Quito, Ecuador: Day 4 · Jan 17, 04:06 PM
So far I and my mother have been traveling for 4 days in Ecuador, not counting the day we both arrived. To be truthful, I´m not sure Quito would make my ¨favorites¨ list of cities that I´ve visited.
Let me emphasize that the quiteños themselves are lovely. Almost invariably, they´ve been friendly and helpful, and as a bonus their Spanish is very easy to understand. The Museo del Banco Central has a thorough and amazingly well organized exhibit of archeological artifacts, including a large section of artifacts made from gold and other precious metals, plus the modern art section is pretty cool too. The area where we´re staying – La Mariscal, a.k.a. New Town or “Gringolandia” – feels quite safe, and we´ve not had to deal with as much heckling as I´ve gotten in other Latin American countries. Our hotel, La Casa Sol, is very attractive and conveniently located and the staff are fabulous. Since the economy is ¨dollarized¨, there´s none of the stress of trying to make instant currency conversions in one´s head. Internet cafés are available everywhere, and there´s a couple of pollution-free trolley-bus lines.
Those are the good things.
What´s got me down on the city is this: the traffic and diesel fumes are nasty, the buildings are grimy, the weather is damp, cool, and cloudy, it´s more expensive than I expected and both Mom and I have gotten sick since we arrived on Friday. Blah. I hope time will improve my attitude toward the place, but, well, I suppose it can´t all be beautiful.
Tomorrow we head for Cuenca, a smaller city in the south. Let´s hope for better weather, bluer skies and no bacterial whammies!
Susan
— Aunt Ellen · Feb 13, 05:05 PM · #