Hola to all. Our second day in Quito was more laid back than our first day there. We walked about 4 blocks from our hotel to Carolina Park. It is one of the largest parks in the city, and is the location of the Jardin Botanical Garden. We spent close to 3 hours walking through there, and could have spent another 30 minutes or more as we realized we didn’t go through the Bansai section of the Botanical Garden. Ecuador is known for the beautiful roses that are grown here and shipped world wide. We took many photos of roses, orchids, and many other flowers that were in full bloom. I will just post the photos and make a few comments. Enjoy.
Roses. All sizes and colors. The second rose is as big as Deb’s hand!
Orchids galore. Some species are only as big as a match head. The last one is the Dracula Orchid.
The above four photos are of a species of flowers known as nepenthes. These flowers get most of their nutrients from the soil, but not enough. These plants close their openings on any insect, bug, or small animal such as a frog that may venture into their pouch. A frog!
Cacti, some as small as a pencil eraser, some over 15 feet tall.
This was my favorite cactus. The white specks you see are small pins sticking out. I had never seen a cactus that looked like this.
Various flowers of every color, shape and size.
This flower hung upside down from a tree. We don’t know what the name of it is, but we were both fascinated by the color and details of this flower. Slightly bigger than an egg, delicate looking, and beautiful.
After walking through the Jardin Botanical Garden, we strolled into Carolina Park. Here are a few of the photos we took there.
The above photo is of a fountain in the park. The bird depicted is the Andean Condor, the national bird of Ecuador.
Hummingbirds abound in this country. Luckily for us real ones aren’t quite this large!
Food booths selling typical Ecuadorean food. Many people were eating at the various booths along the way. So…….
I had to sample a plate, right? This plate was a full meal. Pork, rice and beans, veggies, plantain, pico de gallo, and a variety of sauces I could top it off with. The pork was done well, crispy on the outside, not tough at all. Tasty, very flavorful plate. The cost? $3.
Quito. Hope you enjoyed the blogs about our trip there. We had a great time.
Pura Vida.
Deb & Tim.
Deb & Tim's Adventure 