Quito - Day 1

Today i went full tourist. My lonely planet book had a self guided walking tour route, so i followed to a 't' all through quito's gorgeous old town snapping pictures with map always in hand.

I wandered in and out of countless cathedrals, monestaries and palaces, shuffling across pretty plazas with ornately restored colonial buildings on all sides. Ambling down narrow cobblestone streets enjoying all the warm, smiling ecuadorian faces. A police officer approached me, and my guard went up.. uh oh! And then she handed me a map of quito and smiled. That pretty much sums up how people here are. Very warm and eager to help.

The highlight of my afternoon was at the massive basilica. In addition to its impressive size and architecture, there are steps (and i use that term generously!) to the top of the bell tower and its not for the faint of heart. I got to the top but I admit it was scary!! Haha. Gave me a lot of second thoughts about my plans to repel a waterfall in banos later this trip. Yikes.

And its possible i enjoyed a few craft beers between cathedrals too....Read more