On our first day in Quito, we book a walking tour of the Old City through ToursByLocals.com. He is an older gentleman, pleasant enough, but he is neither a local (he’s American, transplanted here), nor does he take us on a tour. He’s terribly...
After a long day of touring in Quito and Mindo, what a gift it is to come home to Casa el Eden, a bed and breakfast right in the heart of the Old City. Beautiful wooden doors open on a frescoed hallway, which, in turn, opens on an airy central...
Any tour that starts with a shot glass full of liquid chocolate is a good tour. And that’s how things begin at the Mindo Chocolate Makers tour. Once we’re seated in the cheerful cafe, Jose Meza (one of two owners) brings us a brownie with a sidecar...
I’m not sure what to expect from a “butterfly garden,” but Diego, our excellent guide in Quito and Mindo, tells us the Hosteria Mariposas is something we need to see. Still dripping wet and slimy with mud from our hike into the...
I am two hours into a hike to Cascada la Reina, “The Waterfall of the Queen.” The slimy, treacherous trail is often no more than two feet wide. On one side, the path is bounded by the wall of the mountain: clay, twisted roots, ferns...
For the first time ever, we’re waking the narrow streets of the Old City in Quito, Ecuador. Before arriving, we purchased a walking tour of Quito from ToursByLocals.com. Our guide is polite and nice enough, but because he has no sense of story...
My heart goes out today to friends and family in my home state of Alabama. Marriage rights are secure in thirty-seven of fifty states. More than seventy percent of Americans live in areas where gay and lesbian people may marry. The nation’s...
We’re at Chef Russ Pysell’s house, gathered around a table with six other folks, celebrating Valentine’s Day a week early. He and his partner, Paige Kelly, greet everyone who arrives with big, warm hugs and an Axis Kiss: a custom...
On a chilly Thursday night, we drop in on Mi Cocina, Peachtree Street’s own branch of the Texas-based Tex-Mex chain. With temperatures plummeting, it’s a good night for their tomato-based tortilla soup, which comes studded with chicken...
If you like my MadeByMark.com posts about food and travel, you’re going to love MillionMileMark.com, where writing about food and travel is all I do. Later this year, I’ll have flown over a million miles. These days, business travelers often...
