Quito
Took the bus from Puerto Lopez to Quito on 21nd of Feb. What a drive. I left the accommodation at 7.15am. The bus left the station at Puerto Lopez at 8am; arrival at Quito was around 8pm & than it took me another hour to reach the accommodation. Jesus. At least I got to see “The Intouchables” in the bus, although it was in Spanish. It’s a great movie.
The public transport system here in Quito seems pretty cool. There are a few lines ie. north to south & east to west. Some buses (ie. Ecovia - the one that goes from the city to the bus terminal) mostly have there own lanes, so they don’t really stuck in traffic. Pay with a 0.25US$ coin and go as far & as long as you want to. Pretty amazing, cheap and fairly easy to navigate. And if you want to take a taxi it’s about 2-3US$ for a 10mins drive.
Here in Quito/ Ecuador in general there seems to be a lot less tourists (or at least white people) than there were in Costa Rica or Panama. I feel being observed the whole time. A pretty weird feeling, but they are all very small, curvy or overweight & with dark thick hair & dark brown eyes. So I do look different & I do get noticed. It’s just something I am slowly getting used to.
A went with the Teleferico (cable car) up the hill. The view about Quito & the surrounding volcanos was amazing & its pretty high up there (4.100msnm). The drive is about 2.5kms, 20mins & costs you 8.50US$ return. That’s the price for a foreign tourists, almost all touristy things have different (much cheaper) prices for Ecuadorians, which is alright.
I also went to Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, the Equator monument. The Equator is painted there as a yellow line on the ground and you can basically step or jump from the northern to the southern hemisphere and vice versa.
Quito is pretty high up (2.850m above sea level) and many people get sick (anoxia), especially if they fly in. As I took the bus & therefore gradually adjusted to the height, I was totally fine. But unfortunately I felt freezing cold in Quito - the whole time. Coming from the very hot Puerto Lopez (>30degrees), the about 11degrees in Quito felt more like being on the North Pole, instead of being by the Equator. Also it basically rained/drizzled the whole time I was there. I felt a bit like I never left Ireland.
Teleferico (cable car) 4.100msnm
The Equator - one foot on the northern & one at the southern hemisphere
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