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Published: April 22nd 2008
Today I spent the day in Old Town Quito - a gorgeous colonial precinct filled to the brim with exquisite architecture and beautiful streetscapes.
The highlight of the day was a trip to La Basilica - a dominating gothic church that defines much of the inner city landscape. (Is it just me or does the name conjure harry-potteresque images of snakes and snape?)
La Basilica stands some 115 metres tall and for a two dollar fee you can acquaint yourself with every meter of it - from the first level overview of the church innards to the to the clock tower and up to the belfry.
The second level was particularly breathtaking as it offered an Indiana- Jones-style rope bridge above the apex of the wooden church roof beams but below the stone outer casing. Very cool!
On descending the building I was struck by the contrast to life outside. Poverty is a very noticeable in all parts of Quito - particularly the inner city.
In a country where the average wage is around $50 a week, many people have to do without many things. I knew about this before I arrived and I guess I
expected a multitude of beggars. In reality they actually number much less than I have found in many Australian cities (and are far fewer than those in Los Angeles, for all its riches. I once saw a beggar in Hollywood who proferred a board requesting ´money for beer please´)
In their place are what I guess you could call single product retailers. Quito-ites seems to approach the difficult financial situation with industry and dignity.
The matchgirl of my Dickensian childhood memories is a reality - along with the man grasping twenty or so pencils (or batteries, or belts) in his hand - touting them to passers-by. Others buy up packets of cigarettes and set up streetside ‘stalls’ to sell them individually.
In fact, there are few places that haven’t been discovered as a selling option. I have yet to board a bus without busboys offering lollies sold individually - and I have hopped off at bustops where families have set up makeshift streetside barbecues for the weary traveller.
Even the homeless children scurrying around are usually equipped with a shoe shining kit to earn their keep.
For those who don’t have a product as such,
La Basilicas stained glass
(and me standing in front of it)there still seem to be opportunties. On my taxi ride home, the freeway traffic stalled for a local juggler who jumped in front of our car to display his circus skills - which he followed up by going from car to car for donations in a process similar to street windscreen washers in Australia.
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