Quito, Ecuador
January 20, 2007
A Day in Quito, Ecuador
Who would have thought at 5:30 AM as I dragged my sleepy self out of my cozy and comfortable bed that before the day was over that I would have stood in both the North and South Hemispheres…at the same time! But, I guess they don’t call it the Equator for nothing!
The steady warm rain falling in Manta Ecuador as we disembarked (don’t you love the way I have learned to speak the language already!)…yes, disembarked…didn’t deter our excitement as we (24 soon to be good friends!) boarded “our” bus to go to the airport for a 30-40 minute flight to Quito…Ecuador’s capital city. “Other” buses followed close behind….buses for the “deluxe” trip that continued on, after Quito, for an overland excursion to Machu Picchu, Peru. We couldn’t possible mix with those “deluxe” people in the same bus…I mean we were just going for the day.
Soon our chartered jet lifted above the cloudy ceiling into bright blue skies where our verbose pilot identified active volcano after volcano as they eerily poked their cone-shaped peaks out though the fluffy white ocean below….certainly one of my those special “moments” of which a friend claims we only have one hundred.
Once in Quito, our most articulate guide pointed out that Quito is located some 9,000 feet above sea level and nestles into an elongated valley on the foothills of the Pichincha Volcano….an active volcano whose mouth, she proudly told us, points away from the city to the small villages on the other side of the mountain. We were fascinated with the many high-rise apartments with assumed spectacular views that overlooked this clean and bustling city of 1 ½-2 million people. Eventually making our way to Old Town we walked through Independence Square which houses the Government Palace as well as the office of the Mayor. The cleanliness of this square as well as the human scale that felt very comfortable and inviting impressed us all. The square was alive with colorful characters…people who would, no doubt, be very interesting to learn more about. After visiting the incredibly ornate Jesuit Church of La Compania de Jesus where every surface seems to be covered with gold leafed Moorish-inspired moldings we all marveled that there was any gold left anywhere in the world….very glitzy!!!! And very beautiful!!! We eventually made our way up the mountainside to the base of the “Winged Virgin”, a huge statue of the Virgin Mary (with controversial wings!) that overlooks and protects the city below…and what a spectacular view she has.
Lunch was served at a “typical” restaurant…(“typical for tourists…the “others” joined us! As far as I could see, other than the waiters, there were no other Ecuadorians there!) We feasted on local foods including a very tasty sweet fruit called babaco (according to our guide similar to papaya but without the seeds) Having overeaten we returned to the bus and meandered our way through the busy streets a few miles outside the city limits where we experienced the equator firsthand…straddling the hemispheres. Soon we were back on board our jet, a bit late, no…LATE!...so late that once back in Manta there was a police escort to get us back to the ship as soon as possible where the gang plank was pulled and we were sailing almost before I could return to my cabin.
So, my first day on land on this amazing voyage was more than successful….it makes me ponder those that lie ahead…Stay tuned!
January 20, 2007
A Day in Quito, Ecuador
Who would have thought at 5:30 AM as I dragged my sleepy self out of my cozy and comfortable bed that before the day was over that I would have stood in both the North and South Hemispheres…at the same time! But, I guess they don’t call it the Equator for nothing!
The steady warm rain falling in Manta Ecuador as we disembarked (don’t you love the way I have learned to speak the language already!)…yes, disembarked…didn’t deter our excitement as we (24 soon to be good friends!) boarded “our” bus to go to the airport for a 30-40 minute flight to Quito…Ecuador’s capital city. “Other” buses followed close behind….buses for the “deluxe” trip that continued on, after Quito, for an overland excursion to Machu Picchu, Peru. We couldn’t possible mix with those “deluxe” people in the same bus…I mean we were just going for the day.
Soon our chartered jet lifted above the cloudy ceiling into bright blue skies where our verbose pilot identified active volcano after volcano as they eerily poked their cone-shaped peaks out though the fluffy white ocean below….certainly one of my those special “moments” of which a friend claims we only have one hundred.
Once in Quito, our most articulate guide pointed out that Quito is located some 9,000 feet above sea level and nestles into an elongated valley on the foothills of the Pichincha Volcano….an active volcano whose mouth, she proudly told us, points away from the city to the small villages on the other side of the mountain. We were fascinated with the many high-rise apartments with assumed spectacular views that overlooked this clean and bustling city of 1 ½-2 million people. Eventually making our way to Old Town we walked through Independence Square which houses the Government Palace as well as the office of the Mayor. The cleanliness of this square as well as the human scale that felt very comfortable and inviting impressed us all. The square was alive with colorful characters…people who would, no doubt, be very interesting to learn more about. After visiting the incredibly ornate Jesuit Church of La Compania de Jesus where every surface seems to be covered with gold leafed Moorish-inspired moldings we all marveled that there was any gold left anywhere in the world….very glitzy!!!! And very beautiful!!! We eventually made our way up the mountainside to the base of the “Winged Virgin”, a huge statue of the Virgin Mary (with controversial wings!) that overlooks and protects the city below…and what a spectacular view she has.
Lunch was served at a “typical” restaurant…(“typical for tourists…the “others” joined us! As far as I could see, other than the waiters, there were no other Ecuadorians there!) We feasted on local foods including a very tasty sweet fruit called babaco (according to our guide similar to papaya but without the seeds) Having overeaten we returned to the bus and meandered our way through the busy streets a few miles outside the city limits where we experienced the equator firsthand…straddling the hemispheres. Soon we were back on board our jet, a bit late, no…LATE!...so late that once back in Manta there was a police escort to get us back to the ship as soon as possible where the gang plank was pulled and we were sailing almost before I could return to my cabin.
So, my first day on land on this amazing voyage was more than successful….it makes me ponder those that lie ahead…Stay tuned!
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