Discovering Quito

5/16/2018 South America's Oldest Capital City
Quito factoids...
- founded by Sebastian de Benalcasar Dec. 6, 1534
- formally known as San Francisco de Quito
- in the Andean foothills, in the Guayllabamba River basin just below an active volcano 
- altitude 9,350' above sea level (second only to LaPaz)
- 2014 population: 2,671,191
- closest capital to the equator
- constructed on an a foundation of an ancient Incan city
- well known for its colonial center with its 16th-17th century churches & buildings reflecting Moorish, European and indigenous styles
- headquarters for the Union of South American Nations
- historic center declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978

(Clockwise from upper left) Sofy, our tour guide, gives a lesson on exotic fruits
 in the Quito market; an adult Pilsener beer pinata for sale in one of the shops; 
typical morning fog and drizzle blankets the city.



Church of St. Francis


Inside the church.


Children playing with the pigeons in the square.



Independence Plaza.




The exterior of the Church of the Jesuits (1605-1765). Iconic baroque style. 
Known for its elaborate gilded interior - hence no photography allowed 



Loved the architectural style of this bank building.


Love all the church spires wherever you turn.


The statue of Mary towering over the city. 
(identical to the one on the altar in the church of St. Francis).


Vicky, owner of the local restaurant and our hostess for lunch in LaRonda, 
a historic narrow lane filled with restaurants, small shops and works by local artists.


Very interesting placemats for lunch - old 78 rpm records (mine had a Phillips label). Chicken and cheese empanadas; tree tomato fruit in sugar & cinnamon.


LaBasilica Church (19th century neo-Gothic structure). 
It was impossible to photograph its amazing construction in one photo.




Back to the hotel to prepare for our Amazon River adventure tomorrow morning. We need to reorganize our packing so that our large luggage remains at the hotel, while we compile our "jungle" bag assorted items for the next 3 days. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The March of the Giant Tortoises...

Image
5.22.18 Tortoises Everywhere! Up at 4 AM and out the door by 4:45 for our flight from Quito to Guayaquil to Baltra Island, Galapagos, a  UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon landing we transfer by bus to a dock to catch the ferry, then another bus as we travel the  island of Santa Cruz to  Santa Rosa - and the Rancho el Mayzayillo home of tortoises. Galapagos factoids: - volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean - one of the world's foremost destinations for wildlife viewing - it is an Ecuador province 1,000 km. off the coast - many plants & wildlife that exist nowhere else - its capital is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno - visited by Charles Darwin in 1835 Giant Galapagos tortoise factoids: - they are the longest lived vertebrates (averaging 100 years old!) The oldest tortoise lived to be 170! - modern Galapagos tortoises can weigh up to 919 pounds! (Males average around 500 lbs.; females 300 lbs. - females are generally smaller th...
Read more

The Mother Lode of wildlife!

Image
5.23.18 Crabs, Boobies, Sea Lions and Iguanas Galore!   Our first dry landing in  South Plaza  is unbelievable - opuntia cactus, land and marine iguanas, sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, blue-footed and Nazca boobies, frigate birds, pelicans, swallowtail and lava gulls, red-billed tropic birds.  The sea lions were waiting for us as soon as we landed ashore at South Plaza.  Check out these hilarious short videos: https://youtu.be/T_8J7iNlxPg https://youtu.be/1SQu9NF8pCo https://youtu.be/8rM23WwrjLk https://youtu.be/3LisxNckBwc Sally Lightfoot crab The land iguana makes its first of many appearances. The skeletal remains of an angry land iguana. Opuntia cacti. Tammy enjoying the wonderful view. Gigantic opuntia cactus. Coastline. Lava gulls. Blue-footed booby factoids: - during the mating ritual, males show off their feet to prospective mates in...
Read more

Parque Nacional Cajas

Image
6.2.2018 Cajas National Park - the South American Version of an Alpine Tundra Glacial waters provide the cleanest water in Ecuador.  Stringent farming restrictions are enforced on those property owners  with cows, horses and other animals with regard to animal waste and fertilizer. Cajas National Park factoids: - west of Cuenca in the Ecuadorean highlands - 28,544 hectares  - between 10,000-14,500 feet above sea level - declared a national park 11/5/1996 - daily use is limited to 114 people (so get there early) - known for its trails through evergreen cloud forests and hundreds of lakes - home to Andean condors, giant hummingbirds Our phenomenal naturalist, Christian. He used to live in NJ  and attended Rutgers University. After a phenomenal lunch of super-fresh trout (which was being farmed in pools surrounding the restaurant), we headed back to Cuenca to visit a local artist with a rare dise...
Read more