EC Amazon & Galapagos Day 2

Day 02 – Thursday, December 4, 2008 - Quito City Tour--Home-Hosted Lunch--Visit Inti Nan Museum, Middle of the World Monument & Folklore Olga Fisch

Our alarm went off at 6:15 – we had slept well and enjoyed our buffet breakfast. Antonio gathered our group at 7:45 for an overview of our upcoming travel plans. We had a chance to introduce ourselves and get to know our group of fellow travelers as we will be together for the next two weeks.

At 9:00 we met everyone in the lobby and joined our driver Galo for a day of exploring this capital city of 2.5 million people. As we drove through the narrow streets Antonio gave us a brief history of the country and of Quito, a charming colonial city that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Our first stop was one of the high hilltops of the city where we visited the Basilica of National Devotion, first under construction in the early 1700’s and finally completed only 50 years ago. The unique side altars represent each of the Provinces of Ecuador and are decorated with the patron saints of the individual areas.

Quito is South America's oldest capital city, founded by Sebastián de Benalcázar on December 6, 1534. Because of the anniversary celebrations going on this week, we could see many of the parades and festivities from the hilltop.

There were many school groups visiting the city and participating in the holiday. The teachers were very kind and let us take pictures of the children in their school uniforms and costumes.

Of course, there were also the local vendors, willing to negotiate with Gennie. The currency of Ecuador is the American dollar so the bargaining was easy and the beautiful textiles were reasonable.

Today we were able to experience a delicate blend of Spanish and Indian cultural influences as we got off of our bus and walked through the crowded streets. We followed the parade route and cheered on the many young people. We followed The Street of Seven Crosses to the Government Center and the President’s Palace.

Antonio told us about the significance of the colors of the national flag, yellow for the sun here at the equator, blue for the sky and the sea, and red for the blood shed by its patriots.

We made a brief comfort stop at the Metropolitan Cultural Center. The building was originally a Jesuit monastery but now it is the city’s home of art and local handicrafts. Right next door is the Municipal Library where students come to study. Only 19% of the population has internet access so many scholars here in Quito still do traditional research.

As we walked through the older part of town, we saw many colonial-era structures that remain to this day. Our next stop was the Jesuit church of La Compañia de Jesus. This golden interior is a tribute to the Spanish influence but also a reminder of the gold taken from the country and sweat and blood of the indigenous people.

We walked to the first Catholic Church in South America; the Cathedral of San Francisco but we were not able to go inside as it is under restoration. We did have a great view of the Virgin on the Hillside from the main colonial square. The square is a very popular pilgrimage site as St. Francis was so good to the poor people.

Galo met us on the busy street in front of the square and we headed up and then down the steep hills surrounding the city. We could see the tiny Quito Airport at 9350 feet of altitude and marveled at the landing we made last night. It reminded us of Congonhas in the center of Sao Paulo in Brazil. Fortunately, Quito is building a new airport about 30 minutes from the city center.

We continued our drive to the outskirts of the city, to the Solar Museum which was only 8220 feet of altitude. Here we had lunch with Maria and Fabian Vera who hosted a marvelous home cooked traditional meal for us. One of the guides of the museum, Natalia was our translator and I was able to help to move the conversations along as Antonio did not stay with us for lunch.

Ecuadoran comida tipica (typical food) is wholesome and fresh, drawing upon the bounty of the land. We enjoyed the Highland inhabitant’s food; perfect to fight the cold of the mountains with locro de papas, a filling soup of potatoes, cabbage, onions, and avocado.

We also enjoyed fried corn nuts, beans served in a salsa as well as our main course, rice, vegetables, fried plantains, and chicken with mushroom sauce. Our drink was Passion Fruit juice and for dessert we had babaco, a fruit from the papaya family served with ice cream.

After lunch Natalia guided us through the famous Intiñan Museum, an interactive museum at 00º 00’ 00”. We took turns having our photos taken on the exact (GPS) spot of the Equator.

We also found out there really is a change in the water's swirling direction between the northern and southern hemispheres. We also saw a Sparkling Voletear humming bird – a tease for the variety of birds we will see on this adventure.

Then we made a quick stop at the more traditional Equatorial Monument, where we stood on the boundary between hemispheres and Antonio took a group photo of all of us.

It was amazing to know that in 1735 with very primitive surveying equipment, the French Geographical Society was able to locate the equator within 12 minutes of Antonio’s modern GPS.

Before returning to our hotel, we stopped at Folklore Olga Fisch in Quito, a gallery, museum, and store featuring Ecuadorian folk art. By 4:45 we were back at the hotel. Antonio is still trying to find our luggage; we are hoping it will come in on the Miami flight tonight at 8:30.

Tonight at 7:00 we enjoyed a welcome dinner at El Escondite de Cantuña, a hilltop restaurant with a magnificent view of the city. Although it was raining earlier, the skies cleared and we were able to appreciate the views below.

Antonio and Galo dropped us off at the hotel at 9:30 and went to the airport to see if they could pick up the lost luggage. At 10:20 our doorbell rang and there was Antonio with my bag! The gods are smiling on us as we leave for the jungle at 7:45 in the morning!

Accommodations: Reina Isabel Hotel - - - Meal: B, L, D

If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.

To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

OK, you don't mention Vic's amazing lack of strength on the Equator line. Al thinks it was a trick and wishes he had volunteered. What say you? yourop;t

Sounds like a neat trip so far, especially since you got your luggage back. The lunch made my mouth water.

Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Previous Next

Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.

Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...

Continue Reading Day 13