Into the mountains
Trip Start
Jul 15, 2006
1
11
Trip End
Jul 31, 2006
Quito,
Ecuador
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Edwin called a couple of friends of the family and they picked us up in order to show us around town. We went to the old downtown core and walked around a bit. It is a very nice colonial style square with very well preserved buildings. We had dinner in a trendy touristy area. It was a multi level courtyard with each level full of shops and restaurants overlooking the center. The food was great and a native band added to the atmosphere. Probably the fanciest meal we ate the whole trip.
After checking out the local night life we called it a night. The night scene in Quito is very different from what we saw in Guyaquil. It is much more centralized and therefore seems more lively. There are numerous outdoor patios full of people.
The next day we headed to the center of the earth. It is a big monument located just north of the city. It is located on the equator and is a large tourist attraction. The central monument is a tall stone tower that houses an Ecuadorian museum inside. While hanging out on the balcony at the top of the tower, a local couple came up to me with a camera. I assumed they wanted me to take a picture of them with the mountainous scenery in the background, but it turned out the lady wanted to take a picture with me. I guess I'm an Ecuadorian celebrity :)
A painted line runs right through the park, indicating the Equator. All the tourists try to outdo each other as far as getting the most creative "hey look at me, I'm in two hemispheres" picture. A band and a few other festivities were also going on in a large stone square located in the middle of the "Medial del Mundo".
After we had our fill, we decided to leave the park. The cabbie outside told us about the "real" center of the earth as marked by the Incas. We decided to investigate. The cabbie took us over to a shady neighbourhood where we picked up a scruffy looking guy who would become our guide. After a complicated and probably really drawn out drive through beat up neighbourhoods we ended up at a foundation of some old ruins. A few other groups were also hovering about. The ruins were located in a pretty spectacular location surrounded by hills, but were not the center of the earth as promised.
We decided to lean on the guy a little bit more and he decided to drive us out to the "real" center of the earth. After an even longer drive we ended up climbing the side of a mountain. Now this part of the drive was a real heart stopper. We were driving on a sandy road around the side of the mountain. The road being so narrow, that the outside wheels were inches from hanging over the cliff. Sitting on the cliff side was definately more of an adrenaline rush then any roller coaster I've ever been on.
After the drive, we ended with a climb to the top of a mountain. At the top we found an old stone monument and spectacular views. Now I'm not sure if this was really the center of the earth, but the view alone was worth the trek. To top things off, on the way down, our guide took us to a sketchy looking house where folks were brewing "Puro", which is essentially very potent Ecuadorian moonshine. After stocking up on the stuff, we headed back to the hotel.
For dinner we decided to take the cable car "Teleferico" that leads to the top of a mountain overlooking Quito. The top of the mountain reminded me a little of Grouse mountain in Vancouver. The main complex had a nice restaurant in it and a few shops. Walking outside into the cold air and up a small path leads to an area overlooking the entire city. The vistas are incredible.
The dinner band
That night we headed out to a street full of bars and clubs. However, this being Sunday night, the area was pretty dead. We hung out with a few Columbian guys for a couple of drinks and eventually ended up calling it a night.
Overall Quito is a very scenic city. Due to it's highly elevated location in the mountains, the temperatures here are substantially colder than anywhere else I've travelled in Ecuador, but the amazing views more than make up for the weather. It was a good way to end off an incredible trip. We caught the flight back to Toronto early on Monday morning.
