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I spent my first day in Quito exploring the Old Town.I was quite impressed by the many beautiful churches and Plaza's!The intricate Spanish architecture gives the district a sweet feel.The churches are decorated superbly (I´m not an exepert but I think you wouls call it Baroque). Two of them house over two tons of gold!I spent most of my time staring with a dropped jaw at the art and the detailed stone and wooden carvings and altars in these churches.I attempted a couple of museums, though the Spanish was waring me out by the second one and I lost patience in translating the information describing the exhibits, so needless to say I decided against anymore museums for the day.
Aside from the beautiful buildings and churches I was able to catch some awesome views of the surrounding hills from various places around Old Town.The best view was from the 3rd floor of this massive cathedral called Basílica del Voto Nacional.To sum up my surroundings, Quito is located just south of the equator, in the middle of the two main mountain corridors that make up the Andes.Pichincha is the largest mountain to the city and lies just northwest (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) of Old Town and it makes for a lushious green backdrop.The other backdrop for Old Town is a (large) hill called El Panecillo upon which a 300m/900ft. statue called the Virgen de Quito was built.I caught some good views of the statue today and hope to take a bus to the base of it at some point so I can catch a panoramic glimpse of the city.
I did wake up this morning feeling a bit odd.I attributed it to the high altitude and did what I could to keep myself hydrated and well fed ;-)I just felt light-headed and kinda loopy which was actually somewhat enjoyable as I wandered around this bright section of the city with a foreign array of people and surroundings to take in!
I do have to touch on my experience with fruit today.Actually, don't be surprised if I talk about the fruit in every blog until the end of my trip!It's so delicious, and it's everywhere!I had 3 different freshly-squeezed fruit drinks while I was exploring today, and one this morning for breakfast before I even left the hostel.They were different combinations of pineapples, oranges, 'tomatoes' (though not the kind we are accustomed to in the U.S.), límonada, mango, y papaya!I will probably be paying for my trip down fruit lane tomorrow but so be it because I certainly enjoyed every darn sip of that delicious sugary goodness!And it is no surprise that so many fruits are available as there seem to be plenty of fruit trees in the city itself so you can imagine the many more growing amongst the vegetation surrounding the city.
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