Quito Ecuador

My first glimpse of Quito was on the drive from the airport to my hotel, it was midnight and there was no one on the streets, it seemed an empty city but for the cars and trucks on the roads. The hotel I had booked ahead is located in the area called old town and turned out to be good choice, though no internet, it was immaculately clean and my large room was comfortable. The hotel is a converted colonial house with all the rooms facing an interior courtyard mine was on the second floor the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Quito is the second highest city in the world, the air a little thinner then I am used to so I was a bit breathy and did not sleep well the first night. Morning brought beautiful blue skies, streets full of people, peddlers, buskers and lots of policeman who seemed to be everywhere, very reassuring after having read all the dire warnings about Quito's crime.

I have been to 6 or 8 of the colonial cities of Mexico, south and central America I love them, Quito's historical center, old town, is the most beautiful I have seen. Like most of the colonial cities the historical center is a Unesco World Heritage site, it has been beautifully restored, it is not just the high altitude that takes your breathe away.

I spent the first couple of days just wondering the streets of old town visiting museums, churches, the Basilica, an amazing to see 19th century Gothic church. I had intended to take some day trips to surrounding areas but I just could not get enough of the city and decided to just wonder and enjoy. I did visit the new town and Mariscal Sucre which is the center of Quito's tourist infrastucture and enjoyed a nice lunch while sitting in an outdoor cafe and people watching.

On Tuesday I got brave enough to board a bus and head to La Mitad Del Mundo, The Middle of the World, located 22 kilometers north of Quito. I had to take a Metro bus and then transfer to Mitad Del Mundo bus which turned out to be fairly easy going. Cost of the trip one way was 80 cents. The place has a touristy nature but despite that I was thrilled to stand on the equator and than stand with one foot in each hemisphere. There is said to be an mysterious energy at the equator that I did not feel though I am sure it is true. I read in a guide book that the equator markings there are actually wrong but close, only 240 meters off the mark, close enough for me.

Odd and cool stuff: Tweeting birds are the cross signal at intersections in old town. I watched 2 street dogs standing alone at a really busy street crossing, I was worried they would get hit by a car, but no, when the light turned they walked across self trained to know when it was safe to cross. One of the restaurants where I ate was filled with religious paintings and statues, on the wall beside the table where I sat enjoying a beer were framed pictures of Jesus after dying on the cross. There were shelves filled with all manner of religious articles except one shelf right in the middle of a row held vintage Coke bottles and glasses, odd.

What I ate in Quito: Pizza, the delicious crust tasted of buttery olive oil, the cheese so thick I could not chew through it I had to cut the slice into pieces, fresh tomatoes so sweet and full flavored, just so good. Potato soup creamy and filled with chunks of potatoes, fresh cheese and avocado, I could eat this every day and never tire of it. Shwarmas filled with chicken sliced off a pole that was layered with chicken breasts and cooked over charcoal. Sanduches de pernil, cold pork sandwich served on a soft fresh roll the pork topped with those delicious tomatoes, chopped lettuce and red onion, yum. For breakfast I got yogurt with granola on the top, a banana, orange juice from the grocery store and would eat it in the Plaza Grande while watching whatever ceremony was taking place that day.

What I did not eat: Cuy, roasted guinea pig, caldo de tranquit, bull penis soup, caldo de pata, cow hoof soup, guatita, tripe in peanut sauce. All national dishes. I would have tried secos de chiva, goat stew, but it is mostly served for breakfast and I just was not up for it early morning though I look forward to trying it at some point.

What things cost: Ecuador's official currency is the American dollar. Morning breakfast from the grocery store was $1.47. A 3 liter bottle of Dasani bottled water 61 cents. The pork sandwich $1.50. The potato soup along with a huge salad I could not finish and a quart of good pillsener beer and tip $10.50. The pizza along with a pint of beer and tip $7.00. Shwarmas $1.75. Taxi's are cheap I do not know the meter cost per kilometer but it took about 35 minutes from my hotel to the airport, cost was $6.00. My room was $20.00 per night. nothing fancy but clean and right in the middle of old town, location perfect.

The weather is perfect for me, 20-21 degrees C every day, beautiful blue skies until mid afternoon, rain for about 20 minutes than blue skies again until night when the temperature drops to about 15 degrees, just right for sleeping.

I took so many pictures of the beautiful things and places I seen. I got a picture of myself with one foot in each hemisphere at the equator and then I left my camera in a taxi so no pictures. I guess I will just have to do it all over again when I return to catch my flight to Canada. I left Quito on Wednesday to fly to Cuenca, it's historic center another Unesco World Heritage site.