December 26th-27th 2014
We return to Quito a little tired and much in need of rest. So for the rest of the day I play tour guide, stealing most of the information from my previous walking tour. It’s pleasant enough and hopefully gave my brother and Clara a little base for Quito.
After a short rest we fulfill my brother’s month long craving for Pizza hut in La Mariscal, Quito’s tourist center. It’s not cheap but it is delicious and four people end up satisfied. I say four because on our way home we encounter a homeless man who manages some pretty decent english. Stuffed to the brim we give him most of our ample left overs. Since it’s the holiday season I only regret it a little once my hunger returns.
I head to bed early, still somewhat exhausted from my Christmas exploits at Peguche falls.
I wake up early the next morning and oddly enough end up writing the last two entries of this blog before my brother and Clara join me and we head out into the town.
Our first stop is the huge Basilica which towers over most of central Quito. This time though we don’t go into the main entrance of the church. We go up it. And at only 2 USD it’s a bargain.
I’ve never thought religion could be so scary. I mean sure you’ve got some renegade priests. And I suppose things like the Spanish inquisition might enter the equation. But this place takes it to a new level. At least for me.
The first section of the climb is simple enough, up through the twinned clock towards of the basilica, but then, after passing through a gift shop we cross a narrow wooden walkway over the roof of the main chapel and climb a ladder-stair hybrid up into the open air.
From there comes the true adventure, climbing up two more ladders hundreds of feet above the city with only a weak looking mesh between the steps to keep you from plummeting to the earth like a fallen angel. Enough to put the fear of God into you.
But faith is rewarded as they say, and the view from the little tower is pretty impressive. Quito sprawls out before us, the long narrow city a mosaic of pastel coloured houses, dotted with modern skyscrapers and ancient churches. Una vista Increible!
At first it’s just Russell and I who brave the climb but after we descend Clara finds the nerve and we join her up there again, basking in the radiance of Ecuador’s capital city surrounded by the Andes mountains.
Eventually we nervously edge our way back down and recross atop the main chapel, now climbing higher and higher into the clock towers for more impressive panorama’s of the world’s second highest Capital. Quito at roughly 80 kilometers long and 40 km wide is a beautiful city, and the basilica gives me my first chance to appreciate large swaths of it at once, instead of individual neighbourhood.
Eventually we descend back the way we’ve come, ignoring the wiles of several different gift shops and a restaurant which looks way too fancy for backpackers, capturing a few ground level shots of the impressive church.
That done we head towards Plaza San Blas where our second stop ends in disappointment as the tour agency Latin Adventures is still closed meaning my amazon plans will have to wait a little while.
All is not lost though as we head to the central market where I enjoy yet another portion of corvinas de Gloria with fresh Coconut blackberry juice before we do a little shopping for guacamole ingredients, Which Clara is famous for, at least in my mind. The old women who run the market stalls are very friendly and happy to hear us trying Spanish as they sell us small portions of everything needed.
We head back to the hostel and feast on Guacamole before spending a lazy afternoon making future plans. It’s off to Mindo for me the next day, more waterfalls to be explored. While Russell and Clara settle on hiking at Cotopaxi Volcano. It’s been a great week and I’ve enjoyed my time with my Brother and Clara, but I’m also eager to get back to solo travelling, which is, more often than not. My favourite kind.
