Where in the world is Lani?

Quito is a strange place. A contradiction really.

On one end of the city you have the "New Town" which reminds me alot of Beaumont Street or Darby Street in Newcastle. Its cosmopolitan - cafés, restaurants, hostels and hotels nestled amongst funky designer shops selling western levi´s and groovy t-shirts. The New Town (known by the locals as the Mariscal) is where I have been staying (at the lovely Crossroads Hostel http://www.crossroadshostal.com/)

Banks, shops, offices and travel agencies cluster like grapes on a vine, and the sidewalk cafes are the place to be seen with a cold beer and a pizza. Andean bands play occasionally in the plaza at Jorge Washington, though in the background the cafés continue to pump out Coldplay or Faithless. There have been many lovely things to do here in New Town - galleries, coffee breaks, street art and just wandering the streets "people watching." All the funky Ecudaorians congregate here in the evenings and listen to hip tunes while sipping cocktails or lattes. I love it!

Quito's Old Town is a wonder, blocks and blocks of colonial architecture, some of it dating to the mid 1500s when the Spanish founded the city. Vintage facades line the streets and large open plazas are surrounded by cathedrals and public buildings. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.

Quito is said to have at least 86 magnificent churches, occupying up to one quarter of the city's area. Most are accompanied by convents or monasteries. Large, blank exterior walls symbolize the division between the outer and inner world, where nuns from wealthy and poor backgrounds worship side by side.

The "Old Town" reminds me alot of the Rocks area in Sydney. Massive, ornamental buildings line the streets, side by side with massive plazas and the biggest churches I have ever seen. Yesterday I visited the Church of San Fransisco - gilt laden in gold from floor to roof! Amongst the older buildings are small galleries holding wonderful art from Ecuadorian artistes. Yesterday I was mesmorised by the works of Jaime Zapata, which filled the metropolitan gallery here in Quito.

So, I can´t decide whether I like the old stuff better than the new stuff??? I just like it all....

Signing off from Quito

Lani