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Ecuador - Quito
4th - 6th August ´08
After a 3 hour flight from the Galapagos Islands, we arrived at Ecuador´s second largest city and another World Heritage Site. At 2800m above sea level and surrounded by picturesque valleys, we knew we would require a couple of days to acclimatise to Quito´s altitude. We stayed in the heart of the new town - Mariscal 
Sucre - an area that used to be notorious for crime, drugs and prostitution... however, round the clock police enforcement had helped to transform this neighbourhood into a place overflowing with bars, restaurants and travellers. After finding accommodation and checking our clothes in for some long overdue laundry, we explored the surrounding area and spoke to some recommended tour operators.
It had been a few days since we had trapped ourselves within any tourist attractions, but the following morning that lull came to an end. A 2km ride on the skytram (teleferico) up the flanks on Volcan Pichincha brought us to
some headspinning heights and spectacular views of the city (4100m above sea level). After walking a mere several steps at this level, we began gasping for breath (the mornings fry-up probably didn´t help either) - we had all good intentions of hiking up to the summit, but with our lack of layers in the chilling wind, these were short-lived. A slow descent followed by a congested local bus ride, and we had arrived in the old town. We lunched in a small, renouned eatery under the cathedral which was also frequented by politicians. A few minutes walk 
away were the main plazas - full of indigenous women carrying large loads, shoe-shining boys, old folk napping on benches, and surrounded by churches, convents and monasteries... these public squares retained a lot of character. After some spending some hours walking around colonial architecture set against a backdrop of Andean 
valleys, we headed back to the completely different world of Mariscal Sucre where we ended the night with Mexican food and tequilas.
Our trip to Quito wasn´t quite complete without a visit to the centre of the world (Mitad del Mundo). A 20km through remote villages via two buses brought us to a place on the Equator located at 0 longitude and 0 latitude. After taking some typical photos with one foot in each hemisphere, we left the main complex for the more interesting Museo Solar Inti Nan. Here, a knowledgeable guide took us thr
ough a series of exhibits which demonstrated Corriolos Force, and other mind-boggling, gravity-related experiments (including balancing an egg on a nail). When our physics lesson came to an end, the evening was drawing closer - we headed back to the new town in time to book ourselves on a bus heading south through the central highlands, for the following morning.
After a 3 hour flight from the Galapagos Islands, we arrived at Ecuador´s second largest city and another World Heritage Site. At 2800m above sea level and surrounded by picturesque valleys, we knew we would require a couple of days to acclimatise to Quito´s altitude. We stayed in the heart of the new town - Mariscal 
Sucre - an area that used to be notorious for crime, drugs and prostitution... however, round the clock police enforcement had helped to transform this neighbourhood into a place overflowing with bars, restaurants and travellers. After finding accommodation and checking our clothes in for some long overdue laundry, we explored the surrounding area and spoke to some recommended tour operators.
It had been a few days since we had trapped ourselves within any tourist attractions, but the following morning that lull came to an end. A 2km ride on the skytram (teleferico) up the flanks on Volcan Pichincha brought us to
some headspinning heights and spectacular views of the city (4100m above sea level). After walking a mere several steps at this level, we began gasping for breath (the mornings fry-up probably didn´t help either) - we had all good intentions of hiking up to the summit, but with our lack of layers in the chilling wind, these were short-lived. A slow descent followed by a congested local bus ride, and we had arrived in the old town. We lunched in a small, renouned eatery under the cathedral which was also frequented by politicians. A few minutes walk 
away were the main plazas - full of indigenous women carrying large loads, shoe-shining boys, old folk napping on benches, and surrounded by churches, convents and monasteries... these public squares retained a lot of character. After some spending some hours walking around colonial architecture set against a backdrop of Andean 
valleys, we headed back to the completely different world of Mariscal Sucre where we ended the night with Mexican food and tequilas.
Our trip to Quito wasn´t quite complete without a visit to the centre of the world (Mitad del Mundo). A 20km through remote villages via two buses brought us to a place on the Equator located at 0 longitude and 0 latitude. After taking some typical photos with one foot in each hemisphere, we left the main complex for the more interesting Museo Solar Inti Nan. Here, a knowledgeable guide took us thr
ough a series of exhibits which demonstrated Corriolos Force, and other mind-boggling, gravity-related experiments (including balancing an egg on a nail). When our physics lesson came to an end, the evening was drawing closer - we headed back to the new town in time to book ourselves on a bus heading south through the central highlands, for the following morning. 
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