Photos : Inside the Basilica, Outside the Basilica, and some countryside photos
Yes, we have finally made it to the country bearing the name of the equator. Sadly, we somehow missed the famous imaginary line. We choose the shortest road to get to Quito, and found out it does not go to the famous "Mitad Del Mundo". We both wanted to have pictures of half our body in the northern hemisphere and half in the southern and feel a bit lighter. Oh well, to our consolation the monument is in the wrong place. But we have enjoyed our first week here in Ecuador. We have enjoyed small cheap hotels at 6 dollars a night. We have eaten lunch out every day because both me and Merilee can eat a bowl of soup, rice, beans, salad and a meat for 3-4 dollars! We have decided yucca fried in chicken fat is quite amazingly delicious. Also, there are fried mashed potatoes (can't remember the Spanish word for it) that are to die for. It is not an uncommon sight to see numerous pigs hanging up from hooks being slowly cooked or sliced up to be prepared in some great tasting dish. Ecuador's mountains also do not disappoint. When the cloud cover is light, because here in the Andes there always seems to be clouds, we get to see great snowy mountain peaks towering about the huge valley's and farmland that we bike through. It is pretty spectacular. It is something I was really looking forward to on this trip. Yay! We made it!
The night before we arrived in Quito we stayed with some firefighters in a town outside the city called Tabacuba. They were a very cheery bunch to spend the evening with. At first, they offered us to sleep on the roof, but after a while decided to let us bunk downstairs with them in the dorm. They even fed us dinner and throughout the whole time if anyone coughed one of them was ready to slap you on the back to keep you from choking. Or make you choke more. I am unsure of current red cross regulations. It was pretty funny. But we had a terrific warm shower and comfortable mattress to sleep on to prepare ourselves for the ride into Quito.
Heading into Quito we had imagined absolute chaos more or less. That is scooters everywhere, bikes, trucks, buses spewing black smoke, and that sort of thing. We found a city that was not at all like this. Traffic wasn't too bad and...and...of all things the streets were ALL signed!! It made the city a piece of cake to navigate (and there is cake too!). We kept riding by beautiful plazas, parks, and churches. We were headed to the center to meet up with a guy who belongs to warmshowers and had agreed to put us up for a few nights. When we got there we had to get on the internet to find his exact address and what do we find? He has sent us a message that he has left town and can no longer help us out! It was hard not to be annoyed. So we looked for a cheap hotel. We found one above a pet food store so we hung out there for two nights sleeping soundly with the smell of kibbles filling out nostrils.
We were in a nice location in the city. We climbed El Pancillo (sorta), which has a view of all the city. Don't climb El Pancillo is the advice we learned. Passerbyers told us there were thieves waiting at the top. So we took a different route and saw sketchy dudes drinking so decided best to head back. Then the tourist police picked us up and took us to the Plaza Grande. From there we walked to the Basilica of Quito. It is probably the most impressive church we have seen thus far. Really amazing. Go photos!
Anyhow, we were also in contact with another warmshower user named Carolina. We gave her a call and she and her family kindly opened their doors to us. We are super grateful because we are waiting for a package for the US, and we have no idea when it will arrive. We got at her house yesterday and promptly went for a nice hike up a mountain. We went with Carolina and her friend Sebatian. Whew! They kept calling it a small mountain but, it was a long long way up! There was a really great view from the top of the area around Quito. Anyhow that is about all for now. We are here in Quito until we get our stuff! What a shame!
OK Merilee wants me to add this because I have had uncounted woes with my rear wheel. In the mouth of October I broke 17 spokes. November has started out much better. Maybe because we haven't rode too far yet, but good wheel builders are hard to find.
Check out our last few blogs because we finally got a add pics!!!!
The basilica blows my mind. In Ecuador? Really? Do you know when it was built? What an incredible building for what seems like such a remote place.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's really gorgeous. According to information at the museum in El Panecillo, it was started in something like 1880 and completed/blessed in 1985 - long construction time!
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