Contrary to Christina’s great directions (which we all forgot…those Spanish words all sound the same!) we walked to the autobus Estation del Norde and eventually found our way onto the right bus line down to Old Town. Riding the bus in Quito is an athletic contest between the driver and passengers. The driver tries to get a passenger to tip over and the passengers…well, try not to. It’s a very friendly competition, but quite strenuous for rookies. Fortunately, Chris had given us some great pointers in advance (like ‘get a grip before boarding if you’re the last one on, because your first step is a sign the driver can go. And he will’). Teamwork is key. Grip straps are very high so the passenger team allows its older & shorter players to sit. The taller players (which include all gringos) hold these straps with a death grip and everyone else sways against them like seaweed in the ocean current. Key gringo skills include a firm grip and good balance. Once the bus is packed full, no one could possibly fall so passenger patience and good hygiene become the critical factors. Hand signals and dancing skills are critical as each player makes his/her final move toward the door. All three of us gringos scored by successfully stepping off at Plaza Grande in the heart of Old Town. Victory! (or maybe just beginners’ luck).
We walked onto Plaza Grande at the finale of some kind of large ceremony including soldiers on horseback and a military band. Several dignitaries (probably the Presidente) were presiding over the whole precession from the balcony of the President’s Palace. What great timing!
After that, we wandered around Old Town somewhat aimlessly until hunger set in, so we ate at a courtyard café on the Plaza. The waiter was almost too attentive, but afterwards we learned why: he told us the couple sitting behind us were known pick-pockets, and please be sure we still had everything.
After some brainstorming we agreed Brian Patrick would take the bus back to the hostel solo (brave soul) to meet Christina for a run in Parque de Carolina.
Brian & Deb continued exploring Old Town together, which became another challenging ‘sport’. Our goal was to climb a hill east of Old Town to Café Mosaico and Parque de Itchimbia at the summit, both of which are renowned for their exceptional vistas. After a little wandering – amazingly all in the right direction - and a lot of climbing sidewalks and stairways through a hillside residential area (at 9100 feet), we found our way to Café Mosaico. Along with an amazing view of the city, a well-earned beer/wine/bottle of water and a Mesa (Greek) platter were our reward. Since it was Monday, everything was pretty quiet and, except for a well-seasoned Delta flight attendant and her boy friend (who lives most of the year on his boat in the BVI or Cape Cod), we had the patio to ourselves.
We completed our mission by climbing the short remaining hillside to Parque de Itchimbia. Interestingly, it was gated and guarded, but we walked in unhindered. A spectacular glass & steel building at the crest was basically deserted, but provided an impressive 360 degree view including Quito, Vulcan Cotopoxi(?) and the surrounding area. Although its population is only about 1.25 million, Quito is an amazingly large city geographically! It sprawls through a long, north-south valley and up onto the hills on either side. Now rested & recharged by the views, we hiked back down a different route, past a small bullfighting arena, and back into Old Town. Brian met a friendly old Ecuadorian man who spoke English well (rare) and sold alpaca Panama hats, scarves, etc (which we were actually looking for). So we somewhat reluctantly agreed to follow him to his store (which turned out to be good 6 – 8 blocks away!) and bought a couple hats and scarves for ourselves and others back home. We all re-connected by cell phone, and met up in Plaza Grande where we compared notes and people-watched a little. Brian Patrick’s bus journey back to the hostel had gone well ( another win for the passengers!) and they both had a good run.
After eating a great dinner together at Fruteria Monserrate, Chris took us all on a wonderful, personalized tour of Old Town after dark. Lots of old but well-maintained Churches, museums, cathedrals, etc almost all built in Spanish architecture. The Ronda was a very interesting, narrow street lined with flags and paintings about
Walking around Old Town is another Quitotian sport. The streets are narrow but well lit, and busy with lots of small cars and small pedestrians. This sport resembles a kind of obstacle course wherein pedestrians navigate the countless tripping hazards and occasional open manholes stoplights and car traffic…
Chris spent the night at her apartment (after she helped get us back to the hostal safely!)
No comments:
Post a Comment