Quito - Volcano central

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So I´d made it to Ecuador, the second smallest country in South America with a population of around 12 million. This is the last stop for me in South America.

Ecuador has a history quite similar to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina when it comes to being taken over by the Spanish in the 1530s and then getting independence in the 1820´s. While Ecuador was part of the Inca Empire all the ruins in the country were trashed by the Spanish invaders. The country went to war with Peru in 1942, while the rest of the world was fighting its own battle, when Peru had a crack at taking half of Ecuador´s land. This was sort of settled, with Peru getting a fair bit of the land in question. There have been subsequent short wars over the same land in 1995 and 1998.

Politically things have been pretty volatile here of late with the country having 7 presidents over the last 10 years! Oil profits make half of the national budget, and when the oil price collapsed in 1998 so did the currency (it fell 75% against the US$). Two years later the country dumped its own currency, the Sucre, and adopted the US$ as its national currency. The president who was the proponent of this move was kicked out, but dollarisation took place. If nothing else it makes it easier for travellers who always carry US dollars - And it makes the conversion to pounds easier too!

Oil pollution and deforrestation are big environmental issues here.

Quito is a stunning city. It is in a valley basin surrounded by extinct volcanos. It sits at 2850m above sea level and it takes unacclimatised people a few days to adjust to the lower oxygen level. Fortunately I have been at higher altitude for much of the last 4 weeks so there was no issue for me. Greater Quito is divided into two halves. The Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town is just that. It has magnificent Spanish colonial buildings, and many narrow cobblestone roads. This part of town has a beautiful cathedral and many other stunning churches - and you can really sense how seriously many of the locals, both rich and poor, follow the Roman Catholic faith.

The New Town, to the North, is a more affluent area. Mariscal Sucre, in the New Town, is the travellers ghetto where there are lots of hostels and cafes and everything is quite westernised. Thats where I am right now.

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