WOW! Just upon flying in over this HUGE city sprawled along the valley floor of the surrounding mountains and volcanoes, I was already impressed – and very excited to be here! A drastic change from Guayaquil. I have learned the beauty of taking advantage of cab rides in other countries – get from point A to B and learn the local language and more about the area while you’re at it. I talk (surprising, I know!) with the cab driver and in S. America get a session practicing my Spanish (or Portuguese, in Brazil.) TOO FABULOUS!
Arriving into the Old Town (Historic District) I ventured the 4 floors up to the roof-top terrace of the Secret Garden – a far too popular hostel that has every right to be solely with the views it offers… you can literally sit here all day and just watch the weather patterns change – it’s that amazing! Quito’s streets in the Historic District are lined with old buildings, which are architecturally stunning! I have to applaud the city and local people on the work they’ve put into renovating and maintaining.this precious area. The streets flow with the rolling valley hills and little curvatures… and they are relatively narrow, so sidewalk space is limited – if even existent! There are various plaza squares dominated by large churches tucked into about every 6th or 7th block… there is Cemeterio San Diego – which is soooooooooo massive, it is beyond comprehension… and it sits up above a slightly sketchier neighborhood offering incredible views from a different vantage point, and offering a level of shock from the unbelievable number of more recent deaths (2005-2007) – the local people are seen throughout the cemetery with rolling ladder staircases so they can tend to their loved-one’s place with new flowers and usually a name plate cleaning too. Quito’s virgin statue looms in the distance just off the shoulder of the cemetery, and is lined up perfectly straight between the two clock towers of the large Basilica across the other side of the Historic District. You can actually climb to the top of the Basilica towers… and with the fright of some of these sketchy ladders, you can guarantee you’d never have this kind of opportunity in the USA! Homes line the hills – going up higher and higher, and all lined with their colorful clothing filling the outdoor lines while drying. There is a Teleferiqo, which is a gondola that goes to the top of the mountain nearest the Basilica. From there, you can venture to the top on foot and even jump on horseback if you like, or take off for a full-day or multi-day mountain trek. The elevation is the killer, as you’re well above 12,000ft. I was most certainly sucking wind, but doing so carefully – to avoid altitude sickness (which I’ve had one too many times!) Lying all the way across the city from the Teleferiqo is New Town… which is basically a backpacker, coffee shop, internet café, and adventure tour hub. It was very quiet and charming on each of the visits I made here – and I actually enjoyed seeing what some of the businesses have done create lively cafes and coffee-shops within old mansions. Tucked up in the hills a good 10-minute drive from here are the Guayasamin museums – Ecuador’s most famous artist – whose dramatic and often controversial pieces of art are now on display in two specially preserved areas – one a museum, and the other, his home. Overall, Quito would take probably a couple months just to get to know in its entirety. The local busses are most certainly the way to go, as they have their own center lanes and cruise by the bumper-to-bumper traffic, and they save you the miles of walking in between most of these places.
Arriving into the Old Town (Historic District) I ventured the 4 floors up to the roof-top terrace of the Secret Garden – a far too popular hostel that has every right to be solely with the views it offers… you can literally sit here all day and just watch the weather patterns change – it’s that amazing! Quito’s streets in the Historic District are lined with old buildings, which are architecturally stunning! I have to applaud the city and local people on the work they’ve put into renovating and maintaining.this precious area. The streets flow with the rolling valley hills and little curvatures… and they are relatively narrow, so sidewalk space is limited – if even existent! There are various plaza squares dominated by large churches tucked into about every 6th or 7th block… there is Cemeterio San Diego – which is soooooooooo massive, it is beyond comprehension… and it sits up above a slightly sketchier neighborhood offering incredible views from a different vantage point, and offering a level of shock from the unbelievable number of more recent deaths (2005-2007) – the local people are seen throughout the cemetery with rolling ladder staircases so they can tend to their loved-one’s place with new flowers and usually a name plate cleaning too. Quito’s virgin statue looms in the distance just off the shoulder of the cemetery, and is lined up perfectly straight between the two clock towers of the large Basilica across the other side of the Historic District. You can actually climb to the top of the Basilica towers… and with the fright of some of these sketchy ladders, you can guarantee you’d never have this kind of opportunity in the USA! Homes line the hills – going up higher and higher, and all lined with their colorful clothing filling the outdoor lines while drying. There is a Teleferiqo, which is a gondola that goes to the top of the mountain nearest the Basilica. From there, you can venture to the top on foot and even jump on horseback if you like, or take off for a full-day or multi-day mountain trek. The elevation is the killer, as you’re well above 12,000ft. I was most certainly sucking wind, but doing so carefully – to avoid altitude sickness (which I’ve had one too many times!) Lying all the way across the city from the Teleferiqo is New Town… which is basically a backpacker, coffee shop, internet café, and adventure tour hub. It was very quiet and charming on each of the visits I made here – and I actually enjoyed seeing what some of the businesses have done create lively cafes and coffee-shops within old mansions. Tucked up in the hills a good 10-minute drive from here are the Guayasamin museums – Ecuador’s most famous artist – whose dramatic and often controversial pieces of art are now on display in two specially preserved areas – one a museum, and the other, his home. Overall, Quito would take probably a couple months just to get to know in its entirety. The local busses are most certainly the way to go, as they have their own center lanes and cruise by the bumper-to-bumper traffic, and they save you the miles of walking in between most of these places.
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