ​your ​clothes and other things that you need in a ​backpack".

The key words being- in a backpack.

And so I promised myself to travel light(would be the first time in my life). My mantra for this trip was going to be - 

LIGHT IS RIGHT.

So after a lot of deliberation, I came up with the perfect list for the absolute necessities for a month long backpack trip across South America. (This list would more or less be applicable for a backpacking trip to any part of the world.)

I am carrying a 55L High Sierra Backpack(45L is also okay, but more than 55L would be a pain to be carrying around with you.) Other great backpack brands are: Osprey and REI.

Along with this, I am also carrying a mid size sling bag(Totto) for my day trips and a leather money belt(Totto) for ensuring that my money, credit/debit cards and passport are safely hidden under my clothes. 

Now let's start packing:

I) CLOTHES: Remember all hotels/hostels have a laundry service in or around, and that too very reasonable in S.America. So make the best of them whenever you can.

- 5 T-shirts (Mix of half and full sleeve shirts)

- 4 ganjis (Sleeveless shirts-extremely light to carry)

- 2 beach dresses(Can also accessorize and wear them in your evening outings).

- A pair of jeans(Ever wondered why they are called a pair???)

- 2 pairs of shorts

- 1 pair of comfortable travel/hiking pants

- 1 wind sheeter

- 1 swimsuit

- 1 sweatshirt/jacket(If you plan to go to a colder place)

- 1 muffler/stole

- 1 cap

- 1 pair of gloves(i.e. if you are planning to go trekking up the high altitudes)

- 5 knickers

- 2 regular bras

- 2 sports bra(More comfortable while traveling, trekking etc)

- 4 pair of socks

II) SHOES:

- 1 pair of sneakers(Comfortable yet sturdy)

- 1 pair of flip flops/slip-ins

- 1 pair of flats suitable for outings( Flashy ones would do just fine :) )

III) TOILETRIES:

- 1 Toothbrush

- 1 Toothpaste

- Mini Shampoo/Conditioner

- 1 Shower gel

- Mini body lotion

- Lens solution(If applicable)

- Mini face wash(Optional)

- Basic Makeup(Optional)

IV) ELECTRONICS: If you can do without them, then that's ideal. But most travelers like to capture and share their experiences with the world. And so stick to the basic yet important stuff.

- Mobile phone(If only going to used for keeping in touch with family & friends, then ideally just take along an old handset. I like to use my iphone camera a lot and hence would be taking the risk of carrying my iphone 6 with me.)

- Laptop/Ipad(Remember light is right. So avoid taking your bulky, expensive laptops along.)

- Headphones

- Camera/GoPro or both(While the serious photographers would not like to compromise their photo qualities and would want to have both their DSLR and GoPro with them at all times; I on the other hand like to just take my GoPro Hero4 Silver as it is the cutest, lightest and the best image capturer I have come across.) 

- Universal Charger

- Portable Charger(Backup for all the long bus journeys)

V) MISCELLANEOUS: All the other important stuff that you must not forget.

- Sun Block

- Sun Shades

- Wet Wipes

- Hand Sanitizer

- Mosquito repellent(Hostels in S.America can be ITCHY at times)

- Torch(For camping or night treks into the amazon jungle)

- Medicine kit(Only basic pills and band aids. Don't carry your complete first aid box)

- Neck Pillow(Bus journeys can be a pain in the neck at times. Better to be prepared.)

- Eye Mask

- Ear Plugs(If you are a light sleeper like me.)
- Few Books to read while traveling in buses.

- Munchies and Crunchies(For the late night cravings)

There you go. That's all that you need to be carry with you for a 'perfect backpacking' trip. If you need anything else, you could always buy it in any of the shops you come across in the new city.

While the list looks long, when you start packing it in your backpack(use packing cubes preferably),you will realize that all of the stuff fits in nice and comfy in your backpack.

 Unlike those times when after a trip, while unpacking, you realize that you didn't wear/use half of the stuff you took(happens with me a lot); this trip would be different.

You packed what you would need and you used what you packed.

Hope the information was helpful. If you have some more important essentials for a backpack trip that I might have missed, please do share with us. Would love to hear from you. Travel becomes more enjoyable when the experiences are shared with others :).

Till then

Chao!
Adiós!
Hasta Luego!

Applying for a Peru Visa??? Ways to ensure a quick and smooth APPROVAL..

Personally speaking, the only painful part in the whole planning of a trip is-to get the visa approval in time without much hassle.The reason it is so painful is because no matter how much effort one puts in ensuring, that all the documents are in place and every box on the check list is ticked- one can never be sure on whether in the end, they will get a visa or not.

I was in the same predicament, when I decided to apply for my PERU visa, for a trip which I had to commence in three weeks. I had read online that for the citizens holding an American passport, the visa could be received at the airport after arrival or at the border(in case of using the ground transport). I for few days was very lax, thinking it would be the same for the rest of the world as well. But, I was wrong.

At the last minute, I decided to check online for the requirements for the Peru visa for an Indian passport holder. Thank god I did that, else I would have been in a situation where I would have been sent back home from the Peru border for not having completed the visa formalities.

Passport holders of countries not requiring to apply for a Visa in advance:

If you hold the passport of any of the countries listed below, then you don't have to bother applying for the visa in advance, and instead when you land at the Lima airport, you will just be required to fill up an Immigration Card. Based on it, you will be granted a stay of up ti 183 days.

- North America    : Citizens of the United States, Canada and Mexico

- Central America : Citizens of all C.American countries(exception Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Rep.)     
- South America   : Citizens of all South American countries
- Europe                : Citizens of all countries within the European Union and Switzerland
- Africa                  : Citizens of South Africa
- Asia                     : Citizens of Brunei, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, -  Philippines, Singapore and Thailand
- Oceania              : Citizens of Australia and New Zealand           
               
Passport holders of countries that require to apply for a Visa in advance:

The citizens of India, Pakistan, China and All African countries(except South Africa); need to apply for a Peruvian visa in advance and need to present the same, at the time of entering the country. The requirements are very simple and basic, and in my experience the embassy is not fussy unlike others that I have experienced in the past.

Since I currently reside in Ecuador(but am an Indian passport holder),I had to approach the Consulate of Peru(Consulado de Peru) in Guayaquil to submit the required documents. 

The required documents that need to be submitted are:

• Written request stating the reason for the travel and time required stay in the Peru.(A simple word document stating that you are traveling for tourism purpose is sufficient. Refer attached image.)
• Proof of legal residency in the country you are applying for the visa.
• Passport with validity not less than six (6) months.
• Passage of entrance and exit of the Peru reserve.(If traveling by bus, please mention the same in the written request. No tickets required in this case.)
• Reservation of hotel or tour package.(If backpacking, and not booked hotels in advance, only provide the hotel reservation confirmation of your first city stop in Peru. Refer attached image.)
• Demonstrate economic solvency, copies of State of current account, savings or credit cards from the last month.
• Negative certificate of criminal record.

Once I had the set ready, I went and submitted the same at the counter of the Consulate. After the person had checked all the documents and was convinced of their correctness, he asked me to return after 4 days with a payment receipt of USD 30 from an affiliated bank(check from the counter for the bank details). All this was done in less than 15 minutes.

On day 4, I was back and voilà, my visa had been APPROVED.

I got my photograph for the visa clicked there at the consulate, and submitted my passport. The next day at the same time, I had my visa in hand. My entry to Peru was now secured and assured :).

My experience at the consulate was very smooth and quick. In exactly 5 days(not including Sat and Sun when the offices are closed), I had my visa in hand. But the same might not always be the case in the Peruvian embassies/consulates across the world. So, don't take the chance and apply for the visa as soon as your travel dates are confirmed.

The links below were what I referred to when I was searching for details on the process of applying:
1)Travisa
2)Limaeasy

Hope the information was helpful. Any more questions, please feel free to write to me. Will try and help in the best way possible.


Till then

Chao!
Adiós!
Hasta Luego!

7 Steps for the PERFECT backpack trip across PERU and BOLIVIA..

After many months of deliberation and contemplation, by the time I finally made up my mind about going ahead with my desire to do a solo backpack trip to parts of S.America, I had only a month or so left to plan everything out. Two months later I was to be back in India for a family function, and I wasn't sure how long would I be staying there. So it was NOW or NEVER.

That left me with hardly any time to apply for visas, research on places to stay, how to travel, what cities to visit and most importantly the time and money required. Initially, I was keen to do an Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile trip. But considering I had limited time in my hand(a month), limited budget(USD 2000) and taking into the fact that I had already managed to see almost all of Ecuador(I currently reside in Guayaquil), I decided to cut down my travel plans and to travel only to the heart and soul of South America(from a backpackers angle), i.e. to Peru and Bolivia.

With so much to do in such a restricted time frame, the best idea would be to do it methodically. I suggest divide your plans into major headings and then dedicate days on getting the nitty gritty's right for it. The broad headings that you can divide your research is into:

1) Visa Applications and Approvals.
2) Countries to visit (depending on time frame and budget).
3) Cities to visit.
4) Mode of travel and journey time.
5) Days to spend in each city depending on the things to do. 
6) Hotels/Hostels to stay and making the bookings.
7) Tally the approximate cost of the trip(inc. travel,stay, food and misc. items) with the set budget.

The base of all these points mentioned above is the word that I feel I use the most in all my blogs. RESEARCH.

Trust me, the reason I talk about it so much is because with every new article you read online, you get a different perspective of a particular thing which might actually be the reason for making your upcoming trip, GREAT instead of just a GOOD.

And so, that's how I began.


I) Visa Applications and Approvals:

While finding out about the process and the kind of documents required for visa is an easy task, the implementation of application and getting an approval might take you time. Hence, your first task has to be to collect all your documents and submit them at the nearest embassy.

While for most American citizens the visa can be obtained at the airport or at the border(in case traveling by bus), the same is not the case for other passport holders. Since I hold an Indian passport, I required to get the visa before hand. It's anyways my policy to not leave things for the last moment and so decided to drop my documents at the Peru embassy in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I will be covering the detailed process in my subsequent blog.
Since there was no Bolivian embassy in my city, I decided to apply for the same in Lima, Peru.

Click the below links to know about the visa requirements for PERU and Bolivia, depending on which country's passport you hold.
1) Embassy of Peru
2) Embassy of Bolivia

It took me exactly a week to get my visa, and I was extremely happy about that. But to be on the safer side, take the approval time as 10-15 days.

II) Countries to visit (depending on time frame and budget):

In the beginning of actually formulating a plan, all that you know for sure is- how much time you can afford to be off on the road, and how much money can you spare for the same. 
Once you have these 2 parameters set, you can start planning around it. For me I had: 1 month to travel and USD 2000 to spare.

People have done it at much lesser as well, and so don't worry if your budget is lesser. You might have to drastically cut down on the type of food(only local) and kinds of places you stay(only hostels); but it is manageable. 

With only one month to spare, I started reading a lot of the internet for suggestions of backpackers who had done a similar trip before; and one thing that was common was that- if you want to enjoy S.America then don't rush it. Thus I decided to cover 2 countries in depth over the 4 weeks and because Peru and Bolivia seemed to have the most to offer in terms of sights to visit as well as in terms of the reasonable prices; I decided to go ahead with these countries.

III)  Cities to visit:

After having shortlisted the countries that I had to visit, the next task was to further break down my research on what were the cities worth visiting in these countries. Since I would be starting my journey from Ecuador, the logical path would obviously be to start from the north of Peru and then slowly move towards the south till you reach Bolivian border and then cross over to explore rest of Bolivia.

Best way would be to keep a Peru and Bolivia map in front of you, to get an idea of what would be the path that you should follow. Highlight all the major tourist cities on the map, by referring to TripAdvisor and Lonely planet on recommended cities to visit.

IV) Mode of travel and journey time:

If you are planning to backpack in literal terms like me, then it means taking the BUS, 90% of the times. The bus services in S.America are well connected to almost all cities. While the bus service in Bolivia is rough and a little uncomfortable, but it still is majorly popular amongst all the tourists and the locals. There are bus companies like Cruz del Sur, Ormeo and Flores and they have better services and are safer as compared to others. A little expensive, but will definitely lead you to being tension free while traveling.

Once you have the list of cities to visit in front of you on the map, use the link http://www.rome2rio.com/ to research the distance between one city to the next and the preferred mode of travel.I find this link really helpful as it depicts in a map of where you are traveling to and also in case the journey is long, it gives you an idea of where to probably make an overnight stop.

If you are okay with traveling by overnight buses, taking in consideration the safety issues, then the benefit would be that you would be saving a lot of those precious morning hours which you can spend exploring the city and also be saving on half a days cost of the hostel you book.

Personally, I feel more comfortable to be traveling in the daylight as I can get to my hostel easily without getting spooked out with the thought that every taxi driver is a kidnapper or a robber ;/. So maximum 8 hours traveling and then a halt for at least a day. If the city had a lot to offer, the number of days would automatically increase till I covered all that on my 'things to do' list.

V) Days to spend in each city depending on the things to do:

Again I took the help of the net to research on what are the cities that were on my list- famous for. In fact, after deciding on the countries that you will visit, do a broad research on the most famous and popular destinations in that country. For eg, for Peru it will include Machu Picchu, Colca Canyon, Nasca lines etc and similarly for Bolivia it will be Salar de Uyuni, Lake Titicaca, biking on the Worlds most dangerous road etc.

So make sure that all these are on your list of things to do. When you read reviews and personal experiences of people, you will also get an idea of ideally how many days to spend in the city. For eg. all reviews will suggest that you spend at least 3 days in Cusco, Peru to acclimatize before going on the Inca trail, or, most reviews will tell you not to waste too many days in Puno, Peru as there isn't much to see. Thus make use of all this information when making your itinerary.

VI) Hotels/Hostels to stay and making the bookings:

Once you have prepared the list of cities and the number of days to spend in each city, it is important to do a detailed online research of the recommended hostels in that city. You don't want to be in a position where you reach a city and have no idea where to ask the taxi driver to take you. Or a situation, where you end up paying a huge amount of money for a shitty room. You later realized that only if you had read the reviews(I rely on Tripadvisor, Bookings.com, Hostelworld and Lonely Planet), you would have known better.

And so, for every city that you have on the list- keep an excel sheet with the name, address and contact number of at least 3 hostels with a good rating. You can always make a choice of one or the other depending on availability of rooms and the price. 

I recommend that for the first four cities on your list, book in advance(bookings.com has free cancellation policy), as the chances of any delay in the first leg of the journey is rare. This was you are assured of having enough time to get settled to the idea of traveling alone and managing it well. 

You can keep making reservations for the next city, a day or two in advance so avoid the hassle of reaching the city and then searching.


VII) Tally the approximate cost of the trip(inc. travel,stay, food and misc. items) with the set budget:

Last but not the least, the most important thing to see is whether you are staying between the lines you drew at the beginning of all the planning.

Tally up all the costs of traveling(include major costs of tours for eg. Machu Picchu trek, Salar de Uyuni) and stay(appx costs available online) and another USD 500 for food and misc expenditure. This amount should ideally be a little lesser than your budget. If it is over, you know that you must try going for the cheaper place to stay and cut costs on traveling if possible.

For eg. if your travel cost including tours is USD 1000 and avg daily cost of a hostel is USD 15. Then the calculation is as follows:

1000+ (15*30)+500= USD 1950

So you would end up spending USD 2000-2200 and you are more or less on track.Obviously,this is us being positive and hoping we don't get mugged during our journey(Ouch).In such a scenario, having a credit card for emergencies is definitely a good idea.

With all these points in mind, you are all set with the PERFECT ITINERARY for your trip. 

I referred to the below links while making my itinerary and thus sharing the same with all of you. Definitely helpful:

1)http://leaveyourdailyhell.com/two-months-in-south-america/
2)http://www.southwindadventures.com/map/
3)http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/12-04/extended-travel-in-south-america.html
4)http://cravetotravel.blogspot.in/search/label/bolivia
5)http://www.priceoftravel.com/5080/exploring-salar-de-uyuni-salt-flats-bolivia-budget/
6)http://herpackinglist.com/2013/01/female-packing-list-south-america/
7)http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/wandertips/solo/

I might have given an overdose of information and a lot of homework before the upcoming trip; but it never ever harmed anyone to be well prepared.

So, all the best. Do let me know if the above tips were helpful and do share your experience and tips if any.

Keep reading for more of my blogs on travel.

Till then, 

Chao!
Adiós!
Hasta Luego!

Parque Historico, Guayaquil: The best place to witness a blend of NATURE AND HISTORY..

Usually the moment someone says the words- "Let's go to the park", I loose interest and immediately start walking the other way. According to me, a park is where kids go, it's where I would take my dog for a walk, it's where I would have gone as a kid for picnic with my friends. But now in the second half of my 20's(trying to hide my age desperately), I would no ways want to be seen anywhere even close to a park. 

But that one majorly boring day in the middle of the week, I was so desperate to venture out, that I decided to do the dreaded. I decided to go to a PARK.

In my defense, just a day before I had heard my Spanish professor go on and on about the beauty of a park in Guayaquil called Parque Historico, which was located in the midst of one of the best areas in town called Samborondon. And so, when my restless mind got fidgety the next day, I decided to go and visit the much talked about Parque Historico.

Located on Av Rio Esmeraldas, the park is open all days(except Mon when the zoo is closed) from 9 am-5 pm. I reached the entry of the park right after lunch time,and considering it was the middle of the week, my timing could not have been better. The park was almost empty and I had the place to myself.


As I was entering, I was given instructions by the guard- not to touch the birds, not to throw food for the animals and not to litter. Unlike some countries which like to make money at every possible opportunity, I admired that Ecuador was different. The entry to this popular tourist spot in was absolutely free of cost.

Once I started walking inside on the path way, I noticed the lush greenery surrounding me. Even though it was in the middle of the day; at a time when the sun is the strongest, I couldn't feel the heat. In fact on the contrary there was a slight chill in the air, thanks to the dense trees in the park. 

As I went deeper, I started hearing this loud, screechy noise of a bird. No actually of lots of birds. As I approached closer to the sound, I was amazed to see huge, colorful, vibrant and majorly energetic parrots all around me. What a sight it truly was..


While I enjoyed admiring this beauties, the extremely loud noise of these naughty birds made me move on ahead. A little further down, I came across a wooden bridge and was told by a passerby that I might be able to spot few crocodiles. And I sure did. I only got a glance before it vanished, but something was better than nothing.

Continuing further, I saw ducks and swans flapping around in the water body. I realized that they seemed to be challenging few flamingo's for a 'who is the fastest swimmer' competition. 3 pink flamingo's and 2 black ones were least bothered by the others and were lost in their own world. This was the first time I had come across a black Flamingo and tried my best to get good pics of the bird. My efforts went in vain though.

The next 15 minutes I spent clicking few pictures of relaxing deer's and sleeping sloths.

Soon, I arrived into a clearing and right in front of me was this huge, daunting building with a toy train parked in front. This building was the Casa(home) Julian Coronel, who was an established doctor of Guayaquil from the 18th century. There were two floors to this building, with the top floor as his residence and the ground floor for his medical practice. The view from the top floor was breath taking.

After the museum I headed back to the path of the park, and moved on further till I reached a huge garden with swings and slides for kids to play in. Next to it, were few shops selling cold drinks, ice creams and other snacks. 

But what caught my eye, was the sparkling white building of a church. I walked toward the church as if it had magnetic powers and found myself staring at the architecture for the next 10 minutes.


Now, I realized why this park was so famous amongst locals and the tourists. Not only was the space that it occupied huge, but each corner of the park had a different hidden treasure for one to discover. There were beautiful birds, lush green trees, different animals and reptiles, gorgeous flowers in the garden, a museum and a church. What more could a person ask for when searching for some peace and quiet.
I spent close to 2 hours in a place which initially I had dreaded coming to, and had ended up loving it from the bottom of my heart. I have found the place where I can find my true self, if and when I feel lost. I highly recommend a visit to the beautiful Parque Historico, to any and everyone who happens to Guayaquil. You will not regret it for sure.

This is where I picture myself  

Sitting & thinking my deepest thoughts,

Discovering my biggest fears,

Learning from my gravest mistakes and

Accepting what life has in store for me.

Hope to be back soon in this beautiful place.

Till then, 

Chao!
Adiós!
Hasta Luego!

Hotel/Restaurant Bambu, Canoa Beach, Manabi- Great FOOD and Great VIEW.

Restaurant       : Restaurant Bambu
Address             : Right at the end of main lane adjacent to Canoa Beach.    

What's Special?: Crepes, Sea-food and the wonderful view of the clean beach, blue water and the high waves.

Hotel/Restaurant Bambu maybe the most popular place in Canoa, and this we realized when we landed up at the door step confident that we would just walk in and get a room for the night. We realized we were hugely mistaken as soon as we saw the number of people waiting at the reception.

Just a nod by the receptionist and we got the message- NO ROOMS AVAILABLE.

Just our luck. Never the less, I loved the place the moment I stepped in. The vibe was so beachy. I decided that even if we wouldn't get the opportunity to stay in this beautiful hotel, but at least we could come and enjoy our meals here.

So ALL our meals- BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER we had in the Bambu restaurant. We just could not get enough. 

Imagine having butter garlic prawns with rice and steamed veggies sitting out in the patio, facing the beach. I would love to spend all my waking moments here without a doubt.

Restaurant Bambu offers an indoor and an outdoor sitting. The interior decorations are simple yet perfect. Outside, you will find lush green trees, blossoming bushes, wooden decorative pieces and even a wooden bench press. Heights of being health conscious:).


Once we got settled, we went straight to ordering food. Below are the dishes we tried in the three meals that we had in this restaurant.


1)Drinks:
- Mixed Batido(Milkshake with Coconut and pineapple)
- Blackberry Juice
- Simple Mojito

2)Main Course:
- Bambu breakfast(Scrambled eggs, fruit, tea and juice)
- Chicken and Mushroom Crepe
- Garlic butter prawns with rice and veggies
- Chicken with rice

3)Desert:
- Chocolate and banana Crepe

 Each and every meal that we had here, left us more than satisfied. In fact in between waiting for our meals we also had the option of keeping ourselves occupied by playing pool, table tennis or sitting in the reading section and reading books/magazines contributed by tourists who have stayed in the hotel over time.

All in all, the experience of Hotel Bambu was memorable. Next time I am in Canoa, I will make sure to book a room in advance and get an opportunity to enjoy the rooms, the food and the ambiance all at once.

madaboutDEE.SCORECARD FACTORS                 SCORE(Out of 10) Ambiance  10 Food  8 Service  7 Value for Money  9

You can also refer to the below links which are the other recommended places to stay and eat in Canoa:
1)Lonely Planet
2)Tripadvisor
3)Travbuddy

Hope the blog was useful.
Keep reading my blogs for more reviews on the food I have relished in the other restaurants I have been to.

Till then

Chao!
Adiós!
Hasta Luego!

Vintage Car Rally/Exhibition, Guayaquil

What : Vintage Car Exhibition
When : 19 July 2015
Where: Restaurant Tratoria Piccolo Mondo, Balsamos 504 e/. Las Monjas y Ebanos, Guayaquil,Ecuador

How would you like to be taken way back into time, and relish the collection of the beautiful vintage cars that people owned?
Well, I for one would love it.

In fact I happened to walk into one such exhibition by sheer luck. On a Sunday afternoon, while deciding on where to have brunch, we crossed a very popular restaurant in my part of the town of Guayaquil i.e. Urdesa. This restaurant is called Piccolo Mondo, very famous for its Italian flavors. But as we were passing by, we realized that this was no ordinary day at the restaurant and something was definitely up.On a closer look, this is what we saw: Beautiful, sleek, expensive looking vintage cars were parked on both sides of the road. What magnificent colors, what finesse and what glimmering bodies. I immediately had to figure out what was up. 

When we asked the manager, we were told it was an exhibition of classic vintage cars in town and it was one of the many events that they hold to ensure that their clients Sunday becomes more and more special.



This is what I call competitive edge and advantage. Well done guys.
Looking forward to the next event held in this amazing restaurant.

Keeping reading for more reviews and comments on events that I attend.



Till then,

Chao!
Adiós!
Hasta Luego!

The Magic Bean Restaurant, Quito: Relish every BITE.

Restaurant       : The Magic Bean
Address             : Juan León Mera, Quito, Ecuador           
What's Special?: The 'Chilled out'Ambiance, their book collection, free coffee if you order one the dishes on the Recommendations list, Pancakes, Grilled trout and the huge portion of Huevos Rancheros(Flour Tortillas smothered in Sautéed Onions, Green and Red Peppers, Refried Beans and a Special Sauce; covered with 2 Fried Eggs and topped with Cheese)

Word of Mouth-The best form of publicity for any kind of service. For me, I take decisions 70% by going on what I hear and 30% by my instincts. Specially when in a new place, with only few days at hand, I want to make sure that I get to see and do the best of what the place has to offer.

And hence, when it comes to choosing restaurants I am no different. I ask a lot of people for their suggestions and recommendations, I read a lot of online reviews, I take advice of my guru: Google Baba and then after all the research, I decide where I want to eat.

Similar steps were followed when we(my husband and I) were deciding where to have a late lunch after having gone for a the Old Town tour in Quito. I had heard about this restaurant called 'The Magic Bean' in La Mariscal and was convinced that I wanted to try it for myself.

So that very fine day, we found ourselves entering The Magic Bean restaurant. Even though it was almost 4 pm, the place was still quite active.

There were people working on their laptops and sipping a cup of coffee( maybe writing similar blogs like this), people chatting away with their companions, a group of back packers sharing their stories and experiences of their day etc. In fact Magic Bean is a restaurant cum hostel and thus many people chilling in the patio near the bar were all residents of the hostel.

I loved the energy and zest in the air of this restaurant and immediately settled down to take it all in. 

The noisy little hunger monsters seemed to be playing rugby inside my stomach and I was forced to place my order as soon as I sat down. One look at the menu, and I had decided what I wanted. Soon we placed the order and this was it:

1)Drinks:
- Passion Fruit Smoothie
- Banana Bam Bam Shake(Strawberry, Banana and Coconut)

2)Starter/Salad: 
- None(decided to skip to main course)

3)Main Course: 
- Steamed Tilapia(Fish with spicy lemon sauce)

- Fruit Granola(With Fruit, Yogurt and Honey)

4)Desert 

- Blackberry Pancakes(Sautéed with sugar and spices)

madaboutDEE.SCORECARD
FACTORS	SCORE(Out of 10)
Ambiance	9
Food	8
Service	7
Value for Money	7

To know whats more on the menu check out the link:
http://magicbeanquito.com/menus/

Now, that is what you call a full course meal. Not only was I satisfied, it seemed that so were the hunger monsters who after such a hearty meal would not wake up till the next day for sure.

While The Magic Bean might be a tad bit expensive as compared to the other places around this area, but I say TRY IT. You won't regret it.

Know more from their Website           : http://magicbeanquito.com/

If you want to know more about my views on some of the places I visited, stayed, ate in etc in Quito,you can read my other blogs:

1)About Quito: Paradise between Volcanoes- Day 1

2)About Quito: Paradise between Volcanoes- Day 2

3)Hotel Posada Tambuca,Quito: Reasonable and Comfortable

4)Sher-e-Punjab Restaurant, Quito: Reminiscing India while in Ecuador
5)About Quito: Paradise between Volcanoes- Day 3

You can also refer to these other articles which I found helpful while looking for an ideal place to eat while in this town:

1)The culture trip

2)Fodors Trave

3)Tripadvisor Review

Keep reading for more reviews and comments from my side.

Till then
Chao!
Adiós!
Hasta Luego!