Category: Ecuador, South America

Most tourist do the walking tour of Historic City Center in Quito on the first day or two of arrival to keep a slow, relaxing, pace and take it easy to get used to the altitude and prevent altitude sickness. As we had time constraints, we did our major sightseeing first and left the highly recommended historic center for the last. We were staying very close to the City Center area which we knew to be a pedestrian zone, we didn’t need to take a tour or even to hire a cab for the day. We just needed a cab or an Uber to be dropped off at the point from where we could walk around the historic city center’s pedestrian zone. Our Uber dropped us at the entrance point to the pedestrian area of historic city center. At first, it seemed very intimidating because everywhere we turned it seemed like we had to walk uphill, which wasn’t something we welcomed. But as we asked around we found a very kind older gentleman who showed us the best way to navigate the streets in the area starting with the Independence Square, and by walking along the Garcia Moreno street along which lot of the major sights are locate. Independent square is one of the symbols of the executive power of the nation. We realized that we were standing right at the entrance to the Independence Square and all we had to do was to walk down and start there.

The main feature of the independence plaza is the monument to the independence heroes of August 10, 1809 right in the center of the plaza. And the buildings around the square retained their original architectural features. Because of its preserved originality Quito became the first city to be declared UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1978. One could experience hundreds of years of Quito’s past in one day when visiting the historic center. Although I am blissfully ignorant about architecture, I couldn’t help but notice that most buildings were built in Spanish Colonial style.

Independence Square in Quito is a great place to hang around, relax and soak in the sights. It really welcomed us with its friendly vibrant atmosphere. It is really a square which represents history, culture and everything invaluable to the city. In other words it is the beating heart of the city. All four sides of the square has important buildings such as Archbishop’s Palace which was residence of Bishop for many years; The City Hall where municipality of Quito is located; on the south side Quito’s Cathedral which makes its daunting presence felt by stretching over a huge area; west side of the square in taken up by Palacio del Gobierno, Carondelet Palace, from where Ecuadorian president works. Apart from these buildings Independence square is surrounded by shops and restaurants.

While we walked on Garcia Moreno street, we found a nice restaurant/cafe where we stopped for a great coffee and a snack of cheese and onion empanadas, item peculiar to Ecuador. We also had a traditional meal for lunch, along with ceviche made right on the table as an appetizer, in the same restaurant the following day.

We visited the Church of la compañia de Jesús also on Garcia Moreno street, one of the best known churches in Quito because its central nave is decorated with gold leaf, gilded plaster and wood carvings.

Walking up the Garcia Moreno street, we could see the Statue of Virgen, way in the distance on top of el Panecillo, an amazing sight. It is world’s tallest winged, aluminum statue of Virgin Mary visible from everywhere in the city. We were able to hail a cab to go to El panecillo. The Statue of Winged Virgen is only referred to as El panecillo. The cab driver insisted on correcting us when we said Statue of Virgen by repeating El Panecillo. The hill was, apparently named El Panecillo because it resembles a loaf of bread. This hill which is 656 feet high(200 meters) was chosen to erect a 135 feet (41 meters), high, including the base, replica of Virgen Mary making it a highest, and largest winged aluminum statue in Ecuador, and in the world. It is made up of thousands of individual pieces of aluminum. Apart from the wings, the Virgen stands treading on a snake( and some say a dragon) upon the globe. There is a small museum inside the base. We had to pay $2/- per person to enter the museum. There were stairs to climb up to the top for highest viewing area. We went part of the way but turned back halfway because it was very tiring. The statue is definitely worth seeing up close, and the views of the city even from el Panecillo itself were Phenomenal.

This completed our vacation in Quito. Although there were not many cabs around, we were lucky to get a cab back home. Our last evening in Quito, we got ready to leave bringing our Ecuadorian fun and adventure to a very satisfying finish. We were ready to go to the airport for our flight back home the same evening.

Quilotoa, Ecuador

It was November 6, our trip to Quilotoa was planned. We left again around the same time as we did for Cotopaxi Volcano the day before. Quilotoa Volcano is one of the most popular attractions in Ecuador. The last time Quilotoa volcano erupted was in 1280 which formed 3 km gaping Caldera by the collapse of the most western volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. This caldera located in Cotopaxi province is filled with brilliant, stunning Sapphire water as a result of dissolved minerals is an amazing site for the visitors to the area.

When we left in the morning, we knew that Quilotoa was farther away from us than Cotopaxi where we went the day before. If you are lucky to be in the country and have extra time, you should make both Cotopaxi and Quilotoa an essential part of the itinerary and combine the visit over 2 to 3 days. This will not only save unnecessary travel time in the same direction, but also give you time to do activities such as horseback riding in Cotopaxi and hiking the Quilotoa Loop. For us that was not an option. We had limited time, we did day trips to both Cotopaxi Volcano and Quilotoa Lagoon. We just stayed around the Quilotoa lake and enjoyed stunning lagoon, amazing nature, and epic landscapes making it a highlight of our stay in Ecuador.

At an elevation of around 3,800 meters, Quilotoa Lake is a sight to behold. Daunting Andes mountains surrounded this beautiful Sapphire gem as if hugging in a tight bear hug.

views.

There was a shopping area where there were big warehouse style artisan and craft stores near the lake . We spent some time and looked at the things there. Merchants were, obviously, anxious to sell their goods but we didn’t have enough time to look as it was getting late, and a long drive was ahead.

At this point, we had two more days left to explore the Historic City Center, in Quito, Ecuador. Since we were staying very close to the City Center area, we did not need Jose to come back for the day. City Center in Quito has all pedestrian streets. We just needed a taxi to be dropped off at the point from where we would be able to walk around the Historic City Center’s pedestrian zone. Hoping for a lot of fun. Still no altitude sickness!!

Intiñan Museum, Quito, Ecuador

After our visit to the Pululahua Crater, we proceeded to Intiñan Museum, which features a living history of the Ecuadorian life and has  developed into a major tourist attraction. Intiñan Museum is located just outside Quito, a short way from Mitad del Mundo. Apparently Mitad del Mundo’s equator line is off by about 200 meters. Whereas, intiñan museum advertises itself to have the true equator line.

There was minimal entrance fees, but with an added advantage of a guided tour through the exhibits. There were not a lot of exhibits and the guide took around 1-hour to take us around the premises. She was very pleasant with a sense of humor. At first she focused on the tribes’ daily life, starting with the replicas of the typical colony of the tribes. There was a display of primitive style kitchen with a large pot on a makeshift, what appeared to be, a wood burning stove. several pots and pans were stored around the area.

Next display was history of the indigenous people in the amazon and their practice of head shrinking rituals . More on it in a future post.

There was an authentic home built long time ago by the indigenous people giving visitors a chance to see living history of Ecuadorian life complete with a live guinea pig farm and free range llamas roaming around. By the way, guinea pig (Cuy) is considered a delicacy in South America. Cuy (guinea pig) is one of Peru’s most famous dishes that is fried or roasted .

The central focus of museum was a totem pole surrounded by several stations for different interactive demonstrations for the tourists or visitors. The museum is bisected by red painted line indicating the real equator where they test the physical forces at work through various fun activities.

Activities included walking on the equator line to prove that conflicting pull from the North and South making it difficult to walk along the red equator line. Another activity involved balancing an egg on a nailhead to prove the theory that it can only be done on the equator. Those who succeeded were to get a certificate. The most interesting was the Coriolis force which they demonstrated by showing  the flow of water draining from a sink in counterclockwise or clockwise direction depending on which side of the equator line the sink was placed. When placed on Northern side flow was counterclockwise, and when moved to the Southern side the flow changed to clockwise, but the water dropped straight down on the equator line.

Traditional handicrafts, hunting and fishing equipment and traditional household equipment such as a variety of mortar and pestles, and hand operated stone mills for grinding corn or wheat  were displayed around the area.

This was of particular interest to me. When I was growing up in India, we used mortar and pestles for grinding spices, and Chakki (hand operated stone mill) for grinding wheat for making bread. We, as kids, used to help out with the chores with great excitement and enthusiasm. I still use granite, and brass mortars and pestles, timeless devices, in my kitchen on a regular basis. Guided tour through Initñan Museum was very interesting, and thought provoking. A great place for a day of fun for families with children who visit Quito, Ecuador.

Teleferico, Quito, Ecuador

The morning of Monday, Nov. 4, 19, we got up looking forward to the plan of going to Teleferico, a highly recommended and popular attraction in Quito, Ecuador. After breakfast, we were  ready to set out for an adventure of Teleferico, cable car ride which would take us to the skies on rolling hills dressed in velvety shades of green mixed with gray and black.

We were advised to be aware of what the heights will bring in terms of  bitter cold, winds, and altitude sickness to boot. We were mindful of that and prepared for what awaited us. As skeptical as we were, we had no choice at this stage of the game but to brace ourselves and have fun. Fully prepared we walked out and called the Uber. I don’t remember how long the ride took, but we arrived at the access point to the boarding station. When we got in line we noticed that we were in the wrong line, meaning we were already in line to board the cable car without the tickets. There was another line for buying the tickets. My husband took the job of holding the spot in line for us while we went to get the tickets. Anyway, this worked fine and the line was slow enough for us to join when we bought the tickets. Already in line, we saw a very neat stand, similar to the airline’s carry-on bag sizer providing comic relief and distraction.  On the back of it was a picture of a small dog and it said, “Mide a tu Perro”, (Measure your dog). Obviously, those who had a dog had to make sure that the dog fit into the sizer for it to ride with its owner. Bigger dogs were not allowed. It was an interesting topic of conversation and that kept us busy as we approached our turn to board the cable car. 

Each cable car was designed to accommodate 6 people and we were four in our group. They scouted the snaking  line of impatient crowd to find a group of two who would share the ride with us. Two Columbian gentlemen, twin brothers, came forward to join us.

We got settled in, and our cable car started its run up along the slopes of the dormant Pichincha Volcano. It took about 15 to 20 minutes, for it to rise from 10,226 feet to 12,943 feet to the top. While it swayed but not alarming so, we talked with our Columbian travel companions. They didn’t speak English and my family members did not speak Spanish, therefore; I translated the conversation back and forth for everyone to have fun and get to know each other. It was a real treat for us to have them with us. Very special treat for me because I love any chance of speaking Spanish.

Once the cable car arrived at the top, we stepped out and walked over to the beautiful visitor center, with  very clean, and well maintained bathrooms and a bar where they also served delicious coffee, snacks, and desserts. We had awesome cappuccino and strawberry cheesecake while being deeply grateful for this heavenly treat with warmer than expected weather.

Moreover, I was mesmerized with the Jaw dropping, stunning scenery. Breathtaking views of Pichincha’s cloud shrouded peaks juxtaposed with sweeping views of Quito from giddying heights of almost 14000 feet, and none of us experienced even a trace of altitude sickness. After imbibing nature’s beauty and bounty, we left to  board the Cable car for our descent with one other person who joined us this time. 

 At the exit there was a flutist playing, his instrument with number of flutes strung together ( at least that’s the way I saw it), a beautiful, soothing music. I recalled that we had been at a similar, simply delightful, but a group, performance at Lake Louise,Canada in 1993.  

 When we came out, it was still not too late and we wanted to do some more sightseeing in the vicinity. Talked to a taxi driver, José Gualan about the possibility of doing Intiñan museum, and Mitad del Mundo, He agreed to take us there with a suggestion that we should also go to Pululahua Crater first and then to the other two sites, before going back to the apartment. We had no objection and negotiated a price which was very reasonable. He seemed totally trust worthy, competent, courteous, professional, and friendly. We hired him for the day and also for our planned trips to Cotopaxi , and Quilotoa for the next two consecutive days.

more on it in future post.

Quito, Ecuador

We did it. Just came back ,after a wonderful week, from Quito, Ecuador. It had been a bucket list item for a while. Not too long ago we were almost there before it got canceled due to a family emergency. Our plans, although on the back burner, suddenly materialized. Planning the trip had a great excitement mixed with anxiety and fear because of the altitude issue. Information about altitude sickness was pretty scary, and enough to want to cancel the vacation forever. We felt fear and also resolve to go ahead with the plan and had a wonderful time, plus zero altitude sickness.  That doesn’t mean altitude at 9000 feet, or more above sea level, is a myth, It is real and we needed a hard look at our own situation and pay heed to it by not overdoing, at least for a day or two to acclimatize, drink a lot of water to stay hydrated, plus pray for a lot of luck. I did, and also comforted myself with President Roosevelt’s golden words:

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is …fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

President Roosevelt

I guess we converted retreat into advance, and arrived into Quito around 11:pm on Saturday, Nov. 2. Our Airbnb host arranged a taxi for us to be picked up making the ordeal of getting to the apartment a lot easier. The apartment was located across Parque La Carolina, and in the center of the Quito’s central business district. I always dread the antiquated check-in process, but on arrival we breezed through and the door had a state- of- the- art digital lock. All we had to do is punch in a given code and a recording  told us to enter. This two bedroom apartment was very nice with a great view. It was fully equipped with all the amenities. We were lucky that the weather was not too cold after the first night when we felt really cold. We really enjoyed the central location from where we could walk to a lot of places.

Next day, Sunday, Nov.3 brought us beautiful sunshine. We left to find a place for breakfast. We found Ambato Bakery a stone’s throw away from our apartment. It was a bakery which also served coffee or tea to customers who wished to  consume their freshly made delicious variety of baked goods on the premises. But their coffee did not measure up to the standard of their baked goods. 

From there we walked over to the Quicentro shopping mall area  which was really a Spanish style plaza around which all kinds of stores, and restaurants were  located. As you can see McDonald’s and Burger King are looming large, are you surprised? Supermaxi grocery store was the point of interest for us, which we were told, was opening at 10:30 am. Since we were early, we  got a chance to enjoy the outdoors until we could do our grocery shopping. All set with the needed groceries, we returned to the apartment and set about getting lunch ready. Delicious lunch was followed by rest and relaxation. I guess we strictly observed the rules to acclimatize so we could start the sightseeing the following day.

Lot more to come on Quito, Ecuador. please subscribe to my blog “rasheedablogs.org” for email notifications.