Last night we arrived late (1am) but safe and sound in Quito and are staying in a gorgeous hotel (Dann Carlton) with friendly service and beautiful roses.
This morning we visited the Old Town where there are 7 churches dating as far back as 1534. Outside the Church of San Francisco (below), we met an arts student (Luis) and practiced our Spanish with him. He taught us the word “chevere” which means cool. We may check out his hometown Loja in the south. Nearby in the town of Vilcabamba, there is supposedly a 130 year old woman and a perfect climate year round (perhaps a connection).
We had lunch in the old town where Roger enjoyed a tasty 3 course meal for $3.50 complete with blackberry juice (juego de mora).
In the afternoon, we took the gondola ride up the side of the volcano. Accents are important. It took a while for the taxi driver to understand that we wanted the Teleférico not the Teleferíco.
Already suffering a bit from the altitude in town, we went higher to 4100 metres. We drank coca leaf tea for strength but learned from a local that it didn’t contain any coca. We still felt better.
As we write at 6:30 local time, it’s dark outside.
For more photos in Quito, see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sataylor/sets/72157624623805919/
We leave tomorrow for the Galapagos.
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