Blogs from North, Ecuador, South America - page 12

Geo: -0.223151, -78.5127A blissful, long lie-in awaited us this morning, having agreed to meet our friends at the presidential palace at eleven o clock for one final day exploring the city for them. Tickets for tours of the palace are free and tourists merely have to show their passports to gain admission to the complex. We settled on an entry time and decided to head along to La Ronda, one of the most famous streets in Quito. We wandered through the bustling streets towards the pretty avenue, where artisans plied their trade and ornate wrought balconies hung over the cobbled street. Flowers graced the terraces while couples strolled along its shaded floor. After stopping at a chocolatier, where the more adventurous among us sampled some interesting blends of chocolate and chamomile, while the savvy stuck with ... read more

Geo: -0.223151, -78.5127After what turned out to be a long, lazy lie-in and a delicious breakfast in the opulent dining room of the hotel, complete with chirping birds in various cages, we joined our new travelling companions at their even more impressive hotel on the main square of the city - the Hotel Plaza Grande, the first luxury hotel built in Quito. We found ourselves a taxi and driver and began our journey out of the city to Papallacta Hot Springs complex in the mountainous region about an hour and half away.We drove out of the city, the narrow streets giving way to winding roads that looped and curled around the hilly terrain. Candy coloured houses were stepped into the hills, sugar-coated terraces providing a beautiful frame to the city below. As we left the city ... read more

Just a short little blog as we finish our time in Ecuador with the realisation that we have been married for a month (there was a quiet moment of reflection while on the boat for the two of us on the 28th) and that we have spent the majority of our married life so far in Ecuador. And what a month it has been; we have hiked around crater lakes and through canyons, ventured through the Galapagos, swam with sea lions and bird watched more than we ever thought we wanted to, gorged on vegetarian food, mountain biked down a volcano, visited traditional markets, met some great people and stood on the equator. And our final 2 days in Ecuador didn't disappoint us. While we were still on a bit of a downer following the end ... read more

Travel Blog 4 - Return to Quito Following our regretful departure from Black Sheep Inn, we returned to Quito. On the way back into Quito, with our lovely driver Washington, and his wife and little girl on her lap in the front (child seats are non-existent in Ecuador), we were treated to amazing views of Cotopaxi, an active volcano just outside of Quito, and the focus of our adventure on Sunday. But before that experience, we were to have the frustration of arriving at our hotel, only to be told that they had booked out, and we were being moved to a new place. Frustrating, annoying, but we dealt with it. The fortunate part of being moved hotels was that we were able to complete our tour of Otavalo the following day with David, the younger ... read more

Mitad del Mundo, the Middle of the World The Top of the World highway, in the Yukon, is an alternative route connecting Dawson City to Tok, Alaska. When I saw “The Top of the World” on our map, it drew me like the Pied Piper’s flute drew the children through the streets of Hamlin. In Hammerfest, Norway I had my photo taken standing next to the Struve Meridian marker that commemorates the first accurate measurement of a meridian. So, too, I felt compelled to get a photo of the monument at Mitad del Mundo, the Middle of the World in Quito, Ecuador. I packed a snack, some water, and my Kindle so I could read during the hour and a half bus ride to Mitad del Mundo. I bought a ticket at the bus station I ... read more