I forgot about the wonder of the frutería.

Being from Wisconsin, we have lots of good food. Cheese curds, ice cream, steak, some corn and apples that are out of this world.

However, some other parts of the planet have got a leg up on a few tropical fruits — not to mention fruits I never even knew existed (Guanabana, tamarindo, tomate de árbol)…

I still remember the first time I had a piña (pineapple) in Ecuador and remember thinking — I have never tasted a pineapple so juicy, so sweet, so breathtaking before.

One of the perks of travel — to wonder.

All this to say, I went back to one of the fruterías that originally blew my mind four years ago, and it hit me all afresh —

Fruit in Latin America (or at least Ecuador) is unbelievably delicious and so unbelievably inexpensive.

I walked out with a LOADED crate of fruit that should get a household of 10 through a week for about 20 bucks. What would sell in the states for 5-10 dollars sells here for 1. No joke.

10-12 clementines for a dollar.

A bag of blackberries (at least twice as much as the little cartons they sell in the States) for a dollar.

Same for strawberries, grapes, everything.

Two dollars for a whole papaya (and they come much bigger here.)

I could go on.

So I’m here to tell you, if you get the chance, experience the wonders of a frutería for yourself.

Just be careful to not eat the fruit or vegetables you don’t peel without soaking in a special disinfectant solution first (like Kilol).

Just look at these pics. And imagine the sweet taste, then the cheap price.

A fruit lover’s paradise.

Find more things to do in The Quito Bucket List: Sights Edition