Exlporing Quito

It was an action packed day here in Quito. After a breakfast of vanilla yogurt, fresh papaya and melon, Rachel and I navigated our way to TeleferiQo, or Quito´s latest tourist attraction. The attraction consists of a gondola ride to the top of a mountain overlooking the historic city. Rachel initially had aspirations to climb to some peak far beyond the upper gondola station, but rumors of slayings of innocent gringos like ourselves nipped that desire right in the bud. Unlike those unlucky gringos, however, Rachel and I managed to make it down the mountain safely. Phew. Rachel´s camera, on the other hand, was not so lucky. When, where, and how it vanished, we do not know. As I type away, she is frantically shopping for a replacement.

Anyhow, after a pathetic lunch at the clucking chicken or some Ecuadorian KFC equivalent (we were starving and it was this or no lunch. I swear these Ecuadorians have some uncanny fascination with fast-food chicken joints) Rachel and I explored the cobblestone roads, old churches, and gardens of Quito. We eventually wound our way to a monstrous basilica on the edge of town. At this point the weather turned wicked and a sporadic "hurricane" pounded the city. Sans umbrella, Rachel and I decided to hike to the top of the basilica. This was no simple feat. The trek to the top entailed climbing hand-over-hand up a rusted ladder made of chicken wire, balancing across a narrow, rickety wooden swinging bridge that longed to give way, and winding up flight after flight of narrow, damp, and dark spiral staircases. Liability, pshaw!

Tomorrow we fly out of Quito for the Galapagos. We´ll join a group of 14 or so others and reside on a yacht for the next 8 nights, cruising from island to island with a level 111 naturalist guide. I´ve got my underwater camera ready.