Quito

Officially in Ecuador, the last country on my trip. I've linked back up with Joseph and Sarah for our Galapagos adventure. We have three nights here in total. Reports on Quito haven't been amazing but we were pleasantly surprised.

Accommodation:
Secret Garden Hostel. It has an incredible view from the rooftop bar. We're in a 16 bed dorm which comes with an animalistic snorer and an inadequate number of showers.

-Day one: straight off my flight, I found the familiar faces ahead of me in the immigration queue. We had a few hours to kill before Lisa arrived from Ireland. Time passed quickly over a few espresso martinis while we caught up on the past 4 months since we had seen one another. Once all together we made our way to the hostel where I met Brian. The travelling world is becoming smaller and smaller. Brian was Kate's housemate and has been a sort of pen-pal during my trip for swapping tips and advice.

-Day two: We went to a cafe called Atavico for breakfast and then on a free walking tour organised by our hostel. I do love a walking tour and this one lived up to my expectations. The most intriguing piece of information was to learn there are still indigenous communities living within the Amazon that have absolutely no interactions with the rest of the country or world. One of these communities has not been spotted for over 60 years. We met Clare, another dietitian to add to the collection who is also moving from London back to Dublin. Lunch was empanadas and the afternoon brought us to a local market. We headed back to the hostel for some happy hour drinks where I met Aiden who I had spent some time with in Colombia.

-Day three: we had a slow (on my part hungover) morning. We had breakfast next door to the hostel which didn't leave us disappointed. We then went to a local food market which did leave us a little disappointed. It gave me prison dining hall vibes. The afternoon took us out to the Equator line. This was surprisingly very fun. This is the official centre of the world because it's the highest point along the equator line. It was crazy to see how magnetic poles affects your balance as you walk along the line. We also had a demonstration on how flowing water changes direction when it's brought to between the hemispheres.
We went out to a fancier restaurant for dinner to get some typical Equatorian food. We had a random dog follow us the whole way there and even came and sat with us in the restaurant. Turns out it was the hostel's dog but it was still very random and slightly embarrassing. He left half way through our meal with a perplexed American family.

Recommendations:
-Do the free walking tour with the hostel
-Los Jugos De La Sucre - great empanadas and fresh juices
-Yumbos - chocolate tasting and chocolate shop
-Atavico cafe - good breakfast and coffee
-Convergencia - great breakfast next door to hostel.
- Equator line. Got a taxi there and back which waited for us. Cost $40.Read more