I was so excited to land in Ecuador. I knew that Lee would be waiting for me on the other side of customs and immigration. After months of waiting, being apart, skype calls, phone calls, g-chats, text messages, and every method of communication in between, we were finally going to have physical contact with each other. I of course wanted to do what I could to look put together, so I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put on a spritz of my cologne before getting in line for immigration. The line was slow-moving, but I eventually made it through, got a stamp, picked up my bags, and headed out the sliding doors into official Ecuador territory. And there she was!
She had written out a sign for me "el chico mas guapo en todo el mundo" and had a huge, beautiful smile on her face. We hugged and kissed, and generally made a romantic movie scene in the arrivals hall at Mariscal Sucre airport. Then we made our way into Quito.
Quito is an amazing, sprawling city built primarily in a long valley in the Andes mountains. The elevation is very high, at 9,200 feet. The city is extensively built up, with sky scrapers lining the avenues of the valley floor, and neighborhoods clinging to the slopes of the steep mountains on all sides. It makes for beautiful views everywhere you turn. We went for a a coffee at Kallari Cafe in the Mariscal area of Quito, then we sauntered around, looking at different plazas and neighborhoods along the way. We walked through Parque El Ejido, a lovely park with plentiful green space, eucalyptus trees, pine trees, volleyball courts, and a whole walkway lined with artisan vendors. The sun was setting as we were walking, and it was amazing how the temperature began to drop as soon as the sun was going down. The elevation of Quito makes for VERY cold nights.
That evening we went for drinks in a very cozy bar called El Pobre Diablo. It is known for live music, and an avant garde feel. There were plenty of young, hip Quitenos in the bar sipping cocktails and sharing plates of cheese, olives, and various meats. We enjoyed some national beers and also shared some appetizers while waiting for two of Lee's college friends to show up. They eventually made it, we had another round of drinks, and then made our way to an upscale sushi restaurant in the Bellvista neighborhood of Quito.
We sat outside under heat lamps and ate delicious Japanese-Peruvian fusion sushi. It was great to get to know Lee's friends a bit better, and enjoy not travelling on a plane. I was tired as I had flown overnight, and the past two weeks of travel were catching up with me. Plus I was with Lee, and bundled up in many layers for the chill air, and finally felt like I was adjusting to a time zone. I was beat. We called it an early night, and then headed to our hotel for bed.
In the morning we had a leisurely breakfast, and then we met up with Lee's friend KK to go to "La Mitad del Mundo," the place where the equator crosses through northern Quito. It was a 30 minute taxi ride out there, and I slept the whole way. The taxi driver tried to make conversation. He was a gruff guy with neoprene sleeves that made it look like he had tattoos. I was too tired though. La Mitad del Mundo was warm, windy and dusty. We took a tour where we were shown some of the interesting gravitational effects of being on the equator (draining water does not make a spiral, strength is different, sun clocks show different time) mixed with some information about traditional indigenous tribes in the area. It was an interesting and informative experience.
After La Mitad del Mundo, we left Lee's friend KK, and we headed over to the Centro Historico to tour the basilica, see the city from the heights, and wander around the city a bit before hopping on an overnight bus to the coast. The basilica itself, "La Basilica del Voto Nacional" was stunning. The views were even more breathtaking. We climbed hundreds of stairs to reach the top of the cupola high above the city. The stair climbing left me winded at that altitude, but the views and the experience were well worth the time. From above, the views appear as though you could reach out and touch the clouds. The mountains, the sky, and the city all seem so close together at that altitude. The city stretched in all directions, only bounded by the inclines of the mountain slopes.
After a lovely stroll around the cathedral, and meandering through old town, we needed to make our way back to the hotel to pick up our bags before heading to the bus terminal. We went on a mad search for a particular empanada place called las medialunas de Abuelo. It was to take on the road. We gathered our belongings and hopped in a taxi with Lee's taxi driving friend Alex. We crawled north through rush hour traffic, fearing we would miss our bus to the coast. We arrived at the bus terminal (a large, modern, beautiful terminal reminiscent of an airport) and had to run through the chaos of people, out to the buses in order to get on the bus in time. Running with a 35 lb pack at 9000 feet is tiring, but we made our bus and we were on our way to the coast!
She had written out a sign for me "el chico mas guapo en todo el mundo" and had a huge, beautiful smile on her face. We hugged and kissed, and generally made a romantic movie scene in the arrivals hall at Mariscal Sucre airport. Then we made our way into Quito.
Quito is an amazing, sprawling city built primarily in a long valley in the Andes mountains. The elevation is very high, at 9,200 feet. The city is extensively built up, with sky scrapers lining the avenues of the valley floor, and neighborhoods clinging to the slopes of the steep mountains on all sides. It makes for beautiful views everywhere you turn. We went for a a coffee at Kallari Cafe in the Mariscal area of Quito, then we sauntered around, looking at different plazas and neighborhoods along the way. We walked through Parque El Ejido, a lovely park with plentiful green space, eucalyptus trees, pine trees, volleyball courts, and a whole walkway lined with artisan vendors. The sun was setting as we were walking, and it was amazing how the temperature began to drop as soon as the sun was going down. The elevation of Quito makes for VERY cold nights.
That evening we went for drinks in a very cozy bar called El Pobre Diablo. It is known for live music, and an avant garde feel. There were plenty of young, hip Quitenos in the bar sipping cocktails and sharing plates of cheese, olives, and various meats. We enjoyed some national beers and also shared some appetizers while waiting for two of Lee's college friends to show up. They eventually made it, we had another round of drinks, and then made our way to an upscale sushi restaurant in the Bellvista neighborhood of Quito.
We sat outside under heat lamps and ate delicious Japanese-Peruvian fusion sushi. It was great to get to know Lee's friends a bit better, and enjoy not travelling on a plane. I was tired as I had flown overnight, and the past two weeks of travel were catching up with me. Plus I was with Lee, and bundled up in many layers for the chill air, and finally felt like I was adjusting to a time zone. I was beat. We called it an early night, and then headed to our hotel for bed.
In the morning we had a leisurely breakfast, and then we met up with Lee's friend KK to go to "La Mitad del Mundo," the place where the equator crosses through northern Quito. It was a 30 minute taxi ride out there, and I slept the whole way. The taxi driver tried to make conversation. He was a gruff guy with neoprene sleeves that made it look like he had tattoos. I was too tired though. La Mitad del Mundo was warm, windy and dusty. We took a tour where we were shown some of the interesting gravitational effects of being on the equator (draining water does not make a spiral, strength is different, sun clocks show different time) mixed with some information about traditional indigenous tribes in the area. It was an interesting and informative experience.
After La Mitad del Mundo, we left Lee's friend KK, and we headed over to the Centro Historico to tour the basilica, see the city from the heights, and wander around the city a bit before hopping on an overnight bus to the coast. The basilica itself, "La Basilica del Voto Nacional" was stunning. The views were even more breathtaking. We climbed hundreds of stairs to reach the top of the cupola high above the city. The stair climbing left me winded at that altitude, but the views and the experience were well worth the time. From above, the views appear as though you could reach out and touch the clouds. The mountains, the sky, and the city all seem so close together at that altitude. The city stretched in all directions, only bounded by the inclines of the mountain slopes. After a lovely stroll around the cathedral, and meandering through old town, we needed to make our way back to the hotel to pick up our bags before heading to the bus terminal. We went on a mad search for a particular empanada place called las medialunas de Abuelo. It was to take on the road. We gathered our belongings and hopped in a taxi with Lee's taxi driving friend Alex. We crawled north through rush hour traffic, fearing we would miss our bus to the coast. We arrived at the bus terminal (a large, modern, beautiful terminal reminiscent of an airport) and had to run through the chaos of people, out to the buses in order to get on the bus in time. Running with a 35 lb pack at 9000 feet is tiring, but we made our bus and we were on our way to the coast!
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