LOCATION: Lima to Quito
Here in Quito to get us ready to transition to the the waters of Galapagos. Not sure how all that works but maybe this detour to the clouds carries with it the advantage of only flying domestic to access the islands. Have not quite unravelled that mystery yet.
And unlikely to do it today. Had the killer headache as my welcome to the morning with a mere 4 hours sleep overnight. I was a little shakey, vision blurred and very fuzzy headed. Definitely gave the pills a miss think i'd rather deal with the shortness of breath.
The plan today was to join @Danny for a walking tour - after we had hit the ATM a second time to get cashed up - there had been a withdrawal limit yesterday so fronted again this morning.
The morning's activities gradually cleared the head and improved the mood - felt "grumpy" and "short" trying to make sense of the world through the brain fog. And that matched the weather- at about 3 am the visibility in the area had been zero as the entire city was shrouded in cloud.
The Adventure
Today's activities included:
A. El Panecillo: stop 1 was a hilltop monument with a giant winged Virgin Mary statue overlooking the city. Perched high on one of numerous peaks of the ciry accesed through narrow upwards rising, one way cobbled streets we reached the perch of the beautiful winged Madonna. Not really a rival to Christ the Redeemver but equally dominating in the landscape. We were one of the first groups to arrive and almost had the tower to ourselves. Made our way slowly up the winding stairs of the three flights to admire the displays and then pretend to be the kings of the world looking out from our 3000 metre plus heights. Quito was a white crush below us and stretched between sharp ridges. The old town stretched out below us and in the far distance we could spot the Towers of the Basilica. Church spires dominated the roof tops where Catholic Churches and Monasteries almost outnumber tunnels and bridges.
B. The Grand Square - wandered the historic old town to see Plaza Grande, the Carondelet Palace, and the incredibly ornate La Compañía de Jesús church (decorated in gold leaf). @Danny shared the history lesson in the square at the base of the independence statue while daily life continued for the locals.
C. The churches - so many concentrated in the old town - many heavily decorated with good leaf. They were working churches and the priests were out and about talking with the locals. These were constructions from the 15 and 16 hundreds and had taken 150 years to complete. Did tours in Jesuit church of La Compania de Jesus and the Monastery.
D. Chocolate tasting - a definite plus was the inclusion of the chocolate tasting. Tried 14 flavours from 100% to 60% and rated our favs before making the purchases. Suck don't chew! Releases all the flavours and avoids any bitter sensation. Tangerine was the winner with chilli and ginger chasers. See if it makes it hone.
E The 2.30 Team meeting was probably the most important part of the day! Had to follow the 9 pages of instructions from @Cristina to complete the Biosecurity check for Galapagos! All the paperwork certainly raises the anxiety levels - but after giving everything but a DNA sample, we had five copies of the QR codes saved and retrievable ready for tomorrow. And yes, again, verified we had the cash! They definitely want us to be able to get on the boat.
F Rounded out the afternoon with help from the Concierge. Thought we might jump a yellow cab and then add a bit of walking to visit the cable car and the Basilica. Concierge knocked that on the head pretty quickly. Um. No walking alone and no public transport. That was a definite. Used instead the transport of the hotel all coordinated through What's app. Had vehicles despatched to deliver us and pick us up and all that seemed at reasonable rates.
For panoramic views of Quito and the surrounding Andean peaks, we rode the Teleferiqo, a gondola lift that carries you along 2 kms of cable, up to an elevation of 4,100 meters! What a view! Quito curved below nestled in the valleys between the ridges of the Andes. I was a little intimidate here by the height and was reluctant to step out into the platform for photos and was a non starter for the dual swings that suspend over the edge of the cliff face!
G last stop was the Basilica - missed the tower climb by 8 minutes but actually feeling the impact of the elevation so may have been a good thing that we didn't have to haul ourselves up the internal stairs of the Towers. Inside, the light filters through stained glass in a way that makes the whole place glow, and the carvings of Ecuadorian animals instead of gargoyles give it a modern, quirky, local twist. And coincidentally, a local folkloric dance company was making a video ptlromotion here and we enjoyed some interaction with the locals.
I don't think i was dressed for the part
Reunited with the @DeLoys in the hotel for dinner. A local concert was on tonight and the hotel was flooded with guests. An interesting evening trying to get food and drinks - they were literally so busy, food was served without cutlery because there weren't any clean utensils available. Orders were mixed, cold drinks served in piping hot glasses straight from the dishwasher - wait staff constantly in sorry mode ... but somehow we survived and were still laughing at the end.
Alarms set for 4.30. Transit card. Biosecurity QR card. Cash. Think we are ready to move on.
Can you believe this?
Amazing Facts About Quito Old Town:
First UNESCO City: Quito was the very first city in the world to be awarded UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status, receiving the honor in 1978.
Gold-Covered Church: The Church of the Society of Jesus (La Compañía) is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in South America, with its interior covered in over 7 tons of gold leaf.
The "Virgin of Quito": Atop El Panecillo hill sits the largest aluminum statue in the world, the Virgin of Quito, which is made of 7,000 pieces of aluminum.
Incan Foundations: The Spanish built the colonial city on the ashes of an important Inca city, and many foundations of these, as well as native, structures are still visible today.
Oldest Neighborhood: The Calle La Ronda is one of the oldest and most traditional streets in the city, famously known for its artistic and artisan history.
Fauna Gargoyles: The neo-Gothic Basilica del Voto Nacional features unique gargoyles that are not traditional monsters, but instead iconic animals from Ecuadorian nature, such as tortoises, iguanas, and armadillos.
Highest Capital: Quito is the highest constitutional capital city in the world, located at 2,850 meters (9,350 feet) above sea level in the Andes mountains.
Architectural Treasure Trove: The Old Town contains 32 museums, 24 churches, 7 convents, and 6 monasteries, providing an extremely high concentration of art and history.
Survival Barometer
Steps 12 581
Weather 19 degrees
Health: dumping those altitude tabs now - got rid of headache by lunch and lost the loo focus. Some tightness in chest and tummy grab when going higher in cable car
For Jesse: on top of the world today 4050 metres above sea level!
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