Renee and Pete's Honeymoon Adventure (RAPHA) - Quito Part 1

---

Travel Blog



(Renee and Pete’s Honeymoon Adventure (RAPHA) - Santiago to Quito



We had to say goodbye to Santiago and after a few days there, we were ready for our next adventure, knowing we would be back in September flying to Australia from there so we could squeeze in some more activities (and go crazy with buying last minute South America items: Renee = winning!!). Santiago was a bustling city but a bustling city dense with severe smog. The tourism photos on the web of the Andes surrounding the city, as well as the views from the Santa Lucia and San Cristobal were clearly taken a day after rain, which we will hopefully experience upon our return in September. It was quite surprising to get to a top of the hill, only to find you couldn’t really see that much ahead of you. I (Renee) was most in shock, and the pollution was definitely not being kind to me and my cold, sniffling and coughing, I was thinking at that point in time how lucky Australians are to breath the clean air we do. Following our departure from Santiago, it wasn't until we were flying out of Lima, enroute to Quito that we realised what we were truly missing visually. The views of the glorious Andes from the plane were spectacular. The snow-capped mountains poking up through the clouds are something the camera just couldn't pick up. But we tried. Coming into Lima, the living conditions were obvious, there just weren't good. Again, a lot of pollution in the air, we will be there for one night next month so hopefully the smog is kind to us (as kind as smog can be?!). What was obvious was the soccer fields. Between the run down homes (where rooms are pieces of tin and weighed down by rocks) were perfectly manicured soccer fields. Priorities are obvious.



Our arrival in Quito was met with the bumpiest attempted landing, then a bumpy successful landing. Pete came down with a sudden illness during this turbulence, it was a head between the legs moment, evidence was required. Our easiest Immigration and customs process the followed, and then finished with the craziest drive of our lives. As we have discovered In our few days here, Quito is has many little quirks, and one of them is that the car drivers have a total faith in the drivers around them, so much so that they will do anything they feel they need to do, and those around them will stop in time. Crazy to watch, even crazier to be in the middle of. Never assume what looks like a pedestrian crossing is actually used as a pedestrian crossing!



Quito itself, has a population of about 2.6 million people and sits at around 2800m above sea level, and prior research warned (and Renee extensively read about it) that the altitude sickness was a distinct possibility while in Quito. And the ways suggested to combat this sickness were to drink copious amounts of water, limit alcohol intake, start taking the prescription Diamox and eat more carbs. As you can imagine, Renee was most excited about medical advice advising her to eat more bread, pasta and rice!!). Thankfully, with Renee taking Diamox, and me drinking lots more water (although I still snuck in a few Club Verde’s, the local cerveza (beer)), neither one of us are suffering altitude sickness, yet. The higher treks and cities are still to come. Now with drinking water, most of South America has non-potable water so bottled it was. After our $5 USD purchase of 1L of water (?!?!) in the Lima airport, we thought we would head down to the local supermarket to get a good deal. We were the only tourists in a bustling supermarket filled with locals, it was an interesting experience. But the trip was worth it, with 6L of water coming to a total cost of $1.26 USD. We would come back to this supermarket each day to restock and attempt our really bad Spanish (as no one here spoke English).



Our hop on hop off Quito bus tour on our second day gave us a great taste of what Quito has to offer. The Basilica, the churches and the 41m high statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of El Panecillo (another 200m above the city) demonstrated a strong connection to religion. The sheer size of the Basilica is something to behold. For much of our tour, we visited a lot of the cultural and older areas (old town) of Quito, with people selling their fruits, vegetables and many of other items on the side of the road at traffic lights. Pretty crazy stuff to watch. And then we entered the newer part of Quito, the areas that were only a couple of decades old, and it was like we were in the middle of Brisbane. Hotels, shopping centers, and fast foods joints like maccas, KFC (chicken with lentils and rice on the menu) were everywhere. We didn't hang in here for too long.



Our final day full day in Quito (for this leg of the trip) had us going on our own walking tour, in search of a chocolate cafe. All reports that Renee read on trip advisor were that it was the best chocolate and coffee all round, including the best gelato (comparing to Italian gelato!). And Trip Advisor wouldn't lie. And so off we trekked, firstly to see the Mercado Artesanal (artesian markets)in the park, then to the Cultural Museum and then to the famed chocolate cafe, Khipus Artesanias Chocolate-Cafe . A few hours, max, Renee says. The markets were like many other markets around the world, lots of local stuff designed for tourists, and many things we just couldn't bring back with us. We will endeavor to work out a way to bring back some paintings though, the landscapes did look amazing. But again, the locals are friendly, and unlike many other markets, not pushy. And onto the cultural museum, which was eye opening and amazing. We got to read about (briefly) the history of the Indigenuous people here in Ecuador, the take over from the Inca's, and then the take over from Spanish. How they lost their culture, was forced into Catholicism, and then, after hundreds of years and winning their independence, they could marry the two cultures. Also more interesting (to Pete as the left wing political type he can be sometimes) to read how, even thousands of years ago, long term practices were in place and worked for thousands of years, and when the stronger (more militant??) came in, took over, they lost the longevity of the practices in place, and communities destroyed. Clearly, certain aspects of humanity will never learn.



And then our walk to old town from the markets. Unknown to us, Sunday in Quito is a family and recreation day, and also a day for cycling enthusiasts, known as ‘Ciclopaseo’. Around 30klm of road is closed off, and cyclists ride this path in groups, couples, individuals and families throughout the day, while other families spend their day in the parks, playing soccer and volleyball, and socialising. It made our walk to Old Town much more enjoyable as we got to walk with locals, dodge cyclists on the road and take in the sights, minus the exhaust fumes. If we had have known, we would have rented a bike and ridden ourselves. But we had a goal, find the Choco-Cafe. So after a couple of hours walking, random tourist photo opportunities, and a couple of wrong turns, we found our cafe. It is closed on a Sunday. The look of horror and sadness on Rene’s face was priceless. We will be back, just not on a Sunday. It existed in a little laneway know as ‘La Ronda’, it is probably a kilometre or so long and has a bohemian style shopping village feel. Most shops down here were unfortunately closed on a Sunday, but we then found this awesome little restaurant, the Los Casa Geranios. Our gastronomic tour of South America continues! Great Ecuadorian food, and a great waiter who knew enough English to help us learn a little more Spanish. If you get the opportunity, try the Morte Sucio. It is corn, cooked and sautéed, and pork rind, kind of mashed together with a side of tomato salsa, smashed avocado and an onion concoction. Amazing. And this was the starter. Pete then had Llapingacho Chorizo, a chorizo, egg and potato and cheese hashbrown dish and I had the Seco de Chivo, a lamb stew and rice dish. The English interpretations don't sound as impressive as these names, so we will leave you to look them up if you so desire. Needless to say, both tasted great.



Our return journey required another long touristy walk, back through Old Town again, and this time we stopped in at the Basilica, inspired with a neo-gothic design, and the largest of the Basilica population in South America. A massive building. 2 weeks ago the Pope would have been there, and it would have been packed today, today thankfully we were able to easily walk around it and admire the structure itself. Legend has it, that as with other Basilica’s around the world, this will not be finished as finishing it will bring on the end of the world.



And so ends our first of three visits to Quito. There is so much to do in this city, and upon our return from our Vegetarian Eco-Lodge in the mountains near the village of Chugchilan, and then again after the Galapagos, we hope to see and experience many more aspects of this amazing place. - Pete and Renee

---

Photos

Quito
So many houses, so many people, such a great city.

Virgin Mary Statue
41m high, standing on top of the devil, on top of the Earth.

Ergon Enery would be horrified!
Many times, we were reminded not to stand up in the open top double deck bus due to low cables!

Renee's Achiote Meal
An Ecuadorian dish of Shrimp and coconut sauce, with yellow rice and mango salad

Comments

[John Rosse]

Happy Birthday Renee.
Some amazing photos. By the time you get this Renee you will be 31 yo in South America. You & Pete continue to enjoy the local meals and drink and the fantastic sites. Love to you and Pete from both of us.