I completely lost all track of time. When a fellow traveler bought up that it was American Labor Day, September 1st, I became confused. My mind told me that it was mid June. Then it finally dawned to me that my flight out of LAX was August 28th. So I guess I'm intellectually caught up with time.
Officially I have been in South America for 6 six days. My flight from LAX to Quito consisted of two layovers. First one in Panama City, and the second in Bogota. Because my layover in Bogota was 9 hours, I ventured out of the airport to explore the historic centro. After exiting immigration and customs (got a Colombia passport stamp! Yay!), I proceeded to the guardaequipaje, dropped off my bags for $11 USD, then I exchanged $70 USD into Colombian pesos a couple windows down. I then took a taxi to Plaza Bolivar and explored the surrounding area known as La Candelaria. What's nice about the city of Bogota is that most of the museums and churches have entranda libre, free admission. Catching a cab back to the airport was tricky (and cheaper) but I managed to hail one down.
After a turbulent landing, my flight arrived in Quito at around 12 am. As soon as I arrived at Minka Hostel, I brushed my teeth and went to bed.
1st day of Quito: exploring historic downtown
What's outstanding about Quito is that everywhere you look, you'll see mountains. The city is surrounded by lush green mountains with stratas of housing that resemble the flavelas of Brasil. After my breakfast of a small banana, piece of bread and hot tea, I explored the centro historico. Disappointingly all the churches I passed charged an entrance fee of $1-4. Since I don't agree that houses of worship should charge people to get it, I didn't enter any of them.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing at the hostel to recover from the 21 hour transit and elevation change.
2nd day of Quito: visiting the fake equator
During breakfast at the hostel, I made friends with a pleasant Aussie named Will. Will arrived in Quito a couple of days ago after traveling in Colombia for a month. That noon, we took the blue metro bus to Mitad del Mundo, a national landmark which was originally thought to be the sight of the equator. But after the popularity of the GPS, it was discovered that the actual equator was located 300 meters south. Whoops! Despite the false but close designation, heaps of Ecuadorians proudly pose for photos straddling the yellow line at the elaborated obelisk. The real equator lies in the Intinan Museum which is right next to Mitad del Mundo. The Intinan offers a tour that explains recreated scenes and customs of native tribes of Ecuador. I was apprehensive to pay for this, but glad I did. It was actually very informative and insightful. Our guide, Andres, was very knowledgable and good at explaining and answering questions.
That night, a group that consisted of me and 3 other travelers, headed out to La Ronda, a charming narrow pedestrian road with chocolate shops, cafes, and high end souvenirs. There we had dinner and drank warm canelazo.
3rd day: bussing out to Mindo
Mindo, leaving my 50 liters backpack at Minka Hostel. I invited a fellow American traveler who had just arrived 4 am the same morning. The bus ride was 2.5 hours north of Quito up a nauseously winding road.
One of the common major decisions of improvised traveling is deciding when to move on to the next town. My hostel had no available bed this night. Therefore I packed my daypacks to
Mindo is a tiny village in a cloud forest. The structures in the town are simple and nothing special. But the surrounding mountains are divine. On the bus ride I met another traveler from Ireland. The 3 of us went hostel hunting as soon as we boarded off the bus. We settled at La Casa de Cecilia for $9 a night.
4th day: Tarabita and Santuario de Cascadas
My party of 3 started the day with breakfast at a restaurant in the plaza. We each ordered the continental breakfast for $2.25. We then took a taxi to the entrance of the Santuario de Cascada, a lush park that contains a complex of waterfalls. To get to the falls, you have to pay $5 to ride the Tarabita in order to reach the trails.
Final thoughts...
Although one of the most biggest colonial cities in Latin America, historic downtown Quito is very quiet at night. Because Quitenos aren't big on dinner, most restaurants close early. The beautiful colonial buildings have tremendous potential to host a livelier nightlife. Of course safety is a very subjective issue, and in my opinion, historic downtown is relatively safe, if you stay close to the touristy sites.
Mindo has an enchanting vibe, but can be extremely dead this time of the year. Night life is non-existent and many restaurants and cafes are empty throughout the day. However it's an ideal destination from nature tours and zip lining.
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| Plaza Bolivar, Bogota |
After a turbulent landing, my flight arrived in Quito at around 12 am. As soon as I arrived at Minka Hostel, I brushed my teeth and went to bed.
1st day of Quito: exploring historic downtown
 |
| Historic downtown Quito |
What's outstanding about Quito is that everywhere you look, you'll see mountains. The city is surrounded by lush green mountains with stratas of housing that resemble the flavelas of Brasil. After my breakfast of a small banana, piece of bread and hot tea, I explored the centro historico. Disappointingly all the churches I passed charged an entrance fee of $1-4. Since I don't agree that houses of worship should charge people to get it, I didn't enter any of them.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing at the hostel to recover from the 21 hour transit and elevation change.
2nd day of Quito: visiting the fake equator
During breakfast at the hostel, I made friends with a pleasant Aussie named Will. Will arrived in Quito a couple of days ago after traveling in Colombia for a month. That noon, we took the blue metro bus to Mitad del Mundo, a national landmark which was originally thought to be the sight of the equator. But after the popularity of the GPS, it was discovered that the actual equator was located 300 meters south. Whoops! Despite the false but close designation, heaps of Ecuadorians proudly pose for photos straddling the yellow line at the elaborated obelisk. The real equator lies in the Intinan Museum which is right next to Mitad del Mundo. The Intinan offers a tour that explains recreated scenes and customs of native tribes of Ecuador. I was apprehensive to pay for this, but glad I did. It was actually very informative and insightful. Our guide, Andres, was very knowledgable and good at explaining and answering questions.
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| Mitad del Mundo |
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| The real deal |
3rd day: bussing out to Mindo
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| My lovely bed in La Casa de Cecilia |
Mindo, leaving my 50 liters backpack at Minka Hostel. I invited a fellow American traveler who had just arrived 4 am the same morning. The bus ride was 2.5 hours north of Quito up a nauseously winding road.
One of the common major decisions of improvised traveling is deciding when to move on to the next town. My hostel had no available bed this night. Therefore I packed my daypacks to
Mindo is a tiny village in a cloud forest. The structures in the town are simple and nothing special. But the surrounding mountains are divine. On the bus ride I met another traveler from Ireland. The 3 of us went hostel hunting as soon as we boarded off the bus. We settled at La Casa de Cecilia for $9 a night.
4th day: Tarabita and Santuario de Cascadas
My party of 3 started the day with breakfast at a restaurant in the plaza. We each ordered the continental breakfast for $2.25. We then took a taxi to the entrance of the Santuario de Cascada, a lush park that contains a complex of waterfalls. To get to the falls, you have to pay $5 to ride the Tarabita in order to reach the trails.
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| One of the several falls of Santuario de Cascadas |
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| Tarabita |
Although one of the most biggest colonial cities in Latin America, historic downtown Quito is very quiet at night. Because Quitenos aren't big on dinner, most restaurants close early. The beautiful colonial buildings have tremendous potential to host a livelier nightlife. Of course safety is a very subjective issue, and in my opinion, historic downtown is relatively safe, if you stay close to the touristy sites.
Mindo has an enchanting vibe, but can be extremely dead this time of the year. Night life is non-existent and many restaurants and cafes are empty throughout the day. However it's an ideal destination from nature tours and zip lining.
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