Quito - The Centre of the World
After conquering Quilotoa, Lachie and I rolled into Quito feeling pretty exhausted. After negotiating the city's public transport to get our hostel (they change the bus routes after 8pm for some reason), we knocked back a well earned beer and collapsed into bed.
Our hostel was in a great spot in the old city, with a rooftop area that gave us this view...
Seriously this place is just endlessly picturesque. It reminded me a lot of La Paz, only without the crippling food poisoning, drab brick buildings and poor weather.
I spent my first day doing a walking tour, which was good even though our guide was clearly more interested in the ladies in the group than the tour itself. We saw a lot of the old town, including the beautiful Plaza Mayor, several magnificent churches, markets and government buildings. The guide took pains to remind us that most of the old Spanish buildings were built on the back of indigenous slaves, a depressing but necessary fact to keep in mind when touring South America.
The way people talk about the indigenous people themselves is pretty interesting. Quito was one of the last areas conquered by the Inka before the Spanish arrived, so Ecuadorians apparently see them as on a similar level to the Spanish as invaders of the area. The Inka conquered the area due to its proximity to the Equator - an important place for a theocratic society based on sun worship. However, in museums you will find more space and pride devoted to the smaller pre-Inka cultures of the area, which date back more than 5000 years, though many of them have left little more than pottery bowls to our modern hands.
The city itself is a vibrant place, with plenty to do. Over the 6 days I spent here I did:
- A ride on the Teleferico, the gondola that rises over 1000m to a mountain overlooking the city
- A 'ladies night' at a club in Plaza Fauche, where the men were literally locked behind a gate until 10pm while the ladies got the dancefloor and free drinks. Honestly, I still feel a bit dirty from the experience.
- A climb up the towers of the neo-gothic Basilica, built in 1988
- A walk through the pretty La Ronda neighbourhood of the old town, where posh ladies once waited in the windows to flirt with the dashing local caballeros, the Spanish gentlemen
- Many trips to the local market to sample the incredible variety of fruits and juices, all produced in Ecuador, along with delicious local foods such as encebollada soup
- A Salsa class, which was only mildly humiliating
- And of course, a visit to the Northern Hemisphere at Ciudad Mitad del Mundo!
From here I will cross straight into Colombia, leaving Ecuador and the Southern Hemisphere behind. I can honestly say, my experience of Ecuador was far better than I expected, and I barely saw most of it! I recommend everyone to spend some serious time in this little country and I will be making a return trip in the near or distant future.
Our hostel was in a great spot in the old city, with a rooftop area that gave us this view...
Seriously this place is just endlessly picturesque. It reminded me a lot of La Paz, only without the crippling food poisoning, drab brick buildings and poor weather.
I spent my first day doing a walking tour, which was good even though our guide was clearly more interested in the ladies in the group than the tour itself. We saw a lot of the old town, including the beautiful Plaza Mayor, several magnificent churches, markets and government buildings. The guide took pains to remind us that most of the old Spanish buildings were built on the back of indigenous slaves, a depressing but necessary fact to keep in mind when touring South America.
The way people talk about the indigenous people themselves is pretty interesting. Quito was one of the last areas conquered by the Inka before the Spanish arrived, so Ecuadorians apparently see them as on a similar level to the Spanish as invaders of the area. The Inka conquered the area due to its proximity to the Equator - an important place for a theocratic society based on sun worship. However, in museums you will find more space and pride devoted to the smaller pre-Inka cultures of the area, which date back more than 5000 years, though many of them have left little more than pottery bowls to our modern hands.
The city itself is a vibrant place, with plenty to do. Over the 6 days I spent here I did:
- A ride on the Teleferico, the gondola that rises over 1000m to a mountain overlooking the city
- A 'ladies night' at a club in Plaza Fauche, where the men were literally locked behind a gate until 10pm while the ladies got the dancefloor and free drinks. Honestly, I still feel a bit dirty from the experience.
 |
| The Basilica from the tower thing above the altar |
- A walk through the pretty La Ronda neighbourhood of the old town, where posh ladies once waited in the windows to flirt with the dashing local caballeros, the Spanish gentlemen
 |
| Encebollada (en-seh-boh-YA-dah), the Ecuadorean hangover cure: tomato, fish, onion, lime and potato, topped with popcorn for some reason |
- Many trips to the local market to sample the incredible variety of fruits and juices, all produced in Ecuador, along with delicious local foods such as encebollada soup
- A Salsa class, which was only mildly humiliating
- And of course, a visit to the Northern Hemisphere at Ciudad Mitad del Mundo!
 |
| Left leg north, right leg south |
From here I will cross straight into Colombia, leaving Ecuador and the Southern Hemisphere behind. I can honestly say, my experience of Ecuador was far better than I expected, and I barely saw most of it! I recommend everyone to spend some serious time in this little country and I will be making a return trip in the near or distant future.
 |
| I also ate a cheese flavour ice cream. Yeah...wouldn't really recommend |
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