Day off in Quito

Today in the morning I went to the Dirección de Extranjería. I had to register my visa and leave my passport in the hands of the Ecuadorian bureaucracy for a few days. More exciting then that though, I walked through a part of Quito alone! From my house to the office where we registered our visas was about 25 minutes, perhaps the most freeing 25 minutes of my life. I walked down the very busy street, 6 de Diciembre, past the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, and made it to Av. Gaspar de Villaroel without a hitch. I did have a couple of moments of uncertainty though because the streets aren´t well marked and I wasn´t positive that I knew my north from my south. Don´t worry though, I now know that Volcán Pinchinca is always west of Quito. God bless the mountains and their inability to move!

Anyway, after all of my fellow Ceiba gringos and I registered our visas seven of us decided to take advantage of our afternoon off and explore Quito. We hopped on the red bus, the Ecovía and headed south to Centro Histórico. Most of us in the group hadn´t been too far from our host homes besides our fearless leader Christa. We jumped off the Ecovía at Parque La Alameda by the Observatorio astronómica. Again it was another beautiful park in Quito complete with a group of school boys in matching blue and white jump suits whistling at us. A little young fellas.

Continuing on through the park we spotted la basílica up the hill. So we wandered down cobblestone streets, past tiendas selling everything from ropas to zapatos to mangoes. Just before reaching la basilica we ducked into a cabina and got out photos taken for yet another document required by the government of Ecuador.

Entering the basilica I brought me right back to one of the gazillion churches I admired in Rome and the massive buttresses in the cathedral by Prague Castle. In the typical gothic style, Basilica del Vota Nacional, built starting in 1926, is adorned by many gargoyles, but not like you would expect. No, these gargoyles are ant eaters, jaguars, turtles, caiman and iguanas. Unfortunately part of the basilica is under construction, but we were able to see was beautiful.

After the basilica we wandered to Plaza Grande where a fountain with a lion being killed served as the center piece. One side of the plaza is flanked by the Palacio del Gobierno, the presidential palace. It´s a stately white builing but tours cost money so we admired from outside. From Plaza Grade we headed towards Plaza San Francisco. Along the way we had lunch at one of the many, double-wide trailer sized eateries along the street. I had fish and cilantro soup, rice with chicken and fresh juice for only $2.50! Arriving at Plaza San Francisco we were met by a huge cobblestone plaza littered with pigeons. A man washed his clothes in the fountain and nearly tipped himself in as well. We sat and listened to a little boy sing for awhile before heading off to look for a marketplace. The market we found wasn´t quite what I was expecting, it was all new clothes, shoes, electronics and appliances. Black market anyone? Who knows, but it was tempting to see so many cheap, classy shoes. I may just have to take a trip back there sometime soon.

Anyway, after the market we all seemed a little weary. 9000 feet was starting to hit, for me at least. So we meandered back to Plaza Grande and stopped at one more church. I don´t remember the name and it´s not on my map and I don´t have a picture of it because I left my camera at home. It too was a beautiful church, not nearly as ornate as the basilica but it did have a huge, gold altar.

Our last stop before heading back was at the tourist information center. So now we all have una mapa de Quito. We trudged back to the Ecovía stop and headed home. It was a fulfilling day and now doubt I will sleep will tonight.

On another note, I had my first comida typica today. Green bananas stuffed with cheese and fried to a golden crisp. If only one could grow such beautiful bananas in Wisconsin. While I´m on the subject of food, I think I have thus far failed to mention that juices I´ve had here. Passion fruit, naranjillas (similar to oranges), and my favorite, tree tomato.