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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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QUITO, ECUADOR
Quito is the capital of Ecuador and the 2nd highest capital in the world - located at 9350 feet and 14 miles south of the equator. The climate is mostly spring-like - though you can experience all seasons in just one day. Quito sits at the foot of Rucu Pachincha (15,400 feet). Quito has 3 distinct areas: 1) Old Town, 2) New Town, and 3) Modern Quito.
I did so much in Quito, I won't even try to list it all. Once I got used to the car and bus exhaust (you'll get a big headache walking down 6 de Deciembre to the South American Explorers Club), I loved Quito.  Old Town
Old Town is full of colonial churches and plazas, whitewashed houses, cobble-stone streets, and red tiled roofs. There are also lots of markets where you can buy cheap stolen goods. Supposedly, tourists get robbed quite often in Old Town - though I didn't have a problem. Just don't walk around flashing wads of money or alone at night and you should be OK. There are 3 plazas in Old Town (Plaza Santo Domingo, Plaza San Francisco, and Plaza de la Independencia) surrounded by gorgeous old cathedrals. You can find lots of religious trinkets in the booths outside. La Compania is supposed to be the most beautiful church in North and South America with seven tons of gold in the ceiling, walls, and altars.
The oldest astronomical observatory in South America (opened in 1864) is in Parque La Alameda. You can visit only for 2 hours between 9:00 and 11:00 am. Be sure to visit Quito's oldest street, La Ronda. Parque El Ejido sits between Old Town and New Town. On the weekends, there's a mini-market with lots of cool art work and plenty of Otavalino booths. There are also occasional boxing matches between 10-12 year olds and festival rides. Next to the Parque El Ejido is the Casa de la Cultural (in a very modern rounded glass building). There are a number of museums located here including Museo de Instrumentos Musicales, Museo de Arte Moderno, Museo Arqueologico/Etnologia, and Museo Colonial y de Arte, and Museo de Traje Indigena. New Town, Quito New Town is the tourists playground - for lack of a better term. Almost all of the budget hostels, restaurant, shops, discos, and tour agencies are located here. WARNING: At night, around Juan Leon Mera be careful for the gang of transvestite prostitutes, this is no joke as a classmate of mine was beat up.
There's a Vivarium/Serpentarium (Reina Victoria y Santa Maria) where you'll find lots of reptiles and amphibians. It costs $1.50 and is open Tues. through Sun. The Art Forum (Juan Leon Mera y Wilson) shows modern Ecuadorian artists and has an outdoor cafe. Across the street is Libri Mundi, a bookstore with Spanish books as well as foreign-language books in English, German, and French. If you need a doctor, I went to Dr. John Rosenberg (Foch 476 y Almagro) for a sprained ankle. He is the doctor for the US Embassy, a general practitioner, and speaks English and German. Travel insurance should reimburse you for visits. Supermaxi is a chain grocery store (like Safeway or Vons) and is located in New Town (6 de Deciembre y Coca) and in El Jardin mall in modern Quito. KAO Sport (Almagro y Colon) sells sporting goods and is good source for snorkeling gear for trips to the Coast or Galapagos and camping gear. Most importantly, the South American Explorers Club is here on Jorge Washington 311 y Leonidas Plaza (Tel/Fax: 011 593-2-225-228). |
Click for Current Weather in Quito Nearly two million people live in Quito. In 1978, Quito was declared a World Heritage Site due to its extraordinary historical centre. Quito's trolley system is small but convenient (1,000 sucres one-way). It only runs North to South but is good way to get to Terminal Terrestre and Old Town if you don't want to walk. Just walk over to 10 de Agosto to catch. August is dedicated to the arts and on weekends parks are filled with local artists and in the evenings there are many cultural theater performances. During the pre-Columbian era several tribes inhabited present-day Quito, including the Quitus from whom the city took its name. Quito is almost twice as high as Denver, Colorado - but because its near the Equator, Quito does not suffer through long winters like Denver. In Quito the temperature ranges from 55F at night to 78F at noon, and averages 64F. Quito's summer lasts from the end of June to September. Quito sees its fair share of rain from October through May. The taxi fare from the airport into new town in Quito should cost between US $4 and $6. It's even cheaper if you walk a few blocks away from the airport - or even just walk to the domestic flights area. Definitely agree on a price with the driver before getting in the taxi. |
El Panecillo is the hill where the huge statue of the Virgin of Quito sits - don't climb the hill unless you want to get robbed, better to catch cab in groups.
Avenue de Amazonas is one of the main streets in New Town. Here you can find sidewalk cafes, shops, restaurants, and tour agency offices. At the bottom of Ave de Amazonas sits Parque de Ejido. Confederate Books (don't like the name but..) is a good source of cheap used paperbacks. The owner, from Louisiana, sells and buys books and has a small cafe.