Breathtaking Quito

30 April-2 May

We arrived in Quito around lunchtime on Tuesday 30 April. We had no problems on this flight, and the only comment from the immigration lady when we left LA was in surprise at how burnt we were considering we are Australian and should be used to it. (We were surprised too - it didn't seem that hot and Chris wore sunscreen.)

We scored with a lovely cab driver who tried to give us a mini scenic tour in limited English and fluent Spanish, which we didn't understand, of course. It made the 1.5 hour trip from the airport to Quito old town interesting! He dropped us in a square about two blocks from our hotel, and with the help of a policeman, we eventually found the hotel.

There's no shortage of policemen and policewomen in Quito, with literally one or two on every corner. I'm not sure if this made me feel more safe or concerned about why they need so many (though I never felt unsafe there). We saw multiple traffic police, tourist police, mounted police, motorcycle police, riot police and SAS (really!). The majority we saw were traffic police, who direct cars, trucks, buses and pedestrians through the confusing one-way street system Quito has, despite there being traffic lights on most corners to do this (but when you see the way people drive in Quito, you understand they need all the help they can get). The tourist police help with traffic and keep an eye on tourists and locals alike. The SAS and riot police just seem to randomly hang out in squares and on street corners. I'm not quite sure why.

The first full day we were there was a public holiday, Labour day. There were loud but peaceful protests in every square and processions in most main streets. There was much banner waving and megaphone shouting. And, of course, an influx of even more police keeping an eye on proceedings. We couldn't understand most of what was being said, but presumed it was to do with low wages and bad working conditions, and decided it was best to avoid these gatherings when the toilet attendant at one told me to be careful with my bag. With few places open that day, we were were limited to walking around the old town and visiting a few squares, churches and religious art museums.

There are quite a few churches in Quito, and we saw most of them in our first few days there. They were all very similar to be honest, as I find most churches in European-style cities to be. It always astounds me how much churches or religions spend on blinging up places of worship, with so many decked out in gold leaf and jewels. I thought the whole premise was to look after each other, tend to the flock, make sure people have food and shelter. But it seems the poorer the city and its people, the flashier the church. Couldn't that money be better spent? And if god is such an upstanding bloke, surely he wouldn't expect to have such an obscenely expensive venue built just so you can talk to him and think about him. Surely he'll listen to you no matter where you are? I guess I'm more from the Joan of Arc school of thought, if there is an all-seeing being out there, of course. In saying that, the excessively golden and elaborate Company of Jesus church was pretty impressive in its decoration and you have to appreciate the craftsmanship that went into it. It certainly deserves the locals' nickname of the most beautiful church in Ecuador. I also can't get my head around all the gory Jesus statues and paintings; the saints with their eyes disturbingly rolling back in their heads; and the way all the statues are dramatically lit from below in a spooky campfire ghost story-style. Hasn't the church heard of engaging through positive reinforcement and love, rather than fear?

Quito is a large sprawling city, set high up in a valley. It's more developed in the city centres, where it somewhat resembles less fancy European cities, and it's less developed on the city outskirts, where it somewhat resembles Indian cities (a bit basic, dirty and dusty; a work in progress). Buildings are mostly concrete or rough brick structures, square and solid, some painted brightly, with various wires protruding from them. The older historical buildings, like the palaces and churches, look very Spanish and ornate (and complete).

The main square in the old town is rimmed by beautiful old Spanish-style buildings, including the President's palace and Archbishop's residence. In the square's centre are pretty gardens, fountains, statues and benches to enjoy the view - and a very persistent man who will try to sell you everything from accommodation or tour to a hat or belt. We took a tour of the President's palace, in Spanish (it's almost a game now to see how Spanish speakers pronounce my name - I'm getting used to being called Louis and Lovess, among other things). Security is tight at the palace. We had to hand over ID and wear tags, and were shadowed by men with guns. Quite ornate, the palace has loads of wood panelling (including floors and ceilings in some rooms) with hidden doors and openings; a couple of pretty courtyards with fountains (in front of which you are obliged to have a photo, which is given to you when you leave to commemorate your visit); and a big shiny mural in the stairway that celebrates Ecuador's independence. There's also an impressive display of gifts from various world leaders (interestingly a lot from Korea) in the dining hall, as well as a mini church with pews and a gold floor-to-ceiling altar with scary statues. I know what my dining room at home is missing now! I read that the President opened the palace to the public, putting the gifts on display and encouraging Ecuadoreans to visit and see them for free, believing the gifts and palace belong to the people, that the people should be proud of their country, and that government should be transparent. Nice ideas.

The Archbishop's residence is now a three-storey shopping area with restaurants, which we visited several times for snacks and dinners. It features a lovely, naturally lit, large central courtyard, which the restaurants overlook. We also became regulars at the Magic Bean in 'gringo land', the new city area where all the tour operator offices, bars and hostels are. We had our first huevos rancheros experience there, involving an indigestible amount of chilli beans and two fried eggs on a tortilla, topped with what appeared to be about 250 grams of melted cheese and two inch-long fingers of capsicum, for health value. Per rather large plate. Delicious. We made the effort to eat there, or just have granola and fruit when we upgraded our room to a suite including kitchen, for breakfast in preference to the brekky included at our hotel, which involved grey, overcooked hard scrambled eggs, stale bread rolls and gritty, pasty jam. Understandably.

We also made the trek up to a breathtaking lookout on top of a mountain near the city one morning. I mean breathtaking literally, because by the time you get the telefonico (cable car) up to the top, you are 4100 metres above sea level (Quito is already about 2850 metres above sea level) and the air is mighty thin and it's hard to breathe. It's also very cold. There is a walk you can do up there, across the back of a mountain, which takes an hour or so, but it's recommended that you don't do it unless you are acclimatised, which we definitely weren't. We walked about 10 minutes of it, very slowly, just far enough to see the church (yes, there was a church up there in the middle of nowhere) and enter the cloud drifting across the mountain top, before heading back down. Despite the effort, it was a beautiful and very peaceful place to visit, reminding me a little of the cool, green landscape near my brother's home in Engand. And it had fantastic views of Quito. It seemed like you used to be able to stay up there, with several now completely vacant hotel-style buildings on top of the mountain. However, all that's open up there now are some uninspiring cafes and a walking track.

You can pretty much set your watch to the weather in Quito. We learned this the hard way when we got stuck in a church for almost an hour waiting for the storm to pass (it didn't and we ran out in the rain, trying to flag a taxi to take us back to our hotel - it stopped raining when we got there). Until about 10am, it's misty and overcast. Then it's clear skies and warm until about 1pm, when the dark clouds start gathering over the hills around the city. By 3pm the sky is grumbling and threatening to rain, and an hour later it's absolutely belting down. It rains for about an hour and by 5.30pmish it's clear again, but cool. This happens daily, give or take an hour. We noticed this pattern after two days and left the hostel well equipped each day, with umbrellas and coats, sunnies and hats. Smart, we thought. And yet the locals seem oblivious to this recurring weather, or simply don't care. Every day when the rain started, we'd shelter in a shop front or cafe, watching the locals - some in business suits and uniforms - drenched to the skin, no umbrella, jacket or poncho in sight!

Despite this apparent lack of sensibility, the people in Quito were generally really lovely to us, helping us with directions, pointing out where to get taxis and accepting our distinct lack of Spanish with good humour and patience. It made it a great central city from which to visit the Galapagos islands and Amazon jungle.