Our trip back to Quito on the local bus went very smoothly. It was good to make the trip in daylight to appreciate the Andes and the construction of a road through them.
Our hotel, San Francisco,in the odl part of the city, is really nice and in the old Spanish style with a central courtyard.You need to go downstairs to a cafe for breakfast, and this breakfast is very poor.The hotel is a block away from Plaza Grande and we have been able to get our bearings reasonably quickly. There is a security guard at the entrance and you buzz to get in. The authorities seem to be doing a lot to improve the safety of the old town section. It seems ridiculous to read not to walk to the Virgin of Quito statue, as there have been serious muggings! There are security guards with doberman dogs all over the place and at some banks, they have machine guns! We have heard that now the Old Town is much safer than the modern part. However, we think it wise to say, you need to be on your guard with your person and your belongings, all the time.Also, iy is better to ask at the hotel desk, what the taxi fare should be and set the price for the fare with the driver, before you set out on your journey. We were told it was better to have a taxi with a metered fare, but we didn't come acroos one. We think the drivers cover it up, hoping to get an inflated fare!
The weather these days sees a storm or rain come in at around 3pm, so you need to plan to get outdoor things done by then.There have been some good downpours while we have been here.
After we arrived yesterday we visited the Church of La Campagnia. Well it is amazingly done in a Baroque style with much gold leaf, one of the richest churches in Sth America, and is stunning.
Today we set off early to go on the teleferiQo, a cablecar ride to one of the hills on the slopes of the active Pichincha volcano, but when we got there it was that hazy that it would have been a senseless trip as there was no view.So we got ourselves on to a local bus out to La Mitad del Mundo to do the usual touristy thing of taking a photo of ourselves on the equator. Funny though that it is not the real place of the equator.
We went to a little building around the corner later and heard a passionate talk by a young Equadorian scientist,a member of the group called Quitsato, about how the real equator is marked by an ancient site on a nearby mountain, Mount Catequilla, now being quarried!,set by the original inhabitants, over a thousand years ago. It was very interesting to hear about their work.
We also visited the house of Maria Augusta Urrutia a philantropist here,left as she had lived in it until her death in 1987.It is furnished and decorated with beautiful pieces from Europe,but the house is in Spanish style.
We had a spa and sauna this evening to recharge, and enjoyed a delicious meal, so we are ready to call it a day.
We have to organise and post home a box of goodies from the Otavalo markets. As there is no sea mail here, it will be fairly expensive to send a parcel home.
We still have not decided where to head. Will have to do some serious thinking tomorrow.
A later note...We did make it to the TeleferiQo and the ride up gave us a wonderful view of the city. Clouds covered the top of Pichincha for most of the time, but then we got a brief moment when we saw the top! For the older travellers, it is good to realise that you can get significant discounts,if you cask for pensioner fares.
We also visited the Museo de la Ciudad,a museum displaying everyday life through the centuries. It is expertly done and well worth a visit, even if the explanations are done in Spanish.The museum is in the building that was once a hospital. It is a beautiful place and we enjoyed a delicious set lunch looking out onto the courtyard.
This has been a really enjoyable few days here in Quito.
