Welcome to Ecuador

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I have arrived in Quito, Ecuador. The first stop in my worldwide adventure. This is my second day, and I am already sunburnt. I believe the exact shade is called "painful pink". Lobster Cheeks is back in town!!

Quito is a lovely little city and is surrounded on all sides by majestic mountain peaks. Apparently it is the second highest capital city in the world. The combination of jet lag and altitude sickness wasn't as bad as I thought, although I was feeling breathless after climbing three flights of stairs to my room. Needless to say, I won't be entering any marathons for a few days.

I am staying at a hostel next door to a funeral parlour, which seems to be fairly busy (the parlour that is), but apart from that, the area seems fine. I have enrolled at a Spanish School, which is a twenty minute walk from my hotel. I have four hours of lessons in the morning, and then the school organises activities in the afternoon. Today we had Salsa lessons, and my two left-feet were used to full effect. I was one of only two guys in the class with eleven lovely ladies, which didn't mind too much! Tomorrow is cocktail-making class

OBSERVATIONS ON QUITO

1. Ecuadorians are VERY friendly. Even if you don't speak much Spanish, if you at least make an effort, it's met with a smile and a few kind words

2. Many of the men are smaller than me. Yes, this is possible! And they are generally well-dressed. It's not unusual to see men wearing a full suit and tie, of a very good cut, even in the sweltering midday heat

3. Most women wear coloured trilbys, with brightly coloured traditional dresses, sometimes with babies slung over their shoulders in a thin cloth "sling"

4. There seem to be two types of buses. The "Trolley Bus" which is electric and has proper bus stops. And the normal bus, which has NO BUS STOPS! This bus only stops for women wherever they are waiting. Whereas the men have to jump out and leap onto the bus as it goes past, by grabbing the outside handle and swinging aboard!

5. Safety is an issue. Many shops and restaurants have a private security guard outside, with a holstered gun and bulletproof vest. And at night, we been advised not to walk around the city, and to catch taxis everywhere. Muggings are not uncommon. Although at the same time, you need to be careful in any big city. You can't let it put you off travelling. Be safe, and be aware!!


INTERESTING FOOD FACT

I'm sure most of you know, the humble potato was "discovered" in South America, and was dragged back to Europe kicking and screaming in the fifteenth century. However, did you know that in the Andes there are almost FOUR THOUSAND different types of potato?

I LOVE the potato. Mashed, fried, roasted, boiled, steamed, baked and sauteed. But if I were to try a different potato every day, it would take me almost ELEVEN YEARS to try them all !!

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Photos

magnificent mountains
The view from my room at the hostel at 7am

the streets of Quito
You can see the Virgin of Quito high on the hill in the background

potato anyone?
The town markets are divided into sections. This is "The Potato Market", with over thirty stalls selling our starchy little friends

going bananas
No shortage of bananas in Quito!!

clucking good value
roll up, roll up, get your tasty chickens here. Three for a dollar

colourful ladies
A group of local women at a market outside Quito

cheeky chappy
Wearing a santa hat and munching on a carrot

sheep on a bus!
Don't ask me how this got on the bus, I have no idea!!

The Virgin of Quito
A colossal statue standing on a hill overlooking quito

Comments

[Francoise]

Hey.
Nice to have news and nice to read you seem to have such a fantastic time. Thank for the beautifull photos and the tips about the locals,very interesting. Take care.