Quito, Ecuador

We've been in Quito for five days now and are very impressed with the place. It's a large city with great architecture and decent nightlife. We've managed to start preparing for our 'solo' Machu Picchu trek with a hike to 3700 metres. Unfortunately this resulted in a four hour hospital visit for me - read on!!

On the bus from Pasto, the usual military check points, we didn't get stopped

Our bus terminates in Ipiales, close to the Ecuadorian border, and we take a 'colectivo' taxi to the sanctuary of Las Lajas - this is an image of a guinea pig. It's an Ecuadorian dish, although we're not yet in Ecuador. It's known as cuya.

Sorry animal lovers! Here they are cooked and uncooked

We're on a newly built cable-car here

We take a taxi to the Colombia/Ecuador border. You have to queue to have your passport stamped on one side then walk over a bridge to be 'stamped in' on the other. There is nothing to stop you avoiding this process, but read on...

After the nightmare of the two hour border crossing we took another 'colectivo' taxi to Tulcan, the Ecuadorian border town. From here we got on a bus to Quito, a five hour journey. Within 30 minutes the bus is stopped at a police check point. Everyone is questioned and some people are asked to get off, remove any gear they have in the hold, and it is opened and inspected.

We've got used to all these street vendors getting on the busses now, and rather than pretend to look out of the window we're keen to buy food. As can be seen, Craig is clearly over his dose of the shits!



Won't be long now..!

I took this pic of our bus during the one and only "comfort stop", over four hours into a five hour journey. Just as well Craig wasn't on the piss!!

We got off the bus at some station in Quito, the place is massive. We then got on this bus not knowing where to get off. After a while I asked these guys, in Spanish, where to get off and as soon as the other people within earshot heard us trying to communicate everyone wanted to help, and talk to us!!

The gringos!

Our first hotel (read 'hostel') was a shithole! This was my room.

We book our Galapagos cruise, this is the boat we'll be on tomorrow, and for the next four days. We got a great deal at the last minute (as planned!)

A bar in Quito

Getting directions to an Indian after muchas cervezas! We celebrated our Galapagos booking early!

Ask Craig about this one..!

Quito

The statue in the background it the 'virgin of Quito', it's massive.

We pay a dollar to go in to the base of the structure, by the way - the currency in Ecuador is the US dollar

Photos inside of the construction

Notice the guy on the left, it gives you some idea of the size of the thing...

Views of Quito from the statue. The city is 16kms long and 2kms wide. This 'hike' was nothing compared to what we did the following day. After researching on the web for something more challenging the following day I found some info on this one which said "on no account walk to the statue, although it's safe at the statue itself, violent muggings are common en route"!

Craig asks for a banana from a street vendor, he pays a dollar and gets 10! Notice the finger; this is Craig speaking Spanish!

Craig's banana...

...he ate one and gave the rest to this guy...

...who then handed them out to his mates

 

This was the first day of a six day festival

Our second hotel in Quito

We're heading for the mountain in the background...

Cows have no fear here!



I had to try something! Potatoes were ok but I didn't get the "pollo" I asked for - it was something entirely different... Quite surprised to see a street vendor up here. We left the dirt road at this point.

Views of Quito from the summit. The altitude was very apparent on both of us, the air is very thin.

Here's the trouble on the way down...

...I get bitten on the leg by one of these dogs and I'm shitting myself that I'm gonna catch rabies, although it was very minor..

Their dogs and they don't give a shit

I went to a chemist shop and told the guy I was bitten by a dog. There were dogs everywhere there so I thought he wouldn't have been too worried. Unfortunately he told me to go to the local hospital. This was the waiting room! Rabies was my only concern, I had the standard vaccinations long before I left Oz. I waited for four hours just to be told that rabies doesn't exist in Ecuador! The doctor gave me antibiotics and ibroprofen anyway, and I didn't have to part with a cent of the $500 that was in the back of my mind!

Our last day in Quito, we visit the main cathedral

Views of the 'virgin of Quito' after climbing one of the towers

 

 

Galapagos Islands tomorrow, but we might never make it back. We received an email a few hours ago to say that the return flight had been cancelled. We'll have to sort that out at the airport tomorrow morning at 5 o'clock - adios!