Rodney Dodig

08/27/2009 – 08/28/2009 (Thursday – Friday)

My trip to Quito Ecuador started out a little scary for me. My ride to the airport was forty minutes late and then we ran into a lot of heavy traffic. Thanks to some skillful driving on Steve’s part we arrived at the airport with 1 ½ hours to till the wheels of the plane left the ground. Steve is accompanying me on this trip as my faithful guide and interpreter so that I can enjoy this little vacation to the maximum. Fortunately for us there were no lines, either at check in or immigration and we whizzed right through. Another little surprise was the fact that I had been given “business class” seats for this trip at no extra charge. Here it’s the same as First Class in the US.  So, we ended up with nice roomy seats and a spectacular meal on our way here. The flight was uneventful but coming in for the landing here in Quito was quite exciting. Quito and its airport sit in a kind of bowl surrounded by mountains so the updrafts as the plane approaches the “short” landing strip can toss the plane about a bit. I have been in worse but you could see the worry on other passengers faces.

Disembarking and making it through immigration and customs very quickly we left the airport and caught a cab to our hotel. I was surprised again to find that we had been given a suite at the hotel. I’m not sure how I lucked into all this but thank you Expedia. We threw out bags in the room and went for a walk in search of a Plaza that was supposed to be nearby. What we discovered was that most Ecuadoreans don’t know where anything is. After walking for a bit in several different directions we gave up and returned to the hotel. It was getting late anyway. A quick dinner and off to bed, it had been a long day and I was tired.

We got up early the next morning and had the breakfast buffet here at the hotel and then it was off to begin our adventure again. We went in search of the mysterious un-locateable plaza and after much walking about again we decided to throw in the towel and get a cab. Naturally the cab driver told us there was no such plaza and what we were probably being told about was this area where there are lots of Discos and Bars. After some back and forth conversation between he and Steve we determined that it was the Plaza Grande that we wanted to go to in the historical district of Quito. The drive there was amazing as it took us through much of the old section of town with its old colonial architecture and those incredible churches. The streets were cobbled and narrow which made for slow going in the cab but I was fine with that as it gave me more time to capture it with my camera. Arriving at the Plaza our eyes were met with another of the fantastic old world creations made by the Spaniards. The Plaza itself was beautiful with large flowering trees and fountains with benches appropriately placed for people to sit and enjoy the day. A large Cathedral was on one side and the Presidential Palace on another, stores and hotels made up the rest.  We spent an hour or so taking pictures from every possible angle of the buildings and the Plaza before deciding to have a light lunch at one of the hotels on the square. We notices a large statue on the mountain overlooking the square and decided to take a cab to the mirador there to take some more photos after lunch. One very strange thing about Ecuador is that they use American Dollars as their main currency. They have some Ecuadorean coins in use, all of them in centavos. Getting change can be a mixture of their and USA coins which is odd the first few times it happens to you. There is no Ecuadorean paper money from what I can find out. If you want to know what happened to all the Susan B Anthony and Pocahontas Silver Dollars, they are alive and well here in Ecuador.

From the Plaza we took a cab to the mirador with the large statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the city. I managed to get a lot of beautiful photos of the entire city from this point. There were people playing volleyball and a band playing Ecuadorean highland music. It was a nice place without a large crowd of tourists. Afterwards we did a little shopping; Steve was looking for some T-shirts for himself. I mostly stood around being bored; we all know how much I love shopping.  Then it was back to the hotel by cab where we had dinner and I am now spending time writing this and getting the photos ready to post to my web site. Quito is a beautiful city without the pollution that can plague Lima. The traffic seemed to be more manageable also and they have bike paths all over the city. The large areas of shanty towns do not exist here and the buildings are cleaner. I imagine that is because they get more rainfall here. So far the people seem very friendly and helpful. Tomorrow I will do a real tour with an actual guide so that I can learn more about the city and its surrounding country side. Now it’s time for bed, I’m exhausted.

08/29/2009 (Saturday)

It was a great day today starting with a nice big breakfast here at the hotel. At 9:30 the tour guides were here to pick us up and start the tour. We quickly discovered that we were the only two people on the tour which was quite alright with me. Our guide Alex and the driver Luis were nice guys and we soon knew that it was going to be a good day. I asked if it was possible to make a couple of modifications to the tour to include some things I was more interested in and skip the things we had seen on out own yesterday. He readily agreed and we were whisked away in the van to the first site. Outside of Quito is an inactive volcano with people actually living and farming inside the crater. The volcano is called Pulumahua which means Cloud of Water in English. I think you can see how it got its name from the photos I am placing in this section. The views into the crater were spectacular and we were told you could actually buy land down there. The only way into the valles was a 400 foot  path that dropped from the rim into the crater. They did have electricity but no cell phone or TV service. Despite the incredible beauty of this place I’m sure I wouldn’t want to live in that kind of isolation.

From the rim of the crater we headed down to the first of two stops on the equator of the earth. The first stop was at the scientific equator or 0:00:00 degree latitude which was confirmed by GPS. Here we received a tour from a guide who was a part of the complex, Ivan. We were shown everything from a burial site for the ancient Quito Culture to how to balance an egg on its end on the actual equator. They had a lot of ancient time keeping methods on display and some nice totems that had been donated from tribes all the way up to Alaska. I also got to stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one foot in the southern hemisphere. I know; what a really touristy thing to do but still it was so cool and how many people in the world can actually say that they have done that. We also saw demonstrations of water going down a drain south and north of the equator and what happens on the actual equator itself. It was a great little tour and we were given all kinds of scientific information on the equator and the magnetic forces of the earth. From there we went to the historical equator. This place was marked by a team of French scientists long before there was GPS and it turned out that they were 3 degrees off on their calculations. Still the monument and surrounding buildings containing a museum and solarium among other things were worth the stop here. It also made me wonder how many people realize that this site is not the true equator.

Driving on we stopped at an archaeological dig called Rumipampa at an ancient Quito site. This site is only known about because a construction worker informed on a company that was going to build condominiums on this spot. That company was trying to cover up the find so that they could finish their project. Anyway, as we all know I have a fondness for these types of digs and this particular site was not on the original tour. Alex agreed to bring me here after I had asked if there was an archaeological dig we could visit that wasn’t too far from our tour route. A young lady from the site gave us a tour of the complex that we were allowed to see. It was in the beginning stages of investigation and there had not been a lot done yet. A home and wall to a Plaza had been excavated and we were taken down a thousand year old path called a Culunco. The indigenous peoples used these paths through the thick brush because they protected them from the sun and or rain. The name Culunco comes from the sound that water makes in a jar being carried on a person’s back as it sloshes from side to side. We also got a nice lesson on native plants, animals and other life forms.

Piling back in the van we were off to out next stop, another mirador or overlook of the city. This one didn’t have a name but the views of the old city were incredible and seeing the Andes surrounding the city was awe inspiring. We could see the mirador of the Virgin that we had visited from the day before from this site. The number of churches viewable in the old city was unbelievable. I do believe there had to be one or two on every block. The churches here are beautiful as well as the convents. This was amply demonstrated at our next visit to the Convent of San Francisco. What a truly beautiful place on the inside and out. The façade of the building easily makes it the center of attention on the plaza and the gardens in the interior are a work of art. The towers reaching into the blue sky are truly inspiring and the collection of art work on the walls could inspire religious fervor in anyone.

From the Convent we went to the Street of Carnations, a beautiful place in the old Spanish style. It is narrow and cobbled and all the buildings have been restored to their former glory and now contain shops, restaurants and small bakeries for all to enjoy. This place is an artist’s dream and to prove that point I counted at least 6 different people doing sketches of this street. If any of you come to Quito this place is a must stop. Quito is a truly beautiful city and the historical center a real gem. The surrounding mountains and countryside are a perfect setting for this bustling metropolis. That was the last stop of the tour. From there we had Alex and Luis drop us off at a typical Ecuadorian restaurant in the area. After a nice dinner it was back to the hotel to rest. I am spending the evening writing the day’s events up and working on the photos. Steve has gone out Disco hopping. After this a good night’s sleep and more adventures tomorrow before going back to Lima on Monday.

08/30/2009 (Sunday)

Another great day here in Quito, even if it was cloudy and started raining in the late afternoon. After a good breakfast we headed up to the base of a mountain here on the edge of Quito to take one of the gondola rides up to the top. A fairly quick taxi ride and we were at the entrance to the compound. We quickly discovered that there was a substantial climb just to get to the place where you buy the tickets. Quito is at a substantial elevation and I was huffin and puffin despite all my exercise. On the way to the ticketing area we passed a large fair like area with rides for the kids and young adults. It looked like they were all having a good time down there. At the ticket booth we had the option to purchase regular or express tickets. The line to get on a gondola with a regular ticket was huge so we opted for the slightly more expensive express ticket. We boarded a gondola within five minutes and headed up the mountain. The views were incredible and only got better the higher we went. Once we reached the top we left the gondola and proceeded to several viewing spots to take photos. It was a cloudy day and it constantly looked like it would start raining any minute but despite the fact that you could almost reach up and touch the clouds the sun would break through in areas and provide spectacular scenes. There were amazing views of Quito from up here also. Finishing with my camera we headed back down and once reaching the bottom it immediately started to rain. Rushing though the compound we were lucky enough to get a cab back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the day. I worked on photos, the web site and attending to some E-mails while Steve watched a movie and then started playing some computer game on his lap top. Tomorrow I return to Lima and resume my somewhat regular routine. More then everyone. I hope all of you had as good a weekend as we did.

08/31/2009 (Monday)

Some last minute notes on Ecuador as I sit here in the airport in Quito waiting for our flight. For those of you who want to visit Ecuador, prepare yourself for an expensive trip if you are not careful. Hotels and Restaurants can easily be as expensive as they are in the USA or Europe. I think this is a result of Ecuador using the US Dollar as their currency. If you are a smart traveler and look for good places to eat where there are no tourists you can find inexpensive dining. Clothes, shoes, etc seem to have prices the same or higher than the US. The cost of taxis is a lot higher than in Peru but still cheaper than the US. They are not on the meter here either so you have to bargain with the driver. Tour prices vary widely depending on where you get the tour. Scheduling them through the Hotel is expensive but you can find good deals if you look around after you get here.

Having said all that, this is a beautiful country with many places to see and things to do. They are as diverse as Peru with every type of terrain from Jungle to desert to beaches. If I come back there is a train ride I heard about while I was on the tour called “The Devil’s Nose” that sounds exciting. It’s in the southern part of the country.

We will arrive back in Lima this evening at 7:20pm so I will probably not do an update to the website till the latter part of the week.