Back To Quito

Well I'm in Quito again, at the Amazona Hotel. It's the same hotel I stayed at when I first arrived here. The afternoon we returned from the Galapagos was included here as the end of our trip. We were all really tired. Not too sure why, but probably from lack of restful sleep on the boat and a day of flying and maybe from the return to high altitude. Quito is the second highest capital city in the world, at about 8000 ft. Anyway, a few of us had dinner in the hotel and then headed to our rooms. Sandy and Sheila, two lawyers from Scotland, Valerie and I arranged through the hotel a tour of the city for the next day.

So, we were up and organized by 10 in order to get our tour. It took us to a lookout where we had a good view of the city which is built on a plateau high in the Andes. The city is 55 km north to south and about 6 or 12 km wide. Then we headed into the old colonial part of town. It looks much like San Quan in Puerto Rico. We arrived just in time for the changing of the guards at the Presidential Palace. There was a lot of military and police presence there. Apparently there was a high level meeting happening with other leaders of South American countries. They came out on the balcony and waved at the crowds. After that we walked around the area visiting some shops, jewelry, coffee, and a lovely catacombs one of articrafts of local people. We also entered two large Catholic cathedrals, which were very ornate and beautiful. We weren't allowed to take pictures in them.

Then we drove to the north end of the city to visit the actual line of the equator. There is a museum of sorts there that is a representation of a native village of one of the tribes that used to live in the Amazon area. A guide gave us a tour, explaining things about the indigenous people, including how they ate guinea pigs (still a treat with people here today on special occasions!), and how they shrunk heads. We saw two of those.

Then we stood on the actual equator line and did a couple of experiments. We saw how the water south of the line swirls counterclockwise and north clockwise. But right on the line it goes straight down, no swirls at all! Then we tried to balance a raw egg on the head of a nail. This had to do with the equal magnetic forces. Valerie and I were able to do it. After that it was back to the hotel. Valerie and I headed to a local restaurant for an early dinner and then sat in a local square for a drink and people watching. I want to change hotels and take another tour tomorrow, so we checked out a couple of hostals (their spanish spelling). Two were a bit seedy for my liking, but found a really nice one not far away. So, I booked in there and then headed back to the hotel and a travel company in the hotel. I arranged a tour of Cotopaxial National Park for tomorrow. Valerie went to her room and I went for a walk to see where I had to meet the group tomorrow and then I went to meet Sandy and Sheila at a restaurant for a drink. That's it. Organized and ready for another tour.