Quito, Ecuador
On February 24, 2014 we arrived at the new Mariscal Sucre
International Airport, which is approximately 18 kms outside Quito and was
opened in July 2012. It greeted us
with cool temperatures and grey skies with light rain falling.
Quito is 2,850 metres (9,350ft) above sea level and has a
constantly cool climate. It is the
highest official capital city in the world and closest to the Equator. It is located in the Guayllabamba River
Basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes
Mountains. It is also the only
capital city in the world in such close proximity to an active Volcano. Although La Paz, Bolivia is
considerably higher and regarded by many as its capital and the seat of
government, Sucre, the judicial centre, retains the official status of capital
and just slightly lower in height than Quito.
The historic centre of Quito is the largest, least altered
city and best preserved in the Americas.
Its central square is just 25kms (16 miles) south of the Equator. Ecuador is the Spanish word for
Equator.
We stayed at a lovely hotel, the Dann Carlton, located in
the business district, which was more accessible to the airport than the old
city, which always seemed to be very congested with traffic through its narrow
streets. Our room included
breakfast, buffet style, with more options hot and cold, including lunch items,
that I have seen anywhere. It was very
good quality food and great service.
There was also another good restaurant in the hotel, which served
excellent food for dinner and was reasonably priced. At the front of the hotel, adjacent to the lobby was a very
nice café, which served light fare and delicious cakes. It was very popular with the local
business people. The Dann Carlton
is just one block over from La Carolina Park, which covers an area of 165.5
acres and was the site of the great mass, held by Pope John Paul II in 1985.
The Dann Carlton was always full of beautiful flowers, especially
huge arrangements of roses. The rose
growing industry, in large commercial greenhouses, is now one of Ecuador’s primary
exports, outstripping some of its former, more conventional exports. Russia is one of its primary
markets. In Quito, 50 roses cost
around 2.50 US$, however, much still needs to be done to protect the workers of
many growers, who are still using harmful chemicals and pesticides.
Whilst in Quito we hoped to hike the active Volcano Cotopaxi
but due to poor weather conditions it was not possible. Instead we hired a young eco guide who
took us for a trip to the famous town of Otavalo, the capital of the canton
Otavalo and famous for its indigenous people who travel the world selling their
handicrafts and playing their Andean Folk Music. Economically, the Otavalos are considered the most
successful group of indigenous people in Latin America. En route to Otavalo we stopped first at the Equator where we had one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the Southern Hemisphere, then on to Mira
Lago and a small rustic homestead for Bizcochos, local, hand made, not
particularly sweet, pastries. They
were very tasty. We took photos of Lago San Pablo from the viewpoint on their property. Our guide advised us that we were very lucky to see the reflections in the lake as this was a rare occurrence. It was quite a magnificent vista.
After leaving here we left the highway and travelled to
Parque Condor, a sanctuary for injured or abused raptors. This centre was founded by Joep Hendrix a dutch falconer and who, with funding from the Dutch Government, built this sanctuary to care for these beautiful
birds, either for the rest of their lives, or in other cases until they can be
released back to the wild. The
birds range from two very large condors, although they are vultures not raptors, to some very tiny owls. There are many
hawks, falcons, kestrels and caracaras to name but a few. We had a very interesting visit
here. The compounds for the birds are large and well maintained.
They have been designed to represent their own habitats in the wild. There were also beautiful gardens with
lovely flowers. We were also
privileged to see a falconry display and I got to hold a small kestrel. The caracara stole the show with his
hilarious antics. All the birds
were extremely well cared for and I am sure thankful to their wonderful
caregiver.
After saying goodbye to the raptors we made our way to
Otavalo to visit the world famous artisan market. As we arrived it deluged with rain, but undeterred we headed
for the stalls that were luckily covered in plastic to protect their wares and
us, from the elements. Of course,
due to lack of luggage space we could not purchase anything, but two lovely
ponchos later we made our way to the small town of Cotacachi that specializes
in leather goods and to have a well deserved meal. We had some delicious food, always too
much but very good. Afterwards, we
had a quick stroll through the town and then made the two plus hours drive back
to Quito. We were very tired but had
a most enjoyable day and a great guide.
Whilst in Quito we also took the Hop on Hop Off bus to get a good overall
perspective of the historic city. This
beautiful historic city, along with that of Krakow, Poland was the first to be
declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978. Many architecturally important buildings such as the
Carondelet Palace, the seat of government, the Archbishop’s Palace, the
Municipal Palace, the Hotel Plaza Grande and the Metropolitan Cathedral,
surround its large square, Plaza Grande or Independence Square. Apart from the buildings around the
square other significant sites are the Basilica Voto Nacional, the Cathedral of
Quito, The Church of La Compania de Jesus, the Church of San Francisco, the
Church of El Sagrario and the Church of Santo Domingo. El Penicillo is a hill located in the
middle west of the city at an altitude of 3,016 metres (9,895ft) above sea
level with an enormous statue of the Virgin Mary situated atop. The locals claim that she is the only
one with the wings of an Angel.
She is 41 metres (135ft) tall and made of Aluminum and can be seen from
almost anywhere in the city. The
Teleferico is an Aerial Tramway that transports visitors to 4,100 metres above sea level, up the east
side of the Pichincha Volcano.
Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to partake of this adventure,
as it was time to fly off once again to our next destination, The Galapagos
Islands, stopping briefly in Guayquil to drop off and pick up passengers before
our final destination, Baltra, see you there……………....
View at the Equator
Jim and Barbara with Lago San Pablo in the distance
Reflections - Lago San Pablo
Parque Condor Entrance
Barred Hawk
Barred Hawk
Grey Hawk
Pygmy Owl
Small Owl
Peruvian Screech Owl
Small Owl
Caracara Curiquingue
Condor
Barred Hawk
Barbara with the American Kestrel
Flowers at Parque Condor
Flowers at Parque Condor
Gardens at Parque Condor
Gardens at Parque Condor
Hammocks - Otavalo
Jim checking out the restaurant at Cotacachi
Main Street, Cotacachi
Elaborate door - Cotacachi
Market Square - Cotacahi
Market Stall - Cotacachi
Jim joining the group - Cotacachi
Hop on Hop Off Bus - Quito
Street Art next to the bus stop at La Carolina Park
More Street Art next to the bus - volcanoes backdrop
Ecuadorian lady taking her wares to market
Quito old city balcony with geraniums
Street view Quito from the bus
Cathedral of Quito
Plaza Grande
The Independence Monument - Plaza Grande
Plaza Grande
Quito Historic City and hill
La Iglesias de la Compania de Jesus
Historic Street
The Madonna on top of El Penecillo
View from El Penecillo
The Virgin Mary (The Madonna) with Angels wings
Indigenous Ecuadorian lady tending her sheep atop El Penecillo
View from the bus
Rooftops Quito
Side door view church Plaza Grande
Carondelet Palace
Hotel Plaza Grande
Street view Quito
Street view Quito
Street view Quito
The Church of Santo Domingo
View through the street to El Penecillo
View through the street to El Penecillo
The Church of Santo Domingo
El Penecillo Hill with the Madonna atop
Church of San Francisco
Church of San Francisco
Plaza de San Francisco
Plaza de San Francisco
Basilica del Voto Nacional
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