Archive for October 2015

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……………....