An Ecuadorian Beginning
I last left you with my arrival in Quito, Ecuador. My first day in Ecuador I hopped on one of the trole buses and headed into El centro (Old Town) to check out the colonial architecture and culture. I visited several museums and churches, as well as climbed the towers in the Basilica. For lunch I found a Krishna restaurant and at 3 courses for $1.80 (absolutely wonderful food and people). Before I left old town I heard some drumming from inside one of the churches. I headed out to investigate only to find a parade taking over one of the main streets in El Centro. In the evening I headed over to the Mariscal and at dinner at a place called the Magic Bean where a couple of American guys invited me to join them for dinner (they are in Ecuador with a guiding program to summit Cotopaxi). After much talking and some delicious food I headed home for sleep.
The next morning I got packed up, left one of my backpacks at the hostel, then caught a taxi to Ophelia, the bus station at the north of Quito. I missed the bus I wanted to take by about 3 minutes so had to wait two hours for the next one. The bus took me north, across the equator, to Chavezpamba, a small town of about 200 nestled in the Andes. After getting off at the stop ‘after the orange house and pink and green school’ I waited only a few minutes before Anna, my German sister, came strolling up the road. After a happy reunion she took me back to her host family’s house, pointing out the school that she is teaching in on the way. I got served a lovely lunch, then we headed out for a walk to get a better view of the area, and ended up doing a loop through one of the next villages over. Even with a light shower of rain I really enjoyed the view. It was a strange mix of mountains, farms, and flower plantations in the valleys. We got back in time to have some dinner, exchange photos of our adventures from the last couple of years, then head to bed with alarms set to 6:00am to wake us up in time to catch the bus to Otavalo.
In the morning we at a quick breakfast then headed down the hill to wait for the bus. Once we hopped on it was about an hour ride to the junction (just back south of the equator) then we changed busses, heading back north and on to Otavalo. The market at Otavalo was overwhelming, a riot of colours, sounds and smells. I managed to buy a few gifts but will probably return on my last weekend here now that I have a better idea of what is available. After a quick lunch (Anna and I shared a pineapple) we picked up a few more items before hopping on a bus for Quito. We went out for dinner at an indian restaurant in the Mariscal then I said my goodbyes, headed back to the hostel to get my backpack, then caught a taxi to my host family’s house in Northern Quito.
