Quito (26 June - 29 June 2008)
From the plane, Quito did not look like the typical capital city. It was nestled in a valley between mountains and it was green and lush. Here and there some high risers towered over the rest of the urban city and there were many parks scattered around. When the plane landed, we tried to get some info on how to get to the centre of Marsical, the tourist accommodation hub, without taking the expensive taxis. But no one seemed to think it was a good idea for us to go by metro or bus. So we ended up taking the $7 taxi.
We checked into Hostal Nassau (a cheap and cosy option), handed in our laundry and immediately went on a search for a tour operator to book a tour into the Amazon Jungle. In the end we booked a five day trip with Dracaena to start on 30 June. This meant that we had a couple of days in Quito before heading to the wilderness.
Our sightseeing took us to the Old Town of Quito to the Plaza de Indepencia, surrounded by a multitude of old colonial architecture. We were very impressed by the city’s public transport system; the metro busses run frequently and are easy to reach from anywhere in the city (it also runs on an environmentally friendly electronic system). This made the exploration of this use city very easy and affordable. After marvelling at the beauty of the old town, we stopped at the Museo del Banco Central. Completing the walk through this massive museum was exhausting - we felt like we have not slept in days! So we dragged our feet back to the hostel for an afternoon nap.
We could not resist the urge to visit “The Middle of the Earth” - it has a sci-fi sound to it…’we are going to middle earth to slain the dragon’…or like something from Lord of the Rings. But actually it is a small complex, about 20 km from Quito, positioned (almost) on the equator. Modern GPS readings have revealed that the monument is seven seconds of a degree off the true equator, roughly 215 meters. Technology can be such a fun-spoiler
So, if we do not look at it too technically, we can say that we have been to the middle of the earth and back! See the silly photos as proof…
The rest of the afternoon was a preparation for the Amazon - physically and mentally. The physical preparation included the endless search for long sleeve, cotton shirts to keep sun, animals (mostly insects) and dangerous plants at bay. We were advised that cotton is the only way to go - it is light, not too warm and dries quickly even in the ever wet rainforest. We also went to pick-up our clean laundry, only to find the laundromat was already closed! This meant that we did not have enough underwear for the Amazon trip and even worse, because we finally decided to hand in Eon’s daypack for a desperately needed wash, we did not have a daypack for him. I figured if Paris Hilton could go to a farm in heels and Gucci, then we could go to the jungle with my shoulder bag/handbag from China
The mental preparation was far more challenging. You see, I am exceptionally scared of spiders. Any other bugs are no problem; cover me in snakes - no problem. But those eight legged freaks have a way of creeping me out. I break out in a sweat when I spot one…I even have nightmares about them! So WHAT was I thinking when we booked the trip to the Amazon?!
Sometimes one just has to jump into the deep end, I suppose. So on the Sunday morning we took a bus to the small town of Lago Agrio, from where we would start our trip into the Amazon basin the following morning.
Click on the image below to view the gallery for Quito: