Teleferico, 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.
Clouds shrouded Pichincha Volcano 
Views of Quito at 12, 943 feet
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.
