Advertisement
Published: April 1st 2009
Edit Blog Post
Courtyard of St Augustin Convent
Many of the larger building surround beautiful courtyards similar to this. Monday 30.03.09
´Awoke at 4:20, afraid that I´d oversleep and miss my flight. After a brief breakfast ´got a taxi to the airport. ´Was prepared to pay a heavy exit tax at the airport but found that, not only was it included in my ticket costs, but I wasn´t eligible for it, so ´got a refund of $25. Security was very tight at the airport; after going through the normal civilian security, it was followed by the military checkpoints where they manually checked your hand luggage and person. While in the waiting lounge for the flight another section of security went round with sniffer dogs againg checking everyone´s hand luggage. The flight itself was smooth - ´got a good view of Bogota as we ascended and likewise of Quito as we came into land. Quito seems to be built on a large plateau high up in the Andes - about 3,000 mts above sea level. We crossed the equator as we came into the city. It took a moment for me to orientate when I came through customs & immigration into arrivals.´Found the tourist Information office but no one there. Adjacent was a transport office with a guy touting for business;
Statue of the Heroes
This symbolic statue dominates the main square (Plaza de Independence) in the historic part of the city. he said the tourist office was closed but I had noticed that there was a jacket over the back of the chair in the office so there was obviously someone around. I asked what the cost of a taxi would be into the city centre and when he quoted me 3 times the rate given in the guide book I walked away. By this time the lady had returned to the Tourist Office; she was very helpful with maps and advice on travel in and around the city. After booking a flight to the Galapogos Islands for Thursday, I caught a taxi into the city (at the normal rate) and to my hostel (La Casona de Mario). after settling in I went for a walk around the new part of the city. Although it is cold here (because of the height above sea level) I found it slightly warmer than Bogota. There are two distinct part of the city - the old historic area and the new part; the hostel was in the new part (I´d heard that the old area can be quite dangerous especially at night). ´Browsed the shops, also looked for some tours in the Galapagos -
La Compañia
Carved from volcanic stone this church´s exterior was a fantastic baroque facade. It´s a pity I couldn´t take any photos of its interior. tours are very expensive. ´Got some food at the local supermarket and cooked a meal back at the hostel. Quite a homely hostel with a little garden , large communal living area and good kitchen facilities. ´Chatted until late with some of the residents before retiring to bed.
Tuesday 31.03.09
The two house dogs barking woke me about 7:00. Áfter some coffee and coissants I caught the Ecovia bus (a double length bus with its own lane and set down points, similar to the transmilenio in Bogota) to the historical part of the city. ´Phoned Martha and Guido (friends of Adriana in London) and arranged to meet up with them in the afternoon. I had a brief look round the church and convent of St Augustin before going on a walking tour of the historic centre with one of the metropolitan police; she had good English and gave a comprehensive commentary on the main sites - Plaza de Independence, the Catedral, Palacio Arzobispal, Palacio Municipal and La Compañia. The latter was by far the best and most opulent & ornate church I´d ever visited; outside its intricate Baroque facade was carved out of volcanic stone, whilst inside 7 tons
Our Guide from the Metropolitan Police
Only a Russian girl and myself in the group, the metropolitan policewoman was our guide. of gold leaf covered the altars, galleries, and pulpit; the ceiling was a woven design of teak wood without using any nails or fixatives. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take any photos of its interior. The 3 hour tour was interesting giving also a background history of the city. Afterwards I made my way to the other side of the city to meet up with Martha and Guido. They own a hotel in the hub of new area. ´Met their children (Jennifer & Carlos) and had lunch with them - tried some fruit I hadn´t eaten before (tuna - like a red water melon, and also a kind of bread fruit which had a sweet milky tasting interior) ..both nice. Later they had visitors (Martha´s cousin and her husband) so I made my way back to the hostel; on the way I priced some more tours of the Galapagos. I noticed it gets dark rapidly here.
Wednesday 1.04.09
Lots up early in the hostel, some of them cooking a full English breakfast. I asked them if they were aware of the impromptu fire drill which was taking place in ten minutes, and they would have to evacuate the building. They were worried about leaving their half-cooked breakfast .... However I told them after five minutes that it was April 1st!! I went down to the new area of the city, checked my emails and made my way to Martha & Guido´s; they´d offered to take me to the equator line this morning. Tomorrow I´ve got a flight booked to the Galapagos for a week; I also hope to secure a tour around the islands later this afternoon.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.081s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0547s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb