Friday was a later start as we only had a short drive to Quito with a few stops along the way. One thing I'm renowned for in the group is how open I am about my bowel movements. This morning was extra impressive as I literally had a green poo. I'm not sure if it was a sign I was ill, or the fact I was drinking this herb vodka the night before.
The first stop of the was Otavalo. Otavalo is a small town in northern Ecuador nestled in beautiful surroundings a short distance from Quito. Many of the local indigenous communities in this area still wear their traditional clothing made from intricately woven and decorated fabrics, and the men tend to wear their hair in long ponytails. The Otovalan weaving skills are quite renowned and they are rightly famous for their textiles - so rugs, wall hangings and knitwear are all well worth buying here!
In Otavalo there was a massive market and we spent a couple of hours here, where I bought a hat and poncho, an alpaca, and a new t shirt. You had to barter with the sales people which was fun even if my Spanish is dreadful! After leaving the market we continued to the Mitad del Mundo monument which means middle of the world where the equator lies. It was fun jumping between hemispheres and there were plenty of things to read and a tower we could climb on the monument.
After looking at the moment and getting lots of funny photos, we had lunch, where I decided to have a subway. We then took the short drive into the centre of Quito where we checked into our hotel and relaxed for the afternoon. Quito is the capital of Ecuador, nestled in a hollow in the mountains in between the volcanos Cayambe, Pichincha and Cotopaxi - at 2,850m above sea level, it is the world's highest official capital city. Founded in 1534 by a group of settlers led by Sebastián de Benalcázar, the town slowly grew throughout the Spanish colonial era and after the region's independence from Spain in 1822.
The colonial old town is a maze of steep, cobbled streets with intricately carved, overhanging balconies, and some of the best examples of Spanish colonial art and churches anywhere in the Americas - along with Kraków, Quito was the first ever World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO in 1978. The modern area of the town is lively and has some fantastic restaurants and bars. Quito's mix of European and Indian cultures make this a really fascinating city, with stalls displaying Indian textiles, colourful wall hangings, jewellery, pottery and woodcarvings. Quito has some incredible museums, galleries and parks in the city, and some excellent adventure activities and mountain treks nearby for those with extra time in the area.
We met for dinner about 7 where we went to this restaurant and I had this double American cheese burger. We also had the dragoman awards as only 10 of us were continuing onto Lima. I won the worst bowels award and the best couple award. As we were staying in the new town and there were lots of bars nearby so we went on a bar crawl after dinner. I particularly enjoyed this beach bar with sandy floors. People left gradually, but I however had quite late night and it was probably wasn't my wisest move to go to some Ecuadorian nightclub on my own, but the locals were fascinated by me.
After a late night I woke up about half 9 for breakfast, eggs again, before taking a taxi into the old town with a few others. We looked round the square and went into the church which was interesting. I then took a taxi up the hill to this monument where we were able to get a good view of the city skyline. I felt very lightheaded up here though, although I wasn't sure if it was dehydration or altitude sickness.
We then headed back the hotel where I spent the afternoon chilling, and saying bye to the people who were leaving. At 6 I was meant to go to a welcome meeting to meet the new people joining the group, but instead I went out to a few bars and this lovely pizza restaurant with one of my friends who was leaving. This was in the old town and it was really nice night although there were a few dodgy characters around!
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