The first thing I usually do to figure out a city is walk. I walk, walk, walk and then I walk some more. I get completely lost and look like a dorky tourist the whole time. I always have my map, my hand on my bag, and I can usually be seen walking up and down the same street more than once after realizing I’ve gone the wrong way. But these are all great things – especially in Quito.

Quito is the capital city of Ecuador and at an elevation of almost 10k feet above sea level, it is the highest official capital city in the world. It is located on the side of Pinchinca, an active volcano in the Andes mountains. You can see the volcano from any vantage point in the city. Quito’s historic center was also one of the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO and it is one of the least altered since then, giving you a feeling that you’re going back in time.

It is a highly walkable city but the first place I wanted to walk to was Ritmo Tropical Salsa – a dance school in Quito. I wanted to see if they could fit me in for a lesson or two while I was there. The first person I met was a Scottish dude who’d just been attached for the 3rd time in the city! Wake up call! He’s been here for 2 years but still! After hearing that the owner of the dance studio went on to tell me in Spanglish how dangerous the city is 🙁 Better to be warned, I guess. I booked a private lesson for 4 and went on my way.

I must have walked 4 miles today – again, the best way to see a city in my opinion. The city is a very religious city – mostly Catholics. There are 32 Catholic parishes just in Quito itself. Because of this, there are churches everywhere – and they are absolutely stunning! Most are very ornate and are open to the public for tours. I saw priests and nuns all over the Old Town – some blessing the elderly, some out for lunch.

I stumbled upon Feria Solidaria – a solidarity festival – in the Old Town. There must have been over 100 kiosks set up – selling everything from children’s toys to homemade honey to jeans. It seemed like tons of locals here – and a lot of children returning from school in their uniforms. There was also a band set up playing lovely Spanish music. I spent some time here just wandering around and attempting to use my very bad Spanish. I got by – which was hard for me to believe.

Looming above the city is the El Panecillo statue – a 45 meter tall statue of a winged Madonna which is situated on a high hill made of volcanic soil. Like the volcano, it’s visible from most places and seems to be an iconic symbol of the city. To me she is beautiful but also slightly scary and serves as a reminder of that darned Catholic guilt!

Off to salsa! I’d booked an hour lesson with Juan Carlos – a local who didn’t speak a lick of English. But wow – was it fun! And hard! He had me twirling and moving in all sorts of directions. He did tell me the Spanish names of the moves so I’ll be doing research on them soon. Basically it was an hour where I got to dance my butt off without apologizing for not being any good! And I’m actually decent, I think. I’ll have to learn the Spanish word for “decent” because I’ve booked him again for tomorrow 🙂

Sweating like I’d just done a cycle class – yeah, that’s hot, I know  – I took a stroll thought the Mariscal area of Quito. This is apparently where all of the nightlife is. Tons of discos and karaoke bars – who knew? Throw in an Irish and an English pub and I couldn’t wait to get the heck out of there. But – since I keep hearing about this area as a place to experience the city, I will be going back – after hours and not sweaty – and NOT to an Irish or English pub (much as I love them!)

Tonight I’m  off to continue being a complete tourist – this time on a Mobile Restaurant. I’m not sure if this is totally cool or completely a waste of time and money. But I really want to see the city lit up at night and I really want a guide to talk to me about the monuments and I really want to try some platos typicos – typical dishes in Quito. So here goes!