Days 1-3: Quito

Day 1: RDU to Quito

We flew from RDU to Miami and then on to Quito.  The forecast was for rain all week, but it was clear when we arrived at about 3:00 PM. Quito is in a high valley between two mountain ranges, and offers some spectacular views on approach.

Quito from the air

The city has about 3 million people, and is strung out in the valley in a narrow band running from north to south.   It actually extends well beyond the top and bottom of the map below.  There are 3 main parts of central Quito: (1) The historic district, near "Church of the Society of Jesus" on the map, (2) the Mariscal Sucre area (restaurants and entertainment), near the Hilton Colon Quito on the map, and (3) the central business district, near the Quicentro Shopping Mall on the map.  We stayed in the Dann Carlton Hotel, which was about 3 blocks south of the Quicentro Mall.

Since Quito is at about 9,000 feet, it doesn't get really hot, even though it's virtually on the Equator. In fact, it can get darn cold, even in the summer. 

Day 2: Free Day in Soggy Quito

Our "official" tour didn't start until the next day, so Monday was a free day.  Unfortunately, the promised rain arrived on Monday, and it poured all day (and only got up to 53 degrees Fahrenheit).  The rain was so bad that it caused a landslide (near TeleferiQuo on the upper left side of the map) that killed several people.  We decided to tour the city on one of those double-decker tour buses--fortunately the upper deck was enclosed.  Except for brief stops at Basilica del Voto Nacional and Panecillo Hill, we didn't get off the bus.  

Our hotel (the reddish building)

Quicentro Mall, the largest mall in Ecuador, near our hotel

Central Quito

Some shops in the Mariscal Sucre District

The Historic Center is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a number of churches and buildings dating from the 1500s.

A view over part of the historic district

Basilica del Voto Nacional

South of the Historic District is El Panecillo (Panecillo Hill), with a huge statue of the Virgin Mary.  The statue can be see from virtually everywhere in the Historic District.

Panecillo Hill with statue at the top

Eventually the bus went to the top of Panecillo Hill, which offered some nice views (as nice as the weather would allow) of Quito.

View from the top of Panecillo Hill

Statue of Virgin Mary, built in the late 1950's out of aluminum

A wider view of Quito

Street view in the Historical District

In the modern business district

After we got off the bus, we went to the Quicentro Mall and then walked back to the hotel.

Did I mention that the weather sucked?

The street that our hotel was on

They do have taste in Quito

Day 3: A real Tour of Quito and the Mitad del Mundo

Today was the first day of our "official" tour.  Our arrangements were for a private tour from Quito to Guayaquil, so we spent the next several days with Patricia who was both our tour guide and driver.  She was a great guide.

The weather was much improved, going from cloudy in the morning to sunny in the afternoon, with a high in the upper 60's.

The first part of the tour involved a lot of the sights we had seen from the bus the previous day, but this time we went inside a few of the buildings.  First, we went back to Panecillo Hill.

Hillside near Panecillo Hill

A clearer view of Quito than we had yesterday

Virgin Mary is still there

A view of the Historic District

We then drove to the Historic District and walked around, going into various churches and other historical buildings. 

A street in the Historic District

House of the Gigantic Empanada

A shopping street in the Historic District

A view of Panecillo Hill and the Virgin Mary statue from the Historic District

A shop selling confections and pork skins

A woman selling what appears to be potatoes

The Church and Convent of St. Francis, which dates from 1537

Inside the church

Another view inside the Church of St. Francis

The Convent Grounds

A view from the top of the church

We stopped at a cafe near the church, which sold that all time favorite, Hot Chocolate with Cheese

A pedestrian street in the Historic District

Golden doors of the church of The Church of la Compañía de Jesús (we couldn't go in)

The Church of la Compañía de Jesús, dating from 1605

Presidential Palace

Statue in the center of Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande)

Patricia (our guide) and Brenda in the Plaza de la Independencia

Restaurant sign in the Historic District.  Prices are in US Dollars

After touring the Historic District, we drove to the Mitad Del Mundo (Equator or "Middle of the World" monument, about 15 miles north of Quito, and took obligatory pictures of ourselves in different hemispheres.

Looking at the east side of the monument.  The yellow line is the equator.

On the west (oeste) side--I'm in the northern hemisphere and Brenda is in the southern.

As it turns out, they have discovered that the Mitad Del Mundo monument isn't really on the equator.  The actual equator is about 900 feet north.  So, they built a museum at the "real site".

The Real Equator

On the "real" equator

Testing whether you can balance an egg on a nail head at the equator.  I could; Brenda couldn't.

Next: Days 4-7: Otovalo, a Homestay, Banos, and the Avenue of Volcanoes

2022 Ecuador and Galapagos: Introduction

Desperate to get out of the USA, Brenda and I booked a trip to Ecuador, which included several days in the middle of the country, a cruise around Galapagos, and a river cruise on the Napo River, a tributary of the Amazon.  No new countries on this one, but we did make it to some places (Galapagos, Amazon) that had been on our bucket list.  

The trip was booked through AdventureSmith Explorations, which did a great job of handling arrangements and keeping us informed, especially in regard to Covid testing.  The trip consisted of 3 parts:

• A land tour of Ecuador, going from Quito to Cuenca, to Guayaquil
• A 4-day cruise to the eastern Galapagos islands, on the MV Galapagos Legend
• A 4 day cruise on the Napo River on the Manatee Amazon Explorer

We flew to and from Quito (via Miami) on American Airlines, and to Galapagos and back to Quito on Avianca, and between Quito and Coca (on the Napo river) on AeroRegional, an Ecuadorian airline with a total of 3 aircraft.

Here's the itinerary:

• 30JAN -- Fly from RDU to Quito, via Miami
• 31JAN -- Quito
• 01FEB -- Quito
• 02FEB -- Otavalo
• 03FEB -- Ibarra
• 04FEB -- Banos and Riobamba
• 05FEB -- Riobamba to Cuenca
• 06FEB -- Cuenca to Guayaquil
• 07FEB -- Fly from Guayaquil to Galapagos, board Galapagos Legend
• 08FEB -- Cruising Galapagos
• 09FEB -- Cruising Galapagos
• 10FEB -- Fly from Galapagos to Quito
• 11FEB -- Fly from Quito to Coca, board Manatee Amazon Explorer
• 12FEB -- Cruise Napo River
• 13FEB -- Cruise Napo River
• 14FEB -- Fly from Coca to Quito
• 15FEB -- Fly from Quito to RDU, via Miami

For those of you who will undoubtedly ask about Covid--Ecuador was much stricter about Covid than the United States.  We needed proof of vaccination and a test to enter the country, and also needed tests before we could enter Galapagos and the Amazon area (both of which were part of Ecuador).  In addition, masks were required both indoors and outdoors, and we saw almost nobody who did not comply.  Finally, before entering any store or restaurant, someone would spray your hands with disinfectant.  

A disinfecting machine in the middle of nowhere

OK, Let's go!

Next: Days 1-3--Quito