Quito - Ecuador

Sorry this has taken a while to post.  I didn't manage to write/post about Quito before leaving for the Galapagos, and there was just no free time or internet access down there to be able to do anything!

Quito, the second highest capital city in the world, behind La Paz in Bolivia (I'll be there between Xmas and New Year!) and is only a few miles from the equator. For me, Quito has been serving as a transfer point for several trips, down to the Galapagos, out to the cloud forest, and down to the Amazon, so I'm in and out of the city over a period of just over 2 weeks, another reason for not getting this post out sooner as I want to try to keep all the Quito stuff together in one post.

All Quito Photos can be found here.

In Ecuador they use US dollars which makes things fairly simple cash wise, and take credit cards too, but always want to know your passport number when you give it over (one place wanted my phone number, address, email and passport number.  I looked up the Spanish for "would you like to know my shoe size too" which got a laugh.)

I was given a very warm welcome by Kester, a friend of a mutual friend (Jamie Thom). Kester was at GUGS at the same time I was, but I don't think we were ever in the same game!  He got a bunch of his ex-pat friends together and took me out for dinner on my first night there.  Was great fun and really nice and eye-opening to hear their tales of living here and get their frank views on Quito!

I definitely felt the effects of the altitude there. Occasional bouts of breathlessness for no apparent reason, general inability to do anything mildly strenuous without getting out of breath, light-headedness, and being really tired a lot of the time.  OK, so this sounds like me normally, but trust me, it was more significant here and even more pronounced when I went up the TeleferiQo to the top of the mountain (see later)!

A bit of exploring (with puffing and panting) around the Old Town in Quito was nice.  The Basilica there allows you up into the roofspace, out onto the roof and up the tower too!  Nice views from there.

This last one is a view of "Our Lady of the Cupcake" named for the hill she stands upon. This is apparently an unusual depiction as she has wings.

Other Old Town explorations (with Mum and Dad) included the cathedral which also allowed you up on the roof. Great views there of the other old town roofs and the large protest by taxi drivers in the main square.

The TeleferiQo in Quito lifts you nearly 1000 meters up (in around 18 minutes) to around 4000 meters. I went up twice, with mum and dad and the first time with a lovely gaggle of American ladies (they called themselves something like "The association of old mums and ladies exploration core". Most of them were from Salt Lake City, so had no trouble at all with the altitude. I on the other hand was quite short of breath. Both times were cloudy, so I didn't see the 7 or so volcanic peaks around Quito, but it was pretty nonetheless.