Days in Quito

3 Days in Quito, and I already love Ecuador!


In Quito, we have done a lot of site-seeing. We took a bus tour through Old Town, where we saw all the different styles that have influenced Quito's architecture over the years. 

Spanish colonial influence

French influence

After our drive through Old Town Quito, we went to see the "Casa de Cristal," which was originally built for Rock concerts, due to a lack of venue for people who appreciate this type of music. Now, many cultural events are held here. From there we drove to the top of El Panecillo (little bread) to see the statue of the "Virgen de Quito." This is the only statue in the world that depicts Mary with wings - inspired by the Book of the Apocalypse. From the top of this hill you can see several volcanoes in the distance. The views are amazing! 

Virgen de Quito

View of the Virgen from Casa de Crital

We also took a gondola ride to the top of volcano Pichincha, the namesake of on of the provinces in Quito. The views at night were incredible, and you could really see how big the city is from the span of lights across the valley. The volcano is now inactive.

Quito is 10 miles long, 3 miles wide. This image only shows about
half of the city view from the top of Pichincha.

The food here is delicious! We have tried many fruit juices (my favorite is Guanabana) and traditional dishes. I have not tried Cuy yet (guinea pig) because they serve it whole - the head/body is all intact. I was informed that this is the Ecuadorian way of showing you that you are in fact being served cuy, not some other animal such as a rat. I still think it's gross. I do, however, like many of the other dishes. They serve a lot of plantains and yuca, and also potatoes. My favorite meal so far was "Ceviche de pollo y aguacate" which is a cold meal of chicken and avocado in a citrus/tangy sauce. The avocado here is SO good! It is always fresh. We also had a chance to try different chocolates and cocoa beans. As a chocolate lover, this was one of my favorite activities!  

Ceviche - Que rico!

     

Today we are moving to Papallacta, a natural hot spring and spa resort. This will be our last day before we move on to Otavalo, where I will be meeting my host family and begin teaching!