El Centro Historico (Old Town) by day

High, Higher, Highest

So, here I am in Quito, at about 9,300 feet, and what is the plan for the next few days? Well, time to starve myself of less oxygen, and head higher. My guidebook had mentioned Panecillo hill, and indeed, it was quite visible from the historic centre of Quito. The book also mentioned that a restaurant there was featured on the Amazing Race All Stars... how could I resist. I don't recall seeing that episode, likely because I was on my own Race (well, a trip) Around the World.














I grabbed a taxi stating $5 for Panecillo. Off we went into traffic, and within a few blocks, the driver was telling me it was $10 (I know my numbers in Spanish). No, I said, reaching for the door handle. A few more blocks of discussion, and it was $6 to get to the top of the hill.

In hindsight, it turned out to be a bargain. Traffic was horrendous through the streets of Quito, almost gridlock. At one point the driver reached back, rolled up my window, locked my door, then proceeded to demonstrate how someone would grab my bag, pull off my watch, and slash my pants with a knife in order to get my money belt. Under the pants money belts ceased to be a secret years ago.

Anyways, finally arrived at the top of the hill overlooking Quito, and the view was beautiful! There was a giant statue at the top, apparently Quito's answer to Christ the Redeemer in Rio, or the Virgin Mary in Santiago.

I am guessing we were at about 10,500 feet, and even though it was clearly a tourist trap, who could resist a restaurant featured in the Amazing Race.



























So in I went to a fairly upscale restaurant. It was not busy, so I got a window table overlooking the city. I continued with my ¨"When in Rome" theme, and ordered a local dish of pork, with sides of fried plantains, very unusual white corn, potato, roasted peanuts, and the usual avocados, tomato and onion. All washed down with an ice cold Pilsner and some bottled water (an outragious $18 including tax and tip)

I enjoyed my meal, contemplating the city below, and watching some condors circling catching the themals.

After lunch, I realized I was trapped on a mountain, with only one way to get back to the city... taxi. How much was this going to cost? Finally one showed up, and guess what... a taxi back to the city for only $3 Yah!!!

Headed back to the city, and decided it was finally time to try the city's nightlife (um, Neil, it is only your second night here).

Decided to just go for it. Left my trusty bag in the room, and grabbed my equally trusty travel jacket. Put the camera in the hidden pocket, stuffed my front pockets with some small bills and out I went.














The main square of New Town, and probably the trendiest crossroads in all of Ecuador was only 1 1/2 blocks away. Found a place that looked comfortable for sitting by myself that had a great happy hour, and ordered a drinkie. This area is packed with people at night, and great for people watching. The guy at my hotel was likely right, no problem walking before midnight.

Had a couple of drinks, some nice snacks and enjoyed the ambience. Was home about 8:30, and had a great sleep.

Up the next morning (Tuesday) and what is planned next? Well, let's head even higher, to the second highest cable car in the world, at 13,300 feet above Quito.

Actually, Robert and I have been up the highest in the world years ago, in Merida, Venezuela.















The day was absolutely spectacular. Sunny, only a few high clouds, and nice and warm. I packed my jacket knowing all that could change at 13,000 feet.

Grabbed a taxi (gee, this is getting easy!) and made it to the Teleferico just after it had opened. Headed up high, high, high above the city, and the view was just stunning. It was so clear, you could see all three snow capped volcanos surrounding Quito. I got to the top, and took it easy walking around, and just snapped away at the stunning vistas.





























I then recalled an important thing I have learned from travel and photography. Just stop, put the camera away, and live the scenery! Look, smell, taste, experience....

There were some viewpoints even higher, so how to get to them, climb, of course. Yes the air is very, very thin up here, so I took it easy. Several times, I broke into yogic breathing without even thinking. I am sure it helped. I got a bit out of breath, of course, but no dizzyiness or headaches.

After about an hour of ejoying the views, including watching planes taking off way below me, headed back down to the base.

Met a couple from Germany heading back into town, but they were going to Old Town, I was going to New. They jumped into the cab, who said he would take me too for an additional $4.

We drove towards my area of town, and when we were on the edge of the neighbourhood, he asked if it were OK to drop me off here. I said yes, but would only pay $3. He started giving me directions back to where I was staying, and I cut him off. Umm, no problem, I know where I am going, I know this area of Quito well.

Yes kids, the travel mojo is back big time. I am strolling around Quito with a big grin on my face... this is what I love in life, travel, sights, experiences, adventure!

So what next? Well, like the title says, time to go even higher. I am hiking Cotopaxi National Park on Thursday. Cotopaxi itself is over 19,000 feet, but of course I am not climbing it, that is for experienced mountaineers. I will be hiking up to the base of the glacier, which is 4900 metres (my guess about 15,000 feet). We will also hike around a high mountain lake.

After that, I have booked a luxury lodge for a night in the cloud forest near Mindo. There is lots of wildlife and birds, and looking forward to some communing with nature. Oh, there are also ziplines there, so depending upon how brave I feel... cue music... Amazing Race.

So, busy for a while, so you may not hear from me for several days. Not to worry, the great Ecuador adventure continues.

When in Rome.... err, umm... I mean Quito

Those of you who know me well know that one of the things I truly believe about travel is that the local food tastes the best where it comes from, and is best enjoyed in local surroundings. The ingredients are fresh, and the locals really know how to cook the food properly.

I have eaten food abroad that I would never eat at home... e.i. the herring sandwich with pickles and onions, with a side of marajuana in Amsterdam.

With that in mind, I went out to a local restaurant specializing in cuisine of the Ecuadorian High Sierra, and it was just around the corner.

It must be all my travels, plus years of watching Anthony Bourdain on television, but on my very first night I ordered a local dish of tripe stew with potatoes and peanuts, served with rice, avocados, tomatoes and onions. I started with a cheese empanada with hot sauce, all washed down with sparkling water. Yummy and filing.

All this for only $12, including tax and tip!



It is now the next day, and as with my Around the World trip, no stomach problems at all! More from Quito and surrounding area soon!

Sunday in Quito

Awoke refreshed, energized and ready to explore a new city. The sun was shining, but at 9,300 feet in altitude, it was not hot, just warm and comfortable. Down to a pleasant little dining area for my free breakfast. It was very nice, fresh fruit, juice, coffee with milk, fresh buns, and eggs made to order by a lovely lady serving us.














Checked with the front desk guy, who was very helpful and friendly. Safe to walk around during the day, and evenings until about midnight. OK, great, but I will be careful, but can relax a little bit. Started, as I always do, by walking around, and just exploring. As I said in my previous post, I am in the heart of the Mariscal area (New Town). It is very trendy and nice, lots of bars, clubs and restaurants in the area, but as today is Sunday, dead quiet. Another nice thing about Sundays is that many streets are blocked off from cars, and the people of Quito take to the streets on their bicycles - great! Made my way to a big park, which had more bicycles, lots of paintings and handicrafts for sale, and was chock-a-block full of Quitenos families enjoying themselves. Bumped into a couple from Calgary I met in the airport, and briefly compared notes.


























After a very brief siesta, I headed by taxi over to El Centro Historico, Old Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. First impressions - it is huge! I was expecting about 10 square blocks, but I would estimate it is more like 20 X 30 blocks. It is superbly done, only old buildings, some old, some paritally restored, but most restored and painted to their former glory in the 16th century. The scale and beauty of it is overwhelming - it is so well done. Cannot believe in Vancouver that heritage preservation is chopping the front 6 feet off the front of an old building, and attaching it to a 30 story building we allow the developer to build (stop ranting, Neil, you are on vacation!).

I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.






















Oh yes, I am at 9,300 feet, and as you can see, Old Quito is very hilly and steep. I walked for miles, up and down steep hills, exploring every nook and cranny. I did not have quite the stamina I have at home, and was a little more out of breath, but certainly not a problem at all. Must be the yoga.

Safe and Sound.... and Happy!... in Quito

How does one get their "Travel Mojo" back? Well it seems you just get on a plane and go somewhere exotic, interesting and beautiful.

Left Vancouver early on Saturday morning for three legs to Quito - Vancouver-Calgary, Calgary-Houston and Houston-Quito. Executive Class ensured the trip would be low stress, and the fact that all three flight left right on time helped.

I knew the approach to Quito would be kinda scary, as the airport is right in the middle of the city. Sure enough, the plane´s wheels appeared to be skimming the tops of roofs as we approached. Although Quito and Vancouver are nothing alike, imagine an airport runway just south of Hasting Street, starting at Clark Drive and ending at Main Street. You approach from the east, skimming over hilltops of Burnaby and East Van, barely missing houses, factories and some low high rises. As you barely clear Clark Drive, you drop onto the runway, and hit the brakes hard, lest you plow into Chinatown. Getting the picture?















Got out of the plane, and walked into the terminal building. You could just taste the air of Quito - thin and somewhat polluted. Customs was easy, then proceeded to baggage claim, which was pure bedlam. The agent in Houston mentioned that all seats could not be filled on the plane, due to the weight of the cargo. This was now evident, as people unloaded 5, 6 or even 10 huge suitcases each, stuffed with goodies from America.

Not this traveller. Carry on bad in hand, I breezed through baggage, and joined the line to have by bag X-rayed as we left the terminal?????? Noticed a taxi booth over to the right, and pulled out the address of my hotel that I had written in large, clear letters that morning, and put in my back pocket. $7 to my hotel by prepaid taxi, grabbed my voucher, zipped throught the hordes of people waiting in arrivals, and spotted a line of cabs. Showed my voucher to the driver, and off we zipped thru a very ugly part of Quito, very industrialized and scary.

Got to the Mariscal area (nicknamed Gringolandia), and it was a total change of pace. Saturday night, near midnight, it was traffic gridlock, with the streets packed with locals and some tourists. And yes, they do Halloween here! Got to my little hotel, Hostel Jardin del Sol, which is right in the heart of this area. They had my reservation, and showed me to my room. Much larger than I had been to believe, simple but very clean, nice clean tiled private bathroom. All this and a free breakfast for $30 per night... this would do!


























By the way, like my Around the World trip, these keyboards have symbols in all the wrong places, so please excuse my grammar/spelling

The Journey Continues

Well, it was over two years ago that I returned home safe and sound, settled back down in the West End, found a job (finally) and returned to a "normal" routine. Well, it is long past time that I hit the road again, and continue the great adventure...

So, is it a continuation of the original Around the World trip? Well, kinda... it does have the same sort of "feel" to it. Once again, I am travelling Business Class, this time thanks to cashing in 75,000 Aeroplan points - yah! Part of the trip is on my own, part is a GAP Adventure (new name G Adventures), so again, much like the RTW trip. Oh yes, for those of you who don't know, I am heading off to Ecuador in a couple of days.

The G Adventures part of the trip can be found at:
http://www.gadventures.com/trips/inland-amazon/EIA/2011/

So, I pull out the travel backpack, carry on size as you recall. Dig up and wash all the lightweight, quick dry travel clothes. I smile as I notice the hole in the leg of my favourite shorts - torn while getting on a camel in India! I organize all the paperwork, get the proper travel medications, locate all the handy things that one must have for travel, blah, blah, blah... done this before.

It is funny, though, that I find myself both excited, yet a bit aprehensive. Because of limited airline options, I am in Quito on my own for a full week. It is supposed to be a beautiful and historic city, but all accounts say it is quite dangerous at night. So the guy who wandered the dark and scary streets of Budapest, who was mock charged by a lioness in Africa is a bit worried. Oh well, that is probably a healthy thing, much better than being overconfident.

And as I did during the RTW trip, I will do my best to keep readers of this blog updated. Please feel free to send comments as I travel. Welcome back!

Bookends

In true Gemini fashion, I am ending my Around the World trip as I started it - with a trip to the Bay Area to visit Craige and Greg, including a side trip to Lake Tahoe to see Dawn and Steph. It is really great to be "home" again. See August 2008 blogs "Veuve Clicquot - again", "Kayaking at 6300, Hiking at 8500" and "19 Lesbians and 3 Fags".

Tahoe is all about food, food and more food. When we finish one meal, we start planning and prepping for the next one. Greg and Steph are particularly good cooks, and we are eating like kings and queens.

This is all being enjoyed on the new back deck, in what can only be described as perfect sunny weather.

I am back in Vancouver on July 11, and the gang has already planned a little party for July 12. Then it is off to Salt Spring to catch up there, and retrieve my car (which I hear has died).

See you soon, gang!