8th April- Quito & the centre of the world!

8th April- Quito & the centre of the earth

All I can say about today is Wow! 

We are now in the safe hands of Much Better Adventures, and our lovely guide Edwin. Today has been exploring Quito. The capital of Ecuador, Quito means Key or centre of the world. It's a vibrant, bustling city with a great feel about it. In truth, I could happily spend a few days here, wandering around exploring, and people watching. As it is, we have a mini bus taking us from place to place and Edwin to tell us everything we need to know about each stop off. 

Our first stop was the spectacular Basílica del Voto Nacional. This 19th century gothic style, catholic cathedral is breathtaking. The thing that impressed me the most is that the decor celebrates Ecuador - from the stunning round "Rosa" stained glass window, which depicts the various orchids that can be found across Ecuador & Galapagos, to the stunning gargoyles decorating the outside walls, which are all animals and birds that can be found on Galapagos. They are really detailed & well made too, down to the feathers of the blue footed boobie or the claws of the marine iguanas. The statue at the entrance is pope John Paul II, who visited the basilica and blessed it. The huge doors are carved with religious depictions, and there are fantastic views from each level. The tiny spiral staircase up to the very top isn't for the faint hearted though (Graeme opted out) but worth it for the view. Surprisingly, most of the group were affected by the altitude, complaining of feeling wobbly, dizzy, fuzzy headed/ confused and breathless. I, on the other hand, felt exactly the same as I always do ( I have those symptoms most of the time anyway). Is it possible to be affected by altitude in North Tyneside??? Not really feeling any different at this height is great news for when we go to Cusco- as that's even higher! It has also given Graeme a better understanding of my condition, as he has experienced to some degree how it feels today- although he did say "I don't know how you cope with this everyday". If only there was an option for people with ME/ CFS. We just have to get on with it & cope the best we can. No treatment, no answers and no cure. You get used to "coping" & dealing with whatever it throws at you. No choice. But the best thing you can do is not let it defeat you. Change you ( well that's inevitable) but not defeat you. 

The next view point we stopped at was even more spectacular. El Panacilo. A huge statue of the virgin Mary, made of aluminium squares, bolted together, like a huge jigsaw. Inside the base of the statue you can see each section is individually numbers, and there's also models of the various churches in the city, and framed photographs of the statue being put together. 

Edwin proudly informed us that the statue is the second highest in the world, and is higher than the statue of liberty. Of course this is completely due to the fact that Quito is  9350 feet above sea level and nothing to do with the height of Mary at all! She sits on the top of the hill, over looking Quito with a viewing platform that gives a 360 degree view of the entire city. Edwin informed us that Quito is shaped like a banana ( they are straight in Ecuador) so very long and narrow, which makes for fun driving in rush hour, as you have to weave in & out of the city to get anywhere. Below the statue is a row of wooden stores selling trinkets and ponchos, brightly coloured blankets & jumpers. There are a lot of stray dogs sleeping in the sun. I was amused to see that behind a row of trees, so shaded from the sun, where a row of brightly painted dog kennels, each decorated with pictures of bones and paw prints, and with a dog bowl outside of each. Edwin explained that the stall holders have taken the dogs on as their own. Nice. 

We then went on to a chocolate factory. In truth, we weren't expecting much from this visit, but actually, it was really good! The guy gave us a talk about what they do and how each bar is graded for taste, sheen, colour & texture. He was passionate about his job, entertaining and we got samples of everything to try. They were all amazing and so different. The factory is called Yumbo, and has been running for only 6 years. Each year they have competed in a competition, showing their wares against 400 over chocolatiers, including major brands & exporters. Yumbo do not export. They have already picked up 12 gold awards for their chocolate varieties. Apparently, Ecuadorian chocolate beens are exported to the best chocolate brands, including Lindt, with Belgium importing the most. Naturally, we had to buy some & I chose a bar each for my kids- chosen for them on which one I think they'd like the most. We also chose a bar for our friends Will & Michelle, as they are particular about the quality of their chocolate. It was expensive, at $5 a bar, but worth it. Particularly if savoured with a nice glass of red. I only hope I can keep Graeme away from it until we get home. He is like a truffle pig when it comes to finding my stash of hidden chocolate. Strangely, he can't find most things he is looking for, especially keys & glasses ( even if they are on his head), but hide a bar of chocolate anywhere in the house & I guarantee he will find it. 

Next stop,Independence Square, where the government buildings are located, & the homes of the president, the mayor and the bishop, and of course another church. 80% of the population here are catholic, and there are impressive churches dotted across the city. There was also an impressive monument, in recognition of those who fought for independence from Spain in 1809.

Edwin then took us to a restaurant for lunch. The door to the street was pretty unassuming, however, as we walked through, past vendors selling snacks, sweets & pastries, it opened out into the most beautiful square, which was the restaurant, with balconies on all sides, lush planting and a scary amount of religious paintings and statues. The food was excellent - Graeme tucking into a king prawn cerviche, plenty of bread and a delicious "acki" which is the name for any home made chilli sauce, while I had a huge steak with mushroom & onion sauce, jacket potato & veg and a very large glass of red ( well, I am on holiday!) On the way out, we sampled some of the local sweets, which are brightly coloured and explode on your tongue with a hit of liquid booze. I had to have some of those to take home, although I know it will be me who is tempted to eat those before we get back! 

It was then back onto the bus and to "the centre of the world". This is a museum built around the central point of the equator. Our guide excitedly told us that the museum was built by indigenous people, and all of the staff are indigionus. Indigionus people now count for only 25% of the population of Ecuador.  The museum is partly set within a traditional home style building, with a replica burial site and a model of a man in original dress- which is basically ear expanders and a woven rope belt to hold up a man's penis, while letting his testicals hang free…we were told this was to protect men whilst spear fishing, as there are small fish in the waters that swim up and lodge themselves into penis's…so the belt was to hold it up, so they couldn't get in. Poor Graeme, being the only man in our group now has a number of offers of belts being made before he goes in the water from the rest of the group. His face was a picture, bless him.  It's a good job he is a good sport. When we get to Galapagos our guide is also woman, so he'll be even more outnumbered. The Galapagos Government will only allow group trips if they have a guide who was born in Galapagos - so ensuring jobs for local people and that expected standards of tourism are upheld. 

We then went on to the scientific bit, with sun dials and various experiments to show how the force of gravity is different at 00.00 on the equator. Ecuador is the true centre, as at the highest point of any of the countries that lie on the equator, hence it's name. I am not sure of the accuracy of the experiments mind, but it was interesting to hear about the changes to gravity and how weather is impacted on either side of the equator line. It adds weight to my own observation that my health is hugely impacted by the weather & air pressure.  We took part in all sorts of "experiments" with water, force & balance. There was loads of couples having photos taken of them kissing from either side of the equator. It was all getting a bit nauseating to be honest, so we decided to do our own version of the photo. 

One of the most interesting things for me was the collection of traditional totem poles, which have been donated by various countries, I would have happily wandered around those for a while, despite the torrential rain. There was also a rather uneasy section depicting the practice of shrinking human heads to gain the power of their enemies. Worryingly, the last shrunken human head was produced in 1960 & indigionus people still shrink the heads of animals to this day. There were a couple of real examples on show, including a human. The process involves carefully removing the skin intact, boiling it for several hours in a mix of 16 different plants, before filling with stones to keep the shape and sewing the eyes & mouth shut. Naturally, me being an Avon lady, I wanted to know what the plants are, as they are clearly very good at tightening the skin, but she wouldn't tell me. I think they are missing a trick there & could make a fortune if they could mix a potion that doesn't require beheading first. 😆

We were then back on the bus and back to our hotel for dinner and an early night, as being picked up at 05:30 in the morning to head to the airport. We also got our laundry back, all washed, dried & carefully folded. No more stinking of sheep! We shared a bottle of red with Bernie, a catholic woman from Northern Ireland who has settled in Scotland. She is traveling alone, but we'll accustomed to it, as has been to lots of exotic locations on her own. she is a manager at a SEN residential school, so we had plenty to talk about. Edwin was surprised to hear about some of the issues in the UK, particularly when Graeme shared his experiences of being a taxi driver and his experiences of county lines. Everyone in the group are really interesting. I think we will have a great time on the trip. Next stop- Galapagos. 

Speak soon,

Caroline