5 DAYS IN QUITO

23.12.2016

During our ride into Quito which was about an hour long, we could see many buildings with lights on them nestled into the hills. It looked different but at the same time quaint. Later on we would see in the daylight how hilly Quito is. By the way, transportation is very reasonable. Our hour long ride from the airport cost us $30.00.

We stayed at the Colonial House Hostel just on the outskirts of the old town. We had a double bed and our own room. We did not need air conditioning in Quito. The room was very basic, no TV, and really for the price who could complain about $25 US a night (well, actually did have a complaint, but more about that later). We also paid $3.50 each for breakfast which was a good deal. We had granola, yogurt, fresh rolls, coffee, juice and eggs every morning. We think the jam was homemade. Regardless, it was delicious. Every morning we could hear the blender start up, and we knew it was freshly made juice being prepared. I opted out of the eggs for the last 3 days of our stay. We also had access to filtered water for which there was no charge.

For the entire time we were in Quito we did tons of walking and believe me when I say the streets were up and down, they were! On average, 3x a day we headed out from the hostel to go into town and especially the first day it was a challenge for me to make it back to our hotel without having to stop to get my breathe. Tom, wasn't having as much trouble as I was because he loves to walk. I think I did pretty good though, especially considering we were adjusting to the altitude. In fact, as soon as I disembarked off the plane I experienced shortness of breathe and Tom felt nauseated. Overall the side effects were minimal and within 24 hours we were fine.

On the first day, Christmas Day we walked around the old town just to get our bearings straight. We saw many landmarks but did not know their history, and initially we did not know what some of the landmarks were. We just knew the architecture and woodworking was so intricate and beautiful. Many of the stores were closed due to it being Christmas. We could not find any restaurants open so we took a taxi to the more modern and touristy area called the Mariscal. The Plaza Foch is the focal point where there are several bars/restaurants. Tom had a burger and a pint for $5.00 and I had a traditional Ecuadorian soup in a cream sauce with avacodo which was around $6.00. The total cost by taxi there and back was $8.00. Needless to say, when our heads hit the pillow that night, we slept well.

Colonial House Quito, Ecuador