Old Town Quito

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Day 149 Thursday 8^th March

We had sort of planned on sleeping in till really late but we found ourselves up and moving by 8. The hotel breakfast isn’t exactly great but I guess you can’t expect much when the room is only 100 Sol’s ($35) a night. Because the room is so cheap we thought we would indulge and walk up town to a café and get a decent coffee and a feed. The café up near the main plaza makes a fantastic Cappuccino but unfortunately couldn’t do us a breakfast so after one cup we wandered around town seeing what other options we had. We didn’t end up settling on a place till 10.30 and for our effort got a really ordinary breakfast….sometimes things just elude us.

Had a bit more of a look around town before stumbling upon a chocolate factory/museum. It was a very slick tourist oriented place and we just couldn’t resist picking up a few bars to take with us. We were both feeling fairly tired by this stage so we staggered down the hill to our hotel to have a rest and start the mammoth task of putting together our blog on the Inca Trail. At 5 we got ready and decided to hit the town for our last night in Cusco, and started at the Norton Pub. This is a very touristy place with a motorcycle theme that has terraces overlooking the main plaza. Shelley was able to indulge in some more Peruvian pisco sours while I of course stuck to the local beer. Because it was cold we sat inside but later in the night we sat out on the terrace to enjoy the floodlit churches of Cusco. Just before we left to get a feed we started a conversation with a New Zealander and his South African girlfriend who were about to set off on the Inca Trail and we were able to pass on some advice.

For dinner we wandered back down to the Dragon’s Pallete and got served up a fairly average meal. The first time we were here the food was great but it has slowly been getting worse and tonight even our friendly waiter made a sly comment on the small portions we got…..a good sign that it was time we moved on. The night before a move we would normally pack but because we had such a late flight tomorrow and we had arranged a late checkout we just opted to crash in bed. It was probably a good thing we didn’t have to pack because we didn’t get home till midnight and may have had just a tiny bit too much to drink.



Day 150 Friday 9^th March

We had planned on sleeping in till 8.30 but our neighbours had different ideas and proceeded to have a very loud conversation outside our door from 7 onwards. It was an on and off conversation till Shelley told them off, but by that stage we were both awake so we got up. Despite indulging a little too hard last night we both awoke fairly fresh and were ready to face anything life could throw at us, we should know by now that when you get such feelings life is about to throw you a cream pie to the face. Had breakfast at the hotel before returning to our room to pack. Whilst travelling on buses we generally have our sleeping bags hanging off the backs of our packs but because we are catching a plane we needed to stow them inside the bags. Our packs were already bulging but with the added sleeping bags they are now ready to explode. Zippering them up was a two person effort and we still cannot believe our 12 year old backpacks hold it together.

By 10.30 we were ready to leave so we wandered downstairs and paid our bill and jumped in the prearranged taxi to the airport. The Cusco airport is a 15 minute drive from the centre of town and is completely surrounded by the town’s urban sprawl. The taxi only cost us 8 Sol ($3), which probably makes it the cheapest so far on the journey. Inside the airport terminal we hit our first hurdle for the day, when the airport security wanted to look through the contents of our back packs before we checked them in. It had just taken a supreme effort and several goes to zipper up our pack and now these airport nongs wanted to rummage through them in search of god knows what. My first reaction was to tell him off but they are airport security and we needed to catch a plane so we had to submit. It was such a joke that I wished I had sat back and filmed it they did not put our bags through an x-ray machine. All they managed to do was make a mess of the top couple of layers of our packs and rummage through Michele’s make up bag. In the end it was not very thorough, with our packs partially disassembled on a table we had to try and stuff it all back in and get the zippers closed so we could check in. In our room we had it perfect but redoing it at the airport it was a mess and was probably the main reason why our bags turned up at Quito with half the straps undone and twisted into an odd shape.

With that exercise completed we were able to proceed and check in our luggage and get our boarding passes. On arrival at Cusco airport we hadn’t thought much of it but now that we had the time to stroll around, it really isn’t too bad. Despite our booking saying we were going to be on the 1.10 flight our ticket said 12.10 and in the end our flight was airborne by about 12.50, so it proved to us that it always pays to arrive at the airport early. The flight from Cusco to Lima took less than an hour and we were lucky enough to have three seats to ourselves. At Lima we had a long, long wait till our next flight which wasn’t due for departure till 9.55pm. Our original flight to Quito was a double with us first flying to Bogota in Colombia and then back down to Quito with us arriving in the late afternoon. Unfortunately last month those unhappy rebels, the FARC, in Colombia managed to blow up the only radar installation into Bogota airport and the Government released a statement saying that it would take 3 to 4 months to replace and in the meantime they will space out the flights to avoid any problems. Haven’t been to Bogota yet but from what I understand it is ringed by mountains and we didn’t feel too comfortable about flying into an airport that no longer has radar so we dropped an email to Sally at STA travel at Newtown (yes this is a bit of a plug) who was able to change our flight to a direct albeit late flight to Quito. Having a laptop certainly does make travelling easier.

Lima airport is a fairly large one and has plenty of eateries so we picked up a bite to eat and sat and read and waited for our flight. Around 7.30 after waiting 5 hours we wandered through custom and baggage control to our departure gate and again sat down and waited. Around 9.30 we were finally allowed to board and once again we were lucky enough to have three seats to ourselves. The flight to Quito took 2 and a half hours and we copped some of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced so it was great to be finally off the plane. Once inside the terminal we were hit with a massive line up to get through immigration and as usual human nature took over with most people pushing through the crowd to get to the head of the line. Honest stupid us just stayed in line and for our sins were processed last, so it took over an hour to get through the simple process.

Once past this hurdle we found our bags sitting on the ground all alone by the baggage carousel and after picking them up we wandered outside to get a taxi. A guy at the door of the airport gave us a price of $10 to our hotel, which was half the price the hotel said it would cost so we were happy to hire him. Ecuador has adopted the American currency, which we think is a very weird thing to do but as we were carrying American dollars we didn’t need to worry about trying to pick up local currency. Our taxi driver got us to our hotel at supersonic speed and only slowed at red lights without stopping, which is a common practise at Sao Paulo Brazil late at night because of the number of car jackings so we sort of got the feeling it may be a problem here. It was 2am and the whole town was locked shut with only the odd group of men wandering around giving the place a very seedy feel. When we got to our hotel a couple of guys were lurking a couple of doors down and as we went to hop out our taxi driver told us to wait. We sat there for a minute till the guys wandered off at which point our taxi driver said it was okay to get out. Our driver was really great and he had a good laugh at how heavy our backpacks were as he lifted them out of the boot. Our hotel concierge however was a sour faced idiot who told us a whole bunch of lies about why we didn’t have a safe in our room. This is about the fifth time we have booked a room with a safe and not got one so we are starting to really get the craps with the lies. In the end we were just too tired to put up with an argument and so just crashed into bed.



Day 151 Saturday 10^th March

We should have slept into midday but instead we were up at 8 and on the move. Our breakfast was very limited but at least from the dining area we had great views over the city. After experiencing the city at 2 in the morning we were a bit apprehensive about hitting the streets but once out there it wasn’t too bad. We are staying in the old town of Quito (pronounced kee toe) which is regarded as the safest area in town, and we soon discovered a massive police presence. The town does have a strange feel about which is hard to describe, but first impressions is that it feels a bit soulless but hopefully this improves. We wandered around for a while trying to get our bearings till it started to rain and we decided to stop at a café for a bite to eat. Once the rain stopped we headed back to the hotel, and we were only there a short while when a huge storm roared through the town and poured all afternoon.

In the early evening the rain eased so we wandered around trying to find a vibrant Saturday night vibe. We wandered around for a while trying to find “Ronda street” which is the real hip place in Quito. It took a while but we finally found the place and it was only a very short lane that had a variety of tiny bars and restaurants, none of which were very interesting. The one we liked the most quickly ran out of the great local beer and could only offer us Budweiser (crap American beer). It is drinkable but like Monty Python said it is a lot like “making love in a canoe”. For dinner we chose a great little “greasy spoon” near our hotel where we got a great feed. Dad you could easily live here as the food consists of very basic staples. My feed tonight was a plate that had plain rice, two thin bits of steak, 3 fried eggs and a bit of boiled veggies. I am sure if you wanted an egg sandwich they would be only too happy to supply. Most meals come with a side order of tomato sauce and a spicy onion salsa as well as avocado, and the whole thing although not quite gourmet is a great filling feed and only cost $5. Washed all this down with the local beer and Shelley had a glass of the local wine which about as rough as sugar boot polish, and perhaps for the first time in her life she couldn’t finish.



Day 152 Sunday 11^th March

Had a lot better sleep tonight and we were able to sleep in till 8.30. For breakfast we were able to get a couple of eggs with our limited options of toast and coffee/tea. Because it was Sunday we were expecting nothing would be open but once out on the street we soon discovered that the whole place was a buzz. On Sunday no cars are allowed in the old city and all the streets are open to pedestrians and bikes, and the streets were flooded with families on their way to church or just out shopping. Police and security guards were everywhere so we felt quite safe, although the town is a bit “edgy”. Wandered around town for a while with all the Quitenos, before ending up at the church and monastery of San Francisco. Decided to have a look at the adjoining museum and with our $2 entry fee we got a free guided tour done by a young enthusiastic guy who gave us a great tour in English. The museum was filled with amazing old artwork and wooden statues, and it was incredible to get up and close to paintings from the 16^th century. Our guide in his enthusiasm actually was brushing his hand across these priceless pieces, which would probably have any gallery owner moan in despair. The tour concluded on the mezzanine level at the back of the church where we could watch the tail end of the Sunday mass. After our guide left us we went for another slower wander back through the museum before hitting the streets again. We didn’t go very far before it started to rain so we ducked into a small café and had a coke and some local biscuits.

When the rain eased we wandered further around the old town but the blue sky was short lived and so when the rain returned we headed back to the hotel. Late in the afternoon we headed back out and ended up back at a bar/café that was in the forecourt of the San Francisco Monastery. It was a great place to stop and have a beer and watch the people pass by. It sort of seems strange to me to see monks wandering pass in their brown robes. Just as it was getting dark we headed out to get a feed and discovered that the restaurant we had gone to last night was closed and so we wandered around for half an hour till we found ourselves at a pizza place. The pizza was one of the best we have got in South America but at $25 was one of the most expensive.



Day 153 Monday 12^th March

Up early today so we could get the most of walking the city. Had our breakfast and then hit the road following the suggested Lonely Planet walking tour. We had already seen most of the old city and so headed out towards the new city. Along the way we stopped at the Monastery of Santa Catalina, where 21 nuns are still cloistered and are only allowed one hour a day to talk or watch television. They also produce shampoos, wine, hand creams, elixirs and other stuff and can be purchased at a nearby store or via a rotating timber door that keeps the nuns hidden. We saw the rotating doors and decided that as we have trouble with Spanish at the best of times we just didn’t want to try through a rotating timber door. We had images of having to draw pictures for the nun and her finally getting exasperated and screaming through the timber door at us.

From here we headed up hill till we reached the Gothic Basilica del Voto Nacional. This is a rather large grandiose church that was built from 1926 onwards and because the bulk of the construction is in concrete and concrete blocks it is rather ugly. The most unique thing about this church is that the gargoyles are turtles, iguanas, parrots, peacocks and ducks. The best part about visiting this church however was that you are allowed to walk up to the belfry and clocktowers and explore all the high areas. At one point we could cross a long timber bridge that ran over the top of the concrete roof to the rear of the church where we could scale the ladders up into the rear tower. All the platforms and ladders were rather dodgy and it was amazing how tourists were allowed to clamber over everything without much safety. The views from the towers were worth the risk but unfortunately the heavy cloud blotted out any views of the nearby volcanoes.

From the Basilica we headed towards the new town passing through some fabulous garden areas. The new town as you would imagine is filled with high risers (but nothing to high) and bars and cafes. It was early afternoon so we decided to stop at a café and had a burger and a beer and enjoyed what was a completely different outlook on Quito. We wandered further into the new town looking for a bookstore where we could buy a Lonely Planet for Colombia but were unsuccessful but we did find a couple of good second hand bookstores. Ended up in an area called “gringoland” which is filled with heaps of bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Stopped for a beer but discovered that the prices for drinks down here were about double what they are in the old town, and the place has a lot less charm. After Galapagos we had considered moving down this end of town but we may decide to stay down in the old area.

It had been a long walk down to this end of town so we opted to get a taxi back, which was only $3, but within 4 blocks of home the taxi hit gridlock so we paid our driver and walked the rest of the way. Before heading home we stopped once more at the bar at the San Francisco Monastery for a quick drink and a gawk at the locals.

At some time since yesterday the road that the cheap restaurant was in had formed a large hole, we are not sure if it collapsed or it was manmade. The road was closed to wheeled traffic, but there was a huge number of people wandering down the road. From inside the restaurant we watched all the commotion going on while eating our dinner. Later on one of the workers covered with mud came in with a bucket and asked for water which he filled up and left, a few minutes later he returned and this happened about four times. I was starting to wonder if he was mixing cement, surely not with the size of the hole. We could not see the hole any longer as they had put a partition blocking the view on our side, but when we left the restaurant and passed here was the worker with his bucket of water mixing cement and putting it into the hole. So we had gotten dinner and a show for $10.00.

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Photos

Quito
View of the winged statue of Mary - La Virgen de Quito

Quito
El Panecillo - the mount that the statue is on.

Quito
Monastery of San Francisco

Quito
Old colonial buildings around the Plaza of San Francisco

Quito
Street in Old Town of Quito

Quito
Basilica del Voto Nacional

Quito
Gargoyles of the Basilica

Quito
Bird gargoyles of the Basilica

Quito
Stained Glass Window of the Basilica

Quito
Inside the Basilica

Quito
Shelley crossing the bridge inside roof of Basilica

Quito
Roofs of Quito

Quito
Rear of Basilica

Quito
Houses on the hill

Quito
Quito from the Basilica tower

Comments

[traudy glasencnik]

What no local beer!
hey guys xx, Quito does look alittle cagey. I like the photo's of the houses on the hill. the windows look as if their not glassed? Wont be long before you hit the half year mark, it seems to have gone so fast. a big thankyou as always for the blog xx