Equality for Ecuador
There’s a lot of talk in Ecuador about its even- keel geography. Situated right on the Equator, it has one foot in each hemisphere, and its very name reflects its unique and balanced position. With that in mind, it wouldn’t feel equitable not to write at least one post about our mainland activities.
From our various tours, guides and discussions, it seems like Ecuador – and Quito in particular – have a bit of a complex. On a walking tour we took, the guide asked why we were all in Quito. Were we passing by on the way to Colombia? Did our cheap flight include a stopover on the way to Peru? Were we en route to the Galapagos? Common perception is that Quito is for passing through, and not a destination in its own right. It’s a miss.
While it might not make our list of all-time favorite cities, it was a charming stop and definitely worth a visit! Here’s how we spent our time.
We rode in cars
In spite of abundant planning for this trip, we’ve had a number of moments where it was clear we’d done very little or no research. Arriving in Quito was one: This is a BIIIIIIIG city, who knew?!
When we first arrived at our hotel (a surprising 50 minutes from the airport!), it was dinner time and we also learned that the city is MAS PELIGROSO after dark (big danger!). Our hotel gave us firm instructions not to walk anywhere, and offered us a ride from their friendly driver, David.
David became an integral part of our time in Quito, as did his car. (The boys were convinced it had the world’s most uncomfortable middle seat. It turned out neither of them had spent much time sitting in middles, and it was as comfortable as any)! In spite of the non-stop gridlocked traffic anywhere we seemed to want to go, David was at the ready to pick us up, take us places, and take photos of us while we were there. His signature ‘diagonal’ shots will forever have a place in our albums.
He was as good a driver as anyone we encountered in Quito (and South America, tbh), which isn’t entirely saying a lot. Being a passenger in this part of the world has been TERRIFYING enough – driving would be unbearable.
But for drivers here, the endless stopped traffic, the merely decorative traffic signals and signs (they clearly hold no real meaning), the pedestrians and dogs maneuvering their way between somewhat paused cars, and the desire to accelerate into the brake lights up ahead seem practically normal. The more time we spent in David’s car and other random taxis getting around Quito, the less used to the driving I got. In spite of the looming threat of rain, I enjoyed our time in Quito best on foot.
We celebrated Christmas in the clouds
On our first evening, our friend and driver, David, suggested we visit the Panecillo, a huge, winged statue of the Virgin Mary that sits atop the city. He pointed out that there was also a Christmas market happening up there, and we figured ‘why not?’, we had no other plans, so we were happy to go have a look. We had no idea the adventure we were headed for!
I’m not sure what getting to the top of the hill the Panecillo is at would be like without the Christmas festivities, but with it, the drive was a full evening activity. We thought it would be a quick trip up and back. We quickly realized it would not. The closer we got to the top of the hill, the slower traffic seemed to go.
We were reminded of our Galapagos Guide, Maria’s, parting words to us “Go with the flow”. It was a slow flow, but we tried. (Mostly we spent the drive up marveling at the driving, the patience of drivers, then the parking and the patience of drivers waiting for others to park!)
Thankfully, the top of the hill was well worth it. We felt the Christmas vibes with a throng of local Quitanos, took some diagonal pix, climbed the statue for even higher views of this highest city and its highest nativity scene. And, J got his sugary fix.
We visited the middle of the world (the good one!)
We arranged for David to take us to a few notable sites on our first full day in Quito. Stop one was this crater and it’s awesome views.
Since the world is round it’s hard to get to the middle.Instead, there are 4 mid-points: 3 that are found in the ocean, and one on mainland Ecuador. We visited the site that marks it, took some fun photos and learned a few things.
We learned that it’s easier to balance an egg on the equator (but still hard). J mastered this activity and was rewarded with a certificate declaring him a Maestro de Huevos. Given his love of eggs, it may have been his proudest accomplishment.
We explored the Old Town (twice)
Quito has the largest UNESCO protected old town in the world – and for good reason. It’s a huge sprawl of laneways, squares and churches. On day one, we wandered aimlessly and saw a few churches and climbed a few hills. We visited La Ronda, the oldest street in the city and sat on a patio with a pitcher of Canelazo (a local mulled wine beverage)
On day two, J and I took a walking tour that gave us a whole lot more context on the area. We learned about the history, people, economy and traditions of Quito and Ecuador at large. We also squeezed in a chocolate tasting, a traditional dance, a poncho exhibit and another round of Canelazo.
The more we wandered the city, the more it grew on us. Sure, we were constantly reminded to hold our bags in front and watch out for pickpockets and a general state of peligrosa, but other than the criminals we were warned lurked around every corner, people were friendly. After the tour, we doubled back to lunch and enjoyed a bowl of Locra de Papas, a locally famous potato and cheese soup.
We almost died in a taxi
J has this documented for the both of us, so I’ll keep it short. We almost died. It was both a terrifying trip, and a seriously memorable event in our time in Quito. And for our travel buddies who were leaving that night, it was quite the rush to end our adventures on!
We visited one last market
For as long as we’d been planning this trip, I’d planned to spend our last day at the Otavalo market. I’m not sure how I’d first heard about the Otavalo market, but when I realized we’d be nearby, on a Saturday right before Christmas, it just seemed the perfect way to end our trip. I love a market, and wrapping up at the biggest one in South America just seemed serendipitous.
The cracks in the plan started a few days before we got to Quito when I learned that it was a 3-4 hour bus ride to get there – each way. A private car reduced the ride to 2 hours, but that was still quite a ride. I started to reconsider. And, after spending any time in traffic in Quito, I was over the idea. We’d seen a lot of markets in the last month, and the last thing I wanted to do was spend our last day in traffic.
Instead, we had a great last day walking the old town, grabbing a pint at a cool brewery, and visiting a perfectly adequate market near our hotel. It was exactly the level of market required, and the perfect spot to wrap up our souvenir shopping.
We had a great final dinner
We’ve had some amazing eats on this trip – mostly by complete accident. In fact, the meals we researched and booked in advance were mostly duds and disappointments (looking at you Maido!).
With these varied experiences in mind, I had mixed feeling about seeking out a ‘fancy’ dinner for our final night, but I did it anyways and wow, were we glad!
I’d picked a restaurant called URKO based on about 7 minutes of online research. It got good reviews – as much for the vibe as the food – and seemed like our preferred level of fancy. From the minute we had to ring the bell from the street and walk through the garden corridor, I picked up good vibes.
The seats each had ponchos waiting for us to wear (hello photo opp AND giant napkin!). The wines were delicious and responsibly poured, and every course was pretty delicious. It was the absolutely perfect meal to end our adventures on.
And that’s a wrap!
So there you have it, we managed to fill 2 days full of sights, sounds and adventures. And if we’d made it to Cotapaxi, Otavalo or gone up the Teleferico, we can only imagine how much time we could have spent.
We try and keep a travel approach of ‘we’ll be back’. it takes the pressure of having to see everything, every time, and means we can just enjoy whatever we get to, and not sweat about whatever we miss. (@clanstrongarm’s dad has been rocking this mantra for years, and since we adopted the approach for ourselves, our travel chill has increased tenfold). We had a great time in Quito, and left a whole bunch to see.
Hasta Luego. Until next time, Ecuador and hopefully, Quito!
