We came straight to Quito to meet up with an international group of friends to watch the election coverage. We quickly found a bar showing the event. It was an exciting night and we were all thrilled by the results. Congratulations to President-elect Obama.
Aside from the election fiesta and subsequent recovery (the altitude hits you hard here), we wanted to scope out Quito briefly. The city is divided into two parts. The Old City is filled with beautiful architecture, plazas, and old cobbled streets reminiscent of Europe. It’s easy to see why it was the first city in South America to be declared a world heritage site. The new city seems to be one of the backpacker capitals of South America, particularly the neighborhood we stayed in, La Mariscal. You can find good burgers, Thai food, Irish bars, and an office for every adventure tour imaginable. After hearing some alarming stories we wanted to scope out the city this time around to see if we felt comfortable taking photos, and I hope that on our return to Quito we can bring some of these neighborhoods to life.
Coming to a country that gets much more tourism than Colombia I didn’t know what sort of attitude people would have towards travelers. We’ve again been overwhelmed by the hospitality and friendliness of almost everyone we’ve met. After two months in this continent I can’t imagine not spending part of my life here. We are leaving Quito now with warm impressions and headed to the small city of Otavalo to check out the indigenous markets and do some hiking over the next few days.
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