The 2018 Blog / May 31, 2018
Hello! Sarah here. Jonny is busy editing photos and complimenting himself under his breath, so I’m ignoring him and writing this next post.
It’s been just around 24 hours since we touched down in Ecuador, and the two of us are full-stomached, a bit sunburned, and tired in the best way after spending the day exploring Quito. After starting our morning with a traditional Ecuadorian meal at this local place called “McDonalds,” we made our way to Basilicia del Voto Nacional - the largest neo-Gothic Catholic Church in North and South America.
Built on-and-off between 1884 and 1909, apparently the church is still technically ‘unfinished;’ legend has it that the day it is completed the world will end. Perhaps not coincidentally, there was some major construction going on there today. Not to alarm anyone, but, ya know.
Besides reminding us of our impending doom, the ongoing construction also made us unable to climb to the top of the cathedral and see Quito from above - but we quickly figured out a much cooler way to do so! We decided to head to TeleferiQo, where we could hop on a cable car ride that would take us close to 13,000 ft elevation on Pichincha Volcano.
For some reason (can I blame altitude sickness for making us crazy?) we decided it was a good idea to skip the $2 taxi ride to the cable car start and instead walk 4 miles, for an hour and a half, uphill, in the midday sun. After downing a liter and a half of water each and taking frequent breaks to catch our breath, we made it to TeleferiQo and jumped on the gondola. The views on the ride and at the top made the trek worth it!
On the way back to Quito, we spent a while walking behind a group of police officers on motorcycles, and at one point they turned into an abandoned parking lot. We thought ‘huh, that’s odd,’ and kept watching, but then things got odder when they started doing stunts on the motorcycles, driving around in circles while standing on the seats. This is where your tax money is going, Ecuador!!
At this point, our legs were pretty tired - so we found a happy medium between walking and taking a taxi, and we successfully navigated public transport! I say successfully very loosely, as the first three busses ignored us and didn’t stop, and the one that did stop was not the right bus, and we got off the bus in a slightly sketchier part of Quito. But it was 25 cents, we got some good people watching in, and we got back safely!
I would also like to note that on the way back, I got shat on by a pigeon, which is especially sad considering I made it four years hanging out in Washington Square Park without a drop of bird poop on me.
We finished our day with nachos, tacos, and beer, and we’ve been hanging out in the AirBnB, sharing a 6 liter bottle of water and planning out the rest of the week. Next up: trying to get me a yellow fever vaccine and then finding the Equator!
Originally published May 31, 2018 / See the Quito gallery
