Today was another exhilarating and fascinating and exhausting day in Quito. I’ve done free walking tours in other countries and the one in Quito gets rave reviews so I decided to give it a shot. These tours – in my opinion – are really good because they’re given by a local who talks about his country because he loves his country. They’re typically very passionate about the country and are invested in its future. And – all they work for are tips. So if they suck, they’ve worked for 3 hours for nothing 🙂

This one started in an area of Quito I’d yet to explore. There were a lot of hostels in this area so a lot of English speaking people and also a lot of locals. I do get quite a few looks as I walk down the street here. Is it because I’m so darned white or is it the hair. Who knows, I enjoy it and can usually elicit a smile.

Oddly, I was the only American on the tour. There were travelers from Europe, South America, Australia and even Russia. That alone was pretty cool.

This tour would take me to a lot of places I’d already seen but I was hoping to learn more about each place and its significance to the people of Quito. Our first stop was El Mercado Central – the central market. This is a traditional international market if anyone has been to one. Many kiosks inside selling everything from entire chickens to beautiful fresh fruit to lush flowers and beer. Here you could get a traditional Ecuadorian breakfast of tortillas and coffee for $1. That’s not a typo – just $1. Very nice. Along with the fresh fruit were juices made from these fruit. I tried Moro juice. Moro is a blood orange and indigenous to the area. It is sweeter than an orange and has a bit of raspberry to it. We also learned about Morocho – which is a sweet drink made of corn pudding and spices. It reminds me of the porridge I had in Africa.

The rest of the tour – as I said – went to places I’d already been. But I learned so much history from our local guides. For example, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have very similar flags for a good reason. They are/were all part of Gran Colombia which is a republic of some of the countries of Northern South America set up during their struggle between a centralized and a de-centralized form of government.

We also got to go inside part of the presidential palace and learned that the president no longer lives there. Apparently he said that he is not a king and the palace should belong to its people. So they opened it up to tourists but there is still lot of work that gets done on the premises. We also learned that although the current president has been in power for 8 years, prior to his presidency, the country was mired in corruption and went through many presidents. Some of them were literally chased out of the country, some were murdered in the city and one served for just one day. It was during this time that the currency was changed to the U.S. dollar. The hope was to bring about economic stability.

In addition to history, we got to see some history in the making. Today, on September 16, a rally and protest was planned in Old Town to march against government policies. Because of that, there were literally hundreds of police in the Old Town. It was quite a site to see. I should have stayed for the protest itself – in the name of history of course – but had been on my feet for so long by then that I just wanted a nap.

The end of the tour brought us to another place I had yet to visit – the La Ronda neighborhood. The neighborhood consists of Calle La Ronda and is a beautifully restored street in the historic area of the city. It has a bohemian, hippy vibe with lots of cafes and many local artisans – just my kind of place. Apparently on the weekends this is the place to be as it is pedestrian only and boasts live music from in front of its many cafes and bars. Unfortunately, Wednesday the place is dead 🙂 But that was ok – I was really just there for the art. So I wandered and finally found just what I was looking for. It is a pirograbado sobre madera – which literally translates to pyrography on wood. Pyrography is the art of decorating wood with burn marks resulting from the application of a heated poker. It’s so unique and lovely. I can’t wait to hang it in my home and share its story.

I have one last night in Quito and then I’m back off the grid. I’m going to wander close to my hotel and try to find a wonderful glass of wine and maybe a Canelazo. I’m not sure if I’ll have a chance to write tomorrow but if not, I’ll be storing it all up for when I return. I can’t even put into words how excited I am for this jungle trip. It’s going to be scary and eye-opening and dirty and exhausting and CRAZY! I’m ready!

Casa Mil Viente y Ocho is a mobile restaurant that also serves as a tour bus through Old Town Quito at night. Cheesy, right? Well, it was, in all the right ways! After getting lost again on the way to the tour, I saw two men sitting out in front of the bus. Thinking they might be there for the same reason as I, I said hello. That was the beginning of such a fun – and, yes, cheesy – night! I met Patricio and Gerardo. Patricio is from Santiago, Chile and is in Quito working for his government. He was “sneaking away” as he’s had a police escort since he arrived for a delegation. He and Gerardo have been friends since they were children and Gerardo moved to Quito years ago so along with work, they were able to catch up. They had no problem with me joining their party. Patricio served as our translator and was just such fun!

The bus wound it’s way through the very narrow streets of Old Town Quito while serving us traditional Ecuadorian food and explaining what it was. This is an important thing when you don’t recognize what you’re eating! My favorite food was humitas. Humitas are savory steamed fresh corn cakes made from a mixture of freshly ground corn, onion, garlic, cheese, eggs, and cream. They are to die for! I’d seen them being sold on the streets and didn’t know what they were.

Anyway, our first stop was the Basilica del Voto Nacional which I’d seen during the day but which looks like it glows – like it is lit from within – at night. It’s architecture is neo-gothic and our guide told us the history and legends of it’s building. For example, most gothic architecture is “protected” by gargoyles. This one is protected by species from Ecuador only – like Condors and Caymans and  Galapagos tortoises. Also, the basilica remains unfinished – on purpose. There are huge areas of the outside that remain empty while their counterparts are complete. Legend has it that once the basilica is finished, the end of the world will come.

We also learned the basilica’s connection to the winged Madonna on El Panecillo. From in front of the alter within the basilica, the is a small heart window through which there is a direct line to view the winged Madonna. Pretty cool!

After hearing of the legends here we were treated to a traditional local drink called the canelazo. It is served hot – which is very important because it gets very cold in Ecuador because of it’s high altitude. It is made of aguardiente – which is a sugar cane alcohol (also called Fire Water!), sugar and agua de canel (water boiled with cinnamon). Other local spices are also used and result in a slightly sweet drink that reminded me of muddled cider with a big kick!

Second stop was the Plaza de San Francisco, the main façade of the Church and Convent of St. Francis. Here we learned how the church was completed with the help of the devil and a local who outsmarted him to maintain his soul.

Finally, we were headed to Plaza de la Independencia – also locally called Plaza Grande. It is the central square of the Old Town and where the power in the city resides. The Presidential Palace is here as well as the building of the municipality of Quito. The square is lovely and lush with blooming trees with a large Independence Monument at it’s center.

Falling asleep on my feet, I decided that Mariscol could wait until tomorrow. Gerardo was kind enough to drive me to my hotel. I think it took him longer to drive there than it would have for me to walk 🙂 The kindness of strangers – and now friends – continues to amaze me! The night  would have been so much different – and less – without them.

There’s so much to do here that I’ll probably write another post later. Anyone bored yet???

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!

I’m finally on my way. It’s been a strange couple of days and I’m fascinated each year when I head out on a new trip. As I get older I’m starting to have more fears. Don’t get me wrong – I am NOT afraid of snakes in the jungle or for my safety. I’m still – yes, still – afraid of being who I want to be and being vulnerable. You’d think I was still in high-school right? And these kinds of trips are all about getting outside of my comfort zone but, in all honesty, that’s just uncomfortable J And that’s how I’m feeling right now. More than anything I want to truly connect with the city and other people. Hopefully with an open mind and heart that’s exactly what will happen.

I’m going to miss the people I love so much but I do feel that going away like this each year makes me appreciate and respect all that I have. And I truly can’t wait to get deep into the jungle – surrounded by nature. New sounds, new sights and new friends. It’s there that I think I’ll find true joy and peace.

Check back soon. I’ll be writing and posting almost all days with adventures in Quito, Ecuador, the Amazon jungle and Cartagena Colombia.