April 26 - Quito

Monday, April 26 – Quito, Ecuador
We began our trip in Quito with one short day to explore the city. Several of us (Bob, Laura, Larry, Judy, Shelia and Kay) joined an excellent city tour led by Odetta Morillo.

First stop was the National Congress building to admire its wonderful murals depicting the history of Ecuador.

Murals at National Congress Building, Quito

We drove by the astronomical institute - Quito at over 9000 ft elevation has excellent observation opportunities. Then we passed a statue of Simon Bolivar on horseback.

Basilica del Corazón de Jesus

We stopped at the Basilica del Corazón de Jesus with its interesting gargoyles depicting animals of the rain forest and the Galapagos including an iguana, turtle, anteater, monkey and condor. 

We almost lost Shelia while she was admiring the rose window when she was cornered by a vendor who wouldn't let her leave without a purchase.

Changing of the Guard at the Presidential Palace

Continuing on foot we passed into and through the historic district to the Plaza Grandeo de Independencia to view the weekly changing of the guard at the presidential palace. There was a parade, uniformed men on horseback, marching ones with lances and lots of school children.
 

Our guide managed to get us a wonderful viewing position from the second floor balcony of a hotel along the plaza.

Then we walked to the Jesuit Church (La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús), an extremely ornate, Baroque style church with up to 7 tons of gold leaf on its interior. It was interesting to see the Moorish influence of the decorations.

The next stop was the "Panana" hat shop. We learned that Panama hats are actually hand made in Ecuador by a lengthy process from palm fronds stripped, soaked, bleached and woven. Larry was the only one of our group tempted into a purchase, but it made him easy to spot from then on.

We drove up El Panecillo to get an up close view of the Virgen de Quito statue and a panoramic view of the city.


Then we were treated to a mid-day snack with a view of the city at Pim's Cafe: chicken skewers with a spicy sauce and a plethora of fruit juices - Guanavan, raspberry, orange, pina and more.


The tour ended about 2:30 pm where some of us took a nap which we needed due to the altitude. Others availed themselves of a nearby Mercado to pick up some souvenirs.


We dined at the hotel, joined by Eva and Judi who were staying elsewhere in Quito. We mostly tried the local soups including Cerviche Camarones (shrimp) and Locro (potato).


We ended the evening in the Club Suite joining Kevin and Bitinia, our guide, who prepped us for our departure to the Galapagos.