Quito at night

These are a couple of shots from our current accommodation (Hotel Real Audiencia) in the old city. Tomorrow we move to Hotel Quito where we meet the Gap group.

Coconut

Linda wants me to post pictures of us with our coconut. One of Linda's fondest memories is drinking coconuts in Papua New Guinea when she was with CUSO.

Crater lake

No life in the lake, just deep water captured in the dormant volcano's crater.

Poverty

We did encounter a number of older women begging. I guess the women are sent out to do this. We didn't say no.

Volcano and Otavalo Tour

We, with the advice of Natalie at the front desk, hired Fredy to take us out of town today. We left shorly after 9am and returned around 6:30pm. Unfortunately, his vehicle had just been stolen so we were in his brother's little Suzuki and it was a bit cramped. But, he was well informed and a great guide. Actually, he does tours for GAP Adventures, the group we are doing the islands with soon. We left Quito at an elevation of 2,850 m above sea level. Quito is the second highest capital city in the world. We drove down and down into the Green Valley and were struck by how dry it was on one side of the road and how lush on the other. They grow fruits and veggies all year round here. Ecuador is also a very large producer of roses. Fredy said you were cheap here if you bought your girlfriend roses ($1 per dozen). The strata of rock from sedimentary to volcanic etc was quite impressive. You could see the years of formation and history. Some of the volcanoes were not that easy to see today with many clouds in the air but Cayambe was impressive (5,790 m above sea level). The equator passes through this volcanic mountain and is the only point on the equator with snow!

We went to the town of Otavalo and spent a couple of hours wandering the market. Many of the stalls had the same jewelery (don't know where it's made) but we got some good deals on Alpaca woolens, silver jewelery, paintings, and some other stuff. Had a lovely fresh coconut to drink - yum.

From there we went to Cotacachi which is known as Leather Town and they mean it. Anne bought a leather jacket for just over $100. I bought a wallet for $10!

We had lunch here at a restaurant selected by Fredy. I had a local specialty cooked on a bbq in the courtyard.

Then we went on to a volcano with a lake in it's crater. It is in a national park consisting of 4500 hectares and extends to the Pacific Ocean. All in all a great day and a tiring one. By the way, Fredy's fee for the day was $130.

Quito in the daylight

A very old city with lots of violent history. Overthowing the Spanish took awhile. There were many rebellions and so they have lots of slain and executed heroes. When I looked out our window this morning, I was greeted by a huge statue of the Madonna. People were also setting out their stalls at 6 am. Linda, Anne and I walked around our neighbourhood after breakfast (Robin needed more rest) and found great plazas, old churches, a cathedral, lots of people selling on the street and small stores full of less than quality goods. I was taken aback by the number of police out on the streets. There is never just one cop, but many. During the morning rush hour trolley after trolley crammed with people stopped just below our hotel. I watched during breakfast. There were too many police to count. They disappeared after the rush but every corner has police presence. The locals wear their back packs backwards to prevent theft. I was warned by a shop keeper to keep my hand on my camera at all times. At one point, there was a great gathering of police and motorcyles flashing their lights. Turns out they were shooing some ladies away from a corner they wanted to work.

It is a strange place as there are indigenous people in traditional dress and then those who are trying to be more of the modern world. There were many children in school uniforms but many who were running the streets, shining shoes, selling trinkets, manning concession stands.

This afternoon the three of us went to the National Cultural Museum. Anne, being a retired anthropologist, wanted to go there. It was a great exhibit but we wish there had been more explanation in English. Not speaking the language here is a problem. I had less trouble in Thailand. Linda speaks a little Spanish so that helps. It was sunny this morning, clouded up this afternoon but was a lovely temp all day.

Arriving Ecuador Jan 17, 2011

We left my brother's place in Toronto at 5 am this morning and arrived in Quito just after 7 pm. The trip was uneventful. Longish wait in Miami for a connection, but that was okay. Neither plane was full, so we had space between us and separate spaces to Quito. The city lights were wonderful coming in. The street layout is quite circular in the old part. The population is about 2 million. Our driver was waiting for us at the airport and I don't want to drive here! The hotel is in the old city and is old itself. Three flights of stairs to our room. We went next door to a cafe for a beer and a beggar spotted us tourists. He tried to come in but the owner drove him away with a stick. Driving in the old part, we did see a lot of poverty. We will have to be careful. Robin and Anne have yet to arrive. I hope the bad weather in Washington state didn't delay them. Hope to do a city tour tomorrow.