I recently spent 48 hours in the city of Quito and can I say 48 hours wasn’t enough? The city quickly grew on me and surprised me in so many ways. Although the official language is Spanish, the official currency is the U.S. dollar. Prior to visiting, I did not know this fact.
I landed in Quito just after 9:00 pm on a Saturday night and was surprised at how quick and efficient the immigration and customs process was. I was on the sidewalk within 10 minutes just waiting for my Uber. The ride into the city was a little over 45 minutes. I stayed at the NH Hotel Quito Royal. This was a deal I got from Fine Hotels and Resorts courtesy of American Express.
After checking in, upgrading, and relaxing, I ventured to the cafe for dinner. I had a Shrimp and Chicken rice dish that softened my palette for what was to come, really good food. This was of course washed down with a few glasses of Lemonade. I am not sure what it is about being in South America, but I overdose on fruit drinks while there. I retired for the night in anticipation of the next day.
The next morning, I slept in and got up with enough time to meet my tour guide in the lobby of the hotel at 8:45 am. Michelle was excited to show me her beautiful city for the day. We drove to the cable card and proceeded to take the 15-minute ride to the top. Once at the top, we went through the numerous viewing points before taking a short hike. I wasn’t dressed for the part but had a great hike nonetheless and it was under an hour. We saw churches' viewpoints and swings all within an hour.
After taking the cable car back to the bottom, we were met by the driver that took us to Basílica del Voto Nacional. The Basilica is meant to mimic Notre Dame in Paris with a few local touches. We then walked over to Seven crosses street to see a few of the churches on the streets and discuss their history and meaning with the local people. The next stop was a local chocolate factory for chocolate tastings where we got a few local chocolates. Afterward, we toured the city center and mall to taste local candy.
Independence Square was the next stop. It is nicknamed retired people square due to the large number of retirees that line the benches and it is surrounded by four prominent buildings. We then went to the Church of Gold (Church of the Society of Jesus) to learn the history of the Jesuit order and the church. We stopped for lunch at Casa Manuel where I had the most delicious octopus and potato dish.
The last stop of the day was the Equator. Intinan Latitude 0.00 is an interesting place to visit. Gravity works differently there and there are a few tests that will show you how. This is a fun activity to do. The tour starts with a 10-minute speech on local customs before meeting people from a local tribe.
Later that night I had my first Civiche. This was made in a red sauce that hid the scent of the fish and made it easy to consume. While at dinner I received notification of my canceled tour for the next day so I began to plan alternatives. I ended up visiting the Virgin of Panecillo before spending the rest of the day in town. I like Ecuador and the ease of getting around, plus it's a really beautiful country.
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