Tuesday, September 28, 2010

For Tuesday morning, I had planned on riding the Teleferico sky tram to the top of Cruz Loma and then climbing to Rucu Pichincha, one of the mountains to the west of Quito.  However, for only the second time since I’ve been here, I woke up to a heavy fog, especially up the slopes of the mountains. So instead, I decided to walk to Parque Itchimbia, which is on a smaller hill to the east of the city.

On my way there I passed some interesting things, including a group of naked people with body paint dancing and yelling! Also, as I passed through Parque La Alameda, I found a circular brick walkway that formed a little cone with good views of the surrounding city. From this vantage point, I could see a mass of people marching down the middle of some of the major streets. They seemed to be protesting something, but I couldn’t catch up to them to see what their signs were saying. After following the protest, I had to backtrack a ways to find the stairs leading up to Parque Itchimbia. By the time I got to the top I was so sweaty, climbing stairs at 9,500 feet is quite tiring! But I was rewarded with incredible views of all of Quito and surrounding cities and mountains. I spent until about 2 pm exploring the cultural center, outdoor photography exhibit and the walking paths that went around the top of the hill with views of lands east of Quito. It was so great to see a chuck of land set aside for trees, birds and nature close to the center of the city!

Next I descended stairs off the northeast side of the hill toward the unique Guapulo neighborhood. It is part of Quito, but separated from the rest of the city by a large ridge and steep hill leading down to it. After about half an hour of walking and a very fruity popsicle break, I found the Hotel Quito on the top of the ridge. After going down the stairs which start right behind the hotel, and getting slightly lost, I finally found the Sanctuary of El Guapulo, a gorgeous church built in the 1600s. It was kindly starting to rain as I started the hot and steep climb back up the massive ridge.

Over the top and off I went back to the Mariscal! I used the internet for a while, and the next time I looked up I found that it was now pouring, so I found a Chinese restaurant close to my hotel for some shrimp fried rice. Later on I tried a new dessert: yogurt and fruit pie! It somewhat resembled cheesecake, but it wasn’t as dense. I’ll have to try making it at home sometime!

Monday, September 27, 2010

I woke up today feeling like I had a cold, but after I started moving, things got much better. I left the hotel with sunny skies above once again and walked north on Avenida Amazonas for about 20 minutes until I reached Parque La Carolina. The guide book had many good things to say about this gigantic park, and I spent the whole morning walking around, exploring the art pieces, relaxing in the sun, and checking out the trees, the small man-made “river”, and the bike jumps.

A little after noon, I ate my picnic and finished reading They Came to Baghdad, written in the 1950s by Agatha Christie, which I found in the “library” of the hotel. Then I made my way into the recently built Jardin Botanico, which is located inside the park. I spent nearly 2 hours gawking at their collection of plants and crops native to Quito, Amazon jungle greenhouses, cactus, orchids, carnivorous plants, rose garden, and more! They also had a biogas production plant, which was powered by a bike and solar panels. The whole experience really felt like walking through a jungle in the middle of the city! In fact, as I left I walked through a small part of the park, crossed a 6-lane street and ended up at a different sort of garden-the El Jardin Mall!

I am definitely not much of a mall person, but I wanted to see what the Ecuador version looked like. Unfortunately it was almost exactly like one that might be found in Birmingham, or Santa Monica, or Tacoma, except they had a SUPERMAXI grocery store inside! And that was exactly where I headed to pick up some sunscreen (I’m getting burnt!) and I also found a small package of salted banana chips, which turned out to be way too greasy and not banana-like at all. After setting the store alarm off 3 times with my sunscreen, (which I had clearly paid for!) I was finally able to leave the mall, and I walked back along Amazonas toward the Mariscal.  Before dinner I had to stop at the hotel to get more money, but this turned out to be unnecessary, as I found an Indian-ish restaurant that had a $3 dinner special! The vegetable curry, naan as big as the plate, pineapple juice and samosas filled me up! The only other excitement of the night was a fireworks show taking place a few blocks away that I could see from my hotel window at 8 pm. 

Sunday, September 26, 2010

I took my first run at an elevation of over 8,000 feet this morning, and it wasn’t too bad! I only lasted about 30 minutes, but that could have been because I covered all of Parque El Ejido and didn’t know where else to go. It was a beautiful sunny morning, made even more exciting because Avenida Amazonas, the main street that my hotel is located on, was completely closed to cars from 8am-4pm for a “Ciclopaseo”. I had read about them online before coming, and it is really quite a thing to see! After breakfast I spent some time relaxing in the sun, reading, crocheting, and watching the bikes go by. It was so neat to see people of all ages riding bikes and I can’t wait to participate someday!

After returning to the hotel briefly, I walked to Parque El Ejido for a picnic and to watch Quiteño families enjoying their weekend. I hopped across the street to a Parque El Arblito, which had some massive palm trees. There were also a few large pieces of art, and a traditionally Ecuadorean dance performance going on. Within the grounds of Parque El Arbolito is the Casa de Cultura, which is a shiny glass building that holds a theater and the Museo del Banco Central, my next destination. Upon entering, I was told that 3 of the 5 exhibit rooms were under construction, so I was only able to view the Archeology room and the Colonial Room. I still learned plenty about the history of Ecuador, and it amazed me how many tribes once existed before the Incas consolidated everyone. The pottery and clay figures that are still in one piece from the times before colonization were the most astonishing.

After about an hour and a half in the museum I found more art outside in some Gaudi-like sculpted sofas and other yard decoration. I enjoyed the last rays of the sun for the day at about 3pm, and soon afterwards it started to rain. I didn’t let this deter me from exploring more of the east side of the Mariscal. I ventured into the La Floresta neighborhood, which was the first residential community that I’d walked through and it looked very cozy!

I made my way back to the hotel and as soon as I got up the first flight of stairs, I heard the roar of a heavy rainstorm. I had made it inside just in time to not get soaked!

There are very few restaurants open on Sunday night, so I gave in and settled for a touristy place called “The Magic Bean”. It ended up working out very well, because just after sitting down at a table by myself, another solo traveler invited me to join her table. We had a very enjoyable meal and talked about our travel plans in Ecuador, as well as other places we’d been to. She had traveled or lived in Europe, US, Africa, Central America, and now she’s touring South America and learning her 4^th language, Spanish! Before leaving, I wished her luck on her 9-hour bus ride into the Amazon Rainforest, where she was headed later that night!

 

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Today I decided to embark on a grand adventure of the Old Town or “El Centro Historico” of the city.  I planned to work my way through the Lonely Planet Guide Walking Tour very slowly. As I passed through Parque El Ejido again it was sunny and in the 70s, and there were Andean clothing and jewelry booths being set up everywhere for the weekend market. I continued south through another nice park, Parque La Alameda, and eventually ended up at Plaza Grande, (Independence Square) the beginning of the walking tour. The square was bustling with people and families of all sorts and it was a great spot to just sit and watch the world go by! On one side of the square is where the President of Ecuador works, La Palacio del Gobierno, and on another side is a massive white cathedral.

Nearby I also checked out the church La Merced and the Centro Cultural Metropolitano. Although the Centro was filled with what looked like a high school field trip, (on a Saturday?) it was one of my favorite stops of the day because they were exhibiting a series of photos of the people of Ecuador from many different parts of the country.

Next I walked by yet another old and beautiful church, La Compania de Jesus, and then onto the Plaza de San Francisco which is located in the shadow of the Church and Convent of San Francisco. This is where I found the nicest views of “El Pancillo” the little loaf-shaped hill to the south with La Virgen de Quito statue on top.

I briefly stopped in a tiny cafe for a mix fruit batido (smoothie) and ran into a fellow tourist from Maryland. We discussed a must-see list for Old Town Quito. I suggested the Centro Metropolitano to him, and then continued on the walking tour to “La Ronda” a recently revitalized historic street. There wasn’t much to see there, but a few blocks further I bought my first souvenir of Quito: a nice skane of cotton yarn, which will soon be a hat!

After a few more minutes of walking, I made it to the Mercado Central, a glorious food and flower market with a lively cafeteria. I braved up and ordered the “Ceviche Mixta”, which comes with a bowl of popcorn. It was tasty, and very different than ceviche in the U.S. The shellfish and octopus were a little too slimy for me, but it was interesting to rub elbows with some locals and get a taste of one of Ecuador’s tradition dishes.

Weaving back toward the walking tour, I passed through the unimpressive Plaza del Teatro and spent a while gawking at la Basilica del Voto Nacional, a huge gothic cathedral with gorgeous stained glass inside. Then I decided to double back towards the Plaza Grande and check out some more other pretty buildings, like the Monestaries of San Agustin and Santa Catalina. While walking back through the Plaza Grande, I chatted with an Ecuadorean college student in English for her school assignment. At the end, Karina also had me fill out a postcard about our conversation to give to her English professor. I hope my written English will be acceptable!

I continued walking around and I saw a sign advertising a free movie showing in the Banco Central de Ecuador building. It was starting to sprinkle a little bit, so I went up to the theater where a recording of Riverdance was just starting! At first I was a little confused what Ireland and Ecuador have in common, but it turned out to be an enjoyable show.

After lots of walking, I ended up back in the familiar Mariscal, although the giant dark clouds off to the east were not so familiar. Within moments huge raindrops and hail started pelting down and I had to duck under a balcony. Thankfully it let up to a drizzle in a few minutes, and I was able to find a small café “El Espanol” for a simple dinner to end the day.

 

Friday, September 24, 2010

My first day in Quito actually ended before it started! That is to say, Katrina and I didn’t get to bed until about 1:45 am, but at 9 am we were awake again and ready to start the day. The Hotel Plaza Junior served us breakfast in the basement of the building, and after finding some snacks for her 8 hour bus ride, Katrina caught a taxi to the bus station in the south end of Quito. I was very sad to say goodbye to my one-day traveling companion. Hopefully we will be able to meet up again and travel together again later this year! 

After Katrina left, I decided to go on a grand walking tour of “la Mariscal” neighborhood where my hotel is located. Locals, including the driver that took Katrina and me here from the airport yesterday, have dubbed it “Gringolandia”. However, I did not encounter many other tourists on the streets, probably because the busiest part of tourist season is over and it was too early in the day for everyone to be out partying at the bars. At any rate, I found the tourist info center, a lot of interesting looking restaurants, and a place to access the internet.

For the afternoon I decided to stick around the Mariscal and get my bearings. Highlights that I saw were the trole routes, a little bit of two different universities, and historic buildings such as the Academia de Historia, the Arco de Ejido, and a Sagrada Familia-looking church!  

My favorite part of the afternoon was definitely exploring Parque El Ejido, which is less than 10 blocks south of my hotel. Not only did it have the most unique playground equipment of any park I’ve seen; it also had a library, café, outdoor and indoor art exhibits, biking and walking paths, statues galore, and a kid-sized Zip Line! But instead of playing with the kids, I talked to a inner-city park ranger of sorts named Carlos who was meandering around and singing to himself.

I also spent some time watching three-on-three “volleyball” games. It was more like a game of grab-and-throw than volleyball, but it was still very entertaining to watch! The net was about 12 feet high and everyone on the court was very short, which made spiking the ball quite impossible, so it was more of a mental game in out-thinking ones opponent and placing the ball in the right spot on the court.

After my afternoon walking adventures I returned to the hotel, and then at about 5:45 pm I went out in search of dinner in order to eat and get back before dark. Thankfully the Marsical area is alive with restaurants! So I found an “empanaderia” (empanadas are a crispy fry bread turnover with a filling) and had a delicious cheese empanada and blackberry juice, which was really incredible! On the way back to the hotel I also treated myself to some cookies and three postcards. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing in my big hotel room and getting to sleep early because I was so tired!

For my first week in Quito, before the CIMAS program starts, I have longer entries because I have been sightseeing all day! After school starts on October 1^st, the blog entries will probably be a little shorter. Thanks for reading!