Well, we awake, from a rather restless sleep! To tell you more about our accommodation,- the curtains are so thin, they are not worth having up, the window is rotten, (guess who spotted that?), the bathroom is about the size of a caravan one! Other than that, it´s fine! The sheets and towels are clean, if not a little worn! Oh, it is also cold. It was 10 degrees when we landed, and our landlord tells us it gets up to about 18 during the day. So, out come the fleeces, that we have vacum packed into special bags thanks to Lucy, that are at the bottom of our rucksacks (they really do work!). The breakfast at the ´hotel´ is quite good, fruit, breads and eggs.
The currency here is the American dollar (for some reason). We catch the bus to the old part of the city, this is after we have worked out how! You put 25 cents into a machine and go through a turn-style, then you can go as far as you like on the bus, it´s very cheap!
Sunday is the perfect day to go, as they block of the main streets. There are cyclist´s everywhere. We wonder around the bustling streets, which are full of singers, musicians, street performers and artists and it it only 11 a.m.
We then get a taxi up to Le Panecillo, - the Virgin of Quito, it stands on a very high hill over-looking the city. We have never seen anything quite like it! A 360 degree view of Quito. Literally, buildings as far as the eye can see! At the top there are some traditional dancers too, what a bonus!
We stop for something to eat, the menu is all in Spanish, we get our phrase book out. (Matt has been practicing and is actually very good.) The waiter comes to take our order and he speaks quite good english, he suggests this ´combo chicken lunch´. We start off with a lovely chicken broth with veg, and I (Netty) get a chicken foot in mine! yum! This is followed by half a roast chicken, rice, chips and salad, all very tasty and for $8.50 only.
We make our way back, deciding we will spend one more night here and try to do a tour or something, before we start making our way south.
Just get back, when it pours with rain. It is so cold, (no heaters in the rooms!), we get under the covers to read, write journal and play cards!
