This vehicle - an open top double-decker bus was our home for three hours yesterday. A lot of fun, sun and sights. Taking us around the City we saw most of the places we had seen on the internet and brochures. We try to do this tour in all of the cities we visit and learn as much as we can about the place. This time being Seniors we paid half price - $6 usd. That amazing price is indicative of the prices we are paying for all of the tours we have taken and those we intend to take. A similar tour in a similar bus in Rome cost $37 and in Milan $42. So Quito's bus is a bargain. Perhaps because it is not owned by the Viator conglomerate.
The first sight we saw the first morning at first light was the ninety foot statue of the Virgin Mary, located high above the City, well we visited it on the tour and stayed twenty-five minutes to gawk. A visit to the Chapel and shrines was the princely sum of one dollar - cheap at half the price.
Quitenos are very proud of their open spaces and the Parque Carolina is no exception. Full of recreational sports users - soccer players, tennis players and even some boaters all enjoy this park which most compare to Central Park in NYC. The Public Art on display at the North end was a series of full size Hollywood level Dinosaurs. These really lifelike models entranced the kids, specially when they moved body parts.
Another marvel of the trip was being on a large bus that could actually manoeuvre the skinny streets and sharp turns without holding up traffic. Traffic in Quito is not a hectic one but the small streets and the three lane arterials do get clogged very quickly but the 401 at rush hour is much busier. One of the things that sticks out to a tourist is the large number of Police on the streets. Almost every intersection has one and community policing is taken to the Nth degree with strolling pairs almost every hundred yards. Apparently one of the first things the popular President did when achieving office was to remove Police corruption and reduce crime. He obviously swamped the place with cops; none of whom appear to be over twenty-five years old.
As an example, when we walked to the bus stop yesterday we noticed squads of riot police around the Governor's Palace. Buses of heavily armoured cops who looked like trekkies in their plastic flak jackets and holding shields. Prudence dictated that we take no pics of these guys. Not knowing what was going on we just got on the bus and took the tour. When we
passed the Grand Plaza, on the way back, we realised that the show of force was to contain a protest by the tribespeople being displaced by the massive contract given to the Chinese who will be drilling for oil in the Amazon.
Back to the Hotel to chase up the hot water problem, and after standing over the hoteliers we actually did get it back. Next problem - get the TV fixed.
Across from the Hotel is one of the two restaurants that advertise Cuy (guinea pig) a national food. We wanted to see one and Stuart wanted to try one. Seated and ordered the food arrived and it was definitely local food, the vegetables were hard for me to eat, I don't like corn cobs at the best of times and this local one was obviously right off the village farm, Stuart loved his quarter of the Cuy, it arrived complete with head and feet but not much meat to chew on - put it down to an experience. Again another meal for ten bucks a plate! Seeking out dessert we wandered uptown and came across a bakery. Two coffees, two hot chocolates and and three pastries - eight bucks - amazing.
Tomorrow we explore the markets.
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