A tourist in Quito
Trip Start
Sep 13, 2004
1
12
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Trip End
May 06, 2005
Quito,
Ecuador
Saturday, October 2, 2004
I started with a wander through the weekend market in Parque Ejido. Artists exhibit their paintings and there are handicrafts agogo, from which I purchased a bag which would identify me as a tourist even more than before. Then I headed for the old town, meandering around the streets and churches, before returning to the Banco Central's Quito museum. Now this really merited more time, being packed with ceramics and jewellery from thousands of years ago covering loads of civilisations up to Inca times, as well as religious paintings from the 1500s onwards that I didn't even get the chance to see. I never thought pots could interest me so much, but they really are incredible, in such good condition despite their age and so much detail in the work.
I checked into the hotel (a good few steps up from my usual standard), said a brief hello to the newly arrived jet lagged group, and headed off for the Gran Festival del Pasillo at the Casa Cultural. I had been warned, rightly, that this tended to appeal to an older age group, but I thought I should experience it anyway as it was there. There were 5 or 6 groups on the bill, and about 2 1/2 hours in we were on to the 3rd or 4th and I decided that my experience was complete. I quite enjoyed it. They were mostly love songs, and the artistes appealed a lot to the audience's pride in being Ecuadorian and upholding Ecuadorian traditions.
