QUITO

​December 15, 2018
             We left yesterday at 2:30pm. At the start of it, it was a dream trip... Business class for all three flights, TSA precheck and no lines at PDX airport. But it was not to be… and actually turned into the trip from hell. Bad weather in San Francisco delayed us in PDX for four hours causing us to miss all connections. To minimize the damage, United added a leg and rerouted us to Mexico City where we arrived at 5:15am. Thankfully, that portion was still business class and we managed to sleep three hours. But Mexico City was a clusterf*ck. It took a good hour to get through immigration, and another two hours to actually find where we were supposed to go for our next flight. The signs were so small and we did not know that we were supposed to be at a completely different terminal that was a 15-minute train ride through the darkened foggy city. Then Robin and I had to sit 22 rows apart with she getting on first carrying both bags because it was unlikely that I'd get overhead bin space being in Zone 5. I'm so glad we planned that out, because I would NOT have gotten overhead bin space. I sat between two smelly guys who were traveling together, stuck in the middle seat while they both ate a giant bag of foul-smelling beef jerky. Of course, one had his elbow four inches into my space the whole time. So much for 1A and 1B that we were supposed to have! 

We finally arrived In Quito at 5:30pm and our driver had his sign held high for "Giant Carol". That was hilarious to us, so we took a photo with the stern looking man (who was just learning English).

​Quito is beautiful! The skies over the mountains were magnificent with pinkish clouds and white-capped volcanoes in the distance.

             ​We arrived at our very busy hotel after a 30 minute drive. It was so busy because the hotel restaurant was having a private Christmas party with young attractive women with heavy makeup dressed in their best cocktail dresses. (I forgot about this when in South America; the women are always dolled-up). Meanwhile, we look like Oregon hikers that had just traveled for 25 hours. We'd had only croissants and cookies the entire day and were starving. Plus I had my usual travel headache from hell. Since the restaurant was closed, we ordered room service. They told us "14 minutes". At forty minutes we called and they said the ticket hadn't printed and they were sending it right away.        We finally received it after another trip to the front desk to inquire about it again. They said they took it off our room tab, because it took 90 minutes to receive.
              Surprisingly, I did not sleep well and kept waking up. It could have been the vibrating club music that played until about 2:40 (I know this because I was awake when it finally ended).
            Thank You for my wonderful life and the ability to travel to these fabulous destinations!

​December 16, 2018
         I woke up feeling quite refreshed despite the lack of sleep. After a really good breakfast buffet (included with our room - all on points), our guide was five minutes early to pick us up for our City and Teleferico Tour.

Our driver drove up to 10,266 feet to the starting location of the Teleferico. The cable cars take you up to 13,000 feet for a panoramic view of all of Quito and the surrounding volcanoes. Ecuador has nine mountains over 19,000 feet; the volcano Cotopaxi is one of them. It has erupted more than 50 times since 1738 and the last one was in 2015.

Six of us were crammed into a very hot sunny cable car, and about halfway up I started feeling just awful. Sweating, dizzy, and short of breath. I could not wait to get out of the car and into the windy, cool weather. But that still didn't help the altitude issue. Walking - especially up just a few stairs - was exhausting. I felt like a 400-pound out-of-shape GIANT Carol.

​ Although the views were breathtaking, the city of 2.6 million people was actually so tiny it was as if we were seeing it from an airplane. I was so happy when we started descending so that I could breathe again! (I ended up with issues the rest of the day. Walking up any incline was difficult, and I've felt chest tightness and short of breath all day. Plus it was hot! Although it is the rainy season, today was a beautiful sunny day. I had way too many clothes on for full-force sun).

         ​ Some things we learned on the ride down the Teleferico:

• Oil, bananas, cocoa beans (pronounced kah-cow) and roses are top exports (in that order). Shrimp, tuna and coffee are also big exports.

• In 1999, there was widespread corruption. The value of the money varied constantly and they needed something stable, plus Ecuador doesn’t actually make their own money. So they now use the US dollar. Made things quite easy for us.

After the Teleferico, we drove to a Gothic Church and got out of the van for five minutes to take a few pictures. We hopped back in to head to the Plaza Grande. There are parades going on today, but our guide Fernando didn't know why. He finally figured it out that it's because it's nine days before Christmas. Apparently they will have one every day now.

Another perfunctory stop at a church.

We saw a mural of two old men... But now I can't remember the story behind it. We headed to a third church, but (thankfully!) it was closed due to the parades and other Christmas ceremonies. That meant we had extra time, and Robin asked if we could go to the farmers market where the locals shop. This time, I'm extremely grateful that we had to do the REQUIRED farmers market because it was the highlight of this ridiculously expensive, inadequate tour. (More on that in a minute).

The market was about an eight-block walk that was uphill and I was having a hard time, so we jumped on a crowded, dusty city bus to get up the hill.

The name of the market was called San Roque and clearly there were NO other tourists there.

Supposedly the area is only somewhat safe in the morning when the market is open; otherwise it's a gang and drug area. Our guide on the tour the next day must have said to us ten times, "I can't BELIEVE you went to San Roque!!"

Fernando seemed more than happy to answer Robin’s four hundred questions about each fruit, vegetable and plant that we encountered.

There was a whole section for shaman healers to do their shopping. One of the more interesting stories Fernando told us was about guinea pigs ("Cuy" in Spanish). Apparently they are regarded as being able to detect and/or absorb bad energy so the indigenous people let them roam free around their homes. If someone with bad energy comes in, the guinea pigs go crazy. That’s how they know if the person is malevolent. The market had crates full of guinea pigs, as well as live ducks, geese, chickens, pigeons, and rabbits. The market was definitely an unplanned highlight of the tour.

​We took a taxi back to the Old Town (it's a UNESCO protected area) to have our lunch. (One thing about the taxis here, they are plentiful, easy and cheap. The only difficulty is when we are on our own because none of the drivers speak English. We just write down where we are going and show them on a map. But it's usually less than $5 to get where you are going and the currency is so easy since it is in US dollars.)

The restaurant choice was interesting. Since the restaurant was in the old bishops palace building, the name of the restaurant had "friar” (priest) in the title. Every single inch of the space and walls had Jesus or some other religious statue or picture.

Honestly, all of Quito is like this. I know it's 80% Catholic, but they sure do love Jesus around here!

Our lunch at the Friar's place consisted of soup and sparkling waters for $20. Not very cheap because it’s in a tourist area.

We even got our picture taken ($2) with Franciscan monks that were selling soup to tourists to raise money for the poor people out front of the plaza.

​From there, we just walked down La Ronda, which is this narrow colorful pedestrian street with Ecuadorian chocolate shops and other boutique type places. Robin bought a 12 oz. bag of craft roasted coffee beans for $8.50; the same bag in Portland is $15. Then the driver dropped us off in an area called Bellavista and that was the end of the tour.

             So... about the tour. It's the first time I have to disagree with the TripAdvisor reviews. It was a private tour that the website says is seven hours long and $90 per person. The $90 seemed high for a city tour, but often when you add in entrance fees, transportation and lunch it doesn't seem that costly. But instead, it was only a four-hour tour, lunch was NOT included and the places we saw were not that interesting or inspiring. In fact, the best part was the unplanned farmers market. Although we loved our guide, the $235 we spent today (when you throw in lunch and guide/driver tips) was SO NOT worth it. Lesson learned...!

In Bellavista, we went to the Fundacion Guayasamin on the recommendation of our friends Tricia and Ron. Fantastic! I've never heard of this artist, but he (Oswaldo Guayasamin) painted over 6000 paintings... not including watercolors, acrylics, sketches, and sculptures.

The museum consisted of a gallery with huge paintings, as well as his very beautiful home.

He also collected pre-Colombian artifacts, as well as religious artifacts (no surprise there!)

Anyway, both were very interesting and I found his art quite compelling. He was a modern artist that showed human suffering and tragedy, as well as societal injustices including racism, oppression, and war. I'm so glad that we went to this museum...!

We grabbed a $3 taxi ride since walking was hard. Unfortunately, we had to pass by many gnarly, loose dogs.

Fernando said that people don't really use them as pets, but instead use them to guard their homes - especially at night. Apparently in exchange for their work as a guard dog they are able to roam & play during the day as they please!

​Afterwards, we dinner at a cheap vegetarian restaurant named El Maple in La Mariscal.

Dessert was at a coffee shop called "Honey".

Now we are back in our very bright hotel room (only choice for all lights is "on" or "off") planning our day for tomorrow.

​December 17, 2018
         We originally had big plans for today to go to either Quilotoa (the crater lake) or Mindo (the cloud forest). However, after the huge expense of yesterday and not sure about feeling well enough to be up for an 8-hour road trip, we opted to stay in Quito. I'm glad we did, because we had an awesome day!

Right outside our hotel, we were able to hire a driver for $42 for three hours and the 17-mile drive north to our first stop. (One thing about driving here is that 17 miles can take 45 minutes with heavy traffic and many twists and turns). Our first stop was never on our radar, but Robin found it last night while researching. It was the Museo Templo del Sol, which consists of the studio, home, sun temple and grounds of the sun painter/sculptor Ortega Maila.

The sun temple was very impressive!

The artist paints with his hands and takes about one hour to complete a painting.

However, it was the grounds and view that were magnificent.

It was very quiet, and the only other living creatures we saw were a few dogs. It was great to have the place to ourselves.

We were the only people there the entire time and our driver was the one little lonely car in the parking lot.

​Later, there was a tapping sound in the distance behind the property, and then suddenly I could hear the mayor (Robin) talking to someone in English. I rounded the corner and there she was talking to the artist himself! The tapping noise was him sculpting. He was telling Robin that Oregon was a beautiful state and then thanked us both for coming.

We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent there and the cost was.... $3 each!

​Next was the Intinan Solar Museum that bills itself as the "true" home of the equator. It's located about 200 yards from the official Equatorial monument. Apparently GPS tests come back with mixed results about the true location, and the rocky surroundings make accurate readings difficult. But if it is not exactly the red line painted down the middle of the museum attraction, it's extremely close. The tour starts out with exhibits about Ecuadorian life, mostly in the Amazon basin.

We learned how indigenous tribes decapitate a person and make a shrunken head (so that the person's soul cannot avenge his death). I also learned another interesting fact: the most dangerous fish in the Amazon is called a Candiru, also known as toothpick fish. It is a dangerous parasite that swims up either a penis or vagina because the person is peeing while swimming. However, a quick check of Wikipedia disputes that fact, but the fish is still the most feared fish in the Amazon.

The highlight of this outdoor museum was several tricks to show that things are different on the equator.

One is showing that on the exact equator line, water doesn't drain in a circle, but straight down. The tour guide then moved the water exhibit to the Southern Hemisphere side, where the water drained clockwise, and I then to the northern hemisphere side where it drained counter-clockwise. It actually worked; I saw it with my own eyes! (But a later check with my scientist brother and he tells me this is total bullshit).

Also, there is a balance exercise of walking heal-to-toe down the equator line, and how the energy pulls you to one side or the other. This trick also worked for everyone that tried it. Although all these exercises are probably just gimmicks, the group I was with had a fun time doing it.

I also took a picture of Robin wearing a 3-pound hat made of corn flour. She was the only person in our group that could wear it with her little pea head.

One other fun fact about the equator... On Sept 21 and March 21, there is no shadow for 2-3 minutes. Also, the sun rises and sets every day at exactly 6am and 6pm. After we left this particular museum, we then got a picture in front of the "official" monument but did not pay the $14 to get in.

            

​After this three-hour excursion, we decided to go back to the craziness of the old town to have lunch. We ended up at this place called El Dulce.

The sandwich was terrible but at least the dessert was good...!

We ended our long day with a walk through the park next to our hotel. Walking around has been easier, but uphill is still hard. We both still have headaches; I'm so glad we brought a giant bottle of Advil. About the time we get acclimated to 9500 feet in Quito, we will be in La Paz at nearly 13,000 feet. But at least we aren't starting from sea level. The quiet and cleaner air (away from all the exhaust fumes) was a welcome treat.

After a bowl of the traditional locro soup (potato with cheese and avocado) we are preparing for our day tomorrow. Thank You for my wonderful life!

​December 18, 2018
           A hard day for me. I took a shower this morning, but as I was drying my hair I started feel extremely shaky - almost to the point of delirious. Robin was convinced it was low or high blood sugar; so despite not being one bit hungry we headed down for breakfast. At this point, I'm surprised that I'm even vertical. She brought me items and was trying desperately for me to take one bite at a time. I forced part of a banana and some other fruit, as well as one small roll with cheese. We went back to the room and I just wanted to lie down, but felt so shaky and nervous to even do that. The one thing I did start to do was drink a ton of water. Even though I've been SO good about drinking water, I know that I didn't drink enough yesterday. Robin was rushing me out the door for the walking tour, but we had to check out first. I didn't even look over the Wyndham receipt to see if our 90-minute wait for room service was free because I felt so spacey and shaky. We checked our luggage, and then grabbed a taxi. By the time we arrived at the Swissotel, I was doing much better. Was it the elevation? Was it blood sugar? Dehydration? Low blood pressure? I don't know.

We ended up being the only ones on the La Floresta neighborhood free walking tour. Our guide was a cute young university art student named Martin. He only does one tour and only for this particular neighborhood known for its leafy streets, beautiful traditional homes and colorful street art & murals. Our first stop was an organic market that was empty. The reason it was empty? Because shopping at a supermarket has more status in Ecuadorian culture. Shopping at local organic farmers markets means that you have less status. Obviously they've never heard of Whole Foods!

​We walked by a store that sells large religious statues. Martin told us that they've had to add other non-religious statues because people aren't interested in religion as much as they used to be. He said most of his generation does not got to church.

The most famous street artist in Quito always does people with square facial features, one gold tooth and one gold earring. But now the current mayor has banned all street art because he considers it graffiti that represents a political movement against conservatism. If anyone is caught doing graffiti or street art, they face three days in jail and a $100 fine.

Because of this, the famous street artist now secretly paints pairs of underwear all over the neighborhood.

Others are now doing it as a part of the "resistance". Our guide showed us the place that he did his rebellious street art in the middle of the day with acrylics in his pocket while waiting for the bus.

​The neighborhood is known for artists and hippies. The alternative movie theater (showing Roma) was a very colorful eclectic place. Across the street was an old abandoned house that was a complete mystery as to who owns it, so the people of the neighborhood put their own creative spin on it.

​Although La Floresta is not the most expensive neighborhood, it is more expensive than most. The homes do have outside walls with either jagged glass along the top edge or electric wires.

Many homes have San Pedro cactuses, which are believed to ward off thieves. Large chunks had been cut from many of the cactus. Apparently when boiled, a hallucinogenic extract can be made,

            ​

We stopped at the Pacari world headquarters. We already knew of Pacari because everyone in Quito talks about it. It was named the "world's best chocolate for 2018". We did a taste test and it is delicious. We almost bought a bar when we were at La Ronda the day before, but thought $9.50 was too much. We were able to buy one at their headquarters for $5.

​We stopped in a park and Martin told us some of the Quito history. The name comes from "Qui to" (two words) that translates to the "middle place". At one time, it was the Incans that were here. When the Spanish came and met with the Incan leader, they handed him a bible and told him it was the "word of God". Supposedly he put it up to his ear and said he didn't hear anything and that God was living and breathing and not some book. So the Spanish killed him. Typical.

​Next we were at a fence with scraps of cloth tied to it. Apparently it was a memorial to a person that was murdered in 2017 in a hate crime. Martin called the person "hippie-like" and said he wore dresses and loved animals. I asked if maybe the person was transgendered, but Martin thought not. Anyway, the scraps are from all the dresses he wore.

​Now we were in a working class neighborhood of La Floresta. As opposed to the other areas where rent was over a thousand a month, these people paid as little as $50 per month.

We went into the home of a man who reupholstered chairs and other items.

I realized I was walking on bits of plywood, and could see through holes in the floor that plunged straight down the mountainside! I tried to get a picture, but didn't want to be obvious.

We then walked out the back door and it was literally a TEN MILLION dollar view.

He may pay only $50 a month (and the "house" would be condemned in ten seconds in the US), but what a view! Martin said the government tries to get him to move because it's a death trap in even a smaller earthquake, but the man said he's never leaving.

We also visited a studio and met with the artist/owner that designs hip, handmade sneakers that are made with fair trade Ecuadorian materials - by Ecuadorians. The shoes were awesome and if we had one extra inch in our suitcases we would have bought a pair.

​ We stopped at the cutest little place for coffee... Loved it.

The remainder of the tour was about the street artists. There was a whole section about the plight of women living in such a machismo society. One mural consists of self-portraits of four artists, but one of the women went back a few days later and blacked her face out to bring awareness to the many disappearances of women in the Quito area.

​ I asked Martin what they think has happened to them, but since they've never been found people can only speculate. One theory is that someone kills them to sell their organs. That is really scary! One advantage to being older is that no one probably wants my organs.

We left Martin and went to a place he recommended for lunch. It was called Casa Warmi ("the house of woman") and this is where we got into our biggest trouble yet with language. Apparently the place only has a few daily verbal specials and no printed menu, and not one person working knew a word of English. Our waiter had to use his phone to explain some words, and we finally just pointed to another table to have what they were having.

Robin was a little worried about what we were getting, but I knew it wasn't something like monkey balls.

It ended up being meat pasta and a vegetarian pasta that was my favorite meal in Ecuador!

             We went back to the hotel to get online and wait to leave for the airport. Our departure time that was communicated to our driver was lost in translation and he was actually there two hours early. So we left early... You never know with international airports or traffic. However, we got there quite early and literally were the only ones in line for security and immigration. I swear that this Quito airport is one of the best airports I've ever been to. Every inch of it was spotless, brand new, and everyone was very efficient. People that think the US is the best at everything need to travel more!
            So my thoughts on Ecuador. Beautiful country. Really nice people. Loved the efficiency of taxis. But we really needed Google translate or to learn some Spanish. Oh yeah... one more thing - this Enneagram Six is so happy that there were no earthquakes!
           Thank you for my wonderful life... On to Bolivia!