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Guayasamin Guitarrista
Mural from one of Ecuador's most celebrated artists Oswaldo Guayasamín at Mitad del Mundo... Arrived in Quito in the wee hours of the morning, mere hours after the largest earthquake in years had shaken the country, in some spots to the foundations...having been about 2 hours out from Quito when the plane received word of the earthquake we were diverted twice, including an unplanned stop in Panama to refuel and wait for further instructions...the info was sorted out and we were given the go-ahead to proceed to Quito, not really sure as to what would be waiting for us when we arrived...
Bizarre beginning to say the least, we got up and started gathering more info as to what had happened, what/where the damage was and sadly what the casualties and injuries were...the plan was to be in Quito for two days then head off to the Galapagos Islands for about ten, but we had to transit through the Guayaquil airport on our way and it had been shut down the previous night so we weren't sure if we were going to be traveling or not...mid-Sunday we received word that the airport was open again and business as usual, so we could continue our trip...most of the damage had occurred along the coast, with
La Mitad del Mundo
Monument to mark the Equator, although apparently off by a couple of hundred meters...very cool though... the northern areas bearing the brunt of the quake...
Quito had an eerie feel to it that Sunday, not sure if things were closed and people off the streets because it was Sunday or due to the earthquake but it was deserted in spots around our hotel in the Mariscal district...we flagged down a cab and decided to head to the Old Town to try and make something of the day, and fortunately there was what seemed like normal life happening in the Plaza Grande which was a welcome sight...
After a cappuccino and some people watching we took a stroll around the plaza and surrounding neighbourhood, great funky narrow cobblestone streets and architecture, but again most things were closed and not many folks out and about...quick stop at the Basilica for a couple of photos and then we headed to Parque El Ejido where we had noticed vendors and art on display when we drove by on our way to Old Town...love parks like this especially on a Sunday, full of locals enjoying themselves with their families, and some great artwork on display as well...the clouds had now rolled in so we decided to start heading back
Plaza Grande
...in Old Town to Mariscal in case it rained, with a fun stop at the Artesanal Mercado before spending the evening relaxing back in Mariscal...
Following day we had arranged a taxi to take us up to Mitad del Mundo and then the TelefériQo...life seemed to be returning to normal in the city; traffic was back and people were out going about their Monday business...after about an hour we arrived to a pleasantly empty Mitad del Mundo, or Middle of the Earth...
The name sums it up: this is where the Equator supposedly passes through, and there is a giant monument marking the location (although apparently the equator does not actually pass here, but sits on a sacred indigenous site across the highway from Mitad). No matter, the site was really cool and fun to snap a pic straddling the conveniently painted yellow line separating the hemispheres...some interesting little museums and art galleries, along with handicraft stalls and restaurants...a great outing, really enjoyed it...
After a quick stop at Pululahua Volcano it was then off to the TelefériQo, a sky tram that takes passengers up the side of Volcan Pinchincha to the top of Cruz Loma where the views of
View from Cruz Loma
...of Quito at the top of the TelefériQo...spectacular... Quito are fantastic...really started to feel the altitude here; it's 4100 meters at the top and we both noticed our breathing becoming more labored and our legs burning a bit when climbing stairs...again worth it for the views, you really get an appreciation for how spread out Quito is, and how it has grown to fit the contour of the valley...
I liked Quito, thought it had a cool vibe to it and the locals were really friendly (man I wish my Spanish was better, everyone seemed excited to chat and I'm sure there would have been some amazing opportunities to learn more about the culture)...
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cabochick
Andrea
Oh wow!
Amazing that you narrowly missed that earthquake. So glad you made the best of it and enjoyed the city and sights. Buen suerte for the rest of your trip.