Quito, Ecuador... the middle of the world

 Quito, you had me at two beers.

The first thing you notice about Quito, Ecuador is the altitude.

At 2800 metres above sea level and nestled amongst and surrounded by the magnificent Andes, it is quite a unique place.

Altitude sickness affects everybody differently and not knowing how our bodies would react we decided to go with the travel doctor's advice and take diomox while there.  I don't think I could deal with the hangover symptoms everyday if we were prone to it.  It was just not worth the risk!  We felt a little  breathless at times and the tablets made us a little tingly and dizzy sporadically but overall we were fine.

What makes Quito, which means middle of the world, all the more special is that it is on the equator, which although they have the wet and dry seasons, it is practically the same temperatures year round.

About 45 minutes from the town itself is the actual equator, and although a massive monument stands to mark this significant location measured by the world's best scientists at the time, the advances of technology have proven it to be slightly off.

Old monument marking the equator

GPS now says the correct location is 300 metres from the statue and has become quite the tourist attraction on its own.   Here tourists are given examples as to the affects of north, south and middle of the equator like being able to balance an egg on a nail, water spinning clockwise and anti-clockwise, sobriety test walking along a line and a strength test which somehow meant you were much weaker on the actual equator.  In all a quirky day trip and a must while visiting this part of the world.

New equator discovered by GPS

Another great day trip from Quito, is the small town of Otavalo about two and a half hours drive through the Andes.  The drive itself is worth the trip passing snow-capped volcanoes, deep valleys and small towns.  The scenery was breathtaking, so much so we didn't really care if we had a destination.  Otavalo is known for its Indian (indigenous) markets where  you can haggle and get some awesome souveniers like llama and alpaca ponchos, blankets, scarves etc.  They are also big on their silver jewellery and hammocks.  Ecuador is also famous for roses, you can pick yourself up two dozen for a cool buck!

Otavalo

The old town of Quito is world heritage listed and a pretty cool area to just wonder around.  One of the most impressive buildings is the La Basillica which rivals any I've seen through Europe.  The coolest thing about it though are the gargoyles which are statues of the giant tortoises and iguanas found in the Galapagos Islands.  We were warned about pickpockets in this area so we didn't flash the cameras too much and we didn't see too many tourists doing the same either, actually it was hard to spot the tourists.

Quito old town

Bomberos Quito

Ecuador is so much cheaper than Chile, and the kind of prices you would expect coming to South America.  Its currency is also the US dollar which makes converting really easy.  Ordering a beer at a bar is about $1.70, a main meal at a restaurant is about $10 and walking out of a convenience store with 6 litres of water, two tallies, a packet of chips and some chocolate set us back $5.00.  By the way, all you need is two beers to feel pretty tipsy due  to the altitude so it could quite possbly be the cheapest place on earth to get drunk.

While we couldn't quite bring ourselves to eat guinea pig yet which is a delicacy here in Ecuador and eaten on special occasions, we are also visiting peru which it is also on the menu.  The fact they serve it with its head and feet still attached makes my stomach squirm.

Off the tourist track, we made a visit to a bombero estacion (fire station).  There we were fortunate enough to meet an english speaking fireman Alex who very kindly showed us around.  Brad discovered the  equipment used is almost the same back home and the heirarchy is very similar, the only difference being the main station is military and that they have dual functions with being paramedics.

 Oh and I have asked locals about Julian Assange, to which their response is always "If the President says it is okay, then its okay", so there you go!

Next stop, Galapagos Islands!

Sights around Quito, Ecuador

Santiago, Chile... how I love thee, let me count the ways

Santiago is a gem to discover.

Jaw dropping snow-capped peaks greet you as you decend from the air, beautiful green parks where lovers canoodle are scattered amongst the city's high-rises, impressive architecture rich in history look down on massive squares where locals gather to dance the afternoons away and artisans and tourists co-habitate in eclectic suburbs.

Once you get over the steep $95 reciprocity fee Australians have to pay to get into Chile, you´ll fall in lust with this city and a few days is more than enough time to experience the best sights Santiago has to offer.



Barrio Bellavista

We stayed at La Chimba Hostel in Barrio Bellavista.  The streets of this funky suburb are lined with colourful graffiti art which brightens your way during the day but it's at night that Bellavista really comes alive with bustling bars and restaurants.  There is something for everyone but we chose to walk past the nighspots blaring Gangnam Style, instead preferring a more authentic South American experience at a tango bar with latin dancing.  I highly recommend this suburb for fellow travellers.

Barrio Bellavista is also at the base of San Cristobal Hill which at 300 metres above the city offers sweeping 180 degree views of the skyline.  It is also where a 22 metre white statue of Virgin Mary stands offering those who need it a place to worship but mainly just another photo opportunity for tourists.  The furnicular was not running while we were there so we decided to stretch our legs by walking the steep route to the top.  It was quite a challenging half an hour walk and not for the unfit but the views were well worth it.  We found the afternoon was a better time of day as the smog had lifted a little, but don´t expect crystal clear views.

San Cristobal Hill

Another great spot worth visiting is Plaza de Armas, which gives you a little perspective of how old Santiago is.  The Plaza was designed in the 1500s but most of the impressive buildings including the Metropolitan Cathedral were built in the 1800s.  A must for history buffs but it is also a great place to just people watch, from buskers jostling marionettes to locals dancing.  It is even a popular meeting spot for the city´s stray dogs to sniff each other out.



The sights of Santiago

One of the most amusing experiences we had while in Santiago was in a coffee shop/bar. What we thought was going to be a quick caffeine fix ended up one of the unusual highlights of our stay. You can either choose to take a seat or stand at the bar and get served by the most voluptuous women you have ever seen wearing dresses barely covering their boobs and butts. I actually thought we had walked into a gentlemen's club and as the only blonde female in the joint I received my fair share of uncomfortable stares. Brad's eyes popped out of his head and suddenly found a new appreciation for the coffee houses here and is seriously thinking of opening a franchise back home.

With limited time in Santiago overall, we chose to do the hop on hop off bus tour of the city for about 19,000 Chilean Pesos each which is about $40. It's definitely worth doing as you will see so much more of the city than you normally would and get off at all the best sights the city has to offer.

As far as South America countries go, Santiago wasn´t ´cheap´ so expect western prices if you come for a visit but overall we had a great time and it was an excellent introduction to the continent.

 One thing is for sure, our limited Spanish is only just getting us by and the most common phrases used so far are hola (hello), adios/ciao (goodbye), buenos dias/tardes/noches (good morning/afternoon/evening), habla englais (do you speak English?), no intiende (I don´t understand).  We are picking words and phrases up quickly though so hopefully we´ll be quite the linquists when we get home!

Next stop, Ecuador.