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I was now finding it extremely difficult to deal with the shopping spree I had indulged in during my time in Otavalo. The 15 minute walk to the highway to flag a Quito-bound bus ruined me, and I now felt like I had so much more "stuff" to look after. It is always difficult to judge the size of a new town when first arriving, Quito was no exception to this. It is a monster. The total metropolitan area is something like 4000 square kilometres. The actual "centre" is elongated and runs north to south. I was shocked to be paying $9 for a 30 minute taxi ride to the old town (this is alot for a taxi in South America). Once I had finally found a decently priced hostel I think I just sat on the bed, looking at a map and trying to comprehend the size of the city, as well as putting together a game plan for visiting the most interesting parts in only a few days.
By sheer coincidence, there happened to be one of the most simple, yet coolest restaurant of the corner of my street. Usually plate of the day menus will have a few or more choices for the entree and main. This only had one, sometimes two, but they were always so good, and at only $2 it was the top spot for a nearby feed. By now I was used to the usual looks of bewilderment by locals seeing a huge, now bearded foreigner walk in and take a seat. I could only smile back, because it was actually pretty funny. I took the Old Town on first up, it is UNESCO World Heritage listed, and rightly so too, for it is really pretty. The main plaza is constantly alive with protests, musicians and businessmen. Away from that are the numerous old churches, government offices, museums and notable streets. The map I was given was the size of a small blanket, so everytime I pulled it out I had to sit down. Quito is just full of things to see, eat and enjoy. I headed south all the way to the bottom of main Quito, walking down some fancy streets, all cobbled with performers lining the footpaths. On the way back my attention was drawn again to the main plaza where there was a huge protest in the works. I must have stood there for an hour, enjoying the drumming band, singing, and music. I know protests happen because there is an injustice or dispute of some sort, but ironically it seemed to raise spirits for everyone (me included) and evoke feelings of joy and pure happiness. I followed the band down the street, along with swarms of other people. Realizing the time, I headed back toward my hostel, in search of a late night meal and fighting off some strange looking prostitutes (I think they were blokes) on the way, with cries of "hey handsome, wanna have some fun?" - No thanks... Never a dull moment in Quito!
I was stoked on the hostel's rooftop and treated myself to a breakfast overlooking some of the city (not much at all really, but it was sunny). My introduction to the world of hostel bed bugs had occurred that morning, and I was pretty keen to get the hell out of that room and into a less infested one. After breakfast I moved my things and headed up a small hill to a 360 degree lookout, which proved harder than I had anticipated, given the altitude (almost 3000m). The lookout gave me some idea of the giant that is Quito city. As far as the eye can see is urban, with the odd pocket of forest still yet to be cut down. It is a very mountainous region, so there are also houses propped on the side of slopes all the way to the top in some instances. The infamous haze that looms over the city was not as virulent nor visible as usual, which I'm sure my lungs were pleased about. I spent a while at the top, taking in all the chaos below me. Today was time to visit the New Town, a slightly ritzy, more posh area compared to the sometimes rough Old Town. There are plenty more parks in the New Town, I stopped to watch a volleyball game that became quite intense and heated as there had been bets placed on the match. The crowd was huge, like an unofficial sporting event, with women selling game snacks and drinks for the mostly male crowd.
The National Museum was also a nice visit, full of ancient jewellery, artwork, pottery and other artefacts from tribes, though it struggled to hold my attention as well as the volleyball match had. One thing I really liked about Ecuador and South America in general is the great deal of respect they hold for their ancestors or native people. Not just in museums but also in the schools (where some teach Quechua and Aymara), stores and even in the street. They are extremely proud of their heritage. Coming from Australia, I found this a huge contrast. Most of my time in the New Town was spent in the parks, I found a lot less to see than in Old Town. I took a bus to the Vivarium, a small zoo for reptile/amphibious species. On my way back to the hostel I stumbled across an enormous skatepark, which kept me occupied for an hour or so, just watching...
Dinner was a slight change from the usual stew with rice. In Ecuador, expecially around Quito and Latacunga are the chugchucara restuarants. Amazing fried pork, boiled wild corn, potatoes and fried plantains. It is one of the nicest things I've eaten. It's just not something you'd want to eat too regularly.
The next day I headed to Volcan Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. At almost 6000m, it is no slouch in the world of volcanoes, second in Ecuador only to Chimborazo. It was a particularly nice day, though slightly foggy, and that all changed once arriving at the beginning of the ascent towards the 5000m asl target. It started to rain ice, became more windy and consequently colder and generally unpleasant. I actually began to feel quite grim due to the altitude, and having exhausted most of the reccommended snack supplies (chocolate, bread, fruit etc) I was down to my last banana and a bottle of water. Luckily, it fixed me up nicely and we were on the way towards the top. We passed a half built refuge and continued to our 5000m stop. The feeling was surreal, though we were not actually on the summit, (you need special gear due to the ice) we had arrived at the start of the snowcapped peak. Posing for photos on the ice whilst trying not to slide down to certain injury, we eventually began the descent toward the bus, and made it just as the snow became heavier. At the end of it all was the amazing lunch - I had the sea bass which was perfect!
My last day in Quito saw the end to my run of lovely, sunny rooftop breakfasts. I was off to one of the main attractions to Quito - the Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world). Though it is not bang on 0 degrees latitude, yes there is an equator landmark just kilometres from Quito city, though it took me considerably longer to get there. The landmark itself is more of a small town or theme park. With museums, souvenier shops, parks and lots of restaurants. The equator itself is actually 300m north of the site, but I doubt they will be moving it anytime soon. As tourist attracting as it was, it still felt strange being at the middle of the world (almost). I was helped by some friendly locals on the way back to Quito, who ran up and down the bus asking people for directions back to town on behalf of me. They loved to help, and I found this an extremely kind gesture. Not wasting any time, I was back at the hostel and packed, ready to battle my way to the bus terminal. I made the stupid decision to catch a public bus. With 2 huge bags and a guitar, to say it was inconvenient was an understatement. The bus was packed! I almost had to stand on top of my things to make room. Eventually I had made it to the terminal in time for a bus to the much calmer town of Latacunga.
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