The Old City
Quito’s colonial district is beautiful and amazingly well preserved. We started our day at the Plaza de la Independencia (or Plaza Grande), where there is a large white cathedral with a green tiled dome. The outer walls of the cathedral contain plaques listing the names of the founding fathers of Quito.
We spent the rest of the morning walking around the colonial city’s plazas and churches. My favorites were the church of La Compañía because of its ornate and richly sculpted façade and the Plaza de San Francisco because its large open area reminded me of the main plaza in Villa de Leyva, Colombia.
Cerro Panecillo
Cerro Panecillo is a hill containing an enormous statute of the Virgen located a few blocks south of the old city. The hill provides great views of Quito and of the surrounding mountains. We had planned on walking up the hill, but as we headed in that direction I overheard a woman say in Spanish “Those poor tourists are going to get robbed climbing up that hill!” So we decided to take a taxi. At the top I asked an employee whether it would be safe to walk down. Without hesitation she said “No, you will get mugged!” So we took a taxi back down to the old city as well.
Pichincha
Pichincha is a volcano located just west of Quito. We rode a teleférico (cable car) that took us up to the flanks of Pichincha at about 4100 meters above sea level (13451 feet, over twice the altitude of Denver at 5280 feet). The views of Quito and the surrounding area are spectacular! We spent the afternoon hiking one of the trails to get better views of Pichincha. During our hike we saw some beautiful valleys and cliffs. You must visit Pichincha if you’re ever in Quito, but I suggest waiting a few days after your arrival in order to get acclimated to the altitude. Even though we had already been in Quito for a few days, we felt very winded during our hike and had to stop every few minutes to catch our breath.
Parks in the New City
Quito has several nice parks with lots of shady spots to relax. We spent an afternoon walking around Parque Alameda, which has the oldest astronomical observatory in South America (though we did not visit it), and Parque El Ejido. Both parks were filled with families and young people enjoying the nice weather.
New Year’s Eve
We spent New Year’s Eve in Quito. For New Year’s, Ecuadorians create enormous puppets satirizing politicians and other famous personalities. For most of New Year’s Eve day and night the puppets are on display along Avenida Amazonas, where thousands of people gather to buy food from street vendors and to listen to live music. At midnight all of the puppets are set on fire, and people continue to drink and celebrate while the puppets burn.
Where we ate
We did not eat much Ecuadorian food while we were in Quito. We simply could not resist all of the ethnic options available, some of which we had been craving for several weeks. We also figured we would have plenty of chances to enjoy local food during the rest of our time in Ecuador.
Chandani Tandoori: Simple, no frills place with delicious authentic Indian food. We liked it so much that we ate there twice.
Tex Mex: Great burritos and margaritas. The service was slow because the same guy seated us, took our order, and also prepared the food. But it was worth the wait.
La Chacha: Cozy little restaurant with good Italian food.
Uncle Ho’s: Good Asian food with several Vietnamese inspired dishes. We enjoyed our dinner a lot, and decided to return the next day for their great lunch specials.
Turtle’s Head: An authentic British pub with good fish and chips and its own great microbrews. They play great British and American rock, and have both a pool table and foosball table, where Minh kicked my butt :-(
Where we stayed
Quito is divided into the Old City, containing the colonial district, and the New City. We stayed in the New City in a neighborhood called La Mariscal, also known as Gringolandia. We loved Gringolandia because it has everything a gringo could want – lots of great restaurants, bars, internet cafes, cheap laundry services, and a wide range of hotels, hostels and bed & breakfasts for every budget. We also felt very safe there. We enjoyed our stay at Hostal Alcalá, a bed & breakfast located on a quiet street but within walking distance of everything we needed.
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