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Published: March 13th 2011
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our hostal
our room is the balcony on the corner After the 2 day milk run through Seattle, Dallas Fort-Worth and Miami, we finally arrived in Quito. Immediately we felt the altitude. We arrived in the dark and rain, thankfully a driver waiting for us at the airport with a sign. On the way to the hostal the streets were EMPTY in the Old Town, everything sealed up for the night. Hostal Quito Cultural is only 2 blocks from Plaza Grande, right on the corner of a really busy intersection which is like a carnival from about 6am every day and then everyone is GONE by 8pm and it's considered unsafe to be on the street after that. There is nothing open, everything has metal doors sealed up to the street but inside all the buildings are courtyards open to the sky.
What a beautiful day when we started out the next morning. We hiked UP to the Basilica Voto National. Long way up hill when you can't breathe due to the altitude, then you add in the belching buses and the narrow streets where the exhaust gets trapped. But oh was it worth it! The Basilica is the tallest in South America and you get to CLIMB the towers
inside. There are 3 towers and at first you go up a floor in an elevator, then look out into the church itself like on a balcony. Then the steps get increasingly smaller as you get higher, up marble stairs, then spiral stairs, then ladder-like steps, then thin ladders with missing rungs. That's where I stopped but Doug and the kids kept going. You also have to walk across the vaulted ceiling on a rickety wooden bridge. THEN YOU HAVE TO CLIMB DOWN. What a rush! Which is fine because for a coffee producing country it's funny they only have instant coffee most places so this was a good way to start our morning. Lots of adrenaline pumping. After that we hung out in Plaza Grande and enjoyed the sun.
Next up was the Palacio de Gobierno and La Compania, another beautiful church where the entire inside is coated with gold, that was amazing to see but no photos allowed. Then on to San Francisco Monastery, Iglesia Santo Domingo and then found La Ronda area. We wandered the streets for hours. Every llittle restaurant served almuerzos (set plate for lunch) for $1.50 which gets you a drink, soup, fruit,
la ronda
used to be bad area, we felt ok here, lots of policia rice, papaya, plantain and meat. (it turned out to be liver but what a great deal) I was just thankful the place we chose didn't have the cow hoof soup which we saw elsewhere.
Next day we were up early to climb even higher on the Teleferiqo cable car which takes you from Quito at 2800 meters up the side of Pichincha volcano at 4100 meters. Then off to see the Virgin on Panecillo hill. She is made from 7000 pieces of aluminum land sits atop the hill overlooking Old Town. On to Mitad del Mundo (center of the world) where we stood on the equator line. Then the 2hr drive to Otavalo.
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Tracy
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Awesome pictures!
thanks for sharing. Looks like there's lots to see and do! Can't wait to do the same with the boys some day. While trying to look at these pictures, I was interrupted to change Charlie's diaper, then get him some milk, then put on his diaper when he took it off, then the same thing again. That's where we're at. Someday: beyond the living room!