The bus to Quito was a comfortable, if a rather stop / start affair, as we were treated to all sorts of sales pitches and performances, including a young lad pitching a hand cream made of entirely natural ingredients which is also proven to treat migraines, reduce blood pressure and hair loss. We bought four tubs. Might be too late for the hair loss. The heavens opened up upon our arrival into the city which is pretty typical of Quito weather this time of year, clear mornings, cloudy afternoons, relatively brief sudden downpours, and then pretty pleasant warm dry  evenings.

 

After yet another protracted negotiation with the taxi driver on price, this time a pretty robust stand off, we settled on using the meter and we were on our way. Half way there we realised there was a slight lost in translation moment, as he went past the turn off for the city centre and was on his way to the airport…. he  claims he heard Mariscal Sucre Airport not Mariscal Sucre Centro. It turns out a city flanked by the Andes that runs North-South doesn’t have many roads going East-West, so our re-routing added another 20 mins and at least at extra $5 for him. Not a lot of money or time in the grand scheme of things, but it is the principle. And the unrelenting schemes and angles everyone looks to exploit all of the time that is a little tiring, and you sometimes find yourself debating what appears to be the most pedantic of points. We shook hands on an acceptable outcome for all, dumped our bags in the pretty basic hostel in the backpacker end of town we are staying, and set off in search of food given we hadn’t eaten for 8hrs.

 

Turns out the area has changed just a little in the 20 years since I spent a protracted period of time in Quito, and not necessarily for the better. All part of the travelling experience. With the hunger pangs sated, a quick playground visit, we headed back to the hostel to watch some more of Race across the world and get an early night. This travelling malarchy is surprisingly tiring (forgive me, not expecting any violins).

 

After a very typical Hostel breakfast in Ecuador, which consists of some sort of bread product, scrambled eggs, coffee and fresh juice (exact fruits unknown), we set off for Mitad Del Mundo, the middle of the world, for the girls’ first experience of the equator. It turns out Uber is almost as economical when travelling as a party of four, as the local buses, and at 40 mins rather than 2hrs negotiating the bus system, we opted for the less environmentally option there and back. Not as many experiments as we were hoping for to show off the different magnetic forces at play either side of Latitude 0, but lots of interesting facts and we were treated to a planetarium video, as well as some local dancing, which is all part of Mother’s Day weekend which is a pretty big celebration here in Ecuador. We did also get to see some Hummingbirds who were busily darting around in search of nectar, a real treat.

 

Now in contrast to my comments earlier about everyone looking for an angle to take advantage of you, we experienced the kindness of strangers which dispelled this somewhat. Firstly, after leaving a pair of Raybans in the back of the Uber, never to be seen again we assumed, we managed to get in contact with the Uber driver who initially confirmed our fears that they were indeed gone. However he called back an hour later, to say his wife and kids had searched the car, and actually found them and agreed to drop them back to our hostel that evening. The best $10 I have pro-actively offered. Secondly, with Harriet’s energy levels deteriorating pretty rapidly, it was obvious she wasn’t very well, and after a quick throat inspection she indeed had the equivalent of tonsillitis, or whatever it is called once you have had your tonsils removed. The Hostel owner chaperoned me to the local pharmacist, and between them helped me identify an appropriate private clinic to see a doctor, all at 8pm on a Saturday night. Within an hour we had seen a doctor, Harriet treated to an injection of pretty strong Antibitotics, collected the remaining medicine from the pharmacist and were back home, all for the princely sum of $65. The Colonel yet again coming to the rescue as we ate a bucket of chicken and chips in our room and turned in for the night.

 

With Harriet under the weather, for the first time on this trip, we opted to split up the next day, with Katie and Lottie going off to Cotopaxi National Park for a full day tour, and Hatty and I staying in Quito to get some rest. With the medicine having had an immediate effect, we managed a buffet breakfast at a more upmarket hotel, and even felt up to taking the Cable Car to the top of the mountains overlooking Quito. Another Mirador, another swing at the top of the world, although this time at over 4,000m in altitude we hadn’t really dressed for the weather, and with Harriet far from 100%, it was time to warm up with a hot chocolate and headed back to the hostel for some movie time and a sleep.

 

Meanwhile, in Cotopaxi National Park, Lottie and Katie’s adventures were going strong. Having collected an assortment of tourists from North and South America we headed south out of Quito for the national park. First stop the information centre and for lots of our fellow travellers, time to pick up cocoa leaves which are chewed to relieve the symptoms of altitude sickness, decided this wasn’t the best plan for an eleven year old so we declined and opted instead for a lot of water and chocolate. From here we drove up and up to the start of our climb. Unfortunately the morning’s clouds never really lifted so we managed only the briefest of glimpses of the volcano enroute – did however see an Andean wolf which strolled across in front of us!

 

Leaving the warmth of the minibus we were hit by the wind and the drizzle, yes it’s quite cold high up. Dressed for the weather we proceeded up the steep incline as a group stopping every 100m or so to let people catch up, we had already lost two people to the warmth of the bus before the first stop… Lottie was a little superstar and we pressed on walking not far behind the guide – I was so relieved that neither of us experienced altitude sickness, and I think Lottie’s young legs, and my regular running, meant we made it up with little difficulty.  The walk up is on deep volcanic sand so like walking up a vertical beach, be that one punctuated every so often with snow! We were both very pleased to reach the base camp of 4,884m and step inside to hide from the elements over a cup of hot chocolate. Randomly there was a bouldering wall in the cafe so Lottie did a spot of climbing! Rest period over we headed back down, so much easier on the legs and the lungs as we slid our way down the sandy slope. Back into the bus rather damp but pleased to have made the climb. A quick stop for a warming lunch then it was back to the city. As well as the satisfaction of the climb, I really enjoyed chatting to our fellow passengers. Everyone was on an extended trip of some description, including some permanent nomadic travellers so it was great to hear about other people’s travels and plans – sounds like Columbia should be a future stop. Lottie also loved the constant sharing of crisps and treats!

 

That night, reunited once more, and with Harriet feeling revived, we went to one of the best rated restaurants in Quito specialising in local Ecuadorian food. Turns out it was at the end of our road which was a bonus. We had some excellent food, enjoying some of the local specialties, including Cuy (Guinea Pig) which was far more refined than I remember eating 20 years ago. Probably because it was sourced reputably, and prepared with care, in a professional kitchen, not flamed to a crisp over an open fire in an old oil drum on the side of the road. The Ecuadorian wine wasn’t quite up to the food but nonetheless we gave it a go to support the local economy, and the restaurant owner, who was so proud of it and had been extremely welcoming and attentive. It was a lovely meal to round off a bit of a roller coaster couple of days in Quito, before another early start tomorrow when we head to one of the undisputed highlights on this adventure, and that’s before we have even been, the Galápagos Islands.

S, K, L, & H x