Patrick and Mary Go Round

Last night, we met up with Mark Woolley at our hostel, The Secret Garden, for some beers and laughs.  He’s been traveling since December, 2007, and started his expedition from Chile.  Mark was going it alone for a while and has posted some wild pictures of his treks out onto the glaciers in Patagonia.  He enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and was curious about how the old neighborhood was holding up within the current political scene.  It was awesome to meet up with him and hear his stories of adventure, travel routing, itinerary and romance.  (I swear that I detected a slight latino accent when he’d first start chatting.)  His stories really helped us solidify a route for getting through Ecuador and into Peru.  He’ll continue on into Columbia and Venezuela before heading back to the US in November.

This morning, we plotted our travels over coffee, bread and yogurt from the corner bodega.  The hostel has a party perk brimming with coffee from 7am – 11am, which eases the morning contemplation.  After some planning, we grabbed a cab up to the base station of Quito’s teleferiqo, a multi-million dollar tram that sweeps out of town and up to 4100m (roughly 12,000′).  Upon reaching the top, we tried to take in the massive vistas and struggled to catch our breath.  We did a bit of hiking and finally broke into a good rhythm after about 30 minutes.  It’s an understatement to say that the trip was breathtaking.  We had lunch near the top and came back down for a session at a ‘gymnasium’ near our hostel.  For a dollar, you can use the weights, stationary bikes and a manually operated treadmill, all day.

Next stop, the Mariscal Sucre neighborhood in Quito’s New Town.  We took the Ecovia down a few stops and checked out the ritzier and slight more pickpocket section of Quito.  There’s a lot more commerce, parks and people in the Sucre.  Hence, the LP book recommends checking it out during the day and taking taxis at night.  We went into the South American Explorers clubhouse and signed up for their $90 couples membership.  We’re hoping to use the services of the SAExplorers in Peru and Argentina for mail, internet and locating volunteer opportunities.  Their book exchange seems to be topnotch and they have a decent library, every travel book you can imagine and even a variety of DVD’s to borrow.  After the clubhouse closed, we met up with Mark again for some beers, falafel and hookah near his hostel.  He brought a crazy chica – Kelly – who had left Boston after 5 years to run marathons on the remaining 6 continents.  One of the stories that she came out with was being on the waiting list to run the Antarctica Marathon in January… if she doesn’t make it this year – she’ll definitely get a spot next year.

Tomorrow, we’re taking Lynne’s advice and will head over to the Museo Guayasamin to check out the indigenous art and cathedral.  Thursday is the big day where we head out from Quito and spend the day at the equator.  We’re planning to spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in Otavalo for some hiking, indigenous music and the largest Saturday market in South America.

We flew in last night from Guayaquil to Quito, hopped a cab and arrived at our hostel, The Secret Garden.  After getting settled into our room, we grabbed a delicious dinner on the rooftop terrace and discussed the sights that our neighbors had checked out around Quito and elsewhere.  There was a funky mix of a dutch couple, Jeremy from North Carolina, kiwis from New Zealand and a civil engineer from Montreal (soon to be Vancouver).  After dinner, we sat by the wheelbarrow/firepit and sipped on the over-sized cervezas.

This morning, after coffee, we grabbed some breakfast on the way to the Presidential Palace.  We checked out the Plaza Grande and the cathedral, which was ornately covered in fresh paint and gold leaf.  We stumbled on a ceremonial changing of the guard within the square, which included raising the Ecuadorian flag, waving at their president, watching the fancy dress uniforms (complete with sabres) and singing the national anthem.  The anthem ends with a lively “Viva Ecuador” and the whole crowd clapping.

Next stop was Quito´s basilica, which is nearby our hostel maybe 7 blocks away.  For $2, you can climb up into the belfry and get a thrilling vantage point on the whole city.  Like nearly everything in Quito, the basilica is on a bit of a hill and you see a ways from the tippity top.  With the thin air and the several flights of stairs, you´re pretty winded by the time you reach the belfry, which houses bells and a large clock.  From there, you can climb up the twisty stairs and eventually several ladders to reach the chain-link-floored top level.  Mary and I shot a couple of videos and will post links to youtube once they get off the camera.