Quito, Ecuador

Sunday, 10/24/10 – Monday, October 25, 2010. Well, I discovered something about myself and that is sometimes whenever I get to a new city, I immediately don’t like it. I flew into Quito from Cuenca yesterday and riding in the taxi to my hostel, I decided I didn’t like Quito at all. When I got to my hostel, I resolved that I hated it because I thought it wasn’t near anything like I thought. However, when I woke up this morning, after spending many hours unsuccessfully searching for a new hostel, I got a map and realized I was in the middle between Old Quito and La Mariscal. La Mariscal is nicknamed gringoland because that is where all the gringos are. So after having breakfast (very good omelet) and getting a map from the front desk, I went exploring. Of course, I went the wrong way first because I have lost my sense of direction. So I turned around and headed to La Mariscal. About 3:00 pm I was starting to get hungry and decided I wanted American fare, so I stopped at a place called Adams Ribs where I had a wonderful meal of BBQ chicken, cole slaw and French fries and really good iced tea. I knew I would feel at home when I heard Willie Nelson playing. It was expensive by Ecuadorian standards but slightly less than US prices. I was really winded when I got back to the hostel. I don’t know if it is because I am horribly out of shape or because of the altitude here – 13,500 feet. It is cold here too – about 60 degrees and overcast. I really wanted to stay in bed under the covers and stay warm.

What really freaked me out was trying to get to Panama without going thru Colombia. I was all over the internet looking for buses, boats, and flights to anywhere in Central America that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. No luck, so I bit the bullet and made a reservation to fly from Quito to Panama City. It would have cost me almost the same had I taken the bus to the Colombian border, flew to a safe city, bussed it up to the northern border, and flew into Panama (there is no road border between Panama and Columbia-did you know that? I didn't). Plus a lot of hassle. It is going to play havoc with my budget this month, but better to be safe.

Tomorrow I’m going to try to go on a tour to Octavalo which is supposed to be the center of the earth.