Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
So we caught a bus on Sunday to Quito and arrived at the bus station with no idea of where we should be going. I have gotten rather good at haggling for taxis when I know how much more or less it should be. Sometimes there are nice taxi drivers who charge us more or less what a local would pay and then there are the ones who charge us a bomb.
We got the bomb. We decided on the old town since both the lonely planet and the footpath book that we have said that it was a safer place to stay. So the expensive taxi of $6 to the old town wasn`t the worst, but what the taxi driver was saying was. He kept going on and on about how bad the area was and why were we staying there when all the other tourists stay in the new town. As we were driving there he kept pointing out all the groups of young boys hanging around on the streets.
Having not booked anything yet, we decided on staying only the one night there in a $5 a night hostel. This place wasn`t the worst but hardly the best place that we have stayed, we laughed at the no option to pay the for the room by the hour but it did make us aware of what type of place we may have been staying in.
A quick venture that night outside, only for food since we were concerned that it wasn`t the best place. Luckily the groups of boys had moved on and we didn`t come across anything. It wouldn`t have mattered since Emma was swinging her water bottle around, scaring the only person who happened to be even remotely close to us, poor man jumped off the kerb in fright.
So our hostel was on plaza san francisco, so our first stop of the day was at the monasterio de san francisco. At $2 this is worth the money, with a free guide round the monastery is a must. Our guide was great, she explained about all the pictures and her english was good, apart from her asking us to look for the "tit" in the sculptures, we didn`t find it and we assume that she was mispronouncing something else. She well deserved the $1 tip that we all left her at the end, just after we had visited the choir stalls of the church and got to view a mass from up there.
The plaza grande was the next stop for the 11am changing of the guards. This only happens on Mondays and it was busy even though we arrived 20 minutes before it started. Unlike the one in Lima that we saw, this had horses and singing of the national athem and we got to see the president of Ecuador who lives in the Palacio de Gobierno. Also in the plaza grande there is the cathedral, which we chose not to enter since there aparently was a nicer one round the corner.
The Iglesia del Sagrario round the corner from the cathedral which was from the 17th century also wasn`t entered as we were saving ourselves for La Compañía de Jesús which costed us $3 to enter and is the most beautiful church in the country. This is supposed to include a free guide but for some unknown reason this was not offered to us, and we wandered round looking at the marvelous church but not appreciating it as we could have. We are not sure if we needed to ask for the tours as everyone else seemed to have them.
Also in the old town was the Arco de la Reina, which is literally an archway and then we headed to another square, "plaza de santo domingo" but nothing much was happening there. Another must that my lonely planet mentions is La Ronda, cobbled streets where all the orginal building from the 17th century have been converted into shops and little cafés. We took a stroll along there, but maybe at the wrong time since nothing seemed to be open.
We spent a further night in the old town since the accomodation was cheap and early the following day we grabbed a cab to the new town and checked in to "El centro del mundo." Only 60 cents more expensive than the old town we were lucky, also with free breakfast and drinks (on certain nights).
In the new town we struggled to find the cheap food that we had gotten in the old town, and everything around is british food and drinks, with many clubs and pubs everywhere you look. With less police presence in this area, there are actually more muggings than in the previous area we were staying, but only if you go out at night drinking. We did have a problem first thing when we arrived with a man following us and at one point was touching my bag, but upon finding a policeman and informing him the problem was sorted.
We explored the new town within a day, first we set off for Parque la Carolina, which was only $1 in the taxi and we stopped of at the Vivarium. This was $3 and not worth it. There are some interesting animals but not enough of them to be worth the money. Next another haggled taxi to Quito hotel, which from the back has a view point of Guápulo (a bohemian neighbourhood). We headed down the steps and winding road to check out the Statue of Francisco de Orellana, who had discovered the amazon, and also we saw the church.
Lunch there was a struggle and took a fair while to find probably the only restaurant in the area, which was conviently situated next to the bus stop so we didn`t need to hike back up to the top of the hill.
Wednesday and a day trip to Otavalo, a market town 2 hours north of Quito. Before hitting the markets in Otavalo, we took a $4 to the condor park. Now both Mez and I had seen them in the Colca Caynon, but Emma had missed them due to an unfortunate mistiming of sickness. So this was really for her, although we all enjoyed it. The park itself isn`t too impressive, and depends greatly on what animals need rehabilitated at the time. There is a show that occurs twice daily depending on the weather and the amount of people there. So at 11.30 we saw a bird show, which frightened me slightly. I have a slight fear of birds, when they´re flapping their wings so I was rather impressed with myself when at the end of the show you were able to hold an American kestral, granted small but they still have wings. I lasted long enough to get a photo taken and I gave it straight back. Our taxi back down was made cheaper by a German women sharing our taxi, so always an option at the end of the show.
The markets are supposedly better on Saturdays which is main market day, but due to leaving for Galapagos on Friday we had to make due with going on a Wednesday. Still worth it if you can haggle. Never go with the starting price even if it isn`t too bad as they will go lower, and I got myself some tea coasters at a bargain price.
Last day in Quito (today) and we headed to the centre of the world, which is about an hour on the buses that you need to take. Lonely planet and the hostel explained how to get there, but neither mentioned that you needed to remember the name of the stop you got on at so we had a small panic sitting on the bus returning, not 100% sure when to get off. So if going, remember where you got on.
The actual monument is in the wrong place but we still went to visit it, and took many pictures there with one leg in the southern hemisphere and our other in the southern. We also got our passport stamped with a centre of the world stamp in one of the shops there.
Since there, we also visited the correct equator line which is in the Museo Solar Inti Ñan. Here we learnt about different groups living in the amazon and got to try some experiments, which only work on the equator line. Trying to put an egg on a pin was one of these and if you successed you got a certificate, neither Emma, Mez nor I managed this however a few of the others on the English tour did.
We watched the water go down the plug in the southern hemisphere and watch is spin in a clockwise fashion, whilst in the north it goes anticlockwise. Then we watched it again on the equator line and the water went straight down.
We also tried to walk along the equator line, heel to toe with our eyes closed and our arms out. This gave the effect of being drunk as the two polars tried to pull you onto one side. Also on the line you aren`t as strong, trying to push someones arms down off the line was difficult, but as soon as they were on the line it became easy as pie.
So last night in Quito after returning momentarily from the north hemisphere we don`t have too much planned. Grab dinner and an early night. Our flight tomorrow is at 7.40 to the galapagos - get excited.
- comments
Rose Hi ClareGreat to hear from you on the blog.I really enjoy senieg the counrtyside from a raft, that is when you are not being covered in water!The bodge lasted for 50 miles and I got another puncture just as I arrived in to Puyo. I then caught my first S American bus to Banos.. This is the outdoor adventure capital of Equador , so I should be able to find something to do.I stayed in a real dive of a place last night , dirty every where. $6.00 a night is good and I arrived late.Been on line ordering new tires from New York and arranging to ship to Equador.I have repaired the old tire and at least can keep moving.I saw a hole in the road which if I fell down it would probably have taken me all the way back to the UK. A helmet would not have helped me. I am doing my best to stay safe. I was amazed at the way the bus driver drove, he was on a mission to get to the next town on time. There were a number of over taking manouvers that a racing driver whould be proud of.Good to hear that you had fun with Si . Look after your self.Big Brother.